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By Donald L. Everhart

Economic geologists faced with the task of evaluating phosphate rock deposits find it necessary to deal with a unique and a lengthy list of geologic, chemical, and economic factors before they can determine whether the deposit does, or does not, constitute "ore". The underlying fact is that phosphate rock concentrate sells at a price per ton that is among the lowest for all mineral commodities. A recent going price for a standard grade (i.e. 72% BPL) phosphate rock concentrate F.O.B. Tampa is $6.00 per long ton. This compares with sand and gravel's price of about $5.00 and $8.00, respectively, per ton. In the case of many, if not the great majority of mineral deposits, the evaluating geologist needs to concern himself principally with the fundamental and classic considerations of tonnage and grade. Barring some very unusual metallurgical problem any geologist that finds say 50 million tons of 1% copper rock, or substantial tonnages of 0.7% U308 sandstone, pretty well knows he has an ore body! Certainly the evaluation of phosphate rock starts with tonnage and grade. Any rock with less than about 10% P205 in the ground is generally ruled out as ore, on the basis of grade alone. Since nearly all phosphate rock operations must be of the large-tonnage, low-unit-value type, the tonnage of new reserves, to be considered as "ore", ought to be in the 100-million + class. But having outlined' a deposit of phosphate rock having acceptable

Jan 1, 1971

By Burton H. Boyum

The paper generally reviews the iron ore occurrences and regional geology of Western Australia, but features in particular the mesa deposits of PJasic Materials - Cliffs International. Initial production is planned from a aeries of mesa deposits of Eocene-Oligocene age. The ore is oölitic to pisolitic goethite and hematite. Source of the iron in the mesa deposits is thought to be from the Precambrian iron-formations. The geology and occurrences of the mesa iron ore deposits are summarized and illustrated.

Jan 1, 1964

By M. J. Virnig

A flowsheet for the recovery of nickel and cobalt from laterite ores has been developed which involves acid leaching followed by hydroxide precipitation of the metal values and then releaching of the hydroxide cake with ammonia. Investigations of the chemistry of extraction of nickel by LIX® 84-1 and a developmental reagent, XI-84-IT, along with the physical properties of the organic phases are described. Based on these investigations, suggestions with regard to design of a solvent extraction plant and operating conditions are made.

Jan 1, 1999

By Jay R. Schafler, Jacob L. Brinkman, Catherine E. Johnson

"The United States coal mining industry is currently experiencing a decline in both demand and commodity price while facing implementation of more stringent air and water pollution regulations. Company profits have decreased significantly, forcing several major companies to declare bankruptcy. The industry was required to adapt to survive. Many of these companies have adjusted by abandoning mines; the last two decades have seen a drastic decrease in the number of mines. To discover the primary causes of this downturn, three major aspects must be studied: properties of abandoned mines, commodity history and regulatory impact. Trends since 1994Each year, U.S. coal mines are required to submit data on a variety of categories to the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) and the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). This data include administrative records, production values and information regarding the attributes of the mined material and the mine itself. Each year since 1996, EIA has released a report summarizing the data from two years prior. Additionally, MSHA maintains a database containing a collection of all the most current data. These resources are the primary sources for the figures included in this article. There are several items to note regarding this data:1. The EIA reports from 2016 and 2017 were not released at the time of writing this report.2. The MSHA data set is actively maintained as information is provided. This means the data for 2016 is from June 27, 2016 and data for 2017 is from Aug 24, 2017. All other points represent the end of-year values.3. Each of the figures only includes data pertaining to active mines. EIA defines active mines as both active and temporarily idled mines, and inactive mines as nonproducing and abandoned mines. MSHA separates all four into separate categories, though this paper combines the MSHA values according to the EIA definition for the purpose of comparison."

Jan 10, 2017

By M. D. Ballain, V. C. Storhok, B. Pesic, J. C. Sever

Northwest Alloys, a wholly owned subsidiary of Alcoa, produces magnesium from dolomite by reduction with ferrosilicon and aluminum. This process produces alkaline by-products in quantities that allow their consideration for use as commercial by-products. Two such products are dicalcium silicate slag, Di-Cal, and magnesium oxide condensate, MgO. The alkaline properties of these materials offer acid neutralizing capability comparable to the traditionally used lime, therefore, warranting a study for their use in applications where the neutralization of acidic waters or process solutions is required, such as treatment of mine waters. In this ongoing study, three mine waters (Bunker HillMine, Berkeley Pit, and Blackbird Mine) were selected for treatment with Di-Cal and MgO. Lime was used as the background control. The solid precipitates were subsequently contacted with pure water at four different pH conditions for stability testing of prepared metal precipitates (expanded TCLP). It was found that neutralization with Di-Cal results in precipitates which are of equivalent to superior stability than those from lime treatment.

