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By P. A. Davies

Paper presented at the conference: Risk assessment in the extractive industries, held in Exeter, UK, 23-24 March 1994, and first published London: IMM, 1994, preprint volume, 11pp., 15 refs. Hazards such as vibration, dust emission and fragment projection can result in an area called the Danger Zone being set around a blasting site. Traditionally Danger Zones have been set solely on the basis of consequences (e.g. based on the maximum distance of rock projection or expected ground vibration plus a defined safety margin). Advances in risk assessment and its growing acceptance as a safety management tool have led to the setting of Danger Zones based on both consequences and frequency of occurrence. This allows distances to be optimised on the basis of acceptable risk levels rather than the potential consequences of infrequent events. The setting of a flyrock Danger Zone is used to demonstrate a risk-based approach compared with a traditional consequence approach

Aug 1, 1995

By W. J. Kotzé

Die derde colloquium van die Spesialiste-afdeling van die SAIMM is op 19 November 1980by die Universiteit van Pretoria gehou en is deur sowat 40 mense bygewoon. Dr J. P. Hugo tree as Voorsitter op en heet al die aanwesiges welkom, en stel elke spreker om die beurt aan die vergadering voor.

Jan 1, 1981

By A Cox

It has been demonstrated that all the cadmium from spent batteries, typically 4 g per battery, can be recovered by burning polyvinyl chloride waste to yield hydrogen chloride; this reacts to produce volatile calcium chloride, which can then be condensed and collected in a separate reactor. Alternatively, chlorine may be used to chlorinate the cadmium with equal efficiency. There is also a prospect of using very low concentrations of these gases, less than 1%, to effect the separation. The Cd was recovered more quickly when exposed to sustained, controlled flow rates of chlorinating gases, whereas when PVC was burnt most of the gas was produced in a very short time, not allowing complete reaction. This problem can be overcome by recirculation of the gas into the reactor. The technology is efficient and clean and the equipment used is simple, enhancing the prospects for a pilot-scale version of the process

Jun 21, 1905

By Irving Wender

The oxo reaction consists of catalytic conversion of olefins by reacting the olefins with CO and H2 (water gas) to aldehydes that contain one more carbon atom than the starting olefin. The aldehydes are then generally reduced with hydrogen to primary alcohols in a second stage. The two-stage process is called the oxo process. The word "oxo" is derived from the German "oxierung" (ketonization); thus the exact English equivalent of "oxo" is "keto". The oxo process may be applied to nearly all olefins. A wide range of pressures and temperatures may be used in both stages. The pressure range usually employed is 150 to 200 atmosheres. The temperature in the first stage is usually about 140° C. and in the second or hydrogenation stage about 180° C. Although a standard Fischer-Tropsch catalyst may be used for both steps, cheaper catalysts have been utilized to effect hydrogenation of the aldehydes. Most of the information for this, report on the oxo process was gathered from Technical Oil Mission microfilms. T.O.M. Reels 14, 55, and 134 were especially valuable. T.O.M. Report 6 by H. M. Weir was very helpful. Information on the oxo process is scattered throughout documents captured in enemy territory, and the present report does not include all the available data. Some of the information was procured by personal interview. Where, in the body of this report, certain investigators are quoted, the source of the statement is either personal interview or the T.O.M. reports.

