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By A. Griffiths

The? use of hydrogen peroxide to detoxify gold mill waste waters containing cyanide and other toxic substances is already an established technology. Recent advances have extended the range of application of hydrogen peroxide treatment to include the removal of complex iron cyanides, the simultaneous removal of cyanide and toxic metals down to very low levels and treatment of barren bleeds, CIP' pulps and tailings pond discharges. Three treatment plants are described here. Each was installed at a gold mine in North America in 1987 and each illustrates a different application of hydrogen peroxide. The need for individual design of the detoxification plant to fit particular requirements is shown by the examples chosen.

Jan 1, 1988

By Harold Wagner, Prakash Donde, Larry H. Heflin

INTRODUCTION The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority is responsible for the planned 166 kilometer (103 mile) Metro rapid rail transit system in Washington, D.C. Some 117 kilometers (72.8 miles) of this system is in operation and contains 30.6 route-kilometers (19 miles) of rock tunneling. To complete the planned system an additional 1.6 kilometers (1.0 miles) of single track tunnels in rock are planned and additional contracts will consist of 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) of twin tunnel, resulting in 8 additional linear kilometers (5 miles) of single track tunnel contracts yet to be offered in soft ground. Three recent contracts in soft ground included the New Austrian Tunneling Method (NATM), along with conventional tunneling, as a bid option. Section E5a, Fort Totten Station and Tunnels, was the only one of the three to be constructed using the NATM option. This is the first application of the New Austrian Tunneling Method in soft ground in the United States. This paper will concentrate on the Fort Totten Station chamber NATM design, construction, and the instrumentation readings and evaluations which lead to an engineering back analysis which allowed a refinement of the bid design, resulting in a faster, more efficient construction. Design of the Fort Totten Station and Lines was done by Sheladia Associates. The design team included Greiner Engineering and Jenny Engineering with Mayreder-Consult of Austria, who was responsible for NATM design and NATM construction consultation.

Jan 1, 1991

By David W. Cannon, Russell V. Mann

In a dispersion of particles in liquid a net charge will develop at the particle-liquid interface. This surface charge is usually due to the adsorption of charged material from solution. The existence of this surface charge gives rise to the formation of the electric double layer of counter-ions which surrond the charged particle. The particle surface charge and the electrostatic repulsion which exists between similarly charged particles is the primary stabilization mechanism for lyophobic colloids (1). The separation of charge which occurs at the particle-liquid interface gives rise to several dynamic phenomena associated with colloidal systems or with solid-liquid interfaces in general. These phenomena are known as electrokinetic phenomena and the four classic electrokinetic phenomena are; electrophoresis, electroosmosis, streaming potential, and sedimentation or Dorn potential. The actual driving force for electrokinetic phenomena is not the surface charge per se, but the charge at the interface between the liquid which is hydrodynamically bound to the particle surface and the bulk fluid. This interface is known as the slipping plane or the plane of shear and the potential at this interface is the zeta potential (2). The factors linking the electrokinetic phenomena is that they involve a relative motion between the liquid and the charged particle or solid surface and the driving force is the zeta potential of the solid. In addition to the four classic electrokinetic phenomena there are two additional electrokinetic effects in disperse systems; the electro-acoustic effects. When an alternating electric field is applied to a cooloidal dispersion the particles will move in the field due to their net zeta potential. If there is a density difference between the particles and the fluid this motion will result in the development of an acoustic wave. The effect was discovered at Matec and has been termed the Electrokinetic Sonic Amplitude or ESA (3). ESA is the pressure amplitude generated by the colloid per unit applied electric field strength and has SI units of pascals per volt per meter. When an alternating pressure field (acoustic wave) is applied to a colloidal dispersion the inverse of the ESA effects occurs. A density difference between the disperse phase and the continuous phase leads to a relative motion between the particles and the surrounding liquid. This means that there will be a periodic displacement between the charged particle and the oppositely charged counter-ions in the electric double year. This displacement results in the development of an alternating dipole moment at the frequency of the applied field. This effect is termed the Ultrasonic Vibration Potential or UVP and was first predicted for electrolyte solutions by Debye in 1933 (4). UVP is measured in units of volts per unit velocity amplitude of the applied acoustic field or volts per meter per second. In 1938, Rutgers (5) and Hermans (6) pointed out that the effect would also be present in colloidal dispersions. A detailed theory for UVP effects in colloids, also called CVP, was first presented by Enderby in 1951 (7). Extensive studies of the UVP in electrolytes have been carried out by Yeager et al (8). Recently, O'Brien (9) has developed a general theoretical treatment of electro- acoustic effects in colloids and has derived a reciprocal relation linking ESA and CVP effects. The most commonly studied electrokinetic phenomena is electrophoresis. Electrophoresis is the movement of charges particles in an applied electric field. The velocity of the particle divided by the applied electric field strength is the electrophoretic mobility of the particle. The zeta potential can be calculated from this mobility (2). The magnitude of both the ESA and CVP effects are directly proportional to the electrophoretic mobility of the particles. The mobility determined by the two electro-acoustic effects is the dynamic or AC mobility of the particles.

