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By M Hourn, D Turner, P Voigt, D Mallah

The GPM Gold Project is located in Armenia, and consists of an open cut mine at Zod, near the Azerbaijan border, and a CIL processing plant at Ararat near the Turkish border. Mining at Zod commenced in 1976, and focused on near surface oxide ores, which overlay deeper refractory sulphides. Historical mining has now almost depleted the oxide ores, and the sulphide content of ore delivered to the processing plant at Ararat is increasing. Gold and silver recoveries through the Ararat plant were declining steadily.GeoProMining, the owners of the project, have expanded the Ararat facility to deal with the increasing sulphide content in the ore. In 2014, GeoProMining refurbished an existing concentrator on site to recover a sulphide concentrate from the ore, and have constructed an Albion ProcessTM plant to oxidize the refractory concentrate. Glencore Technology (GT) provided the Albion ProcessTM plant as a technology package.In July 2014, the progress of the GPM Gold Project Albion ProcessTM Plant was reported (Hourn, Voigt and Turner, 2014). At the time of writing, the construction of the plant was nearly complete. This paper presents an update of project progress, covering commissioning and ramp up of the GPM Gold Project.The commissioning phase occurred over June to August 2014, which included an M3,000 IsaMillTM fine grinding plant, a 6 tph limestone milling plant, a 60 tpd vacuum pressure swing adsorption oxygen plant, a 10 m residue thickener and a 12 tph Albion ProcessTM oxidative leach plant. Since commissioning was completed, ramp up occurred over the following three months with downstream gold recoveries from cyanide leaching reaching over 98%.CITATION:Voigt, P, Hourn, M, Mallah, D and Turner, D, 2015. Commissioning and ramp-up of the Albion Process at the GPM Gold Project, in Proceedings MetPlant 2015, pp 207–219 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Sep 7, 2015

Significance of the body of iron oxide, which in part overlies as its hanging-wall the rich chalcocite ore-body at Mount Oxide, Queensland, has been variously interpreted by engineers and geologists who have inspected the deposit.Among the interpretations offered is the one that the body represents the residual of an original medium to low grade...

Jan 1, 1939

By H Peiming, W Sakurai, Y Matsuhisa, H Shimazaki, Y Fukahori

Oxygen and carbon isotope mapping of hydrothermally altered wall rocks was applied to the blind ore prospecting of skarn Pb-Zn deposits in the Kamioka mining district, centralJapan, where the wall rocks consist of heterogeneous rock units. The results (d18OSMOW of -1.1 to +17.3ë and d13CPDB of -5.0 to +4.8ë for limestones, and d18OSMOW of -0.8 to +12.5ë for silicate rocks) show isotope zonations of the wall rocks with depletions in heavy isotopes (18O and 13C) toward the centre of mineralization. The isotope zonations likely formed by interaction of migrating thermal waters with the wall rocks during the mineralisation. The heavy-isotope depleted zone, which indicates higher temperature or higher water-to-rock ratio of the system, occurs in the footwall of a fault, indicating that the fault played the role of main conduit of the ore-forming fluids. A heavy-isotope depleted zone was also found in an area, where significant mineralisation had yet to be identified. Recent drilling in this area has intercepted a zone with a grade of 16.0% Zn, 0.8% Pb, and 35g Ag per metric tonne at a depth of about 360 m.

