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By MaryAnn E. Crichton, David G. C. Clarry

"Environmental risk is becoming more important in debt and equity financing decisions in the mining industry worldwide. Demonstration of good environmental management practices and management systems has a direct impact on the ability of mine developers, operators and investors to raise financing. Based on experience in providing due diligence services, there are a number of factors that are important in assessing financial risks related to environmental issues in either new projects or existing facilities. A frame-work for understanding the importance and priorities of each element of environmental management is presented.IntroductionIn the context of lending money to a corporation, environmental issues represent another aspect of credit risk (Henry, 1989). These issues, because of their nature, represent the potential for large unforeseen expenditures if they are not known or acknowledged and are not being proactively managed. Lenders, other investors and their advisors, are becoming increasingly aware of the potential financial impact of environmental issues. Consequently, they are increasing their requirements for environmental audits to review the environmental issues, management practices and systems when they are considering financing mining and/or metallurgical processing operations worldwide.Many banks have signed the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) Statement by Banks on Environment and Sustainable Development. Banks in this category include National Westminster Bank, the Union Bank of Switzerland, Deutsche Bank, and the Royal Bank of Canada."

Jan 1, 1997

By M. Shriwas, F. Calizaya

"Recirculation is prohibited in many coal mining countries because of the fear that the re-use of return air would allow the build-up of air contaminants at the workings. The incorrect design and location of a booster fan in any ventilation network can create unsafe condition due to recirculation. The current approach to investigating recirculation using simulation software requires manual effort which becomes tedious in a complex and a large network. An algorithm-based C++ program was designed to detect the recirculation in a booster fan ventilation networks. This program needed an input file prepared from output file generated by any ventilation simulator. This program created an output file for recirculation. This program demonstrated the strong capability to detect the recirculation in a sample network and a coal mine ventilation network. The outcomes of this program were documented in this paper. INTRODUCTION The proper design and location of booster fans eliminate the safety hazards associated with high main fan pressure. Conversely, the incorrect design of booster fans in any ventilation network can create unsafe conditions due to uncontrolled recirculation. The proper utilization of a booster fan derives benefits to reduce the main fan pressure, leakage, and consequently ventilation cost especially with high resistance network due to deep and extensive working area in a mine. However installation of booster fan may create uncontrolled recirculation, if it is not sized and located properly with respect to main fan. Recirculation is prohibited in many coal mining countries because of the fear that the reuse of return air would allow the build-up of air contaminants at the workings. Therefore, it is imperative to check the recirculation while designing and operating booster fan for a ventilation network. This paper deals with an algorithm based C++ program to detect the recirculation in a booster fan ventilation networks. This program was implemented to detect the recirculation in a sample network and a coal mine network. STATEMENT OF PROBLEM The currently available ventilation simulation programs do not give much information about recirculation for the generated solution (fan pressures). The current approach to investigating recirculation using simulation software requires manual effort, i.e., traversing from node to node in the output network by the simulator while keeping tracks of all the nodes that form recirculation paths. This is an easy task in a simple ventilation network, but it becomes tedious and sometimes very confusing in a complex and large network. Moreover, the presence of multiple recirculation paths makes the manual effort more complex and difficult, especially in separating multiple loops that are connected together. Thus, there is a need for a more efficient program that will detect and quantify the recirculation efficiently, for the generated fan pressures. A program is developed to detect the recirculation(s) in a network."

Jan 1, 2015

By J. E. Ryan

TRONA, Calif., is a miniature urban community of some 3500 people, located on the northwest shore of dry Searles Lake in the extreme northwest corner of San Bernardino County, approximately 186 miles north and east of Los Angeles. Since it is situated on the Mojave Desert, a typically desert climate prevails with wide variations in temperature between day and night, extreme daytime summer heat, and cool to cold winters. Rainfall averages somewhat less than 4 in. per year, and dust storms are common. The rate of evaporation, however, is great, amounting to 6 to 9 ft of water per year. The extremely low humidity makes the summer heat of 110°F tolerable with only a mild, temporary discomfort.

Jan 5, 1951

By J. K. Whyatt

The Bureau of Mines, under a cooperative agreement with Callahan Mining Corp., measured rock displacement at the 4,7S0-ft level of the 5,100-ft-deep rectangular, timbered Caladay Shaft in northern Idaho. Displacements were measured with multiple-position borehole exten-someters (MPBX) installed 4 ft above the face and timber extensometers (TE) installed with the timber sets. This report presents the displacement data along with preliminary, qualitative observations of rock behavior. The measured displacements showed an instantaneous response to shaft sinking and significant time dependency. The relative magnitudes of displacement measured at the shaft walls were heavily influenced by local geologic structure and distance from the shaft bottom.

