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By Martin G. Taube, Dwayne A. Lewis

Drainage improvements at O’Hare International Airport, Chicago, IL included the installation of a drainage and storm water system to control the over?ow from nearby Willow Higgins Creek. This involved construction of a weir structure at the creek and the channeling of water from the weir to a newly constructed reservoir via three, 3.7-m(12-ft) diameter, underground storm sewer lines. The sewer lines passed beneath an existing, 2.3-m (90-inch) diameter high-pressure water main, which was to remain in service throughout sewer line installation. The soil composition around the water main ranged from medium stiff clays to silty sands and sandy silts. Triple-fluid jet grouting was used to stabilize the variable soil profile beneath the water main in preparation for tunneling and installation of the sewer lines. The varying soil strata presented a challenge to the project team to establish a constant set of jet grouting parameters throughout the stabilized zone while keeping within the specified unconfined compressive strength range for the stabilized zone of 690 to 1,380 kPa (100 to 200 psi)at 28 days.

Jan 1, 2003

By W. K. Rankin

Achieving continued economic growth with social equity within the natural limits of the Earth's eco-systems is the major issue facing the world today. The material and energy needs of the world cannot be met with the current ways of addressing this issue. The need for metals, an important class of materials, will continue into the future because their unique properties make substitution by other materials impossible in many applications and this need will continue to be met from primary metal production and recycling. However, the recycling rate will increase and the usage pattern of metals will change to reflect the environmental impact of their production and use. Pyrometallurgy has an important role in meeting the metal needs of the future since some metals can only be produced pyrometallurgically; the energy required to produce some metals pyrometallurgically is significantly less than by other methods; most metals are most efficiently recycled pyrometallurgically; and the release of harmful and toxic elements into the biosphere can sometimes best be controlled through pyrometallurgical processing. The development of strategies for pyrometallurgical processing for the future lies in the recognition that sustainable development calls for large step improvements in value delivered per unit of environmental impact over the entire supply chain. Pyrometallurgists can respond to this challenge by contributing to reducing the environmental impact of meeting metal needs using three broad strategies: "end-of-pipe" approaches to convert emissions into benign materials for storage or disposal; flowsheet redesign to limit or eliminate emission production; and improved recycling technologies. A number of examples are discussed to illustrate how the sustainability driver is already influencing the technological development of pyrometallurgical processes, and how these will develop further as the sustainability driver strengthens.

Jan 1, 2003

By Michael Francis, Chris Darton

More than 55 km of tunnels have been constructed by TBM in the last 12 years to refurbish and upgrade the high voltage cable network in London. These include a tunnel of 20km length using EPBM machines in both clay and granular soils. Route selection was made with reference to subsurface structures, existing ground conditions, using suitable shaft locations addressing environmental concerns. The complex interfaces to manage included obtaining of consents to the coordination of multiple suppliers. The paper describes how all these challenges have been met successfully and how technology has been employed to provide for safe construction and operation in the congested urban environment.

Jan 1, 2003

By E Werner, B R. Leavitt

The chemistry of acidic mine drainage discharging from flooded coal mines is commonly reported to improve with time after flooding. This investigation describes a 18-year dataset of post-flooding water chemistry for a below-drainage underground coal mine within the northern Pittsburgh coal basin (Pennsylvania, USA). The Montour mine is a 5650-hectare below-drainage coal mine of maximum 260 metres depth. Montour was closed in 1980 and flooded to within 38 metres of land surface within 4.8 years. Pumping averaging 210 L/s was then employed to maintain water levels at this elevation. The flooded proportion of the mine (by volume) at full flooding was 56 per cent. The shaft where water was pumped from Montour for water control is located about 70 per cent of the distance between the mine water table and the back of the mine ù that is, it is close to the back of the mine. The residence time (total water volume at flooding divided by pumping rate for control) is estimated at 5.6 years. Time series of chemical analyses show three phases of chemical behavior in post-flooding discharge. In Phase I (zero to two years after flooding), iron concentrations were high and reached their maximum (1100 mg/L). In Phase II (two to four years after flooding), a transition was begun to alkaline conditions, with decline in iron and other solutes. In Phase III (>4 years), net alkaline conditions began, with iron concentrations declining exponentially to 50 per cent of mined volume. This attainment of net alkalinity in this case may have also depended on abundant calcite in overburden extended up to 30 m above the mine floor.