Jan 1, 1948

By J. E. Friant

Until 1956, drill and blast was the only way to excavate rock. In that year, a tunneling machine using disc type cutters economically bored a small Toronto tunnel. Its amazing 105 ft/day set a new world record and set the stage for a new industry. The Disc Cutter Role in Excavation Mechanical excavation of hard rock is by now deeply ensconced in the heavy civil construction industry. All over the world, from the Swiss Alp Melange to Hong Kong Granite, to New York Gneiss, huge Tunneling Boring Machines (TBMs) create transportation, water and sewer tunnels. Powerful machines, boasting as much as 6000 hp, bore through rock, excavating in excess of 1400 tons per hour. The tool that makes this tunneling phenomenon possible is the single blade, rolling disc cutter. These hardened steel discs, from 15 1/2 to 19 inches diameter are arranged on a rotating cutterhead, to cut concentric circles in the rock. As the machine is propelled forward under great pressure, rock below each cutter is crushed. But the efficiency of the cutterhead is derived from the science of cutter spacing (distance between cutter paths). The majority of the rock excavated is not crushed, but flakes off in chips and chunks. No pick, tooth, or drag type cutting tool can duplicate the performance of a disc cutter. The economic use of drag type tools is limited to as low as 5,000 psi UCS rock strength in massive formations. In weakly bonded, foliated rock, drag tools do better, but are still limited to rock generally less than 15,000 psi.

Jan 1, 2002

By Roberto Busato Belger

- Fertilizer Business Overview - Supply -Demand Balance in the World - Supply -Demand Balance in Brazil - Brazilian Market Growth Opportunities - Fosfertil Operations - Fosfertil Expansion Plan - Salitre Project - Project Characteristics - Technical Challenges and Solutions - Technical Support Studies Conclusions

May 1, 2010

By Jack Eloranta

This paper documents the relationship between material handling and processing coete compared to blasting cost. The old adage, "The cheapest crushing is done in the pit", appears accurate in this c!ase study. Comparison of the accumulated cost of: powder, selected wear materials and electricity; indicate a strong. inverse correlation with powder factor (lbe powder/long ton of rock). In this case, the increased powder cost is more than offset by electrical savings alone.

Jan 1, 1995

By E Villaescusa, C Drover

Fully resin encapsulated threaded bar and cement grouted cable bolts are common forms of reinforcement for underground mining excavations constructed at great depth. These elements are frequently installed to dissipate the dynamic loads caused by violent rock mass failure mechanisms. Failure of the ground support scheme without rupture of the reinforcement elements implies that the maximum energy dissipation capacity of the scheme was not utilised. The ground support damage mechanisms are useful to identify in this context as they reveal vulnerabilities which limit the scheme performance. This paper presents a number of field observations of reinforcement performance following a range of dynamic loading conditions. It was observed that fully resin encapsulated threaded bars exhibit variable behaviour. In particular, inconsistent resin encapsulation was frequently observed in combination with surface support failure, indicating that the retention function of these elements may allow preferential loading of the surface support system. Observations of cement grouted, twin-strand plain cable bolts reveal a common mode of damage involving differential displacement across the steel-grout interface and slip of the cable within the borehole. This is common where strands are not mutually tensioned with barrel and wedge assemblies. Surface fixtures that exceed the strength capacity of the cable strand are required in order to minimise the occurrence of this response. Improved load transfer from the rock mass and surface support to the cable can thus be achieved, particularly where small block size failure occurs.CITATION:Drover, C and Villaescusa, E, 2016. Field performance of fully encapsulated reinforcement during violent failure events, in Proceedings Seventh International Conference and Exhibition on Mass Mining (MassMin 2016), pp 659–668 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