Jan 1, 1990

By Mike D. Adams

Testwork was conducted on loaded carbon samples from a small gold mine in South Africa. It was shown that a 75% saving in reagent consumption in the Zadra elution circuit could be achieved by adopting a cyanide-free elution approach, i.e. by cutting back the NaCN level from 1 % to nil, and the NaOH level from 3% to 1 %. This process change was also shown to result in a 20% improvement in the elution kinetics. Furthermore, it was also shown that a 50% enhancement in elution rate over the current situation could be achieved by use of an eluant containing 0.5% NaOH and 0.15% NaCN, corresponding to an 84% saving in reagent consumption. A further improvement in elution kinetics was found to occur by increasing the NaCN level to 3%, but this would lead to a concomitant increase in reagent consumption, due to the decomposition of cyanide at high temperatures. The presence of base metals loaded onto the carbon was also found to have a significant effect on the elution. Copper tends to adsorb as Cu(CN)2- during the adsorption stage, and acid washing converts this species to CuCN. Copper in this form is not eluted during cyanide-free elution, whereas it is eluted during a conventional cyanide elution, consuming the initial cyanide in the process. The elution data was analysed and the fit to a simple model was verified.

Jan 1, 1995

By G. Deschenes, P. J. H. Prud'homme

A laboratory study was carried out to evaluate the effect of oxygen and lead nitrate on the recovery of gold by cyanidation of a free milling gold ore, which contains 0.4 % copper as chalcopyrite. Efficient gold extraction is achieved only under specific conditions. The recovery of gold was increased from less than 90% to up to 98% by addition of lead nitrate. In the pre-leaching, the kinetics of oxidation of soluble sulphides are not an accurate indication for the length of the treatment. Even though the consumption of cyanide was reduced due to the inhibition of the dissolution of chalcopyrite by increasing additions of lead nitrate, cyanide consumption had to the held above 1.85 kg/t to maintain good recovery of gold. The continued addition of lead nitrate above 300 git had no impact on the recovery of gold. It was also found that the addition of lead nitrate at the start of cyanidation gave the same performance as when added during pre-leaching. The addition of oxygen increased the recovery of gold by 1.5%. The concentration ofNaCN had to be maintained in the range of700 mg/L because of the high concentration of copper in solution. The recovery of gold dropped significantly when the average NaCN concentration fell below 640 mg/L. Application of the findings of the laboratory study at the industrial scale led to improved plant performance.

Jan 1, 1997

By T. P. Weldum

INTRODUCTION Cleveland-Cliffs' operations in Michigan have been utilizing fully autogenous grinding for over four decades. This is but one of the key characteristics of the iron ore processing method that was developed for the extremely fine grained, low grade deposits of the region. Liberation size of the hematite and magnetite ranges from about 30 to less than 1 micron. Typical grinding fineness target to achieve silica grade in the concentrate is 80 to 90% passing 25 microns, or a P80 of approximately 20 microns. After primary grinding, the magnetite ore is first upgraded by rougher magnetic separation. It is then ground to final product size, sent through thickener-sizers utilizing selective flocculation, upgraded again by finisher magnetic separation, and then brought to final silica grade by reverse amine flotation. Hematite ore follows essentially the same route, less the magnetic separation stages. Concentrate is filtered and pelletized, along with con- trolled additions of fluxstone, to ready it for shipping. Iron ore pellets on the water of the Great Lakes have a value of approximately 1.5 cents per pound. GRINDING PROCESS DESCRIPTION Details of the Empire magnetite grinding process flowsheet have been presented by Greenwood and Rajala (1992), and more recently by Rose et al. (2002). The Tilden comminution process for either magnetite or hematite is essentially identical, with the exception of some variations in the excess pebble treatment methods (McIvor and

