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By L. J. Vincze

The program of study of pellet binder materials was begun by the ORF in 1963 to examine various Canadian materials as substitutes for bentonite which is imported in large tonnages (199,270 tons in 1969) from the U.S.A. for Canadian pellet plant operations. Most of the raw bentonite used in Canada originates in Wyoming, North Dakota and more recently Greece, resulting in relatively high transportation costs to pellet producers. Some Canadian bentonites available in Western Canada (Alberta) can be beneficiated for uses as pellet binders but could not compete in cost with U.S. sources due to the cost of beneficiation and the higher rail transport charges to Eastern Canada. It is difficult to find a substitute for bentonite, and many materials have been investigated by research groups but, so far, no economic substitute is in use. However, some success is apparent in studies of low cost materials such as clays, sea weed, peat moss and low grade coal, The work done by the ORF over several years has covered systematic test¬ing of Ontario clays, lignite, some types of tree bark, waste sulphite liquors of various kinds, and peat moss as binders for iron ore pellets. The major effort has been concentrated on peat moss and has included a study of the influence of different additives. Since analysis of peat moss for humic acid is difficult and time consuming, a certain amount of time was devoted to development of improved methods, the most useful of which was a spectrophotometric method based on extraction of peat by sodium pyrophosphate for determination of humic substances. In the present paper, only the most recent work concerning the use of peat moss with suitable additives is discussed in detail, since it is the most conclusive and best documented portion of the program.

Jan 1, 1971

By W. G. Pariseau

A study of coal pillar strength was done at the Beehive Mine during a three year period, 1974?1977, in a cooperative effort involving the University of Utah, RE/SPEC, Inc., and the American Coal Company (Pariseau et al, 1977). The Beehive Mine is located in the Wasatch Plateau coal field in central Utah near Orangeville, Utah, where mines are developed from outcrops between steep canyon walls with topographic relief of a kilometer or so (3,600 ft). Coal is found in Cretaceous sediments that dip gently to the west. Detailed geology of the Wasatch Plateau is described by Doelling (1972). Mining was done in the Blind Canyon seam. An earlier Deseret Mine worked the Hiawatha seam that is lower in the stratigraphic column by about 36 m (120 ft). Mining progress and ownership changes occurred in time with mine mergers and name changes eventually to the collective Des-Bee-Dove label. At the Beehive Mine, depth varied with topography but was approximately 360 m (1200 ft) on average; seam thickness varied from 1.5 to 6 m (5 to 20 ft) and usually required two passes of the miner. The mine was eventually closed and finally reclaimed in 2003. Semborski and Oakley (2006) present a brief history of the mine and describe the reclamation work in some detail. Figure 1 shows the surface topography in the vicinity of the mine that is in the center of the figure.

Feb 23, 2014

By F. M. Benavides

The mining complex being analyzed consists of four mines and two processing plants located in an area where there are several existing modes of transportation. Figure 1 shows a map of the general layout of the four proposed mines and the two existing processing plants. The mines are identified by the numerals "I" through "IV" and the plants by the letters "A" and "B". A proposed overland conveyor would collect the product from all four mines and convey it to Processing Plant A. Alternate transportation systems are as follows: Railroad transport from Mines I and II to Plant B; Highway trucking from Mines I and II to Plant A; Off-the-road truck haulage from Mine III to Plant B and from Mine IV to Plant A. River transportation from the mines to the processing plants was not considered in this study under the assumption that the high capital investments for the loading and unloading facilities, in addition to difficult traffic problems, would make this mode of transportation unattractive.

Jan 1, 1980

By Peter T. Chiang

A brief literature review on metal separations by ion exchange and solvent extraction of their thiocyanate complexes which are practiced in analytical chemistry as well as in industries was performed. Owing to the poor stability of free thiocyanic acid in acidic aqueous and organic media, technical and environmental problems which cause high thiocyanate consumptions often arise during the practice of the separation processes. This prompted the conducting of a second and more thorough literature review on the chemistry of thiocyanic acid. The objectives of this undertaking are to compile and interpret literature data on the physical properties and chemical reactions of thiocyanic acid, thus providing a clearer understanding of the causes of these problems and giving options as to how to minimize them. The best answer found for carrying out the separation processes is to keep the temperature, thiocyanic acid concentration and total acidity as low as practical.