Jan 1, 1987

By James J. Dowd

The investigation to evaluate the reserves of coking coal in the United States suitable for the manufacture of metallurgical coke is being made by the Bureau of Mines in three parts: (1) To estimate known (measured plus indicated) recoverable reserves of all coking coal; (2) to upgrade marginal coals through effective preparation; and (3) to study the carbonizing properties of coals and coal blends not now widely used for metallurgical coke making. This is the sixth of a series of reports giving the results of studies by counties under part (1) of the investigation. (See appendix.) This report covers Fayette County, Pa., which comprises the Uniontown and parts of the Brownsville, Connellsville, Donegal, Waynesburg, Masontown, and Confluence, Pa., Morgantown and Bruceton, W. Va., and Accident, Md., quadrangles. (See fig. 1.) A short resume of the chemical and carbonizing properties of the coals ar.9 included. Data on the coal beds in this county were obtained from mining companies, land companies, individual landowners, and other sources of authentic information.

Jan 1, 1951

By Jack Fox

Three years ago we attended the V International Mining Congress in Moscow. This year we attended the VI International Mining Congress in Madrid. By almost any criterion, this was a most successful convention. There were 1717 registrants, not counting the ladies. I don't know how many of the latter there were, but they certainly made a welcome addition to the group. Once again, the International Organizing Committee put together a very impressive technical program which the Spanish National Committee backed up with a brand new Palacio de Congresos admirably equipped with simultaneous translation devices and an organization that provided an excellent social program, a tremendous set of post- meeting excursions, and very impressive opening ceremonies, entertainment and closing ceremonies. There was also an exhibit on the subject of Spanish and Spanish American mining history in the Palacio de Congresos.

Jan 1, 1970

By E. H. Mohr

At the McGill concentrator of the Nevada Consolidated Copper Co., all flotation operations have been carried out in Forrester cells since November, 1926. In respect to cost of operation, the new cell has proved to be superior to the Callow, which it supplanted, and its incorporation in the flow sheet has resulted in a marked improvement in the metallurgy. Before citing the advantages of the new machine over the old, it should be explained that the Forrester has not only replaced the Callow, but it has made possible the elimination of a number of tables as well. When Callow cells were in use, table concentration preceded flotation. The ball mill pulp was elevated, by means of air lifts, to roughing Wilfley tables situated two floors directly above the flotation floor. On an intermediate floor were additional tables which cleaned the concentrate from those above. The finished table concentrate constituted approximately 60 per cent. of the total mill production, and contained about 40 per cent, of the recovered copper. The table tailings were returned to the classifiers, the overflow from which went to the flotation cells and the oversize to the ball mills. As soon as the Forrester cells were installed, this tabling operation was discontinued. The ball mill pulp now discharges into the classifiers direct, without the intermediate tabling. It was impracticable to ernploy the present flow sheet when Callow cells were in use, for the reason that unless the great,er part of the heavy mineral was first removed, it accumulated on the mats and adversely affected the flotation operation. By tabling ahead of flotation, it was practicable to maintain the concentrator at 10 to 20 per cent. greater capacity (depending up on the pyrite contnt of the ore) than was possible by flotation alone. This was due to the necessity for finer grinding in the latter case. Even though the table conecntrates contained only 6 to 8 per cent'. copper content, the low smelting costs made it advantageous to operate at high mill capacity, at the cost of low grade of product. Standard Section equipment With the old flow sheet, a standard section consisted of four ball mills and classifiers, one air. lift, 20 roughing tables, 10 cleaner tables, 12 primary