May 9, 2016

Evaluation of Comminution Circuit Design for Sustainability Using EcoNomicsTM

Sep 13, 2010

The solvent extraction section of an old Uranium Plant in the Vaal River region (North West Province in South Africa) produced a substance called CRUD (Chalk River Unidentified Deposit) that formed within the aqueous/organic interface of the settler of the solvent extraction circuit. The CRUD was deposited together with gold tailings to the tailings dam many years ago. Previous research done on the CRUD confirmed that exposed CRUD leaches Mn and Ni at concentrations that are well above their acceptable risk limits as well as Zn that leaches at concentrations that are slightly lower than its acceptable risk limit. Soil washing and bioremediation technologies were employed to treat the contaminated soil.   Various laboratory test work and the pilot scale studies were conducted in parallel with each other and the results of the laboratory studies were used to determine critical parameters. Four lixiviants, ie sulfuric acid, acetic acid, oxalic acid and ethylene diamine acetic acid were tested at three concentration levels ie 0.001 M, 0.0001 M and 0.00001 M, respectively. Column tests showed that the leaching of the heavy metals increases as the soil porosity increases. Silica sand was added to increase porosity of the contaminated soil. Highest Mn removal was achieved mainly by sulfuric and oxalic acid at 0.001M at all soil levels. EDTA was significantly efficient in the removal of Ni and Zn. The recovery of heavy metals, particularly Mn, decreased as the depth of sampling increased.   Heterogeneous bacteria and filamentous organism plate counts were conducted to evaluate the growth of the bacteria and filamentous organisms in the soil. Results showed that more organism growth took place in the bioremediated soil with a fertilizer added to it. The leaching of metals from the soil that was bioremediated in the pilot study was generally higher than the extraction of the metals from the soil that was leached with no bioremediation carried out. The results from this study suggest that the leaching of heavy metals from the contaminated soil is to a large extent dependant on the pH of the leaching solution. By increasing the soil's porosity and bioremediating the soil, higher extractions of metals were achieved.

Jun 1, 2010

By A Parbhakar-Fox, B G. Lottermoser, N Fox

"Determining the deportment of economic and environmentally significant elements in sulfidic mine materials (eg ore, gangue and waste) requires the use of advanced microanalytical techniques, including electron microprobe analysis (EMPA) and laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICPMS). Sulfidic boulders were sampled from an acid rock drainage impacted ephemeral stream adjacent to historical copper-silver workings at Baal Gammon, northern Queensland. The abundance and deportment of a range of trace elements and precious metals were analysed in these samples. Whilst many of these elements represent a potential environmental risk if leached from sulfidic rocks into streams in the surficial environment, significantly some of these elements (eg In, Sb and Co) represent specialised metals that are currently considered to be in critical supply.Sulfidic waste rock material at Baal Gammon is dominated by chalcopyrite, arsenopyrite, pyrrhotite and pyrite. Microanalytical investigations revealed that chalcopyrite contains significant quantities of In, Sn, Ag and Zn either substituted directly into the crystal lattice or occurring as discrete sphalerite and stannite inclusions. Arsenopyrite, which may comprise more than 50 per cent of some boulders, is notably enriched in Sb, Co and Ni but also contains inclusions of sphalerite, chalcopyrite and stannite. In contrast, pyrrhotite contains no trace elements of economic significance, but instead represents a likely contributor to acid generation during oxidation in the surficial environment. Trace metals (eg In, Sb, Co, Ni, Zn) are liberated during sulfide oxidation of these boulders in the surficial environment, generating a metal-rich, low-pH leachate.Fe-oxides precipitated as rinds on the surface of these boulders under low pH conditions also contain abundant As, Bi, Sn, Cu and Zn. Abandoned or historical mines represent potential sources of metalliferous drainage that poses potential environmental risks to water and habitats. However, sulfide-rich historical waste rock, stockpiles and processed waste (eg tailings) at abandoned mines may also represent significant sources of critical (eg indium) or other significant metals (eg Sn) that if liberated economically could improve environmental conditions in and around abandoned and historical mines.CITATION:Fox, N, Parbhakar-Fox, A and Lottermoser, B G, 2016. Critical and Deleterious Metal Deportment in Sulfidic Waste Rocks, Baal Gammon, North Queensland, in Proceedings The Third AusIMM International Geometallurgy Conference (GeoMet) 2016, pp 173–182 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne)."

