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Identifying Opportunities to Reduce the Consumption of Energy Across Mineral Processing Plants

Sep 13, 2010

By Bill Elverman

Randy and Kenny Robison have visited every coal mine that would let them in the door, to survey the best mining practices. The brothers have spent nearly their entire lives working in coal operations. The Robison’s started out on lube and grease trucks and worked their way up to respected industry leaders in Alabama. The Robisons have owned MS&R since 1989. Since then, they have created a niche for themselves in providing coal for Alabama’s metallurgical coal market. A great deal of the knowledge the Robisons have amassed throughout the years has come from observing — taking note of what works and what does not. In early spring 2004, they commissioned a Komatsu America PC3000 Super Shovel. Outfitted with a backhoe attachment and a 16-m3 (21-cu yd) bucket, MS&R’s PC3000 is currently one of the largest mining excavators working in Alabama.

Jan 1, 2005

By P. D. R. Maltby

"With the narrow vein structure of Nova Scotia gold deposits, selective mining is rarely possible and mill heads will be too low (below 0.10 oz per ton of gold) to support a conventional mill of up to 1000 ton per day capacity at present gold prices. The recent operation of a small 100 t.p.d. mill at Cochrane Hill using fine grinding - leaching - filtration supported this assertion. Milling costs exceeded $25.00/ton of feed mainly due to high capital, labour and maintenance costs.Accordingly, since 1981, efforts have been directed towards the development of a cheap gold extraction process in terms of both capital and operating costs. The main criteria is to produce gold below US $200 per oz including all administration, mining and process stages. This paper describes such a process development for Cochrane Hill. LOCATION AND HISTORY OF THE PROPERTYThe Cochrane Hill property is located about 8 miles North of Sherbrooke, N.S. on highway No. 7. Sherbrooke is about 180 miles east of Halifax. Gold was originally discovered at Cochrane Hill in the 1860's. Early work consisted of trenching. In the 1930's a small shaft was sunk to about 80 feet and some tonnage treated using a stamp mill with gravity concentration of gold.Northumberland Mines Ltd. acquired a 70% interest in the property in 1977. Subsequent drilling indicated a potential zone of gold mineralization with a drill-indicated tonnage of one million tons having a grade of 0.07 ounces per ton of gold (all high assays cut to 1 oz) down to a depth of 300 feet recoverable by open pit mining methods. In broad terms, the goldbearing zone is about 50 feet wide and 800 feet long and dips at about 70°."

Jan 1, 1984

By William Gleason

During the 116th National Western Mining Conference and Exhibition in Denver, CO, the host city was often referred to as world?s mining capital, so it was fitting that the conference looked at the mining industry through a global lens. In the current world economy, the mining industry must keep a sharp focus on such things as commodity prices and global supply and demand as well as local issues that can have a dramatic impact on a mine?s social license to operate. In short, companies should mine locally but think globally. During the three-day conference at the Colorado Convention Center, a range of global and local issues that effect the industry were discussed. A record 1,144 people attended the conference.

By Nelson Alonso Portal Ravichaua, Melissa Esther Mendoza Tirado, Raúl Arévalo Saavedra

This study analyzes the implementation of an integrated strategy for environmental education and community awareness in Cajamarca, Peru—an Andean region affected by climate variability and the public perception of miningrelated water shortages. In collaboration with the Interactive Water and Earth Museum and the Newmont ALAC Foundation, three-month campaigns were conducted in schools and local communities. Key topics included the water cycle, climate change, and water availability, linked to urban infrastructure projects that improved flow rates through strategically located tubular wells tapping underground aquifers. The initiative addressed the challenge of communication in a context where mining is often blamed for scarcity, fostering scientific understanding of contributing factors. The study highlights how science-based outreach and institutional collaboration can strengthen resilience and promote sustainable water stewardship in mining-influenced regions.

Feb 22, 2026

Minerals are vital to any industrialized civilization. Annually, the United States uses more than 4 billion tons of new mineral materials, or about 40,000 pounds per person-about half being mineral fuels and the other half being metals and nonmetallics. Stable and economic domestic mining, mineral, metal, and mineral reclamation industries are essential to the economy. The value of United States energy and processed materials of mineral origin exceds $200 billion annually. Although a number of minerals are imported, especially some designated as "strategic and critical," most U.S. mineral supplies are derived from the domestic mines and processing facilities that you will be seeing, reading about, and visiting as you use this visitor guide. We hope you enjoy your experiences. This pamphlet, a guide to mining and mineral operations that may be observed or visited and some other points of interest relating to minerals, is intended to aid tourists and students who are interested in mining. Some may wish to study our Nation's romantic past; others may plan to enter the minerals industry as a career; still others may have a primary interest in conservation practices. The pamphlet is also intended to aid State and local officials, Chambers of Commerce, and mining firms in answering some of the many questions of tourists and students.

