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By P Breuer, A Simons

The sulfidisation, acidification, recycle and thickening (SART) process is currently being used at NewcrestÆs Telfer Gold Mine to recover cyanide and copper from the cyanidation tails of the pyrite concentrate carbon-in-leach (CIL) process. While the process has been effective at attaining high recoveries of cyanide and copper, the Telfer SART plant has experienced higher than expected sulfide additions to achieve these recoveries. This paper details the results of surveys on the Telfer SART plant, which show that residence time appears to be causing the high sulfide consumptions. The paper also details the results of laboratory scale experiments which confirm the observed residence time impact during the acidified stage of SART.CITATION:Simons, A and Breuer, P, 2013. The impact of residence time on copper recovery in Telfer Gold MineÆs cyanide recycling process, in Proceedings World Gold 2013 , pp 189-196 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Sep 26, 2013

By R. S. Dean

[During t!~c past f isc.~l y~:-.r the Xetzllvz-gicd 3ivi oion has made im- portant contribution-, don,- tlie lines rlictnteil by the Bureau policy of con- servation of domestic rnker~l rcsoul-ces throui;h use. During t!~c past f isc.~l y~:-.r the Xetzllvz-gicd 3ivi oion has made im- portant contribution-, don,- tlie lines rlictnteil by the Bureau policy of con- servation of domestic rnker~l rcsoul-ces throui;h use.]

Jan 1, 1940

By R. S. Dean

[During the past fiscal year the Metallurgical Division has made important contributions along the lines dictated by the Bureau policy of conservation of domestic mineral resources through Its investigations include determining of fundamental data of metallurgically important materials improvement of standard ore-treatment method to eliminate waste and improve the grade or recovery of the products; and development o new metallurgical processes.]

Jan 1, 1940

By COLIN A. LAWRENCE, Anthony Del Vescovo

All Rights Reserved. Printed in the United States of America. Information contained in this work has been obtained by SME, Inc. from sources believed to be reliable. However, neither SME nor its authors guarantee the accuracy or completeness of any information published herein, and neither SME nor its authors shall be responsible for any errors, omissions, or damages arising out of use of this information. This work is published with the understanding that SME and its authors are supplying information but are not attempting to render engineering or other professional services. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher. Any statement or views presented here are those of individual authors and are not necessarily those of the SME. The mention of trade names for commercial products does not imply the approval or endorsement of SME.

Dec 1, 2017

By A. L. Mular

"IntroductionThe mining industry has made slow but steady progress toward the automation of mineral processing plants over the last 35 years. The stimulus to automate is associated with important economic and hidden benefits, so that today, the latest in instrumentation and technology is being employed.This chapter assesses the status of instrumentation justified economically, defines levels of control and certain fundamentals of feedback control loops, describes typical sensors employed in concentrator circuits, summarizes control strategies employed therein, and briefly highlights trends in integrated plant control.Current Status of AutomationAs early as 1948, the mining industry began to show interest in automation, probably because of its close association with the petroleum industry. By 1958, some regulatory control had been achieved in various sections of a concentrator, particularly in crushing circuits. Successes were attributed primarily to the reliability of sensors employed in the corresponding control scheme. By 1961, computers had appeared on the scene, initially, for data logging purposes.From 1958 to 1965, very few new control strategies had been implemented. Guidelines in vogue at this time appeared to be:- Install proven automation, unless a good instrumentation department exists at the concentrator.- Do not bite off too much instrumentation at one time.- Do not purchase on price alone; instrumentation must function in the concentrator environment.- Do not purchase automatic control equipment to be fashionable.Such guidelines were employed1 because of a lack of: (a) quantitative process knowledge, (b) reliable primary sensors, (c) initiative to try something new, (d) trained personnel, and (e) understanding that older concentrators could justify automation in many situations."