Jan 1, 1928

Page Bronze Bearing Metals. By G. H. Clamer............... 162 Pennsylvania Railroad Anti-friction and Bell Metals. By F. M. Waring .. 166 The Tin-plate Industry. By D. M. BUck. Discussed by G. H. ClameR, J. W. RICHARDS............................ 168 The Aluminum Bronze Industry. By W. M. Corse............ 171 Bronzes, Bearing Metals, and Solders. By G. K. BURgess and R. W. Woodward. Discussed by G. H. Clamer, R. T. Roberts......... 175 Babbitts and Solder. By G. W. Thompson................ 184 The Cadmium Supply of the United States. By C. E. Siebenthal. Discussed by M. L. Lissberger, C. W. Hill, F. F. ColcoRd.......... 185 Solder, Its Use and Abuse. By M. L. LissbergeR............ 192 Bronze Bearing Metals G. H. ClameR,* Philadelphia, Pa.—Unfortunately, prior to the war no serious attention was given to the conservation of tin, notwithstanding that this country is practically dependent upon outside sources for its entire tin supply. Tin is of vital importance in many industries, but it is surprising how many and how excellent are its substitutes when we become acquainted with them. Tin has always been a relatively high-priced metal, and it is part of the human attitude to associate high prices with high standards; it is not until the price of a commodity becomes well-nigh prohibitive that we hunt for substitutes, because the idea of substitution seems always to involve an assumption that the substitute must necessarily be inferior. The history of the development of bearing bronzes is a striking example of this policy. In the early days, copper-tin alloys were almost universally used, the idea then being prevalent, which is still held by many, that a bearing to resist wear must be hard, and the harder the better. The favorite bronze bearing contained 90 per cent. copper and 10 per cent. tin; frequently, in service which was considered severe, even higher proportions of tin were used. Such hard alloys have great resistance to compression, but as a rule they had a very wide factor of safety in this

Jan 1, 1919

By J. B. Wagstaff

The raceway in front of the tuyere of the blast furnace has been studied quantitatively and a correlation obtained for the penetrastudiedtion of the blast. Some evidence is presented for the height and width of the raceway which suggests that all the raceways of a ffurnace overlap. The size of the coke in this zone has been measfurnaceoverlap.ured photographically during normal operation and results are given for the various areas. IN an earlier paper,' it was shown that a raceway exists opposite each tuyere of a blast furnace. This raceway is formed by the jet effect of the air emerging from the tuyere and consists essentially of a turbulence in which coke particles are recir-culated at high speed. Its presence was deduced originally from observations on movies taken with a high-speed camera through the tuyeres of various furnaces and was confirmed by experiments made on a model. In the model described,' this raceway was shown as operating in a vertical plane only, although there was a suggestion in the motion-picture film exhibited at that time that the raceway was three dimensional, unless artificially restricted. There was also some doubt then about the factors influencing its size. This paper describes the next steps in the investigation. Since the size of the raceway is obviously of importance in the operation of the furnace, it seemed worth while to study the subject more carefully. It is probably in this region that about half the coke in the furnace is consumed, so that the movement of the stock column may well be controlled by raceway behavior. Furthermore, there is some evidence to suggest that the coke is packed densely in the center of the furnace to form the "dead man" and more loosely above the raceway. It is therefore probable that the bulk of the gases passing up the stack flow from the top surface of this raceway. Clearly then, a knowledge of this critical zone is of interest to the blast furnace operator, and the first half of this report is devoted to a quantitative discussion of the subject. A further topic of interest among operators is the degree of breakdown of coke in the furnace, with which is inseparably linked the importance of a strong coke. Indeed, the whole question of the optimum size and type of coke may be as dependent on the condition of the coke in the bottom of the blast furnace as at the top. Attempts have been made from time to time to obtain samples of coke from the tuyeres and other furnace openings but they all suffer from the fact that the coke is filled to a varying degree with metal and slag and is probably broken up by the very act of taking the sample. It has proved difficult to make any reliable studies of coke size by these methods. However, it did seem possible to use the highspeed movies mentioned earlier1 to estimate the size of the coke. These movies provide an accurate record of individual coke particles so that, in theory at least, it should be possible to measure the size of the particles one by one and to obtain, for the first time, information on the coke being blown around the raceway under actual operating conditions while the furnace is performing normally. Such a study has been made and is discussed in the second half of this paper. The results obtained enabled the blast furnace data to be correlated with the model results given in the first half. Raceway Size In order to make a quantitative study of the size of the raceway it was necessary to devise some apparatus of laboratory scale, which could be handled quickly and easily. This focused attention on models, which in turn means that the laws of similarity governing this particular process must be ascertained. Method of Procedure: Since the work was to be carried out on a smaller scale than the blast furnace, the linear dimensions of the model became unimportant provided that the scale was known; it is only important to insure that the container does not affect the raceway being observed. The studies therefore were carried out in a glass-sided box, 11 in. high x 7 in. wide x 3 in. deep, using air jets ranging

Jan 1, 1954

By Ta M. Li

Expanded mine-mill capacity and greater operating flexibility are part of the dramatic changes taking place in the Tennessee mining operations of Asarco, Inc. Climaxed by the recent start-up of the $6.3 million Young mill in September 1975, Asarco has pushed Tennessee back into number one position as the leading zinc mining state. Furthermore, start-up of the Young mill is expected to insure a much-needed and continuing domestic zinc supply, at a time when US mines can only supply one-half of 1975 domestic consumption.