Jan 1, 1976

By S. T. Reese

STATISTICS of injuries in the quarrying and related industries in the United States first became available when the Bureau of Mines collected reports from the operating companies for the calendar year 1911. Since then reports have been collected annually. The present bulletin, covering the calendar year 1952, is the 33d publication containing statistical data on injuries at quarries and related plants, and it is the first to be published since 1944. The last publication was Bulletin 458, Quarry Accidents in the United States during the Calendar Year 1942. The unpublished statistics for 1942-51 may be found in the Appendix of this bulletin. The Bureau of Mines is authorized to collect data on injuries at quarries, but there is no Federal law that compels operators to supply such data, and the reports received from operators are voluntary responses to the Bureau's requests for information. Although the figures presented herein may not be complete for the entire industry, every effort has been exerted to make them so, and the figures given are believed to be thoroughly representative of the hazards to which quarry workers are exposed. Moreover, the figures are com¬parable as between States -which is significant in view of the lack of uniformity among the States as regards classes of plants covered by State laws, classes of injuries covered by State reports, and other factors that tend to make it impracticable or impossible to compare the injury experience of one State with that of another or to comprehend the relative importance of the various causes of injuries in the industry as a whole.

Jan 1, 1955

By R. L. Levens

Researchers at the U. S. Bureau of Mines conducted investigations to evaluate the potential for ground water contamination by mine waste used as backfill. Samples of cemented waste backfill and water discharging from drillholes and seeps were collected to use in chemical analyses and laboratory tests to determine the physical and chemical factors that control release of heavy metals to ground water. Greater water retention by cemented backfill (as compared to uncemented sandfill) reduces the surface area exposed to oxidation, which in turn reduces the amount of acid produced. The acid is neutralized by the cement and minerals contained in the backfill. The grain-size distribution of tailings used for backfill affects the structural integrity of cemented backfill under attack by acidic water; breakdown of the backfill structure releases neutralizing materials faster. Backfilled stopes in rock with low hydraulic conductivities will constitute preferential flow paths after mine flooding; however, the rate of flow through backfill will be much slower than when the stope is partially saturated during mine operation. Considering all factors, acid generation and release of metal ions from cemented backfill should be less than in uncemented sandfill.

Jan 1, 2010

By C J. Pitzer

The prevention of fatal risks is a key objective for the global resources industry, especially considering poor performance with regard to fatality rate reduction and the continued occurrence of mine disasters globally. However, the industry has a credible history, over several decades, of the development and deployment management systems to control potential Serious Injury, Fatal and Catastrophic (P-SIFC) risks. While these systems have had a significant impact on the thinking and approaches to the prevention of fatal risks, fatal accident rates have not shown the desired reduction. Recent fatal and serious injury events in Australia have led to the establishment of several enquiries to further identify improvements that could be considered. Globally, fatal accident rates remain stubbornly high or plateaued in many jurisdictions, and several catastrophic events have occurred, such as tailing dams disasters in Brazil and South Africa, and the recent coalmine disaster in Turkey. Apart from the apparent lack of progress, it is evident that the deployment of critical risk systems has introduced more bureaucracy, slower response systems and additional burdens on already overloaded middle and supervisory levels of management. Organisations are rarely able to effectively tap into the risk source of risk knowledge of the frontline worker and supervisor, for various reasons discussed in this paper. To establish a valid and valuable channel of critical risk information flow from the frontline employee, Debmarine Namibia instigated the development and deployment of a system called SafeSENTRY, where the focus is on the ‘dynamic identification of dynamic risks’. This paper outlines the system, the principles of the design, the range of risk metrics that can be derived from the observations of the frontline operators, and demonstrates how a range of posited shortcomings in critical risk management is addressed how features of the High Reliability Organization (HRO) have been developed.

Mar 29, 2023

By Herty, C. H.