Jan 1, 2003

By B Brattli

The dispersion pattern of heavy metals in soil and water is a consequence of complex geophysical and geochemical processes. Metal release from mining sites and subsequent migration occur primarily through acid mine drainage and erosion of waste and tailings dumps. Water plays a significant role in heavy metal mobilisation. Whilst it acts as a storage buffer for the pollutants, it is also the medium in which most of the reactions take place, and is undoubtedly the most significant transport vector in the pollution process. The intrinsic properties of the acidic drainage such as chemical composition, speciation of key mineral components, redox potential and pH are master variables controlling metal release, transport, deposition, reactivity and availability to biota. The mobility of heavy metals is strongly increased by acidification from acid mine drainage, and the discharge of these metals into the receiving waters results in numerous physical, chemical and biological responses in which the environment can affect the metal and vice versa. The result is an overwhelming number of association/dissociation, substitution, adsorption/desorption reactions, giving rise to a complex migration pattern. The attempt to understand and describe the dispersion pattern of heavy metals is complicated by the nature and level of interaction between the geochemical and hydrodynamic processes that generate and control the movement of the pollutants in the geosphere. Transport models which can be used to predict the behaviour of metal pollutants in a natural environment are still in the initial phases of development and their application to real life situations is limited. The Biochemical Cycle adds another dimension to the mobility of heavy metals. Metals form an important component of the food chain for man and plants. Biological uptake of metals from the bedrock and soil by organisms can result in migration paths very difficult to follow. Biodegradation or assimilation is just a tip of the iceberg.

Jan 1, 2003

By A Geldenhuis, M Hagger, J Maree

Disposal of mine water is a worldwide problem occurring in the coal and gold as well in the metal ore mining areas. Since southern Africa is a (semi) arid region, mining effluents should be treated to qualities such that they can be used for agricultural purposes or that they can be discharged in river system. Studies have shown that partly treated acid mine water can be used for irrigation. A copper mine in Botswana plans to use 5 M/d of treated mine effluent for the irrigation of agricultural product. The results of this study showed that when applying the biological sulfate removal technology the produced sulfide precipitated the metals in the mine effluent, such as nickel, Zn and Mn, to metal sulfide (MeS).

Jan 1, 2003

By Randy Clarkson

"Free gold particles occur in many base metal and precious metal mines throughout the world. Occasionally mine operators are unaware of the presence of free gold particles in their ores because they have not seen free gold hand specimens or at the working face of the mine.Due to the high density and malleability of gold, large circulating loads of free gold particles can build up over time in grinding circuits. This gold is often deposited in unintended traps throughout the mineral processing system.These unidentified free gold deposits represent a serious security risk as well as inaccessible inventory of gold. Deposits of free gold particles often remain undetected by mine management until they are accidentally discovered while repairing mill equipment. The trapping and subsequent release of gold particles can frustrate attempts to calculate accurate metallurgical balances.Nuclear tracers have been used to determine the free gold recovery efficiency of gravity recovery equipment, drills, and sampling equipment (Clarkson, 1994, 1997, 1998, 1999 and Walsh, 1986, 1992). In 1995, the author used radiotracers to locate and eliminate gold traps at La Mine Doyon (Clarkson, 1997). In 1998 and 2001, the author also salted mineral processing circuits at Royal Oak's Pamour Mine in Timmins (Clarkson, 1999) and at Gold Corp’s Red Lake Mine in Ontario with radioactive gold particles.The gamma and X-ray radiation from gold's nuclear isotope (Au198) were detected through steel, in pipes, and in moving equipment with scintillometers. The radiotracers proved to be a safe, rapid and accurate method of identifying gold traps, improving security, determining the recovery efficiency of Knelson gold concentrators and estimating retention times of gold particles in various processes."