Jan 1, 1995

By M S. Reston

The Tonkolili banded iron formations (BIF), Sierra Leone, host extensive iron ore deposits which are of economic signifi cance to the seaborne iron ore trade. The deposits are dominated by a strategic JORC compliant mineral resource of 11.6 Bt grading 30.1 per cent Fe comprised of primary magnetite mineralisation in the form of a fresh metamorphosed BIF featuring a uniform mineral assemblage of quartz-magnetite ± ferro-silicate minerals. Pilot plant metallurgical test work has demonstrated that the production of a magnetite concentrate is achievable using the established beneficiation techniques of magnetic separation and flotation. The concentrates arehigh-grade, and suitable for blast furnace or direct reduced iron pellet feed. The major challenge facing the development of such magnetite deposits at industry competitive production rates is the significant capital investment required for process plant and associated infrastructure.Two well-developed weathering zones exist within the deposits, and are associated with the progressive development of a tropical weathering profile overprinting the primary BIF. These zones feature a near surface hard indurated duricrust up to 60 m thick, and a soft progressively developed saprolite between duricrust and fresh BIF. These zones have been found to be amenable to producing iron ore products including DSO lump and sinter fines from the duricrust, and concentrate from the saprolite. Mineral resources sufficient to support commercial production of such iron ore products were defined by an intensive exploration program in 2010.African Minerals Limited has developed a three phase production strategy to progressively self fund the development of the Tonkolili strategic magnetite project by:• commencing a Phase I 12 Mt/a DSO operation in Quarter 4 2011,• increasing production in Phase II to 35 Mt/a with the commissioning of a saprolite beneficitation plant and associated infrastructure upgrades, and• developing a 45 Mt/a Phase III operation producing high-grade magnetite concentrate.The comparatively low capital and operating costs of a duricrust DSO lump and sinter fines operation coupled with its proximity to ground surface make it highly attractive for the generation of early cash flow for the Tonkolili project. Revenue from this early production may be used to selffund the subsequent development of phases requiring progressively more significant beneficiation plant and infrastructure.

Jul 11, 2011

In responding to why some longwall roadway development rates are different among mines, the Roadway Development Task Group (RDTG) of Australian Coal Association Research Program (ACARP) has initiated a benchmarking study to survey each longwall mine to determine the correlation between roadway development practices and roadway development performances. This paper describes a web-based relational database system which has been developed purposely to monitor the performance of Australian longwall roadway developments aimed at assessing both the physical and operational factors which could influence roadway development practices and their performance indicators. Statistical analysis of an earlier survey suggested that continuous miner units that achieved more than 1750 m were units mining two-heading development.

Dec 6, 2010

Martha Mine is an open pit gold-silver mine, located within the township of Waihi, 150km southeast of Auckland and is operated as a joint venture between Normandy Mining Ltd. 67 %) as Manager and Otter Gold Mines Ltd. (33%). The deposit was historically mined, by underground methods from 1888 to 1952, producing 5.5 moz of gold and 30 moz of silver, from 11 mt of ore. The current operation began in 1988, producing, to June 1999 - 867,245 oz of gold and 5.5 moz of silver from 9.5 mt of ore. The licensed reserves were due to be mined out by late 2000. Consents were granted in December 1998 to allow the expansion of the operation through to 2007 accessing an additional 7.5 mt of ore at 3.4 gpt Au and 26.0 gpt Ag for 800,000 oz of gold and 6.4 moz of silver. The key elements of the expansion are: 1. Pit enlargement 2. Upgraded crushing and material handling facilities 3. Construction of a second tailings storage facility 4. Upgraded water treatment capacity 5. Increased operating capacity This paper presents an update of expansion activities to date.

Jan 1, 1999

By G R. Mould

The paper presents a general background to the subsidence research program being undertaken by the Department of Mineral Resources and Development in New South Wales. The results of the studies undertaken over the last ten years are summarised. The differences between these results and those obtained by the National Coal Board are discussed. The results of a study carried out on the effect of total extraction beneath a freeway in the southern coalfields are discussed in some detail. The procedures developed for the construction of a 500 mm diameter natural gas pipeline crossing a number of collieries in the northern coalfields are also outlined. The future direction of the Department's subsidence research program is discussed.