Jan 5, 1976

By P. G. Vikre

Several factors have caused less emphasis to be placed on geologic mapping in mineral exploration in the last 15 years. These include opportunities for "easy" discoveries of near surface gold and silver deposits in developed countries, and of base metal deposits as well in less developed countries, a decline of emphasis on geologic mapping in many universities, and a decline of useful mapping by government agencies in many areas. Geologic mapping is simply a way of recording geologic observations on volumes of rock larger than can be seen from one place. Since most geologic processes involve systems larger than this, mapping is also essential to understand the significance of observations made on smaller volumes of rock, such as thin sections and sample taken for chemical or isotopic analysis. To be useful, the observations recorded through geologic mapping are then interpreted to arrive at an understanding of the 3D geometry and geologic history of a volume of rock, which is used to direct mineral exploration, or any number of other purposes.

Jan 1, 1995

By C. R. Boyd

In 1874 I received an appointment in the corps organized by Col. William P. Craighill, U. S. Engineers, to survey the New or Upper Kanawha river for the purpose of ascertaining the practicability and

Jan 1, 1895

By Günther Staudinge

Aperam is a global player in producing of stainless, electrical and special steel qualities. The steelmaking plant in Timoteo Brasil is equipped with one AODconverter for stainless steel and one MRPL-converter for special steel production. After almost 20 years of operation Aperam decided to exchange the existing 80 t MRP-L converter by a new one including a new trunnion ring and a state of the art suspension system. Due to an optimized design the inner volume of the new converter could be increased which comes along with improved production. A special feature is a flange connection in the barrel section of the converter. This allowed to avoid any critical site welding and the time between shut down of the old and cold commissioning of the new converter could be done with 17 days only.

Aug 17, 2017

By P Hawke, J Hurst, B KrapeP

Hancock Prospecting Pty Ltd (HPPL) drilled two deep diamond stratigraphic holes (ECD0001 and RHD0296) within the eastern Fortescue Valley in the Pilbara of Western Australia. Located south of the Roy Hill Iron Ore project, the holes aimed to define the stratigraphy of the Marra Mamba Iron Formation (MMIF) of the Chichester Range and its south-dipping extensions below recent cover. Previous attempts to define the MMIF of the Chichester Range have resulted in differing interpretations due to the data available at the time.The unweathered MMIF beneath the Fortescue Valley in the HPPL drill holes is characterised by dolomitic carbonate interbedded with stilpnomelane-rich shales, chert and banded iron formation (BIF) with hematite staining. This intersection equates to ~75 m of carbonate-facies iron formation, as opposed to the ~230 m thick oxide-facies BIF and shale sequence encountered south of the Fortescue Valley.Various detailed geological core analyses and interpretations from ECD0001 and RHD0296 were integrated with regional diamond and reverse circulation (RC) holes from across the Fortescue Valley. Interpretation of the data indicates that the eastern Fortescue Valley MMIF represents a thinned thickness sequence of the whole formation. The MMIF of the Chichester Range and Fortescue Valley has gamma logs that correlate strongly in parts to the type section used for MMIF south of the Fortescue Valley. Therefore, the outcropping MMIF in the Chichester Range represents an eroded equivalent of the æreducedÆ thickness MMIF observed in ECD0001 and RHD0296.Data from deep diamond drill holes across the valley, from the Hamersley Basin to the Carawine Basin, were correlated. The correlation shows that the depositional site of the MMIF in the HPPL diamond drill holes is consistent with a proximal ramp setting, in which iron-rich shales wedge up-palaeoslope and shelf-derived carbonate turbidites wedge down-palaeoslope. Not only is it the occurrence of these shales that define the MMIF, but they also determine the northward potential to develop orebodies, as they are the source of iron from which iron-rich oxides and carbonates of metamorphic or diagenetic origin form.CITATION:Hurst, J, KrapeP, B and Hawke, P, 2013. Stratigraphy of the Marra Mamba iron formation within the Chichester Range and its implications for iron ore genesis at Roy Hill - evidence from deep diamond drill holes within the East Fortescue Valley, in Proceedings Iron Ore 2013 , pp 91-106 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Aug 12, 2013