Three distinct processes take place during the conversion of iron ore to steel. First: the raw ore is reduced to metallic iron in the blast furnace and during this reduction certain constituents are dissolved in the iron, either through the solution of a solid into a liquid phase, as in the case of carbon, or by reduction of an oxide existing in the slag to the metallic element of that oxide, with subsequent solution of the metallic element in the iron. Thus by the process of solution and reduction, a pig iron results which contains about 4 per cent carbon, 1 per cent silicon, 1 to 2 per cent manganese, 0.1 to 0.4 per cent phosphorus, and 0.03 to 0.10 per cent sulfur. To obtain a sufficient yield of iron from the ore it is necessary that the reducing process be carried as far as possible, with the result that the impurities mentioned accompany the reduced iron. Second: to convert this iron into steel it is necessary to oxidize a part of the iron in eliminating the impurities to the extent desired for the particular product being made. In eliminating these impurities by oxidation a certain amount of iron oxide (FeO) dissolves in the steel. This dissolved FeO reacts with the metalloids, except sulfur, and to eliminate them to the desired extent it is necessary to leave a considerable amount of FeO in the metal. The reaction of iron oxide with silicon, manganese, and phosphorus results in the formation of the oxides of these elements. The oxides enter the slag and the extent of elimination of the elements depends on certain equilibria between the slag and the metal. The reaction of FeO with carbon results in the formation of the gases CO and CO, which, after saturating the metal, pass into the furnace gases. Third: after the iron has been purified to the desired extent as far as the elements listed are concerned, it is necessary to deoxidize the bath to remove the FeO, which is the vital factor in gas formation as the steel solidifies.

Jan 1, 1957

By Ramiro da Conceição do Nascimento, Horst Guenter Feldhagen, Rafael Piumatti de Oliveira

Mixed hydroxide precipitate (MHP) is a nickel intermediate product that has economical benefits to downstream leaching of lateritic marginal ores. Usually, this product is subsequently processed and refined to produce nickel by hydrometallurgy, but an alternative route can be made integrating hydrometallurgy and pyrometallurgy. Assessing the overall consumption of ferroalloys to obtain stainless steel, as an increasing practice performed in China, the synergy of nickel extraction from laterites by leaching and precipitation asMHP with the production ofMHP agglomerates applied as rawmaterial to furnaces of ferronickel production is a very attractive practice. This work aims to further the technological development of an agglomerated product feasible to hydro-pyro integration. The agglomeration experiments were performed by traditional pelletizing (firing the pellets) and cold bonded pelletizing (aging the pellets by appropriate stocking). Appropriate compositionswere prepared withMHP, additives and binders for each of these routes. A specific study of binder composition was made to find an adequate melting point. The produced pellets were tested to prove their properties by crushing strength tests. The standardization applied to iron ore was followed. The best result of crushing strength was 98.52 daN/pellet. The agglomerates with approved crushing strength for use in electric furnaces were smelted to produce alloys containing nickel; the agglomerates were characterized by scanning electron microscopy. The alloy obtained was metallic ferronickel with sulphide precipitates. Therefore, MHP pellets can be precursors of nickel alloys, which have to be refined to obtain the desirable composition.

Jul 6, 2020

The visit which took place on the 18th February, 1972 was a departure in that the places visited had no direct connection with the work in which members of the Institute are normally engaged. It was refreshing and stimulating to see important and involved operations normally outside ones own trend of life and to have experts to speak about technical, financial and matters of general interest concerning their work, not forgetting their troubles and problems and how they overcame them. Carlton Centre The members of the Institute were received by Mr D. Appleton, Public Relations Officer of the Carlton Centre Limited, who introduced Mr L. R. M. Fee of W. Rhodes Harrison, Architect in charge of the project; Mr W. C. E. Skilton of Murray and Roberts, the Engineer in charge of the construction of the complex and Mr A. Home the Senior Operating Engineer of Carlton Centre Limited. Each of these gentlemen addressed the members giving short rundowns on the project with special reference to their particular sphere of the undertaking. A variety of particularly interesting statistics relating to the planning construction and the ultimate operation and maintenance of the complex was given. Mining engineers present had an opportunity to compare the problems encountered by them associated with depth to problems encountered by the civil engineer in the construction of a building rising to such an enormous height. To some of the members a sense of similarity of the labour problems encountered must have been recognised. After tea the visitors were divided into groups, each under the guidance of an official, and then visited the highest floor accessible and thereafter the 19th floor where the internal arrangements for airconditioning, lighting, plumbing, power supply and communication arrangements were explained. Thereafter a visit to one of the seven basements which houses all machinery required to serve this enormous complex enabled the visitors to see the standby power arrangements as well as the refrigeration plant. The visit finished in time to proceed to the Crest Hotel in Hillbrow for lunch. To our hosts for the visit to the Carlton Complex a special vote of thanks is recorded. Strydom Tower In the afternoon the party proceeded to the Strydom Tower where Mr Knight from the Public Works Department who was the Engineer in charge of the construction of the tower gave details on the construction and the extraordinary methods which had to be adopted to achieve the desired objectives and to overcome known as well as unforeseen difficulties. The comparatively short time taken to complete the project and the good safety record appeared to impress the visitors. The final phase of the visit was taken care of by Mr Bothma of Telecommunications Department of the Post Office, who gave an extremely interesting explanation of the telecommunication organization of the Post Office with particular reference to the part the Hillbrow Tower plays in the South African telecommunication system. Both gentlemen answered many questions willingly and interestingly. Following the explanatory talks the visitors were shown the technical equipment housed in the two top levels of the tower. Short explanatory talks gave members an insight into the workings of one of the most important aspects of modern life. Even to the amateur photographer opportunities existed to view and photograph the city from the highest available observation point. We are indebted to Mr Gouws, the Regional Director of the Post Office for granting permission to visit sections of the tower normally not accessible to the general public and to our hosts for the manner in which we were received and entertained on the explanation of the many interesting features of this important installation. In conclusion, the programme for the day can be classified as interesting, of exceptional educational value, and an opportunity to see something of the engineering skills put into two vast and ambitious undertakings and the results achieved.

