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By Zay Jeffries

Each generation accepts the developments of the preceding generations without full appreciation of the difficulties that had to be overcome or of the effect of any given development on society. Today, the production of pig iron is the yardstick with which general industrial health and progress are measured. So natural and logical does this seem to us, that it is difficult to picture conditions prior to the fourteenth century when pig iron was unknown. Not only was pig iron unknown but iron or steel could not be melted and poured into castings; all iron and steel articles were forged from sponge iron. All castings, as well as many worked articles, were made of non-ferrous metals or alloys. In many parts of the world, over long periods of time, not only was the annual exchange value of non-ferrous metals greater than that of iron and steel, but their combined tonnage was greater. At present, the value of the pig iron produced in a year is of the same order of magnitude as that of all non-ferrous metals combined; the tonnage of pig iron is, however, about twenty times that of all non-ferrous metals combined. Owing to lack of records, we will probably never know the relative importance of the various metals at all periods in historic times. A certain conclusion is that the iron and steel industry, since the discovery of pig iron and the cheap methods of converting it into steel, has grown at a much more rapid rate than the non-ferrous metal industries. Notwithstanding their fundamental fitness for man's needs, iron and steel owe their importance in no small degree to the low cost of production. The low cost was a result of increased knowledge of the production appliances and of the metallurgical processes. This increased knowledge is the key to our modern industrial civilization. It will remain for future generations to determine whether there is now going on a gradual change toward greater importance of the non-ferrous metals, as compared to iron and steel. The world's pig iron production in 1920 was slightly more than twice what it was in 1890, whereas the non-ferrous metals production in 1920 was about two and one-half times that in 1890. Every non-ferrous metal industry has shown marked growth during the last thirty years. During this period, the production of cop-

Jan 1, 1924

By S. H. Penn

One of the more challenging aspects of the unfolding age of space travel centers about the opportunity for man to use the natural resources of other worlds. The first of the extraterrestrial worlds to be exploited will be the moon. After only a scant few thousand years of scratching the earth's crust, man will embark upon a venture that for centuries has excited the imagination of many (while staggering that of most) and may become a reality within the next decade. There has never been a time when so much money and effort will have been expended to exploit an area about which so little is known. Paradoxically, this effort combines much of the detached objectivity so typical of our analytical time with the proverbial optimism of the indefatigable prospector. As the earliest manned lunar missions will be brief and exploratory in nature, astronauts will not be expected to attempt to exploit any of the possible lunar natural resources. In later missions, with a more extended period of time available for the astronauts to stay on the moon, it may be desirable or even necessary to "live off the land". The resulting exploitation of lunar resources will be intended primarily to reduce the dependence of manned missions upon terrestrial logistic support and to reduce the cost of maintaining lunar bases.

Jan 3, 1966

By S. Chander, D. W. Fuerstenau

The inherently sluggish nature of the reactions involving sulfide minerals, particularly molybdenite, in aqueous solutions under ambient flotation conditions make their investigation complicated and difficult. Since the physicochemical nature of sulfides is known to be controlled by electrochemical reactions, a number of attempts have been made in the past to study sulfide mineral-collector interactions through rest potential and electrode polarization measurements. The purpose of the present investigation was to study the interaction of potassium diethyldithiophosphate (KDTP) with molybdenite. In the present investigation of the interaction of KDTP at the molydenite surface, molybdenite electrode rest potential measurements and electrode polarization behavior were experimentally determined under various solution conditions. The standard reduction potential for the equilibrium between dithiophosphate ions (DTP-) and bis(diethoxythiophosphoryl)disulfide (DTP) [(DTP). + 2e :i7-± 2DTP- (1)] can be evaluated from the electrode rest potential measurements on a platinum electrode in deoxygenated KDTP solutions saturated with freshly prepared (DTP)2. Experimental A platinum wire was used as the electrode for potential measurements. Prior to each measurement the elec-