By M. Gunter, M. Buzon

"Talc formed by hydrothermal alteration of preexisting carbonate rocks is known to be nearly monomineralic, and lacking in amphiboles. In southwest Montana, talc formed from hydrothermally altered dolomitic marbles, and is still actively mined. These talc deposits are typically in contact with quartzofeldspathic gneiss and marble. Accessory minerals vary between these rocks and the ore producing body; the identification and characterization of such minerals requires carefully selected analytical methods. Recent litigation and ensuing confusion over the petrology and asbestos content of these deposits challenges the talc mining industry in Montana, and elsewhere in the world. INTRODUCTION Commercial talc has been mined from the deposits in southwest Montana since the 1940s, and by 1956 the region had output 200,000 tons of talc ore (Chidester et al., 1964). Commercial talc refers to rocks containing more than 20% of the mineral talc (McCarthy et al., 2006); the ores from Montana typically contain upwards of 90% talc. This region remains the leading domestic source of talc in the U.S. partly due to the reserves in the area, and partly due to the diagnostic purity of the ore compared to that of other regions, some of which are no longer actively mined. The mineral talc, a sheet silicate, is expressed by the formula Mg3Si4O10(OH)2, and therefore can form in geologic environments that are rich in Mg, Si, O and water. The protolith for the talc deposits in southwest Montana is a dolomitic marble, but other common protoliths include ultramafic igneous, mafic igneous, and siliceous dolomites (McCarthy et al., 2006). Physical properties such as hardness of 1 on Mohs hardness scale, white streak and slippery feel are among some of the reasons why talc is so widely used as fillers in a number of industries. In decreasing order, ceramics, paper, paint, roofing, plastics, rubber, and cosmetics are the leading domestic industries that use talc despite the decreasing trend in U.S. talc use and production since 1994 (Virta, 2015). The purpose of this paper is to describe the mechanism of talc formation in southwest Montana by focusing on talc deposits and surrounding rocks in the Ruby, Greenhorn, and the Gravelly Ranges, and to relate the mechanism of formation to the composition of talc ores. The compositional data show mineral content of selected ores, and the major and trace element content of those minerals, specifically talc. Our electron microprobe (EPMA), powder x-ray diffraction (XRD) and x-ray fluorescence data for samples from five mines in these three ranges provide continued evidence of the purity of these ores despite claims made during recent litigation that these ores contain asbestos. The five mines that we discuss include the Beaverhead, Treasure, Regal, Willow Creek, and Yellowstone Mines (Figure 1.)"

Jan 1, 2016

By M. A. Gomez, V. Yahorava, J. A. Strauss

"It is accepted widely that pressure oxidation (POX) is the most appropriate technology for processing of arsenic containing refractory gold ores. However, studies on the stability of various iron-arsenic precipitates formed during POX are limited. Since the behaviour of these phases could have significant practical implications for gold processing plants, it is important to study them in isolation. This paper compares two synthetic precipitates, basic ferric arsenate sulphate (BFAS) and basic ferric sulphate (BFS) in terms of their formation, behaviour during hot curing and cyanidation, as well as their environmental stability. BFS and BFAS were synthesised hydrothermally at 205°C and their mineralogy was confirmed using various techniques. During synthesis, the addition of H3AsO4 into an aqueous Fe2(SO4)3-H2SO4 mixture significantly decreased the iron yield to BFAS in comparison to BFS under equimolar initial iron and acid concentrations. The BFAS dissolution kinetics was slightly faster, as compared to BFS, during subsequent hot curing. Cyanidation test work on the washed synthetic precipitates indicated that the lime consumption of BFAS was three times lower in comparison to BFS, while cyanide consumptions were comparable. Fresh BFS and BFAS precipitates, as well as their cyanidation residues, were found to pass the respective environmental tests in terms of arsenic release.INTRODUCTION Pressure oxidation (POX) is generally viewed as the most appropriate technology for the processing of arsenic-containing refractory gold ores due to the stabilisation of arsenic in the leach residue (Dutrizac & Jambor, 2007; Gomez et al., 2008; Harris, 2003; Collins, Berezowsky, & Weir, 1988). Detailed laboratory studies indicated that several Fe(III)-arsenate type compounds may be formed under typical conditions of autoclave treatment of refractory gold ores (Swash & Monhemius, 1994; Dutrizac & Jambor, 2007; Gomez et al., 2008, 2010; Gomez, Becze, Cutler, & Demopoulos, 2011). The basic ferric arsenate sulphate (BFAS) phase (Gomez et al., 2008), also known as Type II ferric arsenate (Swash & Monhemius, 1994) or Phase 3 (Dutrizac & Jambor, 2007), is one of the most common arsenic-bearing products (Harris, 2003; Dutrizac & Jambor, 2007). BFAS precipitation is viewed as one of the best routes for arsenic stabilisation and performed equally well to scorodite during environmental stability tests (Harris, 2003; Swash & Monhemius, 1994; Dutrizac & Jambor, 2007; Gomez et al., 2008, 2011)."