Jan 1, 2003

By Duane A. Smith

They are gone now. Gone like that long ago generation that gave them birth. The Homestake Mine, nestled in the northern Black Hills, closed in 2001 after 125 years, the longest run of any major American gold mine. The Homestake Mining Co., which guided its destiny for those many years, is gone too. It merged with Barrick Gold. The Hearst family, which guided the early destiny of both, has long since gone beyond its mining heritage and into the national and even international spotlight. The mine and the company passed from the scene with as little fanfare as heralded their birth, amid the Black Hills gold rush of the 1870s. They both grew into American mining legends, as did the town they sired and nurtured, Lead. In a real sense, the mine and the company symbolized one of the last links to a vanished world and a mining era.

Jan 1, 2003

By J F. Penrose

To obtain cost-efficient financing by way of securing an optimal credit rating, the operating and market risks of a single-asset mining project should be accommodated in the financial structure. Weak financing structures can cause projects to fail, as evidenced by the Murrin Murrin and Bulong examples; these can be compared to the investment-grade structure of Straits (Nifty), which managed operational, market, and financing risks well. Most mining projects are capital-intensive, and have heavy dependency on debt financing. A weak financial structure may result in the early failure of an otherwise sound and economically viable project. Appropriate management of technology, construction, and management risks generally will get a project built; of the project failures that occur, most are caused by a liquidity crisis as the project goes through ramp-up (the transition period between completion of construction and full operation). A projectÆs viability can be enhanced through sound hedging practices, while poor hedging can increase the likelihood of financial default.

Jan 1, 2003

By Matthew E. Fowler, Jean Habimana, Roy F. Cook

The West Side CSO Tunnel, Pump Station & Pipeline Project is currently beginning construction along the downtown waterfront of Portland, Oregon. This4.3 meter diameter, 5,500 meter-long soft ground tunnel will be driven along the westbank of the Willamette River adjacent to buildings and utilities and several major pile-supported bridges. High groundwater pressure, extended lengths of gravel to cobble-size alluvium, and the need to control ground loss and surface settlements were key considerations in the selection of slurry tunnel boring machines for the project This paper presents an overview of the numerical modeling that was performed during design to estimate the strains and additional loads in the pile-supported structures and to assess the efficiency of proposed mitigation measures.

Jan 1, 2003

By B Cope, N Hastings, D Webb

A Feasibility Study was completed in late 2002 to ascertain the risk and reward profile from the proposed deepening of operations at Perseverance Nickel Mine in Western Australia. The system and approach adopted to this brownfields extension work is outlined and the main components of the study are overviewed. In particular, emphasis is given to the integration of mine design and scheduling tools through to financial evaluation. Detailed comment is given on the ability of the system used to provide a robust project schedule complete with 3D animation. The level of importance in eliminating scheduling errors is demonstrated in relation to the reported bottom line viability of the project. It is suggested that this is an area where brownfields Feasibility Studies have lacked clarity and authenticity, leading to the creation of an unrealistic benchmark for project implementation.

Jan 1, 2003

By Jihong Xue, Jialin Wang, Della Valle Nicola

Experience of Hard Rock TBM excavating soil in Wanjiazhai Yellow River Diversion Project tells us that selection of Hard Rock TBM to excavate soil in case that rock dominates overall length of tunnel, could be a compromise among tunneling speed, cost and quality. Risk of this operation could be greatly reduced with a detailed study of the geomechanical characteristics of the soil and, if the characteristics are suitable, money and time can be saved by using Hard Rock Double Shield TBM.

Jan 1, 2003

By Hector M. Lizama

A new technology, known as the HydroZinc? process, is described for the recovery of zinc from sulphide ores that includes heap leaching, neutralization, solvent extraction and electrowinning. Unit operations were scaled up from bench-scale to a 1-t/d zinc cathode demonstration plant. Bench-scale studies defined the process chemistry and a process flowsheet. Column tests were used to design full-scale heaps for zinc bioleaching, and mini-pilot equipment was used to design a solvent extraction circuit. The characteristics of the process required development of a bleed circuit for water and impurities. The complete integrated process was tested on a demonstration plant scale for two years, with about 10 000 t of zinc sulphide ore being bioleached in two 6-m-tall test heaps. In addition to 1 t/d of zinc cathode, iron hydroxide and gypsum residues were produced. The process also generated a small effluent bleed. Over the course of the two-year demonstration test, a number of technical hurdles were overcome and several improvements were made. Some of the more significant ones are presented along with process descriptions and experimental and demonstration plant data. Some engineering aspects and economic evaluations of the new process are also discussed.