Jan 1, 1984

By Judson C. Higgins

The paper addresses changes in surface transportation methods in the Industrial Minerals business starting with history, the changes to present time including such areas as energy costs, improved highways, changes in regulations and deregulation, and attempts to project future transportation trends. Transportation methods such as rail, piggyback, truck and barge are compared, and their impact on Industrial Minerals producer's costs and profits examined. The customer impact on our businesses due to deregulation is also discussed.

Jan 1, 1983

By R. R. Klimpel

The industrial processing of ores containing precious metals such as gold is generally very mining site specific, e. g. McQuiston and Shoemaker (1985), vanZyl et. a1. (1988), Fuerstenau and Hendrix (1990), and Hausen et. a1. (1990). The variety of various mineral processing techniques employed is extensive and includes size reduction, size classification, gravity separation, roasting, cyanidation, chemical and/or bacterial leaching, ion exchange and/or solvent extraction, and froth flotation. Gold occurs in the earth's crust on the average in very low concentration estimated by various sources to be between two and five parts per billion. For a specific ore deposit to be considered as an economic source of gold, generally a concentration of near one part-per million (one gram / Mton) or more is required. From a mineralogical viewpoint, gold often occurs in its native or free form. However, it can also occur as gold compounds of telluride, antimony, and selenium contained within either sulfide minerals such as pyrite, arsenopyrite. and pyrrhotite or, to a less extent, within silicate, oxide, and carbonate minerals. In many locations, alloying of gold with silver is found. The optimal processing method for recovering gold is determined by many factors such as the mineralogy of the gold bearing minerals as well as the associated mineralogy of the gangue minerals, the type of liberation profile of the gold bearing minerals upon' size reduction, and the particle size of the gold itself. Free or native gold particles can vary in size from the extreme of large nuggets to very finely disseminated gold associated in a complex sulfide mineral matrix. Typically free gold particles of several hundred microns or larger are efficiently recovered by one or more of a number of gravity based techniques due to the large specific gravity differential of gold (19.3 to 15) versus typical gangue minerals (5 to 2.7). When gold is associated with a sulfide (usually pyrite) matrix, historically most industrial plants involving size reduction and subsequent liberation have operated in a size range of 50 to 80 percent less than 75 microns. Grinding finer than this has been normally not economical unless the ore has a high gold content in the feed ore.

Jan 1, 1998

By R. M. Barker

The historic Getchell property is currently being mined from the Getchell Main Underground workings, a foot wall extension of the Getchell open pit deposits along the Getchell fault. Drift-and-fill techniques are used to extract the ore through a ramp access. The adjacent Turquoise Ridge deposit is currently under development via two vertical shafts. Together, the two mines will continue to provide feed to the Getchell's 3,200 tpd mill/autoclave circuit, taking Getchell Gold from its current production rate of 200,000 ounces (Au) per annum, to over 400,000 ounces (Au) per annum by 1999.

Jan 1, 1997

By R. Brantley Sudderth

There are three broad categories in which most solvent extraction technology can be distributed?: 1) reagents, 2) equipment, and 3) systems. Reagents which are now used in commercial solvent extraction plants are of many chemical types, and each possesses certain properties which make it more economically desirable than another alternative. The equipment which is' used in solvent extraction plants for contacting the organic and aqueous phases and separating the same is varied. Most common to the industry is the mixer-settler unit which in itself, can be of varied design; but many new innovations in contacting and separating equipment have been recently introduced or are :now being studied. Each specific solvent extraction application will often dictate the type of contacting and separating equipment used. Obviously, the trend is toward smaller less expensive equipment which reduces the often expensive organic inventories necessary for most solvent extraction plants. The current thrust of .investigations in ancillary equipment is usually aimed at recovering organic from solvent extraction sludges or from aqueous streams exiting the process.6 This type of equipment helps to reduce the total organic losses from solvent extraction plants and thus reduce the operating costs. The term "systems" in solvent extraction applies to the manner in which a solvent extraction process is carried out. This manner is usually dictated by the properties of the reagent which is used, and it involves a tailoring of the equipment or the process flowsheet. Some of the things which can be tailored are: 1) The aqueous media -whether acidic or basic and what type of acid or base 2) Counter-current or single stage (co-current) contacting 3) EMF or pH control 4) Organic "crowding" alternative 5) Heating or cooling process streams Regardless of the type or extent of tailoring, efforts to do this are usually a result of the low cost of solvent extraction as a unit process.