Jan 1, 2004

By John C. Cook

In reasonably dry rock, long-wave radar can theoretically explore to distances approaching 75 meters (250 ft). High-resolution radar reflections have already been demonstrated through 13 m of hard limestone, through 9 to 18 m of coal in place and through 225 m of rock salt, using only low-power experimental radar equipment. Radar reflections have been received through the rock from rough pillar walls, from faults, and from a slim, uncased, vertical drill hole. In three years of intermittent experimentation, the feasibility of rapid radar exploration of large volumes of rock, with portable equipment, in deep, wet workings has been demonstrated. With future, improved equipment the theoretical working range, of the order of 75m, is expected to be attained in most hard rocks. THE TECHNIQUE Fig. 1 illustrates an early "monocycle" radar system (1) set up in a coal mine. This radar equipment is entirely different from that employed for detecting distant objects through the atmosphere. However, the basic principle is the same: a pulse of electromagnetic energy is radiated by the transmitter, a portion is reflected by some "target" object embedded in the surrounding medium and some of this energy is collected by the receiving antenna. In the receiver, the pulse is amplified, is "stretched out in time" by a sampling process, and is displayed on the screen of a cathode-ray oscilloscope. It may also be recorded on paper or magnetic tape. Fig. 2 illustrates a

Jan 1, 1997

By J. Sulaiman Lubis

Indonesia is a developing country in Southeast Asia with a population of some 180 million people. It has a stable political environment and currently enjoys high rates of economic growth. Indonesia has abundant reserves of natural resources, ample for its own needs and for export. Energy resources include oil, gas and coal. The oil and gas industries are well established domestically and for export. In the last few years, though, coal industry development has been rapid. Coal resources from bituminous to lignite amount to more than 30 Gt (33 billion st). That is more than enough to meet domestic needs and provide significant amounts for export. Figure 1 shows coal basins in Indonesia. Coals in Indonesia are generally young steaming coals. They are very low ash and sulfur, high volatile, bituminous B and C. The Indonesian government's state coal company is called Perum Tambang Batubara. The company has actively promoted the development of its coal for domestic and export markets. In particular, the government has placed priority on non-oil exports of which coal is a major element. The government strives to honor all contractural commitments for the export of Indonesian coal from contractor, private and government mines. From 1987 through 1989, coal production has increased from about 3 Mt (3.3 million st) to 9 Mt (9.9 million st). Exports have grown from I Mt (1.1 million st) to 3 Mt (3.3 million st). These are significant increases for a small industry with limited infrastructure. But with growing investment and development, these production and export levels will increase substantially, and Indonesia will be a significant world supplier of coal in the 1990s.

Jan 1, 1990

By G. P. Larson

We define a specialized mineral market as follows: Specialized Markets are markets where a low volume of a given mineral is used to convey a large benefit to a specific product. Sales of these value added minerals to small markets generally require a different marketing approach compared to bulk or commodity markets for traditional minerals. Specialized and commodity markets are differentiated by several characteristics as listed in Table 1.

Jan 1, 1990

By J. W. Leonard

Since the interpolation of exploratory data 1 can be no better than sampling procedures, a series of field experiments were conducted in an effort to determine whether hand-cut channel or core washability determinations best represent continuous miner produced run of mine coal. By obtaining a core drilled to within a few feet of channels taken from an underground face and then overmining both locations; core, channels and run-of-mine coal allocations were obtained from a common sample and all allocations were subjected to identical washability determinations. In order to compare results, basic rules2,3 previously anticipated and later published by the writer were employed. The first rule states that "For any full seam washability determination, the sulfur versus ash function for increasing cumulative specific gravity float coal fractions is linear". The second rule states that "For any full seam washability determination, the recovery versus ash function for increasing cumulative specific gravity float coal fractions is logarithmic".

Jan 1, 1988

By Terry McNulty

There are many potential pitfalls in the commercialization of innovative technology. The failures often are remembered longer than the successes, thereby serving as deterrents to subsequent attempts. The mineral industry's future depends on effective innovation. So it is essential that the causes of failure are understood. Innovation can be examined equally well in the context of geophysics, geology or mining. However the author's experience has been in mineral processing and chemical engineering. So the following discussion is limited to processes and/or plants for producing mineral concentrates, metals or inorganic chemicals. More of what follows has to do with underachievement or failure than success. But this article demonstrates that there is a strong element of predictability in the former. Furthermore, it is a credit to the minerals industry and to the engineering profession that a very high percentage of projects succeed in achieving design capacity and forecast operating costs. Innovation means the introduction of something new. In this article, the words "innovative technology" are used broadly. They include new processes and novel combinations of established unit operations, as well as novel types of processing equipment or largest-ever equipment models. The discussion of project outcomes is based on personal experience or on published information. Citations are given for technical publications that provide either project information or insights into the methodology used to analyze project performance. However, specific projects have not been identified due to the rather negative connotations of some of the conclusions drawn about the less favorable outcomes.