Jan 1, 1980

By R Dwyer, S Rea, W J. Bruckard, N McSweeney, R Holmes

"The innate ability of microorganisms to adapt to changing or inhospitable environments has often been exploited for industrial purposes and forms the basis of many current biotechnological processes. The ability of bacteria to adapt and adhere to specific mineral surfaces ensures that the energetic or nutritional requirements of the cell are met and often serves as a survival mechanism under unfavourable?growth conditions or conditions of stress. In this process, cells may rearrange or modify the macromolecules expressed on the cell surface itself or produce extracellular molecules, modifying mineral surfaces to render them more suitable for growth. The modifications that these molecules produce on mineral surfaces may result in changes to the surface charge and hydrophobicity of a mineral. As a result, these biomolecules may have some potential application as flotation collectors or modifiers.In this work, the effect of long-term exposure of Paenibacillus taiwanensis to goethite and common gangue minerals associated with Australian iron ores on the differential expression of membrane and extracellular proteins was determined. Both groups of proteins play a role in cell adherence to mineral particles. Cells were adapted to grow in the presence of each mineral over time. The proteins expressed on the cell membrane and the extracellular proteins excreted by the cell were isolated and analysed by two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (2D gel PAGE). The outcomes of these studies are presented here and potential application of these products for flotation discussed.CITATION:Dwyer, R, Rea, S, McSweeney, N, Bruckard, W J and Holmes, R, 2013. Microbes and their metabolites - potential iron ore flotation reagents, in Proceedings Iron Ore 2013, pp 369-372 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne)."

Aug 12, 2013

The Autogenous Fine Grinding Kelsey Axial Displacement (KAD) Mill The marginal improvements which continue to be made to fine grinding practices have exposed the limits of conventional technologies and highlighted the need for a radically new approach. The patented autogenous Kelsey Axial Displacement (KAD) Mill design consists of a rotating spherical grinding chamber, which shares the same spherical centre as the shaft-mounted counter-rotating disc assembly. The axis of the disc assembly can be inclined to the axis of the spherical grinding chamber by pivoting the disc shaft about the common spherical centre. The inter-particle energy transfer required for breakage results from particle velocity differentials created by the discs intercepting the rotating mass. Particle size reduction is concentrated in high shear zones, which envelop the outer surface and periphery of the discs. This paper traces the development of the KAD Mill from pilot to commercial scale. Pilot work covers a range of minerals including magnetite, calcite, dolomite, barite, limestone and talc. Test results include open and closed circuit operation in wet and dry modes. Conventional milling constraints and energy consumption issues are addressed while new dimensions are added to the feed size range acceptable for wet and dry grinding to fine and ultra-fine sizes.

Sep 13, 2010

By Kennedy G. L

Operating experience with the pilot Lurgi carbonization plant at Morwell showed that under conventional operating conditions, although the thermal efficiency of the plant was very' high, the physical quality of the char produced was extremely poor. By variation of operating conditions to produce the slow drying rate developed by the laboratory research at the University of Melbourne, an improvement in the size of the char was achieved. A similar approach in the carbonization stage where severe breakage of the briquettes still occurred was not possible due to insufficient control over the heating in this stage. Theoretical analysis of the heat exchange process has shown that severe heating of the briquettes entering the carbonizer is a characteristic of the Lurgi system and cannot be controlled by modified operation. The plant has been closed down for reconstruction of the heating system to enable it to be used to produce hard char.INTRODUCTIONAn experimental carbonization plant was operated at the Morwell Works of the 'Gas and Fuel Corporation from November 1958 until July 1959. This plant was built as a pilot plant by the Corporation to designs supplied by the Lurgi Gesellschaft fur Warmetechnik and had the nominal capacity to carbonize 25 tons of brown coal briquettes and to produce 11 tons of char per day. The briquettes were supplied from the· normal production of the Yallourn briquette factory and the 2t in. I-type briquette was the largest size which the plant could handle.This carbonization plant represents the intermediate stage of development between the laboratory research at the University of Melbourne and the commercial production of hard char as a metallurgical fuel. It is intended in the first place for the study of the technical problems in the handling and...