Jan 1, 1989

By Eugene Frey

"INTRODUCTION The Iron Mountain deposits were examined in the summer of 1943 by engineers of the Bureau of Lanes, and a diamond-drilling project was set up under the Strategic Minerals Program. Actual drilling operations, under the supervision of a Bureau engineer, commenced November 9, 1943, and were completed on November 1, 1944. When the Bureau began detailed exploration of the Iron Mountain deposits, the Federal Geological Survey participated. Dr. I. W. Newhouse, of the Survey, and Dr. A. F. Hagner, of the Wyoming Geological Survey, were assigned to the investigation.ACKNOWLEDGMENTSIn its program of exploration of mineral deposits, the Bureau of Mines has as its primary objective the more effective utilization of our mineral resources to the end that they make the greatest possible contribution to national security and economy. It is the policy of the Bureau to publish the facts developed by each exploratory project as soon as practicable after its conclusion. The Mining Branch, Lowell B. Moon chief, conducts preliminary examinations, performs the actual exploratory work, and prepares the final report. The Metallurgical Branch, R. G. Knickerbocker, chief, analyzes samples and performs beneficiation tests. Both these branches are under the supervision of Dr. R. S. Dean, assistant director.With respect to this report, acknowledgment is made to S. R. Zirrmerley and F. T. Allsman, Bureau of Mines, Salt Lake City, Utah, who supervised the work of this project."

Nov 1, 1946

By R. S. Jr. Stronach

"IntroductionThe property of Campbell Red Lake Mines, Limited, is in Balmer township, Red Lake area, Patricia portion of Kenora district, Ontario. It consists of a group of twelve claims which had been staked and re-staked a number of times before George W. and Colin A. Campbell staked them in 1944. Messrs. Brewis and White incorporated Campbell Red Lake Mines, Limited, in July, 1944, to acquire these claims from the Campbell brothers, and in November of the same year re-assigned their option on the controlling interest of the treasury shares to the Dome Exploration Company (Quebec), Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Dome Mines, Limited.A long known exposure of sulphides on the northeasterly portion of the property, which returned low gold assays, on sampling, was the only showing of interest at this time. However, Dr. H. C. Horwood's report and map of the district had recently been published and favourable structure W3.S indicated in Balmer township. It was on the strength of this showing and Dr. Horwood's report that Dome Exploration became interested in the property.Between. January, 1945, and April, 1946, a diamond drilling programme was carried out, with completion of sixty-one holes. Five holes proved the surface showing to hold no commercial interest, so routine cross-sectioning of the property from north to south was started. The fourth hole of the series returned excellent ore intersections and from that time on the programme changed to one of extending these values. The final results of the drilling showed that what is now known as the A zone has a continuous length of some 1,200 feet, a width of 4½ feet, and an overall grade of about 0.5 oz. gold per ton. There were many other intersections of ore grade outside this A zone which could not be successfully correlated .at that time, but underground work has opened many of them. It may be said here that practically all the work to date has been confined to the southeast claims of the property."

Jan 1, 1950

By Mokka N. Rao

In this experimental investigation, the principal operating parameters of the spirals HC 1870 and HG 8/7 are determined for the hydrogravimetric separation of the friable siliceous iron minerals of the Piar Distric, Venezuela. Mineralogical characterization including optical microscopy of feeding materials and the products after separation are presented. Comparative analysis is made of effectiveness of productivity between the two spirals.