Jan 1, 1999

By Shiro Ishii

When construction sites are in a densely- populated area or near roads, railroad or river, restrictions upon the ways of handling and using explosives such as dynamite and large demolition equipment are being increasingly stringent, in consideration of environmental pollution such as noise, vibration, dust, flyrocks etc., and safety precaution. In view of this, the development of safe and pollution-free technology for demolishing rocks at mines and reinforced concrete structure at building sites is strongly required. To meet such requirements, the demolition by means of expantion of mineral substances has been considered long before. Recently with the demolition technique using non-explosive demolition agent developed by ONODA CEMENT CO., LTD., holes are drilled into substances to be demolished, such as rocks and concrete before-hand. Then, slurry of such agent mixed with an appropriate quantity of water is poured into the holes. It hardens and expands with the passage of time, and the expansive stress reaches more than 3m/m2 in 10 to 24 hours. This expansive stress causes the material to crack. In this article, descriptions of the non- explosive demolition agent, BRISTAR manufactured by ONODA CEMENT CO., LTD., TOKYO, JAPAN, are given briefly with regard to its physical and chemical properties and its method of use; and the way it is used at an actual construction site is reported.

Jan 1, 1982

By Wallace N. Thomas

The present interest in large diameter grinding mills and the rapidly rising cost of the drive in proportion to the cost of the mill establishes a need to explore the drive system in detail. The drive for a seven to eight thousand horsepower mill will cost from 1350 thousand to $600 thousand which represents nearly half the total cost of the mill package, and requires as much building space as the mill proper. Some of the drive components require a longer time to manufacture and the installation time and costs are equal to those for the mill. It is apparent that the drive has become a dominant factor in the overall mill design consideration. A new plant requires a tremendous investment in both time and money. With the high degree of competition in the mining industry, low capital cost is an exceedingly important factor in the development of a project. It is just as important, however, to insure that the equipment is going to perform satisfactorily for the anticipated life of the project without adding unplanned operating, maintenance and replacement costs. This is the position in which the engineer or designer usually finds himself and is really one of his primary functions -- establishing a realistic compromise between cost and performance.

Jan 1, 1969

By Ben W. Burdett

The operation of an electrolytic refining tank house is an art as well as a science. If the electro-refining industry is to progress, a better understanding of the refining process is necessary. This would help to reduce the amount of training necessary to produce competent tank house operators who, in turn, would be able to increase both quantity and quality of the tank house product. To aid in understanding this process, quantitative relationships between the critical tank house variables must be established. The inherent major contributor to inefficiency in most tank houses is short circuits. By quantifying the effect of short circuits on each of the other variables in the system, as well as their effect on over- all system performance, better decisions regarding manpower allocation can be made. Current distribution under short circuit conditions, which has always been somewhat of a mystery, can be studied in detail. The relative importance of electrolyte balance, proper anode-cathode spacing, low contact resistance at points of electrical connection, and other system variables can be determined, With a better understanding of these variables, the steps necessary to increase current efficiency are more easily defined. Relationships between most of these variables are described in qualitative terms in the literature, but quantitative relationships between tank house variables have never been established. A realistic mathematical model of the tank house could be used to test the effect of variations in a single variable on other variables in the system, and thus define the quantitative relationships between tank house variables. It is not the purpose of this paper to establish these relationships, but to describe a recently developed model that can assist in their establishment. A computer program implementing this model has been applied to examine the effect of short circuits on overall current distribution. Some of the results are given here as examples of the utility of this program.