Jan 1, 1975

By Halbert Powers Gillette

FROM the known laws of physical chemistry I believe it can be shown that progressive mass movement of water solutions in channels has seldom been the means of ore-concentration in veins. It is my purpose in this paper to show that the force known as “osmosis” has been the principal factor in ore-formation. Convection-currents have doubtless supplemented osmosis, and the two working together have been the agencies that have gathered the scattered particles of rare minerals into the larger masses which are called ore. Osmosis is commonly thought of as a vague, feeble force that causes slow diffusion of dissolving matter through the solvent. That it is a measurable force, often of great intensity, few know, except those who are familiar with the laws of modern physical chemistry. Therefore, I may be pardoned for going briefly into the elementary mathematics of osmotic pressure and of convection-currents. The velocity of water moving through any channel is given by the Chézy formula: (1) v = c [/rs], in which r is the hydraulic mean radius; s, the slope of the channel in which gravity is the sole propulsive force; and c, the coefficient of roughness of the sides of the channel. From this formula it is evident that the smaller the channel, the smaller the velocity of water under a constant head. In rock-crevices, therefore, where the head is constant, water moves much more slowly than in large fissures, and in moving through sand or porous rock it is to an even greater degree retarded. Hence, if a mass of water-saturated sand be heated, the finer the sand-grains, the more slowly will the temperature rise at parts remote from the source of heat. Conversely, cooling is retarded the smaller the interstices or channels through which the convection-currents move. The importance of this

Jan 1, 1913

By Frederick Laist

F. N. FLYNN, Clifton, Ariz.-I would like to ask Mr. Mathewson what percentage of his leaching liquor is wasted at this time? It has a bearing on the question in connection with the New Cornelia, and I think it is a very important question. E. P. MATHEWSON, Anaconda, Mont.-I am not sure what the percentage is now, but we don't discard the strong liquors. Something like 25 per cent. of the wash water taken out each day is sent over a special set of scrap iron tanks, and the copper recovered there. We had a little trouble at first. We did not proceed to use the sponge iron for the reason that the plant we originally contemplated was abandoned for flotation. Our original idea was to use a leaching process on all the tailings of the mill, but we found it would take a great deal of time to build a plant; and the cost of operating the plant we estimated to be about the same and the recovery the same. It was a question of time with us, and we decided to adopt flotation. That changed our plans. We now have the leaching plant, treating the tailings of the old dump, and the flotation applied to the current tailings. The sponge iron was figured for the large plant. We can get all the scrap iron necessary for the small plant-plenty from the scrap produced in the main plant of the smelter.

Jan 12, 1916

FOLLOWING the presentation at the annual meet-ing of the paper "Recent Developments in Classi-fication," by A. M. Gaudin and W. L. Remick, the discussion presented below took place: H. N. Spicer : I haven't been able to study this paper closely, but I would like to ask 'Mr. Remick something regarding the work done by the mechanical classifier. The screen test given here would appear to show that the classi-fier did very, very poor work. The 44 per cent efficiency calculated from this equation is much lower than any ordinary operation. Nothing is stated regarding the de-tails. of the operation, the slope of the classifier, the dilu-tion, the speed, and such other factors that influence results. I would also like to know something of the material that was worked. The Manhattan schist that I have seen them digging out of the subways is of a flaky nature, so that in any classifier, you might get the factor of fine flakes floating over. Was the same material used in the hydrotator test? The screen tests vary a whole lot. Mr. Remick: You will notice the Dorr classifier han-dled the circulating load. This classifier naturally was run in closed circuit. I should like to be pardoned for quoting from Mr. Bates' paper of last year on "Classifica-tion in the Witwatersrand Mills." In this report only two efficiencies were given for the so-called straight type Dorr classifier. One was 44.6 per cent and the other 61.6. I don't know whether or not an average should be taken for the proper performance. I assume that that test was performed under better conditions, yet the efficiencies av-eraged only 53.1 per cent. I am afraid I am taking the words out of Professor Taggart's mouth, but he has told me that the Dorr classi-fier at Columbia is not the proper size to work with the Hardinge mill with which it is connected. This indicates only the inadvisability of putting commercial sized mat chines in a school laboratory. You cannot, he says, get the proper tonnage from the Hardinge mill to work the Dorr classifier and get the best results. Mr. Bates' results show higher efficiency with the lower capacity. Now, on the other hand, I assume that the classifier described in Mr. Bates' paper was probably run at the proper capacity.. It is a rather puzzling question.