Jan 1, 1999

By V. F. Petrov, E. P. Olberg, S. V. Petrov

"The study was carried out using process solutions produced during cyanidation of gold-bearing concentrates from a gold-processing plant. It was found that the water contained a significant portion of thiocyanate (7910.0 mg/L), cyanide was virtually not present. The metals occurred primarily as iron (355.0 mg/L) in the form of ferrocyanide. Cyanide recovery was conducted using an ozone treatment process with reactors developed by the Environmental Department of Irgiredmet. The process design ensured complete utilization (100%) of O3, thus equipment operation safety increased.The recovery of free cyanide from thiocyanate was 76.6%, which corresponded to 5.12 kg of NaCN (100%) per 1 m3 of solution. Recovered NaCN can be used for recycling in hydrometallurgical processes.The operating costs estimation showed that the production cost of a tonne of recovered cyanide was US$1288.7, considering the prices of energy and commercial sodium cyanide in Russia in 2017, i.e. recovered cyanide is cheaper than commercial cyanide by 55.8%.INTRODUCTION Depletion of oxidized gold-bearing ores readily amenable to cyanidation has shifted focus to large-scale processing of primary ores with high sulphide content. Primary ores processing flow sheets involve gravitational and/or flotation concentration with subsequent treatment of produced gold-bearing concentrates. Typically, concentrates reporting to cyanidation contain considerable amounts of sulphur that can interact with CN- and further formation of SCN-. The use of refractory gold liberation methods (bacterial liberation, ultra-fine grinding) provides activation of this side reaction up to complete consumption of free cyanide in a short period. This makes water recycling unviable and impractical.The interaction of the sulphur content in concentrates and cyanide contributes substantially to consumption of NaCN required for efficient gold recovery. Inappropriate consumption of the main reagent achieves dozens of kilogram per tonne of material to cyanidation, and reaches approximately 100% when gold is recovered from activated sulphide-containing products (e.g. by ultra-fine grinding)."

Jan 1, 2018

By V. I. Lakshmanan

The growing concerns on process efficiency, escalating operating and capital costs along with environmental and social concerns of using conventional technology for extracting gold and titanium dioxide demand an in-depth understanding of the fundamentals and a broader understanding of the various process steps involved. This will allow development of efficient process flowsheet for product recovery and compliance with regulatory guidelines. This paper will discuss our recent developments in mineral processing and hydrometallurgical technologies to recover gold and titanium dioxide from a wide range of feed materials including ores, concentrates and tailings.

Sep 1, 2012

By V. I. Lakshmanan

"Historically flowsheets are developed for efficient separation of metals for economic recovery. With increasing emphasis on reduction, reuse and recycle (3Rs) efficient methods are sought to recover values from a variety of feeds where cost of collection, transportation, local consumer behaviour and regulatory guidelines dictate the development of economically viable flowsheets. Innovative understanding of potential market applications can provide means to develop value added end products. The paper with examples will discuss the use of innovative-separation technologies to obtain value added end use materials from secondary sources.IntroductionFlowsheets are developed for the efficient separation of materials of value for economic recovery. However with increasing societal pressures and regulatory initiatives for stricter environmental guidelines, there is strong need to provide focus to recover materials efficiently and economically in an environmentally accepted manner. North American industries are increasingly caught between demands for high technology value added products and responsibility for environment. An aspect that is receiving increasing attention is Design for Environment'. This incorporates a system wide approach for product design and incorporates environmentally preferable features such as recyclability, disassembly, maintainability, reusability and use of safe materials as part of a product's design objectives.The present paper with case histories will address innovative flowsheet development to convert wastes into recyclables value added products or for minimising generation of waste materials. Case HistoriesProcess for Separating Fibres from Composite Materials 1In the automotive industry, sheet molded compound (SMC) is used to produce panels, bumpers and the like. During the manufacture and at the end of life, considerable waste materials are generated which are potentially recyclable. Fibre reinforced plastics where fibre substrate impregnated with thermosetting resin, find applications in several manufacturing processes and are potentially recyclable at the end of life."

Jan 1, 1996

More gold is being produced now than ever before in recorded history. All over the world huge quantities of ore are being mined and processed, thanks to historically high prices for gold and the use of processing techniques demonstrated as cost efficient in the last 20 years. Over the past 10-15 years prices for many other metals have been depressed, and gold has accounted for a significant proportion of worldwide exploration and development expenditures(l)1. The revenues generated from gold mining are providing greater return on investment, more jobs, and more tax revenues to national governments than ever before. Emerging nations are using the gold industry as a springboard for development; developed nations are continuing to fuel their economies with gold industry revenues; and China and countries of the former Soviet Union are using the gold industry to generate foreign exchange, modernize their mining industries, and take the first tentative steps toward private sector participation in their economies.