Jan 1, 1973

By R. Scheffel, R. Washnock, G. Zarate

"The second survey of global copper leaching operations has been completed, the data published in 1998 has been updated. A survey questionnaire was sent to 40 identified copper leach operations around the world including those leach properties still in operation that responded to the 1998 survey. This paper lists the results of 26 operations that responded to the survey. Selected information from the survey is represented in graphical form. INTRODUCTION Copper leaching was first performed by truck dumping huge monolithic stockpiles of ore and flooding the surface with leach solution or lixiviant with little understanding to the parameters that support optimum recovery of the metal. Heap leaching has evolved into a controlled process whereby a complex low grade ore is stacked in shallow lifts (under 10 m in most cases). The ore is usually crushed and agglomerated, conveyor stacked on an engineered containment system (leach pad) and irrigated in a controlled manner. The lixiviant chemistry is designed to extract the optimum amount of metal from the ore. At first glance, heap leaching appears to be simple in nature. In fact, it is a very complex process. A plethora of technologies such as material handling, environmental control, analytical techniques, solution chemistry, hydrology and many others contribute to the design and operation of a heap leach. Heap leaching requires an inter-disciplinary approach between geologists, mining engineers and metallurgists. Many operational factors affect heap leaching. The process must address climatic factors, flexible operation, quality control before and after leaching, physical characteristics of the ore, geology, mineralogy, reagent consumption, solution application rate and methods (wobblers or emitters), particle size, and favorable conditions for bacterial growth and survival. Predicting, troubleshooting, and optimization of leach recovery is a significant challenge when considering the number of variables involved and their interactions The survey updates many of these key operating parameters to the current state of the art. It should provide the reader an excellent benchmarking summary of these factors on a site-by-site basis."

Jan 1, 2016

By Kwadwo Osseo‑Asare, Isehaq Al‑Nafai

The hydrometallurgical processing of bastnasite is a well-known process that is used to extract rare earth metals. However, more accurate measures are required to enhance the efficiency of extracting and recycling rare earths. In this work, Pourbaix (Eh–pH) diagrams for La-, Nd-, and Pr-(F)-(CO3)-(SO4)-(Cl)-(NO3)-(C2O4)-H2O systems were theoretically derived to investigate the stability relations during the hydrometallurgical processing of bastnasite. The diagrams for RE-H2O systems show similar trends to the original ones drown by Pourbaix. The stability domains of RE carbonates were presented by RE-CO3-H2O systems with pH range of 4.5–11. In contrast, the diagrams for RE fluorides showed a large stability region of insoluble REF3 (pH ~ − 1.7–12). The decomposition behaviors of REFCO3 were studied by constructing Eh–pH diagrams for RE-F-CO3-H2O system. The stability regions of bastnasite species extend from nearly neutral to basic media (pH ~ 6.5–12). The acid treatment (using H2SO4, HCl, and HNO3) of bastnasite was investigated by constructing Eh–pH diagrams for REF- CO3-(SO4)-(Cl)-(NO3)-H2O systems. According to these systems, REFCO3 can be decomposed at pH ~ 6.5 when treated with H2SO4 and at pH ~ 1.7 when treated with HCl and HNO3 acids. On the other hand, the alkaline treatment of REFCO3 converts it to RE(OH)3 at pH ~ 11. The recovery of rare earths ions was studied with the aid of RE-C2O4-H2O systems which shows a wide stability region for RE oxalates in pH range of − 2–11. This theoretical approach explained the aqueous relations in the hydrometallurgical processing of bastnasite ore and it can improve the practical hydrometallurgical processing of such ores.

Feb 9, 2024

By Claus Becker

The Mixshield is a tunnelling machine for water bearing soft soils. Developed on the basis of the Hydroshield, it extents the application of this machine to cohesive soils. The design of the drum-type machine allows three different applications 1. As shield with liquid supported face and hydraulical mucking 2. As Compressed-Air-Shield 3. As Earth pressure balanced shield. The Mixshield is employed on three big contracts 1. a 6.3 km ring tunnel in Hamburg, outer diameter 5.95 m, with a new developed segmented concrete lining 2. a 1.9 km pipe-jack job near Cologne, o.d. 3.6 m 3. Metro Lot 3 in Lille/France, o.d. 7.7 m, 3.2 km long with segmented concrete lining and a most sophisticated separation-plant The site experiences will be reported.

Jan 1, 1987

By R. F. Davis

The evaluation and selection of coals for producing metallurgical coke is indeed a com- plex process simply because coal is a complex and variable substance which is sensitive to how it is treated from the time it is mined until it is transformed into coke. A review of the the more common evaluation tests made on coal and how the test results are applied in commercial practice. Parameters used to select coal blends for wet and preheated charges should also be of interest.