By D Tuazon, M Powell, M Ziemski, G D. Corder

Although mining companies have made broad corporate-level commitments to adopt sustainability, there continue to be problems when attempts are made to adopt higher-level sustainability aspirations and translate them into appropriate targets and methods at the more-specific operational level. The integration of sustainability principles into minerals processing operational decision-making processes has unique challenges that are not addressed adequately by current tools and methodologies, yet impacts from operational decisions can have longer-term effects realised at closure and rehabilitation.This paper describes a proposed methodology to achieve the integration of sustainability at the operational level through a systematic and rigorous process of identifying and qualifying sustainability issues and opportunities in an operation. The methodology, starting from a sustainability point of view rather than an operational one, guides the identification of process issues and opportunities by examining the operation, unit-by-unit, similar to a Hazard and Operability (HAZOP) process. Each issue or opportunity is qualified according to its measurability, scopes of impact and consequences so that it may be understood fully and the correct engineering problems are formed. Through improved decision-making to account for broader sustainability factors, operations can better address environmental and social expectations and pressures (both corporate and community, as well as immediate and in the longer-term), whilst still delivering on operational and business goals.The methodology has been tested with two case studies at minerals processing operations. At one site, the methodology identified a dust issue which had considerable business risks (loss of valuable product) compared to conventional engineering analysis processes. The other site also benefited from using the methodology as an opportunity to improve the operation of the milling and flotation circuits was identified. The opportunity not only showed a potential to improve operational efficiency, but also potential improvements in water and energy efficiency and a resulting increased resilience against water and energy supply risks. It was important to utilise the holistic approach of the methodology in the identification of opportunities at this site; the goals of the operation showed a strong coupling between water and energy issues which would be difficult to overcome using the operationÆs current organisational model, which deals with such issues separately of each other.CITATION:Tuazon, D, Corder, G D, Powell, M and Ziemski, M, 2012. A practical and rigorous approach for integrating sustainability principles into decision-making processes at minerals processing operations, in Proceedings Life-of-Mine 2012 , pp 233-242 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Jul 10, 2012

Mining ventures are essentially risky businesses. Explorers and project developers (plus their investors and financiers) attempt to minimise the risks involved or at least manage them. Core considerations are the obvious technical and commercial risks, but the socio-political system and regulatory environment in which the project will operate can be more important. Successful mineral investments in a country depend upon obtaining realistic and reliable technical results in a country that provides certainty, to gain and maintain investor confidence in a project. Brief commentary is provided on the usefulness of professional accreditation and ethics plus other specific reporting codes (eg JORC/VALMIN Codes) in reducing risks by reinforcing high technical competence and reputable individual professional behaviour (particularly in the context of currently perceived high corruption levels in so many countries). These various risk components are reviewed, especially in a global context, to showcase New ZealandÆs current position. Successful projects are those which provide investors with credible and reliable optimal results in less volatile environments because investors/lenders hate uncertainty and surprises even more.