Jun 15, 2016

By Brian Hart, Stamen Dimov

"The Time of Flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometer (ToF-SIMS) is unique in that it measures the outermost atomic layers of any material. The technique is particularly suited for determining surface chemical composition of mineral particles. It is most commonly used as a diagnostic tool to measure mineral surface chemical variability in plant and bench top flotation separation processes. Recently, research towards understanding the full capability of the instrument has resulted in the development of new diagnostic applications related to various Au extraction technologies and the development of the ToF-SIMS as a predictive tool for assessing the chemical reactivity of the ore.In this paper we will present a brief review of the ToF-SIMS technique with recent advances in instrumentation and methodologies including:•,?recent developments and advances towards a semi-quantitative approach to the evaluation of mineral surface modifiers (ex. Cu),•,?flotation case studies investigating activator, depressant and collector loading variability within a flotation process,•,?the recently developed chemical reactivity test which we believe has the potential to predict the behaviour of minerals in a flotation test in response to chemical transfer during grinding,•,recent applications for determination of surface Au preg-robbed in carbonaceous materials.A portion of this material has been recently presented at the COM 2009 meeting and at SIMS XVII (see Dimov et al 2009 and Hart et al, 2009).INTRODUCTIONIn flotation seperation surface chemistry is the principal determinant for selective separation of the various mineral phases (Ralston, 1994, Smart et al, 2003). Determination of this hydrophobic/hydrophilic balance by particle therefore requires correct identification and selection of the particular mineral phase(s) followed by a statistical analysis of the surface chemical characteristics of the particles with an estimation of the spread of values (Smart et al, 2003)."

Jan 1, 2010

By R. W. Smith

Many industries such as the cement industry handle large quantities of limestone and clay slurries. However, at present very little is known about the flow properties, such as friction loss due to flow of slurries in pipelines. This lack of knowledge has made it often very difficult to calculate the total dynamic head of a proposed slurry handling system, and therefore has often made the selection of correct size slurry handling equipment difficult. Because of lack of knowledge about slurry flow a study of slurry flow theory has been made at the Portland Cement Association's Research and Development Laboratory with the idea of developing a method whereby friction losses due to slurry flow may be predicted for any size pipeline. The flow equations developed have been checked by pilot plant size equipment. DERIVATION OF FLOW EQUATIONS It has been known for some time that limestone and clay slurries handled in cement plants do not flow in the same manner as a Newtonian fluid such as water. When a Newtonian fluid flows the shear stress at any flow velocity is proportional to the rate of shear. This phenomenon can be illustrated by a line (Figure 1). The viscosity of the fluid is the slope of the curve. Thus, the flow properties of the material may be characterized by a single materials constant: viscosity. When a non-Newtonian fluid with the type of characteristics exhibited by limestone and clay slurr-ries flow, a similar curve can be constructed (Figure 2). This graph is a shear diagram of a Bingham plastic non-Newtonian fluid. It should be noted that with the Bingham(1) plastic type of flow viscosity, the slope of the curve, is still an important materials constant. In addition, however, there is another materials constant, namely the yield stress of the material. One way to visualize this constant is to consider it as the amount of energy that must be put into a Bingham plastic material to start it flowing.

Jan 1, 1961

By Chad W. Brown

"A study of five commercially available solvent-extraction diluents in combination with three commercially available extractants under sub-Saharan African copper solvent-extraction conditions yielded intriguing results. A variety of physical and chemical property analyses showed that the diluents have some property differences, but overall the properties are similar and provide comparable solvent-extraction performance. Although each physical chemical property technique provides useful information, no individual test result suffices for prediction of diluent performance. Furthermore, a diluent should be evaluated within the conditions for which it is targeted to determine a true measure of performance. Overall, the diluents studied possess appropriate physicochemical properties for sub-Sahara Africa copper solvent-extraction conditions and can be utilized to achieve efficient, safe and reliable operations. INTRODUCTION Background Today, commercial SX diluents are available globally from a limited number of manufacturers. Production quality and consistency of these diluents have improved tremendously over the past 20 years. For example, diluent flash points have been increased incrementally to improve transport and handling while reducing fire hazards. In addition, properties have been successfully modified to minimize evaporative losses, ultimately reducing SX plant raw material costs. Diluent manufacturers have also focused on meeting performance requirements of SX plants, including eliminating components detrimental to SX operations, such as olefinic groups that can react with various species resulting in changing phase-disengagement properties over time, as well as ensuring that proper hydrocarbon components are present within diluent mixtures to maintain good reagent–metal complex solubility. These challenges have been met in the midst of ever-increasing stringent environmental regulations. Sub-Saharan Africa copper SX operations pose a unique set of conditions for diluents due to inherent ore compositions and the associated high reagent concentrations required for complete copper extraction. Chevron Phillips Chemical Company, LP has been manufacturing hydrocarbons and hydrocarbon-based diluents since the mid-80s, applying this experience to identify the physical properties considered crucial for proper performance in SX operations. This paper documents the findings of a study utilizing commercially available diluents in combination with extraction reagents commonly utilized in African SX operations to evaluate the relative performance of the diluents under sub-Saharan Africa copper SX conditions."