Jan 1, 1994

By W. D. Dietzman

This Bureau of Mines report presents a profitability analysis of producing crude oil by waterflooding. Included are the estimated costs of installation of water injection and producing equipment for waterfloods at 2,000 and 4,000 feet and the estimated annual operational expenses for each in west Texas. Using these cost estimates as a base for selecting a range of costs that are indicative of producing crude oil by waterflooding, a simulation technique was derived for determining the profitability under various conditions. Because of the large number of combinations of variables used in this study, a high-speed digital computer was utilized for the calculations. The variables include operational expenses, capitalized costs, price of the oil, annual production, and leasehold acquisition cost. The results obtained from the simulations are presented Fn the appendix. In addition, a nomographical approach was chosen for presentation of the profitability. Five nomographs are presented that can be used for fast estimation of the discounted cash flow (DCF) rate of return that might be expected from a prospective or active operation under various sets of assumed conditions.

Jan 1, 1974

By G. L. Oldright

The Metallurgical Branch of the Bureau of Mines, as a part of its duties under the Organic Act, works to prevent wastes in industry and to disuse inmate information on the fundamentals of metallurgical processes. During the war, the necessity of large production was increasingly emphasized. Such duties necessitate from time to time the study of units of full commercial size, the operation of which is beyond the facilities of the Branch. When developments have reached this stage; work has been continued in cooperative agreements with operating companies that have been willing to contribute the use of their plants and staffs and to allow the publication of the results obtained for the common good of the industry.

Jan 1, 1948

By Martin B. Zimmerman

It is becoming evident that traditional methods of econometric analysis are inadequate in estimating-the long-run supply of minerals. Econometrics is limited to extracting estimates from observations of the theory predicts that the least cost deposits will be exploited first.1 The estimation of parameters from past data then must lead to biased projections of the future. Mining conditions in the future will be worse than in the past and it is the impact of the future conditions on cost that we need to know. In this paper we present a methodology for dealing with this problem. We estimate a "cumulative cost" function that yields the long-run marginal cost of mining as a function of cumulative output produced over time.2 This is relatively easy to do for coal mining in the United States where exploration for new deposits is not a major factor in supply. The first step of the procedure relates cost to the rate of output and to the geological conditions of the mine. The second step combines geological information on remaining deposits with the cost function to yield the cumulative cost function. A central theme of both these steps is the interaction of economics with geology. The best deposits are selected first and in each step of the estimation allowance must be made for this fact. The problem of depletion is part of the general problem of structural change. The change through depletion in the nature of the exploitable mineral stock is only one factor that calls for an analysis sensitive to the changing circumstances of the industry. The factors impinging most heavily on the coal industry today are the strict environmental regulations legislated

Jan 1, 1977

By Leo J. Vogel, E. D. Hummer, David J. Akers

INTRODUCTION An efficient refuse-disposal system is a necessary part of the modem cleaning plant. The large-scale refuse system and disposal area, engineered for the lifetime of the plant, has become more important due to the greater tonnages of refuse produced from increased quantities of mechanically mined and prepared coal. Laws and increased government regulations have affected the design and operation of disposal systems. THE EFFECT OF MINE AND PLANT OPERATION Refuse disposal starts at the mining face. The mining system, the type of roof support, the machinery used, and the degree of discipline at the face contribute to the amount and type of refuse that must be removed through the disposal system. Economies gained through modification of the mining system or mining machinery may be partially offset by increased dilution of the mined coal with impurities from associated rock formations. In some cases the change in the mining system and equipment has reduced the dilution. In all cases the ratio of impurities that must be removed from the raw-coal feed to the plant not only affects the maintenance and