Jan 1, 1977

By Stephen H. Stow

Economically important heavy minerals have been studied in the sediments of offshore Alabama and Mississippi. Sandy samples have been collected from a 200 square mile area from Dauphin to Horn Islands. The minerals concentrate in sediments under 10-35 feet of water and may reach 2.4% by weight. The distribution of total heavies is related to the hydrodynamics of offshore Alabama-Mississippi; the greatest concentrations are in the Gulf where the longshore current is diverted from its westerly flow. Preliminary observations indicate that the distribution of individual minerals can be correlated with wave energy, particle size, specific gravity, and morphology of the mineral grains. The coarser, lighter minerals--kyanite, sillimanite and staurolite--are concentrated in relatively low energy areas in the Mississippi Sound and at the end of Dauphin Island in the Gulf; maximum concentration for each is 34.5%, 6.0% and 43.2%, respectively, of the heavy minerals. The smaller, more denseminerals--ilmenite, rutile, leucoxene, zircon and monazite--are concentrated in high energy areas in the Gulf; maximum concentration for each, respectively, is 42.0%, 5.9%, 9.652, 10.7% and 1.3% of the heavy minerals. On the basis of a minimum concentration of 1% heavy minerals, two areas have been identified and the total amounts of different minerals have been calculated to a depth of 25 feet of sediment. The data are preliminary and in no way indicate recoverable reserves, but they do show that on the order of 20 million tons of heavies exist. These deposits should be termed "indicated resources".

Jan 1, 1975

By E. K. Albert

In 1977, Congress enacted Title IV of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act (SMCRA), providing for an "abandoned ml.ne reclamation fund". This fund, taken from a fee collected from operating coal mines, provides capital for the reclamation process. However, given the number and extent of abandoned mine sites in some states, the question of project selection is important. This paper describes a project in progress to create a Management Information System application for project ranking under multiple objectives. The benefit of this project for the need of new environmental control technologies will be discussed.

Jan 1, 1990

By P. M. Soupios

An integrated suite of environmental methods was used to characterize the hydrogeological, geological and tectonic regimes of the study area, to determine the geometry of the landfill (depth and spatial extent of electrically conductive anomalies), to define the anisotropy caused by bedrock fabric fractures and to locate potential zones of electrically conductive contamination. The study area which covers an area of about 0.08 Km2 is a municipal solid waste site (MSW), located 20Km West of Herakleion in the central part of Crete (S. Greece). The landfill is located in a northwest oriented valley with highlands to the northeast and southwest. The combination of geophysical methods and chemical analysis are commonly implemented for characterization and management of land-fills. At the particular site, geophysical methods were focused on studying the electrical insolating properties of the materials, electrical con-ducting properties of fluids (leachates) and electromagnetic properties of the disturbed regolith materials in the burial zones. Three different types of geophysical surveys were performed: 1) 2D electrical tomography (ERT), 2) electro-magnetic measurements using very low frequencies (VLF) and 3) electromagnetic conductivity (EM31). Furthermore, in order to calibrate the geophysical methods dielectric spectrometry measurements are conducted. To evaluate the environmental degradation of the area, soil and liquids samples were collected.

Jan 1, 2005

By Dávila-Pulido. G., L. Magallanes-Hernández, F. López-Saucedo, J. Batista Rodríguez, A. Uribe-Salas