Jan 1, 2015

By S Strong, L I. Sanz Vivanco, T Brown

One of the most significant technical and practical challenges facing the tunnel construction team on the Legacy Way road tunnel project in Brisbane, Australia was how to erect the prestressed precast concrete slabs to form the smoke duct in the tunnel boring machine (TBM) tunnels.An essential part of the tunnel ventilation system, the smoke duct extends the full length of the 4.6 km-long twin two-lane tunnels. The vast majority of the tunnels (approximately 4.3 km) were constructed using two 12.4 m diameter double-shield TBMs. The refurbished Herrenknecht machines broke several world records on the way to completing the tunnel excavation works in just over nine months. With the excavation complete the focus turned to solving the complex civil tunnel fit-out challenges. A key component of the civil fit-out of the tunnels was constructing the smoke duct in the TBM tunnels, which was designed as a precast solution.The slabs, which each measure 8.62 m long × 2.0 m wide × 200 mm thick and weigh close to 9?t, need to be erected above cast in situ corbels whilst other tunnel finishing works continue. The space-proofing clearance offered by the design to the support corbels below and the precast segmental lining above was in the order of only 100 mm.This paper tells the story of how the Transcity Joint Venture (JV) tunnel fit-out team comprising some of Europe and Australia’s leading tunnel construction specialists drew upon the global strengths of the existing JV member companies and the global reach of leading TBM manufacturer Herrenknecht to develop an innovative system in solving this challenging problem. This globetrotting story, which starts in Australia, visits Europe and mainland China before returning to Brisbane where it all began.CITATION:Brown, T, Strong, S and Sanz Vivanco, L I, 2014. How the global experience and reach of tunnelling’s true multinationals helped solve a road tunnel fit-out challenge, in Proceedings 15th Australasian Tunnelling Conference 2014 , pp 507–512 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Sep 17, 2014

By R. N. Gow

The presence of enargite (Cu3AsS4) is problematic in gold processing because it is environmentally hazardous due to its arsenic content but also because it is double refractory causing both cyanide and oxygen consumption to increase. Selective leaching and treatment of the arsenic would prove advantageous prior to applying conventional gold leaching methods. The reactivity of enargite samples from Butte, Montana and Quiruvilca, Peru were spectroelectrochemically studied under alkaline conditions, pH range of 8-13, using Raman spectroscopy and cyclic voltammetry. Raman spectra of the surface were collected during and after voltammograms were potentially cycled in order to determine and compare surface species against theoretical EH-pH diagrams determined from mass-balanced thermodynamic calculations using StabCal software. Under slightly oxidizing conditions, covellite (CuS) peaks were found in a short matter of time, above ~100mV vs SHE for pH 9-13, suggesting arsenic leaching specifically occurred. At longer conditioning times, elemental sulfur was observed and tended to passivate the surface. The presence of sulfur suggests that copper was eventually leached. By operating above pH 12, under slightly reducing conditions near -300mV vs SHE, arsenic can be selectively leached as thioarsenate (AsS43-) or thiosulfate (AsO43-) without sulfur formation.