Jan 1, 1960

By P Wopereis

The Nokomai valley is located within the pumpellyite/actinolite facies of the Otago Schist, a regional scale metamorphic belt in Southern New Zealand. The Otago Schist is dominated by psammitic and pelitic greyschist with more subordinate greenschist, quartzite, marble, and ultramafics. Mining in the Nokomai, began in the 1860s, with sluicing of terrace gravels in the lower valley. Good gold is reported to have been won from unconformities within very weathered gravels lower in the terrace sequences, and particularly from within channels which dissect these older deposits. Gold was recovered from these terraces in the main Nokomai Valley, and two major tributaries (Victoria Gully and Bullock Head Creek). In the period 1885 - 1887 further gold was discovered in basal gravels beneath the Nokomai flats when the Hunter brothers sank two shafts and excavated a connecting drive to discover a lead 1.2 - 1.5 m thick. The Golden Lion Sluicing Company began mining in 1896 using an hydraulic elevator on the very 'tight' 1.8 - 2.4 m of basal gravels. This operation was followed by the Nokomai Gold Sluicing Company whose average return grade was >485 mglm3 until mining ceased in 1943 (Wopereis; 1988, 1989). A quartz vein, Commissioners Reef, was worked for small production at some time during the 1920 - 1930 period, until fault termination of the vein ceased production.

Jan 1, 1996

GENTLEMEN, lt is with much pleasure I meet you tonight at this the second meeting of the Australasian Institute of Mining Engineers, held in Western Australia, and I sincerely thank you for the honour you have conferred upon me in electing me as your President. I greatly appreciate the distinction, and will endeavour to fulfil the duties of the office to the best of my ability, and hope to prove a worthy successor to those gentlemen who have held the position before me. On behalf of the local members of the Institute, I extend a hearty welcome to the members from the other States of the Commonwealth, who have come so far to attend this meeting, and also to the non-members whom we have invited this evening. We are especially pleased to have Mr. Gregory, our Minister of Mines and Railways, and the Government and School of Mines officials with us; and I take this opportunity to thank the Premier, Mr. Gregory, and the Government officials for the assistance given us, and for doing so much to make the visit of our members from the other States so pleasant and instructive. I have also to thank the Mayor and Councillors of Kalgoorlie for the courtesy and hospitality given to our members, which is much appreciated.I assume you want me to follow the time-honoured custom of giving a Presidential address...

Jan 1, 1909

By T Bookless, J Pownell, D Meadows

The ever increasing trend of the gold price has meant that ore deposits that were previously considered too complex, or unattractive by virtue of their low gold grade, are now being investigated more closely. These ore deposits present a greater risk of failure than previously was the case. To ensure that the risk of project failure is reduced and the maximum value is derived from the deposit, its mineralogy, as well as other characteristics, should be well understood such that the optimum process can be designed.Quite often the flow sheet design is assembled using individual process components, from various sources, and without consideration of the complete system. Test work programs require careful planning and an open viewpoint in terms of comminution circuit design particularly with respect to ever increasing power costs across the globe. As an example, high pressure grinding roll (HPGR) technology in many cases offers better mineral liberation than the more traditional comminution devices and it does so at a reduced energy input, and yet HPGR test work is often restricted in its scope due to the perceived novelty of the technology and the resultant lack of generally agreed and accepted test work routes.In this paper the authors outline a typical HPGR test work process route driven by the needs of different ore types and illustrate that to optimise the project value, any test work program should start from the premise that thorough understanding of the ore is vital.CITATION:Bookless, T, Meadows, D and Pownell, J, 2013. Enhancing project value through a designed high pressure grinding roll test work program, in Proceedings World Gold 2013 , pp 291-300 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Sep 26, 2013