Jan 1, 1980

By Ashis Bhattacherjee, Bijay Mihir Kunar

A literature review on quantitative analysis of mine safety studies revealed that investigators use a wide range of statistical techniques for the analysis of mine injury data. Researchers have addressed the various issues of accident causation and prevention through analysis of mine injury data collected from mines. These studies are generally based on historical accident/injury data without considering the injured person/population at risk. In this paper, a public health approach, based on scientific methods of epidemiology, is presented to address mine safety issues. Epidemiology is the scientific study of disease and injury patterns among populations in time and space. Originally, epidemiology was concerned with epidemics of communicable diseases. Then it was extended to non-communicable diseases. Safety researchers found that epidemiologic methods are the best tools for injury research, because the occurrences of injury and the occurrences of disease are quite similar. As a result, some researchers started applying this concept to injury research. This paper presents some of the techniques used in epidemiologic studies and illustrates the application of a case-control study design to evaluate the role of some risk factors associated with injuries in underground coal mines. In this study, the injured persons were identified and, simultaneously, interviews were conducted to find the significant risk factors responsible for occupational injuries in coal mines.

Jan 1, 2011

By David Court, Rab Brown

The paper discusses the work in progress on the construction of the extension of the High Speed Rail line from the Channel Tunnel into the centre of London UK known as the “Channel Tunnel Rail Link” (CTRL), and particularly on contract 250 which involves the construction of two 5.3Km tunnels 7.15m diameter constructed with two EPB convertible tunnelling machines underneath the densely populated area of East London. In addition the paper will look at an innovative Alliance that has been formed between the Contractors and the Client’s Engineer involved in the construction of the London Tunnel Contracts

Jan 1, 2003

By J. Pascoe, J. H. van Laar, J. H. Marais, F. J. L. Matthee

Advanced measurement and verification (M&V) is a process where the impact of an energy initiative is determined in real time. Data prediction models can be used to predict and compare energy consumption with a predetermined baseline. Deeplevel mines can benefit from advanced M&V as the impact of operational changes can be identified in real time. Ultimately, this can ensure that informed decisions are made regarding energy management based on the impact and severity of the occurrence. Previous studies on advanced M&V do not account for operational changes to the model’s baseline. These changes can significantly impact the performance of both the mine and related activities. The aim of this study is to propose a method that can accurately predict the energy consumption of a deep-level mine regardless of operational changes. To achieve this objective, nine different data predictive modelling techniques were considered. The proposed method is based on the Moving Average (MA) modelling technique due to its simplicity, flexibility, and rapid development time. The coefficient of variation for the root mean square error (CV(RMSE)) was used to statistically analyse the modelling error. If the predictions exhibit an unsatisfactory CV(RMSE), the model dynamically adjusts to reduce the prediction error. The model was developed to adapt to operational changes in scenarios where the standard model becomes irrelevant. The method developed in this study was able to predict the future energy consumption of deep-level mines with an accuracy of 99%, improving the mine’s energy and finance management.

Dec 13, 2023

By Shenghua Yin, Xun Chen, Rongfu Yan, Zepeng Yan, Wei Chen

The application of cemented paste backfill (CPB) with alkali-activated slag and phosphogypsum (ASP) can contribute to the sustainable development of the mining industry. The effects of PG content, NaOH content, solid content, and waste rock-rod milling sand (W/R) ratio on workability, unconfined compressive strength (UCS), and setting time of ASP-CPB were investigated in this paper. The results showed that the workability of ASP-CPB decreased with PG content and NaOH content. Compared to OPC-CPB, ASP-CPB exhibited better workability and higher long-term (7 days and 28 days) strength at predetermined backfill formulations and curing times. The mid-term strength of ASP-CPB first increased and then decreased with PG content, while the short-term strength (3 days) decreased gradually due to the influence of soluble acidic impurities. Excessive NaOH will harm the strength of ASP-CPB, possibly due to the swelling effect of the reaction products (ettringite and sulfate). Strength and setting time increased and decreased with solid contents, respectively. Moreover, the compactness of the mixture has an important effect on strength and workability. The workability and strength of ASP-CPB reached the minimum and maximum values at a W/R ratio of 5:5, respectively. Pollutant index detection indicated that most of the pollutants in ASP-CPB leachate met the discharge standard, which proved that ASP-CPB is an effective method to recover PG. The results of the research will provide theoretical guidance for the efficient recovery of PG resources and support the achievement of safe, clean, and efficient mining.