Feb 27, 2013

By Peter Radziszewski

"Comminition process costs, which typically represent an important contribution to mining operating costs, can themselves be divided roughly between energy and liner /charge wear. As such, developing the ability of predicting mill wear will allow a more accurate estimation of wear costs and therefore their control. In this paper and based on the possibility of estimating energy dissipated in impact and abrasion by using a discrete element charge motion model for mill charge motion simulation, media wear will be investigated principally as a function of three wear mechanisms : impact, abrasion and corrosion. Experimental results will be used to identify a total media wear model. Model results will be compared with real mill data from three operating Australian mines. These preliminary results show for the cases tested that the overall average error, as compared with the observed cases, is 0 % with a standard deviation of 66.1 %. Results from the Bond abrasion index tests, for the same cases investigated, give an overall error of 73 % and a standard deviation of 192.5 %. Further work is in progress to improve test procedure, validity and confidence.INTRODUCTIONComminition process costs, which typically represent an important contribution to mining operating costs, can themselves be divided roughly between energy and line / charge wear. In Greenfield situations where the estimation of operating costs is critical in determining project feasibility, the level of confidence in such estimates becomes quite important. With regards to media wear, the Bond abrasion test currently serves as the standard media wear prediction device. However, as shown [l, 21 test results once compared with actual wear rates can vary greatly. Figure 1 shows test results as compared with 15 cases. Average error over this data is 73 % with a standard deviation of 192.5 %. As such, developing the ability of more accurately predicting mill wear will allow greater confidence in wear cost estimation and therefore their control."

Jan 1, 2001

By BUREAU OF MINES

In 1948 the United States became a net importer of oil. Coupled with an unpre- cedented domestic production of 5,900,000 barrels daily, imports approximating 500,000 barrels made available a total supply of 6,400,000 barrels a day. Thus, by herculean effort, the oil industry was able to meet an extraordinary demand at home and, in addition, to ship abroad almost 400,00 barrels daily of petroleum and products. The country's oil position now differs greatly from that prevailing at the be- ginning of World War II. Then, actual oil production averaged about 4 million bar- rels a day, and productive capacity probably was greater than 5 million barrels a day. As the demand of the military and industrial machine grew with the rising tempo of the drive toward victory, the United States not only met its own needs but pro- duced about two-thirds of the total oil requirements of the Allied Nations, excluding Russia. As a people, we can be deeply grateful that the Nation's petroleum resources were adequate and sufficiently developed to support such a tremendous effort. Even in those critical hours when immediate needs were the paramount issues, a prudent Congress paused to contemplate the importance of an assured long-term supply of liquid fuels. From these deliberations came the Synthetic Liquid Fuels Act of 1944, which authorized research and development work on new sources of oil coal, oil shale, and agricultural and forestry products. ce World War II, a civilian demand for 6 million barrels of petroleum prod- ucts has become the order of the day every day. By drilling as many as 39,000 new wells a year, the production rate has been increased enough to meet domestic require- ments by a bare margin. Some imports were necessary, however, to fill both domestic and foreign demands, and these doubtless will increase. Is this policy of exploration within the United States and the development of oil in foreign countries adequate insurance for the fulfillment of our future national needs? This question has two aspects one purely civilian and economic in character and the other significant from the standpoint of our national defense. There are now approximately 4,000 producing oil fields in this country. At first thought, it would appear that production could decline in a considerable number of these fields without materially affecting the over-all daily output. However, 48 percent of the oil comes from only 111 major fields which contain 50 percent of the total proved domestic reserves. It is apparent, then, that the flow from large fields - having proved reserves of 100 million barrels or more each must be sustained if daily production is to be kept at the present levels. Essentially, this means that new major fields must be discovered about as rapidly or perhaps more rapidly than the older ones lose productive capacity. From 1940 through 1947, only eight major fields with estimated reserves of more than 100 million barrels each, were discovered and proved - an average of one such field a year. The total estimated reserve of these eight fields was less than 1 year's supply at the present rate of use. As drilling continues, some existing fields ultimately will prove reserves larger than those now known. Without a pronounced increase in the num- ber of major discoveries, however, the prospects for increasing our present productive level are not encouraging. Any gap that appears between domestic productive capacity and demand could be filled with supplies from proved oil resources abroad. Assuming cheap pipe-line and tanker transportation to the United States, freedom from exorbitant taxes and charges