Jan 1, 1998

By S. Tuylu, D. Adiguzel, A. Bascetin

"In recent years the fact that mining tailings cause serious environmental problems resulted in increasing number of studies about their disposal, storage and usability in various areas. Therefore the new studies about using the tailings for some purposes such as using in shotcrete or producing concrete have been increasing recently. The study is focused on applicability of tailings for producing shotcrete. Under this scope it is considered that mining tailings can bring many advantages in case of that they are used instead of sand, silt or fine aggregate in shotcrete applications. Most important advantages can be listed as decreasing shotcrete cost, decreasing amount if mining tailings to be disposed and the contribution to be provided on sustainable production of sources. The main objective of this study is the investigation of using mine tailing instead of fine aggregate in shotcrete. In this study, 10 shotcrete designs in different proportions were formed, and properties of the mixtures were identified. Then, the experimental results were statistically analyzed, the effects of the amount of the tailing material used on shotcrete properties were presented, and empirical approaches that can be used for the estimation of these properties were developed. INTRODUCTION The disposal of high amount mine tailing on the surface is caused a lot of problems in terms of environmental impact. Unfortunately, it is known that classic disposal techniques such as tailing dam cannot provide a solution these problems. The tailing dams which are usually used in the disposal of mining tailings bring along many problems in terms of cost, environment, and human health. So mine tailings are used in different production such as shotcrete. This technique is becoming increasingly common during recent years. The usability of mine tailings in brick and concrete production instead of cement and fine aggregate has been studied by many studies [1-4]. This situation has been promising for the usability of tailings in shotcrete which is commonly used for ground support especially in tunnels. Shotcrete (sprayed concrete) is applied mainly for construction of tunnels, shafts, renovation works and strengthening of slopes. Main advantage of shotcrete is fast development of strength, which quickly ensures stability of strengthened structure [5]. Shotcrete can be defined as spraying the grout consisting of water, aggregate, cement and optional additive mixture on the desired surface with a compressed air. According to the definition of the American Concrete Institute (ACI), it is the spraying of sprayed grout or concrete on a surface at high speed with air pressure [6]. In recent years, the use of shotcrete for the support of underground excavations is decreased in the mining industry. The design of shotcrete support for underground excavations is a very imprecise process. Strength and pumpability properties of shotcrete are very significant for determining suitable shotcrete design. Flow characteristics of the shotcrete must be determined for pumpability and fluidity of the material."

Jan 1, 2017

By K Louie

When BHP Copper's Lower Kalamazoo Project commenced production in January 1997, two of the four original hoists had been converted to hoist ore from the Lower K level. Conversions on these hoists not only allowed hoisting from a much deeper level, but also created a higher hoisting efficiency and higher capacity as well. Conversions included new drums, new cables, SCR drives and other solid state control technologies not available when the original hoists were installed. Two of the original hoists were installed in the 1950's and the other two were installed in the 1970's.

Jan 1, 1998

By J. P. Hanten, G. Ramadorai

This paper presents laboratory and pilot plant data on the removal of heavy metals and molybdenum from mining-milling waste water. Molybdenum is removed as an Fe-Mo precipitate by proper addition of ferric sulfate. Heavy metals are lowered by lime treatment. Solid-liquid separation was achieved in both cases by flotation techniques. The Lectroclear electrocoagulation-electroflotation process was used to achieve the desired degree of metals removal. Good correlation was obtained on the laboratory and pilot plant scales. A two-step process consisting of the sequential removal of molybdenum and heavy metals was tested successfully using a mobile pilot plant. Preliminary data on sludge characteristics was obtained and the feasibility of recycling the iron sludge for iron and molybdenum recovery was established on the laboratory scale.