Nov 17, 2023

By Donald M. Hausen

Microscopic evaluation of trace quantities of metalliferous phases in flotation products requires counting large numbers of particles. Particle counts of many thousands may be required for precision, but not obtained practically by conventional microscopic techniques. A less tedious microscopic method for evaluating trace sulfides in mill tailings was developed for the O'okiep Mining Company in South Africa. Hundreds of thousands of particles were evaluated by this method called "gross-counting." Gross-counting consists of counting microscopic fields rather than point-counting individual particles. Total counts are calculated by multiplying the average number of particles per field by the total number of fields examined over the entire mount. Total gross-counts range from about 20,000 particles for +200 to 100,000 or more for -400 mesh size material in lucite mounts. Sulfides and metallic particles in each field are identified and tallied along with field counts. Totals for each type of metallic particle are divided by the total gross-count to give volume percent which is corrected to weight percent by specific gravity factors.

Jan 1, 1969

By M. Zaske, E. R. Mortensen

"As mine operators continuously look for ways to improve functionality and increase the capacity of their facilities, existing process equipment is often pushed to and past its designed limitations. As a result, equipment manufacturers are asked for economical solutions to meet redefined processing needs. Newmont Mining in Nevada was faced with such a need in its carbon-in-leach (CIL) train. In a collaborative effort between Newmont and Derrick Corp., tests were conceived to assess the viability of drop-in replacement screens using a three-dimensional screen panel. The synthetic pyramid screen panel was designed to increase flux while maintaining the existing equipment footprint. The test is the end result of an ongoing research and development project that Derrick undertook in an effort to refine and upgrade its urethane screening media. The application of this new screening media is presented for this CIL application along with future plans to implement the technology in trash, safety, carbon dewatering, carbon sizing and other scalping applications.In spring 2014, Process Machinery Associates (PMA), Derrick’s local area representative, met with Newmont to discuss the operation of the in tank screens in the CIL train at Twin Creeks, near Golconda, NV. The process was originally designed for about 12+ kt/d (13,000+ stpd) but the throughput has been steadily rising since the plant was commissioned. Newmont now requires 14.5 kt/d (16,000 stpd) to be processed. The original screens were running at their maximum capacity, and Newmont required additional screening capacity to continue the upward trend in production.Physical separation by use of screening is one of mineral processing’s oldest methods. Screening media can be prone to blinding and pegging, and the necessary support structures required for finer apertures result in smaller open areas. Therefore, more screening area generally requires larger panels and, thus, larger machines, screening media that does not blind or a combination of both.In an effort to avoid larger machines, Derrick had been working on a revolutionary threedimensional panel that would add nonblinding screen area in the same footprint of an existing machine. Alpha testing of the new screen panels began at Newmont Mill 2/5 in July of 2013. It was still occurring when PMA approached Twin Creeks about beta testing a refined machine and pyramid panel. After presenting the initial results, Twin Creeks determined that an upgraded machine and pyramid panels would be a possible solution to meet production needs. The testing of a machine eliminated the risk of capital costs to Newmont and provided Derrick the opportunity to obtain additional data."

Jan 1, 2015

By Thos. B. Douglas

In 1907, the Oklahoma Portland. Cement Company built a small dry process plant at Ada, Oklahoma, then Indian Territory. This plant was later acquired by the Ideal Cement Company of Denver, Colorado, who in 1918 built a new wet process plant along side the old dry plant. The older plant was later shut down .and eventually razed. In 1955, the Ideal Cement Company decided to increase the production at its Ada, Oklahoma operations. After many studies it was decided to build a complete new plant along side the old, near the site of the original 1907 plant. .The new plant was to have a. production of three million barrels annually while the plant then in. operation had an annual production of two and one quarter million barrels

Jan 1, 1961

By M. J. Zdunczyk

The final 1995 figures on industrial sand and gravel have not yet been compiled by the US Geological Survey (USGS). There is usually about a nine-month lag time in receiving and compiling this information. However, USGS estimates that domestic production of industrial sand and gravel will increase about 4% to 28.2 Mt(31 million st). The average unit price is expected to increase as well. The top five producers during 1995 were Unimin, US Silica, Fairmount Minerals, Oglebay Norton and Morie Co. Glass manufacturing for containers, automobiles and buildings was mixed during 1995. Containers, the largest consumer of silica sand, remained steady, with regional increases. However, silica use in glass containers face increased competition from plastic and recycled glass (cullet). It was reported that the Pepsi Cola announced plans to replace glass containers with plastic during 1996.

Jan 1, 1996