Jan 1, 2005

By Albert L. Toenges

The production of bituminous coal by stripping methods has become an important factor in some areas, especially in the Central and South Central States. In the latter, production at strip mines exceeds that at deep mines. Table 1 shows the tonnage produced at strip mines and the percentage of the total production for 1924 to 1935, inclusive, for the States in which the mines described in this circular are situated.4/ Following are references to earlier Bureau of Mines publications on strip mining of bituminous coal: Cash, F. E., and von Bernewitz, M. W., Methods, Costs, and. Safety in, Stripping and Mining Coal, Copper Ore, Iron Ore, Bauxite, and Pebble Phosphate: Bull. 298, Bureau of Mines, 1929, 275 pp. Kiessling, O. E., Tryon, F. G., and Mann, L., The Economics of Strip-Coal Mining: Econ. Paper 11, Bureau of Mines, 1931, 32 pp. Turner, Scott, and Bureau of Mines Staff; Mining Bituminous Coal by Stripping Methods: Inf. Circ. 6383, Bureau of Mines, 1930, 23, pp.

Jan 1, 1937

By R. J. Evans

The generation and disposal of solid waste from electric utility plants using a lime or limestone wet-scrubbing system and the potential effects on the environment were estimated for 1975 and 1980. The study indicated that in 1975 approximately 5.8 million tons of desulfurization solid waste (50 percent solids) will be generated. In 1980, when it is estimated that desulfurization will become commercially accepted, approximately 71.4 million tons of this material will be generated for disposal and/or utilization. The desulfurization waste material when combined with lime, fly ash, and water may have potential for use as a roadbase material, landfill reclamation, and synthetic aggregate.

Jan 1, 1974

The Putnam Coal Mine, at design capacity, will be the third largest underground bituminous coal mine in the world and will feature the world's longest single flight belt conveyor. Construction is now in process; initial mining will commence in early 1969 and design capacity will be reached in 1971. I'm Jerry Workman, Assistant Mining Manager for the Coal Group of the Mining and Metals Division of Union Carbide Corporation, and I am acting as Project Manager for installation and start-up of the Putnam Mine. The Putnam Coal Mine reserves are located in south-central West Virginia and contain approximately 27,000 acres of prime Pittsburgh No. 8 coal; reserves are sufficient to support a 3.5 MM tons per year operation for over 30 years. The mine portal area is located some six miles inland from the Kanawha River. The river loading facility is located approximately 156 miles by way of river from the market.

Jan 1, 1968

By B. W. Hester

Report of discussion at January, 1971, general meeting (Chairman: M. J. Cahalan, President) of the paper published in Transactions/Section B (Applied Earth Science), vol. 79, May, 1970, pp. B60-B67, and contributed remarks. Comments were made by Taylor J.T.M., James C.H., Lethbridge R.F. and Heath K.C.G.

Dec 1, 1971

By Thomas Lane Carter

THE history of mining in South Africa differs somewhat from that of other countries in the part taken by the aborigines in the development ?of the mineral deposits. The Spaniards in America, and the fortune-seekers of Australia and New Zealand, found large numbers of natives in these new countries, but the inhabitants did not become willing or efficient workers ill the mines which the white men started. The Kaffirs of South. Africa have not shown the same antipathy to labor, nor do they show any signs of dying out in the presence of the white man's civilization. They are a virile race, and so far the vices of civilization have not killed. them. While it is true that the brain and skill necessary for the exploitation of the mineral resources of this sub-continent-have been supplied by the white race, it is also a fact that most of the rough labor in the development of the mining industry of South Africa has been done by the Kaffirs. The Kaffir tribes differ greatly in their mental and physical capabilities. Compare, for instance, a Zulu of Natal with a Bechuana, or a Xosa of Cape Colony with some of the degenerate tribes of Central or East Africa, and you will find that they have little in common, save that their skin is black and that they do not believe in clothes. As a general rule, the tribe's in the milder, healthier climates are far superior, both in mind and body, to the Kaffirs brought up in the hot malarial sections of Central Africa; and it naturally follows that the black men from the temperate zones of the country, are much finer workmen than the degenerates from less favorable sections: It is universal in South Africa to speak. of the .Kaffirs as " boys." No matter if he is 90 years old, the Kaffir is always a " boy," and in this paper the word " boy " is synonymous with Kaffir.

Nov 1, 1908

By J. L. Workman

The Putnam Coal Mine, at design capacity, will be the third largest underground bituminous coal mine in the world and will feature the world's longest single flight belt conveyor. Construction is now in process; initial mining will commence in early 1969 and design capacity will be reached in 1971. The Putman Coal Mine reserves are located in south-central West Virginia and contain approximately 27,000 acres of prime Pittsburgh No. 8 coal; reserves are sufficient to support a 3.5 million tpy operation for over 30 years. The mine portal area is located some six miles inland from the Kanawha River. The river loading facility is located approximately 156 miles by way of river from the market.

Jan 1, 1969