"This paper presents the results of tests performed to study the effect of slurry solids concentration on the behavior of gas dispersion in industrial-scale mechanical flotation cells. The experiments were conducted at five concentrator facilities run by a Mexican mining company, specifically in the rougher bank of the lead/zinc flotation circuits. Those mechanical cells having significant contribution to the performance of the circuit, that is, the cells that enable high recovery, were characterized. The measurement protocol enables measurement of the superficial gas velocity, gas holdup and bubble size, and sampling of the mineral slurry. The measured data indicate that bubble size and gas holdup decreases as the concentration of solids increases. IntroductionThe process of mineral concentration by flotation is based on contact between particles and air bubbles, the selective adhesion of hydrophobic particles onto the bubbles, and the rising of the bubble-particle aggregates to the surface of the flotation cell to overflow over the lip to form the concentrate. It is now accepted that the physical and chemical process variables that control the flotation of hydrophobic particles are closely related to gas dispersion (Schwarz and Alexander, 2005). Gas dispersion is defined by the superficial gas velocity, Jg (Torrealba-Vargas, Gomez and Finch, 2006), the gas holdup, eg (Tavera, Gomez and Finch, 1997), the bubble size, d32 (Dobby and Finch, 1986; Gorain et al., 1995; Hernandez-Aguilar et al., 2004) , and the bubble surface area flux, Sb (Manqiu and Finch, 1989; Manqiu, Finch and Uribe-Salas, 1991). In recent years, the advances that have been made in sensor technology have enabled the characterization of gas dispersion in industrial flotation cells with excellent results (Gomez and Finch, 2007). This technology advancement has allowed the gaining of a deeper understanding of such complex mechanisms as carrying capacity (Yianatos and Contreras, 2010), collection efficiency (Gorain, Franzidis and Manlapig, 1997; Massinaei et al., 2009) and bubble coalescence (Finch, Nesset and Acuña, 2008; Zangooi, Gomez and Finch, 2010)."

Jan 1, 2017

By James M. Griffin

It was not many years ago that people would have argued that a coal session did not belong at an International Mining Convention. Historically, steam coal has always been used domestically due to its natural geographic diversity and high transportation expense. Times have changed. With the help of Opec, steam coal has gone international. As opposed to metallurgical coal, whose trade routes have a long history, whose supply sources are more limited and whose market growth is seen by most to be relatively flat, steam coal export forecasts are calling for more than a doubling by 1990 and a quadrupling by the year 2000. Suddenly, one must be familiar with coal mining on a global basis in order to predict which regions will be able to fill these markets.

Jan 1, 1982

By N. Myung, G. Hwang, H. Kim, Y. Han, S. Choi

"According to research presently being conducted on selective lithium recovery in seawater, inorganic adsorbents with high selectivity and capacity for capturing lithium ions from liquid lithium resources are called lithium ion-sieves (LISs). Their low toxicity, low cost and high chemical stability make LISs suitable for lithium recovery from seawater. In the present study, the ultrathin LMO nanofibers with controlled diameter were successfully fabricated by an electrospinning technique with a hypothesis that greater aspect ratio (i.e., smaller diameter) would lead to the enhanced recovery of lithium ion from seawater. Design of Experiment (DOE) and dimensionless analysis were performed to systematically optimize the diameter and morphology of nanofibers. Several complementary techniques including FE-SEM and XRD were used to evaluate the physical/physicochemical properties of the nanofibers. Lastly, the lithium ion recovery was tested for the nanofibers with different physical properties using lithium ion solution. INTRODUCTION Demand for lithium resources is increasing in many industries across the world.1-2 However, the conventional resources for lithium is very limited, and it even gets worse to secure the resources due to low grade and/or complexity of feed materials. Much effort has been, therefore, devoted to obtaining lithium from aqueous lithium resources. Several methods such as solar evaporation3-4, co-precipitation5, and solvent extraction6 have been proposed for recovering lithium from an aqueous lithium source, but there are limitations on its use; It takes a very long time or conditions such as temperature, pH and Mg/Li ratio are severe. Lithium ion-sieve (LIS) materials are considered as a good lithium adsorbent because of their unique chemical structure that can selectively separate lithium ion from brine and seawater.7- 10 Furthermore, their low toxicity, low cost, and high chemical stability make LIS suitable for lithium recovery from aqueous lithium resources. Spinel hydrous manganese oxide (HMn2O4) derived from spinel lithium manganese oxide (LiMn2O4) after topotactically extracting lithium from the spinel structure by acid treatment is most widely investigated LIS.10, LIS materials have been actively studied in various forms for easy handling and high efficiency (i.e. membrane11,12, foam13-14, granular15,16). Among them, the 1-D nanostructure LIS with high specific surface area is excellent in efficiency.9 In this study, we present the part of our recently submitted work17. Specifically, we fabricated systemically lithium manganese oxide nanofibers with different diameter as a lithium ion adsorbent using electrospinning technique through design of experiment (DOE). Enhanced lithium ion adsorption properties of the HMn2O4 nanofibers with different diameter were investigated in lithium liquid resources."