Jan 1, 2003

By C E. J de Ronde, J L. Mauk

Sulfide chimney samples collected during the 1998 - 1999 R/V Atlantis û DSV Alvin 3 - 30 research cruise have been examined and classified into four types, based on common characteristics. Chimney morphology is the most important characteristic and resulted in the following groups: 1. flutes, 2. cones, 3. wide-flats, and 4. beehives. Other characteristics resulted in the classification of subgroups within the flute, cone and wide-flat groups. The combination of characteristics, including; the presence of an orifice, internal chimney fabrics, wall thickness, extent of weathering, and the presence of Alvinella worm casts, enable evolutionary trends between the different chimneys types to be established. These trends indicate that with time, flutes evolve from immature zoned chimneys with a central orifice and smooth thin-walls, into cone chimneys with thick walls and massive fabrics which have their orifices infilled by massive sulfides, and a rough exterior. Repeated mineralisation within, cones may result in the formation of wide-flat chimneys. Beehive chimneys can form at any time during chimney growth.

Jan 1, 2003

This paper presents an overview of the current status of mine water management in South Africa. The regulatory framework within which mine water management operates is set out, based on the principles and policies embodied in the relevant legislation. The status of the gold and coal mining industries, with regard to water management, is presented on the basis of studies that have been undertaken to develop water and salt balances for these industries. While the data is not available to quantify the status of ARD in South Africa, the range of typical mine water quality problems faced by South African gold and coal mines is presented. The status quo, problems and challenges relating to mine water management are presented and discussed. It is shown that, while there have been major strides in the last decade, and mine water management and treatment in South Africa has moved onto the forefront of mine environmental management, important problems still persist. There is still a significant amount of improvement required, particularly in the field of prediction of water quality deterioration and the application of such predictions to the identification of management actions that can be applied to prevent or minimise mine water pollution in the shortmedium- and long-term.

Jan 1, 2003

By Christopher Davey, Professor Emeritus, Marian Mazurkiewicz, Peter Kanjorski

The concept of a high pressure liquid jet mill with highly unsteady flow, has been developed and recently patented by Cornerstone Technologies LLC (CsT), for the purpose of micron and sub-micron particle production. The mill accepts feed sizes up to 15mm for some materials and is capable of sub-micron production. Successful material range from precious metals such as silver and palladium to dielectric components and substrates such as Barium Titanate slips, zirconia, titania and silica. The process has also succeeded in adequately reducing the size of materials for both composite and coating uses such as anthracite coal, graphite, chrome metal, wollastonite and more than 100 others. A unique design approach has been taken to highly maximize the energy flux in the mill’s chambers to create extremely high turbulence and destructive cavitation. This is assisted by shock waves, which cause particles to undergo ultra high frequency pressure pulsations, high frequency collisions and then abrasion, shattering, hydro-wedging, and cleaving. Due to these extreme properties the processing occurs in just fractions of a second allowing throughputs up to 1000 kg/h on a machine that would fit inside a 60 cm box. The technical solution and technological advance, as well as the environmental and economic benefits indicate rapid and wide spread acceptance of high-pressure liquid jet milling in modern industry.

Jan 1, 2003

By Karl J. C. Harries

"3.1. INTRODUCTIONThis chapter discusses briefly the common law concepts of fiduciary relationship, constructive trust, and breach of confidence. Following a discussion of confidentiality agreements, the last section of the chapter compares and comments on two common law cases, the LAC Case and the Metalore Case. Civil law readers should not ignore this chapter or § 3.5. the comparison as, to a large extent, the concepts and comments are universal, even though the procedures for applying them may vary.1It should be appreciated that, regardless of the legal system, if the Court sees that a wrong has been done, it will attempt to right that wrong, either by awarding monetary damages against the wrong-doer to compensate the injured party or by attempting to make the injured party whole again by such means as negating an agreement (as in the Metalore Case) or returning property to a wronged party (as in the LAC Case). The methodology for accomplishing either of these results will vary with the jurisdiction, and the two are not mutually exclusive.These two Ontario cases have been chosen, not because they are the only ones available – they certainly are not – but because both are relatively well known within the minerals industry and they deal with problems that may face any explorationist (although it is to be hoped that the facts of the Metalore Case do not represent “normal” behaviour). Each judgment offers useful guidelines, as well as insight into a judge’s approach to problems, the type of information he expects to receive, how his mind works, and, particularly in the Court of Appeal judgment in the Metalore Case, how he might reason through and “justify” his decisions.3.2. SOME LEGAL CONCEPTS In order to appreciate some of the matters discussed in this chapter, it is necessary to have some idea of the common law considerations of fiduciary relationships, constructive trust, and breach of confidence."