Jan 1, 1979

"Developed by CRIRSCO, IRT is a document that draws on the best of the CRIRSCO-style reporting standards. These reporting standards are recognised and adopted world-wide for market-related reporting and financial investment.The IRT is not an international reporting code and does not supersede existing national reporting standards. Rather it is a guideline that encapsulates the content of these standards for the benefit of the international mining industry and its various stakeholders.The template is a 'living document' that is continuously updated and improved as new national laws, rules, codes and guidelines are created or amended.The International Template is advisory only and where national codes already exist, these will take precedence. The International Template is intended to assist those countries that either do not have a reporting code or whose code is outdated, to produce a new code consistent with international best practice. It also provides a consolidated version of national codes that reflects their compatible international components and may thus be used in comparisons with other international reporting systems. The word 'Template' is used advisedly to indicate that this document is a model for code development and does not in itself constitute a 'code' which implies that it has legal or other regulatory force.From this point forward, the Template includes words that imply a mandatory action, such as ""requires"", ""applies"", ""must"" etc. This is to enable the Template to be easily adopted by countries and organisations wishing to do so, and does not imply that the Template itself is a mandatory reporting standard.INTRODUCTION2 In this edition of the International Reporting Template (""The Template""), important terms and their definitions are highlighted in bold text. The guidelines are placed after the respective Template clauses using indented italics. They are intended to provide assistance and guidance to readers for interpreting the application of the clauses in the Template.Indented italics are also used for Appendix 1 — 'Generic Terms and Equivalents"", and Table 1 —'Check List of Assessment and Reporting Criteria' to make it clear that they are also part of the guidelines for the application of the Template.Appendix 1 contains a table of generic terms and their equivalents, designed to avoid unnecessary duplication or ambiguity in the textAppendix 2 provides Rules of Conduct for Mineral Resource and Mineral Reserve estimators that may be considered in addition to the Codes of Ethics or Practice normally applying to members of professional institutions."

Jan 1, 2003

By Peter S. Jack

"IntroductionTHE ORES treated at the concentrator of the Britannia Mining and Smelting Company, Limited, Britannia Beach, B.C., have always contained some lead, but it was not until 1950 that the combination of lead headings and lead price was such that recovery of this metal at Britannia became worthwhile. In that year, with the mining of a new orebody, the lead in the mill feed was raised from 0.07 per cent to 0.15 per cent. Chalcopyrite, sphalerite, and pyrite concentrates are produced by flotation at Britannia, •and 95 per cent of the lead in the mill feed reports with the chalcopyrite concentrate, so that the rise in lead headings was reflected almost wholly in the lead content of the copper concentrate. In 1950, investigation was started to determine if some of this lead could be recovered economically."

Jan 1, 1953

By M. S. Davis

The Tek Process can produce masonry products such as bricks, roof or wall tiles, and block from virtually any inorganic waste. In the process the aggregate raw materials, portland cement, water and common chemicals are first mixed together; then mechanically subjected to several thousand pound pressure per square inch. This causes a novel chemical reaction between the cement, chemicals and water; producing the "patented" Tek adhesive binder which holds the aggregate together in a stone-like mix. Simultaneously, the desired product shape is formed. The building modules can have strengths of 8000 p.s.i. (pounds per square inch) with completely sound aggregates utilizing air curing for a period of 28 days. With most aggregates, 3000 p.s.i. is achieved within 24 hours. Eventual strengths usually exceed 5000 p.s.i. with almost any raw material. Water absorption ranges from 5-7.5 percent. Both absorption and strength figures are superior to the most rigid of any and all A.S.T.M. specifications for the highest quality bricks. In most locations, the product (when brick shaped is called Tekbrik) can be produced significantly more economically than can comparable grades of clay or other bricks, be- cause almost any inorganic waste materials or pollutant can be used as a raw material. The process results in a lower manufacturing cost as compared to clay bricks; fuel cost to operate a clay kiln represents a substantial portion of the total cost. Capital expenditure for a Tek plant also is lower due to the large investment in clay kilns. Transportation savings also are important, clay brick factories must be very large because the kilns are uneconomical unless they are large. Most bricks are manufactured at the sites of clay deposits in relatively uninhabited areas. The cost of transportation to the job site represents a considerable percentage of the selling price.

Jan 1, 1974

By William O. Vanderburg

This paper describing the methods and costs of milling scheelite ore at the Silver Dike concentrator of the Nevada-Massachusetts Co., Inc., is one of a series being prepared by the Bureau of Mines. In the Silver Dike mill tungsten ore which contains about 1 per cent of scheelite is treated at the maximum rate of 45 tens per 24 hours by tabling followed by magnetic separators to clean the table concentrates. Unusually high-grade concentrates are produced which average between 70 and 75 per cent of W03.

Jan 1, 1932