Jan 1, 2018

By Richard Campbell, MEHMET KIZIL, Ismet Canbulat, Serkan Saydam

The design and effectiveness of ground consolidation to regain stability of longwall faces vary widely and are often based predominantly on-site precedence or what were considered successful applications at other sites in similar situations. Little is known regarding product migration characteristics or change in rockmass conditions as a result of the application of consolidation chemicals. This paper presents the in-situ testing rationale designed and implemented recently across several longwall operations in the Bowen Basin, Queensland, Australia to provide quantitative measurement of the actual zone of influence of various resin injection products. Product migra- tion was physically measured by monitoring the change in rockmass temperature as a result of the exothermic chemical reaction of the various strata consolidation chemicals used. In conjunction with strata coring and Lugeon transmissivity testing pre- and post-injection to characterise the improvement in rockmass conditions due to consolidation product injection. The results of the testing programme, migration measurements, and rockmass assessment are presented, along with a discussion on how site- based Rock Mechanics Engineers can incorporate the data into the design of strata consolidation plans.

Jun 25, 2024

By H. Maleki

The U.S. Bureau of Mines pioneered the use of borehole deformation gauges and overcoring techniques to measure in situ stress. These measurements provide input to structural mine design and support selection for specific geologic conditions. This paper presents recent stress measurements in a western U.S. coal mine where the orientation of the stress field remained relatively unchanged over distances of several kilometers. The horizontal stress magnitude increased with depth of cover and in relation to major geologic structures. Local variations in roof stress profiles were used to develop generic models relating stress arching to strata stiffness and the inelastic behavior of mine roof.

Jan 1, 1994

By R. K. Singhal

In 1990, Canada produced 69.4 million tonnes of coal of which some 65 million tonnes was produced by surface mining methods. The two Western Canadian provinces, Alberta and British Columbia produce approximately 55 million tonnes of coal by surface mining. These two provinces also provide the bulk of the metallurgical coal for export. The geological conditions in the Western provinces particularly in the mountain region are complex. The coals are friable and the seams are steeply inclined, sheared, intensely folded and faulted. There may be as many as 15 to 20 coal seams present with true thickness ranging from 2.5m to over 8m. Most of the Canadian surface mines are large (over one million tonnes per annum) using modern mining equipment such as shovels, high capacity trucks and draglines. At present the industry is going through another of its up and down cycles but has continued to make impressive gains in productivity. This has been achieved through greater mechanization, better management practices and a will to succeed in a highly competitive world market. This paper presents an insight into the current status of the Canadian Coal Industry and essentially updates the information given by the authors at previous SME meetings.

Jan 1, 1992

By W. S. Weldon

The use of spiral separators for the beneficiation of fine coal typically in the size range -2+0.1mm is now well established process technology. Developments during the mid 1980's resulted in the production of cost effective, efficient large diameter coal spiral separators. Recent developments and research have been geared to optimize metallurgical performance, materials handling and equipment geometry of large diameter coal spiral separators.

Jan 1, 1997

By J. R. Muhm

Environmental due diligence investigations, also known as Phase I Environmental Audits, are increasingly important to major investors, venture partners, or prospective purchasers or sellers of mineral properties. Knowledge of environmental risks associated with a property will allow better appraisal of a property's overall desirability prior to completing the transaction. It is possible that the cost of environmental cleanup could exceed the value of the property. Topics appropriately investigated include permit status, water quality, past use of the property, hazardous materials management, storage tanks, public records pertaining to the environmental character of the property, and environmental costs.

Jan 1, 1991

By William K. Burriss

Computer technology was applied to solve three problems in the selling of certain industrial minerals to the glass and foundry industries. The computer solutions provide for better service to customers and have helped increase sales. II. Summary Electronic data processing techniques were applied: 1. To automatically and continuously "trace" rail car shipments of bentonite. 2. To aid our sales people in recommending to glass plant purchasing agents which of several possible feldspathic materials is the best value at any of about 100 glass plants and to give guidance on the amount of value difference. 3. To help in locating plant sites for three blending or pre-mixing stations to serve the foundry industry at minimum cost and with maximum tonnage and maximum profitability.

Jan 1, 1968