Jan 1, 1987

Dravo Corporation was founded in 1891 and has long been recognized as a major domestic engineering and construction firm headquartered in Pittsburgh. In 1977, Dravo had revenue of $852.2 million with international business activities contributing $248 million; quite a different picture than envisioned at the turn of the century. Engineering and construction activities still dominate Dravo's most recent history and will do so for the immediate future. However, fluctuations in capital spending by large industrial sectors of our economy during the late sixties were affecting Dravo's planning for continued growth along its traditional lines of business. Diversification was a possible solution to smooth out the upward trend in corporate earnings. One large result of these continuing efforts was the formation of Dravo Lime Company, a vertically integrated, proprietary chemical supplier for the air pollution control market. Briefly retracing the seventies, the passage of the Federal "Clean Air Act" in 1970 supplied the impetus for Dravo Lime Company. This law promulgated limits on the emissions of sulfur dioxide (SO2) from large stationary sources that would affect local air quality. The major industry that felt the brunt of this regulation was the electric utility industry, especially those generating electricity with coal-fired boilers. The law hastened the development of a new industry, flue gas desulfurization (FGD), and is composed of three major segments: (1) the electric utility, (2) the FGD equipment suppliers (the scrubbing modules), and (3) the scrubbing chemical suppliers. Dravo's experience suggested the equipment end of the business but market analysis indicated that our long range corporate goals could be better attained by investigating the chemical processes involved in the removal of the SO, gas. The result being Dravo Lime Company. This paper will briefly describe the Thiosorbic lime scrubbing process and review our innovative mine and calcining facility.

Jan 1, 1978

By A. E. Isaacson

Researchers at the Bureau of Mines, U.S. Department of the Interior, developed and tested equipment to measure corrosion rates on a commercial-scale mill. Bench-scale experiments were also designed for duplicating ore grinding conditions closely enough that realistic rate determinations can be made in laboratory tests. Rates measured in a laboratory system compared favorably with those measured in the field. Cast steel was found to have corrosion rates in a copper mill and laboratory test cell of 22 and 21 mpy, respectively. Corrosion was found to account for less than 5 pct of the total grinding media wear in the operations studied.

Jan 1, 1989

By J. A. Dlas Lima

Alunorte is a metallurgical-grade alumina refinery located in northern Brazil. This plant which was designed to produce 1.1 million mtpy of calcined alumina, started operation in July 1995. A process information system was installed before refinery start-up. It has been a main factor in process improvements, which resulted in an increase in production from 1.1 to 1.5 million mtpy. This system has been particularly useful for analyzing data and allowing retrieval of data by process engineers. This paper describes how a quality monitoring system to evaluate all aspects and stages of production, as well as alumina silo level and blending percentage, was developed. This system was designed to give support to ISO 9002 certification, which happened in December 1998. The quality monitoring system was developed using Microsoft Excel 7.0 and makes extensive use of VBA macro. The primary users of the system are shift foremen, managers and engineers, who use it to track the process and avoid variations in alumina quality.

Jan 1, 2000

By Matthew J. DeMarco, Anthony T. Iannacchione

Coal bumps have presented serious mining problems in the U.S. throughout the 20th Century. Fatalities and injuries have resulted when these destructive events occur at the working face. Persistent bump problems can result in abandonment of large reserves or lead to premature mine closure. Through the years, a1ternative techniques such as artificial supports, extraction sequencing, destressing, pillar design changes and specific pi1lar retreat practices have been successful1y imp1emented to mitigate coal mine bumps. Several techniques have evolved for room-and-pi1lar operations that control the way the roof rock breaks, regulating the manner in which stresses are redistributed in the mined section. Special mine layouts employed in longwall mines have also proved to be successful in safely redistributing or containing excessive loadings. However, with ever increasing production rates, greater overburdens and new mining systems, the need to evolve even more effective bump control designs will continue to challenge the U.S. coal mine industry.

Jan 1, 1992

By C. Perea, O. Restrepo, C. Ihle, H. Estay

In this study, research on the use of monosodium glutamate for copper leaching, with emphasis on the thermodynamics and oxidant characteristics, is presented. Copper dissolution was conducted following a hydrometallurgical route, using monosodium glutamate in alkaline solutions. The effect of oxidizing agents such as hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and potassium permanganate (KMnO4), and the efficiency of copper leaching with glutamate compared with glycine have been studied. Results, obtained at room temperature, showed 92% recovery of copper using 0.03 M hydrogen peroxide, 0.5 M monosodium glutamate at a pH of 9.44.

Mar 2, 2022

By I. Melik-Gaykazov, N. N. Melnikov, V. A. Fokin, S. P. Reshetnyak

Kola Mining Institute has been carrying out investigations of the possibility to steepen the walls of the Kovdor open pit with the design depth of 600 m. Steeping (up to 60°) wall angles is done by double height (24 and 30 m) benches with vertical slopes. One of the safety factors of mining with such walls is choosing the width of the safety berms preventing against rock falling from the slopes into the pit working area. The test on rock falling from 24 m benches has shown that vertical slopes are not more dangerous compared to the inclined(60-75°) ones.

Jan 1, 2003