Jan 1, 2003

By V. N. Medvedev, A. M. Bryukhanov

Stationary mine air control equipment enables monitoring of CH4 concentration only in sensor locations. CMC-4 individual indicator built into a caplight has been developed in Ukraine, extending CH4 monitoring to manned job sites. Major technical characteristics of the indicator are demonstrated. It features two operation thresholds: 1st threshold 1.0 to 2.0% vol. 2nd threshold 1.5 to 2.5% vol. Basic absolute accuracy ± 0.2% Caplight battery is a common power supply for the lamp and CH4 indicator, providing at least 10 hours of the system non-stop operation. Average pre-failure life is at least 10,000 hrs. It features: an explosion proof design and intrinsically safe test circuit; a small-sized sensor as an integral part of the caplight; a hybrid microcircuit to facilitate functioning of methane monitoring unit. The CMC-4 indicator weight is the weight of the caplight itself and equals 2.4 kg. A two-threshold design makes possible to distinguish between methane sources: slow accumulation due to diffusion or sudden rushes due to a gas-dynamic event. CMC-4 indicators in addition to stationary equipment minimize the risk of CH4 explosion underground determined as a product of accident intensity by calculated time interval.

Jan 1, 2003

By B T. Park, S D. Fundingslan, K W. Wangerud

The EPA National Risk Management Research Laboratory (NRMRL) Mine Waste Technology Program (MWTP) and the EPA Region VIII Superfund office are jointly conducting a field-scale technology demonstration of a two-step in situ treatment of the acidic Anchor Hill Pit lake at the Gilt Edge Mine Superfund site near Deadwood, South Dakota, USA. The project goal is to develop cost and performance data for the in situ treatment for potential application in long-term water treatment/management activities at the Gilt Edge site, and for potential application at other similar sites. Lime neutralisation of the pit using a Neutra-Mill was accomplished in the spring of 2001, with a resultant lime utilisation efficiency of about 71 per cent, and a typical throughput of about 1 tonne per hour using coarse, pebble quicklime and 1.4 tonnes per hour using finer, ground lime. Redox-mediated biotransformation treatment of the pit has been ongoing since May 2001. As of January 2003, denitrification is complete in the near-surface waters and about 90 per cent complete in the deeper waters. Bacterial sulfate reduction is expected to begin in the near future. This paper describes project activities, results, and lessons-learned to-date as well as future monitoring plans.

Jan 1, 2003

By A F. Cooper

Otago Schist in the Mount Patriarch, High Burn and Cameron Creek areas of northwest Otago grades from textural grade IIA in the east to textural grade III in the west. The entire region is of the actinolite-pumpellyite metamorphic facies. Lithologies in the area are interbedded turbidite sequences comprising pelite and psammite together with pebble conglomerate, greenschist and metachert horizons. The mineral assemblage of the schist is typically quartz-albite-epidote-actinolite-pumpellyite-chlorite-stilpnomelane-calcite. A good foliation is well defined in the area and is predominantly parallel to bedding, except in hinges of mesoscopic isoclinal folds. The structure of the area appears to be defined by a large southwest plunging isoclinal fold defined by bedding with a steeply dipping axial planar foliation. Kink folding and dextral strike-slip faulting in the area postdates the ductile phase of deformation. Pods of rhodonite, rhodochrosite, spessartine garnet, coombsite, caryopilite, Mnstilpnomelane and Ni-Cu-Zn sulphides were found in concordant metachert layers in the Mount Patriarch area. Metachert was also found in float in the Cameron Creek area. Malachite occurrences relating to copper mineralisation were also noted in a green metachert horizon on the eastern flank of Mount Patriarch. The coombsite, in only the third observation worldwide, is the most Fe-rich variety reported.

Jan 1, 2003