Notwithstanding full concurrence with the dictum of a famous scientist that "definitions are the most accursed of all things on the face of the earth," in view of the considerable confusion which exists in jigging nomenclature, it is considered advisable to commence this paper with the following explanations of the terms which will be used throughout the text.Jig Bed. The whole layer of material lying on top of the jig screen.Ragging. The layer of denser material lying immediately above the jig screen, which is too coarse to pass through this screen and is confined horizontally by the cells of the top grid.Ore Column. The layer of ore pulp between the ragging and the top-water.Top Water. The water, carrying fine material in suspension, which flOiWS over the surface of the jig bed.Hutch Water. The water added to the jig below the screen. (Except for the water discharged with the hutch concentrate, the "hutch-water" eventually becomes "top-water.")Feed Water. The water in the ore pulp fed to the jig.(This water becomes part of the "top-water.")Pulsion. The period of the jigging cycle during which the water is moving upwards relative to the particles in the jig bed.

Jan 1, 1937

Although small scale mining is regarded by many as of historical value only, this kind of mining activity is still much more widespread than is usually assumed. It has been estimated that it produces as much as ten per cent of the global mineral output. More significantly this figure is often much higher for many of the developing countries of Africa, Asia and South America, signifying the relatively greater contribution of small scale mining to the economies of those countries. It is also noted that small scale mining has always been a feature of mineral production in New Zealand and Australia. An attempt is made to define small scale mining, and the factors determining the suitability of small scale mining operations are discussed. The state of the art in small scale mining is reviewed and the author endeavours to rationalise the important parameters which contribute to successful small scale mining operations and discusses how these parameters may be optimised. The benefits of small scale mining to the mining industry as a whole and to the community at large are outlined. The paper concludes by emphasising the necessity to maintain small scale mining and 'explores' its future 'prospects'.

Jan 1, 1990

Ecological Fuel from High-Sulfur-Content Coal

Sep 13, 2010

To the industrial geologist, as wen as to the general or historic geologist, the possession of a reliable key to the true order or sequence of the stratigraphy or position of the various upper rocky envelopes of the earth's crust, is, equally, a desideratum of the utmost importance. Of similar value to the two groups of students is the possession of facts which throw light upon the relationships which subsist between the puccessive rock formation of different countries, especially between countries lying close to each other, or within the same great geographical division.But there is necessarily a fundamental distinction which marks the respective limits of the field of observations of the industrial geologist, and the purely historic interest of the general geologist. The former has a more definite though less extensive scope. The scope of the latter is wide and indeterminate. In short, the observations of the industrial geologist are, 'from a commercial or economic point of view, of a more practical character, and are, therefore, intentionally restricted to the study of all geological questions which throw light upon the rocks which yield products of economic value and only include the study of the character and history of other rocks, in so far, as they afford aid to the more perfect comprehension of the best manner in which materials of economic value are likely to be sought, and the best means whereby these products may be secured for the material advantage of the community. The motive of the general geologist-in most cases-is a love of the study of some particular branch or province of the geological field, and the fascination of opening a new volume in nature's library, and the hope of extending the realm of knowledge, however slight, are often sufficient, as a motive, to enlist the energy and life's devotion of the true brethren of the hammer, irrespective of considerations regarding the commercial utility of the pursuit.

Wetting Characteristics of Mineral Surfaces - Contact Angle Measurements through Molecular Dynamics Simulations