Jan 1, 2017

By A. Ravi Kumar

A trench is a structure to accommodate fluid carrying pipelines for water, gas, petroleum products etc. Trench serves the purpose to haul the fluids in bulk over long distances safely and economically. Use of pipeline for moving oil and gas was essentially a post World War II development, but now it has acquired its own importance.

Jan 1, 2008

By P. Barnes

Exact accounts hare been kept of the cost of these chimneys, and it may he a matter of some possible interest. that the plans and details of cost should be laid before the Institute. The statement of cost herewith submitted does not give minute particulars of the weights or quantities of material used, although these are noted upon the company's books.

By P. H. Agson Gani, T. Sitorus, N. P. Widodo

"PT ANTAM UBPE Pongkor underground mine use blasting to develop its tunnels which will cause poisonous and dangerous gases trapped inside mine. To analyze this case, a study of mine ventilation, the dispersion of carbon monoxide (CO) gas concentration and diffusion coefficient is commenced. At the end, the re-entry time formula will be determined. Results indicate that this study is site specific and could only be applied in the place this study executed. The aim of this study is to be further developed by applying Principal Component Analysis (PCA) to find a universal re-entry formula. KEYWORDS Mine Ventilation, Re-Entry, Smoke Clearing, Diffusion Coefficient, Carbon Monoxide Gas, Gas Dispersion INTRODUCTION Pongkor underground mine is using cut and fill as its mining method. Thus, its development and production processes require blasting to develop its tunnel. This process caused poisonous and dangerous gases spread and trapped inside the mine, one of them is carbon monoxide (CO) gas. CO is formed in an unbalanced reaction of explosives detonation and could be the cause of headache, blackout and death to people who inhale CO at certain concentration (McPherson, 2011; Hartman, Mutmansky, Ramani, & Wang, 2012). Mine ventilation system is installed in the mine to resolve this problem. Mine ventilation play an important role to disperse CO gas by absorb the poisonous/dangerous gases and deliver clean air into mine. The important parameter is diffusion coefficient, because diffusion is affecting particulates or gasses spreading from its sources throughout the mine. Diffusion coefficient is the total diffusion in axial direction of turbulent flow mainly by convection of bulk motion, advection and eddy diffusion, while the effect of molecular diffusion is appreciably negligible (Widiatmojo et al, 2015). Taylor (1953, 1954) develops a theory about the dispersion by inducing a slow stream of solvent into a capillary tube. Taylor used Reynolds assumption of radial diffusivity to be analogous with the transfer of the matter in turbulent flow as well as the transfer of momentum and heat. Then, Taylor proposed the formula of diffusion coefficient, D (m2/s), against pipe diameter and turbulent shear velocity are as follow:"

Jan 1, 2019

By L. H. Banning

In the fall of 1953 the Philippine Bureau of Mines, under a Foreign Operations Administration Technical Assistance (FOA-TA) program, began a systematic investigation of the nickel content of the well-known Surigao laterite areas, on the island of Nonoc northeast of Mindanao, to determine the occurrence, distribution, and grade of nickel contained in the laterite and in the subjacent serpentine. At the same time, a technical review of the possibility of producing commercial ferronickel from the nickeliferous materials in the Philippine Islands was made, and a smelting process was suggested. The proposed process would be similar to that developed by the Federal Bureau of Mines for the reduction of the nickeliferous serpentine occurring in the Nickel Mountain ?deposit at Riddle, Oreg. The potential avail-ability of electric power from the Maria Cristina facilities at 3 mils per kw.-hr. would enhance the economic possibility of this program. Development of an economically feasible process for recovering nickel from the nickeliferous serpentines and laterites should lead to the establishment of a new industry in the Philippines, to the development of a source of nickel in the Far East, of which at present there is none, and to partial solution of the problem of supplying the free world with nickel. Enough preliminary reconnaissance had been completed by early 1954 to permit sampling of the deposit for metallurgical investigations. The FOA then requested the Federal Bureau of Mines Northwest Electrodevelopment Laboratory, Albany, Oreg., to conduct preliminary electric smelting studies on nickeliferous serpentine and laterite samples.

Jan 1, 1955