Jan 1, 1949

By Lawrence M. Zanko

Eighteen coarse taconite tailings samples were collected in 2000-2001 from five western Mesabi Range taconite (iron ore) operations located in northern Minnesota, i.e., EVTAC, Hibbing Taconite (Hibtac), USX Minntac, Ispat Inland (Minorca), and National Steel Pellet Company (NSPC), to test their physical, geological, chemical, and mineralogical properties [Zanko, L.M., Niles, H.B., Oreskovich, J.A., 2003. Properties and aggregate potential of coarse taconite tailings from five Minnesota taconite operations, Minnesota Department of Transportation, Local Road Research Board, St. Paul, MN, Report No. 2004-06 (also as Natural Resources Research Institute technical report, NRRI/TR-2003/44)]. The goal was to assemble a body of technical data that could be used to better assess the potential of using a crushed taconite mining byproduct like coarse tailings for more widespread construction aggregate purposes, primarily in roads and high¬ways. An important part of the mineralogical assessment included X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses and microscopic (polarized light microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy, i.e., PLM, SEM, and TEM, respectively) evaluation of the size and shape (morphological) characteristics of potentially respirable microscopic mineral particles and fragments. Quantitative mineralogy, based on XRD analyses, showed that the dominant mineral in all samples was quartz (55-60%), followed by much smaller amounts of iron oxides, carbonates, and silicates. Specialized microscopic analyses and testing performed by the RJ Lee Group, Monroeville, PA, on both pulverized (-200 mesh, or 0.075 mm) and as-is sample composites showed that no regulated asbestos minerals or amphibole minerals were detected in the western Mesabi Range samples. A small number (26) of non-asbestos and non¬amphibole mineral cleavage fragments/mineral fibers were detected by SEM out of 1000 fields analyzed, but most were identified as min¬nesotaite and talc, silicate minerals common to the Biwabik Iron Formation. Amphibole minerals, absent in coarse tailings samples from the five western Mesabi Range taconite operations, were present in a single eastern Biwabik Iron Formation sample collected in 2003 for Lake County from the Cliffs Northshore operation in Silver Bay, MN. Importantly, the Superfund Method for the Determination of Releasable Asbestos in Soils and Bulk Materials [United States Environ¬mental Protection Agency (USEPA), 1997. Superfund method for the determination of releasable asbestos in soils and bulk materials, EPA 540-R-97-028, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington], as modified by Berman and Kolk [Berman, D.W., Kolk, A.J., 2000. Modified elutriator method for the determination of asbestos in soils and bulk materials, Revision 1: Submitted to the U.S. Envi¬ronmental Protection Agency, Region 8, May 23, 2000] failed to generate any protocol fibers, i.e., fibers longer than 5 µm and thinner than 0.5 µm, from either the western coarse tailings samples or the single eastern Biwabik Iron Formation sample. The combined findings suggest coarse tailings and other taconite mining byproducts should be treated with the same common sense safety and industrial hygiene approach practiced for all mineral-based materials that have the potential to generate respirable dust. © 2007 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Jan 1, 2007

By E. Sun

Tailings disposal is a significant consideration for the mining industry, with the majority of the ore processed in most mining operations ending up as tailings. Several tailings dam failure accidents have occurred during the past few years and mine tailings dam failures are occurring at relatively high rates. Tailings dam failure is disastrous with the serious damage and the loss of lives. To increase the tailings dam safety, a tailings dam monitoring and pre-alarm system (TDMPAS) based on the internet of things and cloud computing platform has been accomplished with the abilities of real-time monitoring of the saturated line, impounded water level, rain fall and the dam deformations etc. The TDMPAS has been applied in several mines in China and helped the mine engineers monitor the tailings dam safety and get warning information automatically and remotely in any kind of weather conditions. This work has been demonstrated the tailings dam monitoring and pre-alarm system (TDMPAS) is meaningful to monitor the tailings dam physical safety condition. The TDMPAS could be applied to monitor all the national tailings dams online in the future.

Jan 1, 2012