Sep 13, 2010

By C J. Moran

Given that the mining industry is committed to sustainable development principles and that Australia is experiencing changes to the regulatory environment that aim to modernise the water sector and encourage adoption of consistent approaches, there is a well defined need for the Australian minerals industry to develop a water accounting framework. This requires: key terms and definitions for water metrics for use in the Australian minerals industry that is consistent with the wider water sector, a suite of metrics representing key components of an operationÆs water balance, a calculation method for some of the metrics, and a reporting protocol. This paper presents the methodology that was used to derive these four components. Existing accounting frameworks were reviewed and key terms and definitions that were consistent with current requirements were proposed. A calculation methodology was developed to obtain some of the key indicators and variables that cannot be easily measured directly (water loss through evaporation is an example). The adopted terms and definitions dictated model development, with the conclusion that a systems approach was the most effective calculation process. To test the proposed definitions and calculation methodology, values for water metrics were derived for eight sites. The proposed framework and definitions could deal with the specific situations selected as case studies. The associated calculation methodology produced complete accounts at various levels. Some elements of the accounts could be directly checked against available data and simulations. The framework captured well variations in the reuse efficiencies; reuse efficiency could even vary for similar processes. It is concluded that this preliminary accounting framework provides a consistent language and metrics for quantifying and communicating water management, both at the intersection of the site with the surrounding landscape (through detailed reporting of site inputs and outputs) and within operational activities. Using this consistent framework for quantifying and documenting water use within an operation will provide a platform for compiling and comparing minerals industry water use with other sectors. This may support benchmarking activities within regions or companies and help demonstrate leadership amongst water users in water resource stewardship. The approach presented here is applicable to a wide variety of mining and processing activities, and biophysical environments, and can be adopted as the first step towards developing national water accounts for the Australian Minerals Industry.

Jan 1, 2009

By A Hollweg, K H. Esbensen, M Lischka

Two new splitter designs for intercepting moving streams of matter are presented, the variable cross-stream splitter (vCSS) and the rotary stream splitter (RSS), which are intended for implementation in a fully automated modus. The vCSS facilitates obtaining up to three subsamples with different splitting ratios from automated laboratory flow paths, while the RSS divides the intercepted sample into 16 equal analytical aliquots. The splitters can process a wide range of dry, granular and free-flowing materials (<5 mm). The required weight for each subsample can be set without mechanical adjustments in the case of the vCSS. Typical applications are subsampling/splitting for X-ray fluorescence pelletisation (or fused beads) or splitting for average shift composite sampling or grain size analysis. The vCSS combines the advantages of riffle splitting (three user-defined subsample masses) with miniature bed blending and can accept up to 15 kg in total incoming sample mass. In practice, the automated vCSS can deal with unlimited ingoing mass fluxes, while the RSS is designed to operate at a user-defined fixed subsampling rate (1/16th in the tested version). Both splitters have the potential to be optimised and evaluated according to an application/user-defined total sampling error (TSE) + total analytical error (TAE) threshold. Both splitters were tested under adverse conditions and with compositions involving three components with properties representing typical mass fluxes and components concentrations in industrial and technological systems: phosphate concentrate 89.00 per cent (<500 µm), slag ten per cent (>2 mm) and glass spheres one per cent (750–1000 µm). The slag particles vary widely in particle shape, aspect ratio and surface roughness, while the glass spheres are extremely prone to bouncing and segregation (spillage). This test system is extremely difficult to split and thus constitutes a realistic worst-case scenario. While the vCSS does not comply strictly with Theory of Sampling demands for correctness, both splitters may well be able to deliver fit-for-purpose representative results if/when tested properly. Average relative mass deviations ranged from 1.89 per cent for phosphate concentrate (relative standard deviations of 20-fold repeated splitting) to 4.72 per cent for glass spheres and 13.04 per cent for slag. For the RSS, the average replication experiment splitting variation was 2.89 per cent for phosphate concentrate, 4.82 per cent for glass spheres and 11.1 per cent for slag. Both new automated online splitters would therefore appear to be able to be tuned to fit-for-purpose representivity (defined here as maximum relative reproducibility <5 per cent) for many non-extreme materials; however, it is always imperative to test every new type/class of material empirically. There is a wide commercial potential for important materials and commodities sectors, including food, feed, drugs (pharmaceutical), secondary raw materials, recyclates, agricultural products and seeds.CITATION:Lischka, M, Hollweg, A and Esbensen, K H, 2017. New online/atline splitter designs for laboratory automation – feasibility results, in Proceedings Eighth World Conference on Sampling and Blending , pp 159–166 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

May 9, 2017