Jan 4, 1927

By O. W. Shimer, D. C. Helms, C. E. Brown

THE early history and progress of anthracite stripping, from the first known operation at Summit Hill in 1821 through 1917, was covered in 1917 in a paper by J. B. Warriner,1 then chief engineer, now president of the Lehigh Navigation Coal Co., and stripping methods between 1917 and 1931 were the subject of a paper in 1931 by H. H. Otto,2 of the Hudson Coal Company. The present paper is confined to methods used today on pitching beds in the western middle and southern anthracite fields. The anthracite industry, not unlike other large industries, had been affected for more than a decade by the adverse economic conditions of the country. High development and operating costs and the competition of other fuels caused some collieries to be closed temporarily, while others were permanently abandoned. In order to obtain a larger tonnage at a lower development cost, a larger stripping program was put into effect by many companies. In 1932, stripping operations accounted for 334 million tons, or 7 per cent of the total anthracite production of the year, and in the next 10 years this increased until more than double that amount, or over 14 per cent of the total production, was from stripping operations. These figures represent the total production of the entire anthracite region; unfortunately, the figures have not been separated from the different fields. There are some operations in the southern and middle western fields where the tonnage obtained from stripping amounts to more than 30 per cent of the total colliery production. Stripping operations on pitching beds present difficult problems. Owing to the various geological formations, a different situation is encountered in nearly every stripping pit; and because of the proximity of an overlying bed, it is very often necessary to load the entire overburden into trucks and haul it out of the pit to the dump area, although back filling and casting is done whenever possible. Beds in the areas described in this paper pitch from 20° to 90° and some are on the invert in, many sharp folds and faults. PLANNING The more successful strippings have had adequate engineering analysis. Some work is being done without much preliminary planning, but many strippings would have failed completely if close supervision by the engineering department had not been maintained. Locations of stripping areas are determined as follows: 1. By constructing cross sections over the areas and drilling sufficient diamond-drill or well drill holes to study the strata and to determine the location, thickness and pitch of the beds.

Jan 1, 1944

By Walter W. Bradley

AT ONE TIME OR ANOTHER and in greater or less amounts, gold has been mined in at least 40 of California's 58 counties. It may not be inappropriate, by way of introduction, to give a brief historical statement relative to her production of the yellow metal. The presence of gold in the gravels of San Gabriel, San Francisquito, and other streams near Los Angeles, was known and they were worked in a small way by the Indians, at least as early as. 1841' and possibly 1820. -On March 2, 1844, Don Manuel Castanares, deputy for California to the Congress of Mexico, reported' to his government that placers near Los Angeles had yielded up to December, 1.843, a total of 2000 oz. of gold dust, most of which had been sent (via Mexico) to tile United States Mint at Philadelphia.

Jan 1, 1932

By Herbert Clark Hoover, Lou Henry Hoover

DIFFERENT methods of parting gold from silver, and, on the other hand, silver from gold, were discussed in the last book; also the separation of copper from the latter and further, of lead from gold as well as from silver ; and, lastly, the methods for refining the two precious metals. Now I will speak of the methods by which silver must be separated from copper, and likewise from iron.1 The officina, or the building necessary for the purposes and use of those who separate silver from copper, is constructed in this manner. First, four long walls are built, of which the first, which is parallel with the bank of a stream, and the second, are both two hundred and sixty-four feet long. The second, however, stops at one hundred and fifty-one feet, and after, as it were, a break for a length of twenty-four feet, it continues again until it is of a length equal to the first wall. The third wall is one hundred and twenty feet long, starting at a point opposite the sixty-seventh foot of the other walls, and reaching to their one hundred and eighty-sixth foot.

Jan 1, 1950

By Charles Catlett

THE rapid development of the Portland-cement industry implies that the country is being very carefully searched for material suitable for its manufacture. Such material can be found at a great many places ; but deposits thoroughly satisfactory in chemical composition, and at the same time meeting all the other requirements connected with the economic production and profitable marketing of the product, are exceedingly few, if I may judge from the investigations which I have had to make in a number of States. The raw mixture which by its clinking and grinding forms Portland cement contains approximately 75 per cent. of carbonate of lime. This is found in nature as limestone or marl. The natural rock commonly carries either more than the required percentage of carbonate of lime (in which case it has to be reduced by suitable admixture of clayey ingredients) or less-in which case purer lime carbonate has to be added. The controlling ingredient, therefore, is carbonate of lime, or limestone of the right composition. Among the most serious difficulties is that of finding limestones low enough in magnesia to meet the exacting requirements of certain specifications. All engineers recognize that there is a limit beyond which it is not safe to let the magnesia go; but within that limit there is considerable difference of opinion. Until that difference is finally settled, no one would be willing to invest the large sum of money necessary for a Portland-cement plant, if it were not certain that the usual requirements in this particular could be satisfied. The usual limit in well-established specifications is 5 per cent. of magnesium oxide in the finished cement, but many specifications limit the amount to 3 per cent. These figures

Jan 9, 1907

By F. B. Plummer

PROGRESS during 1940 in oil-production technology has been confined largely to a steady advancement in practices inaugurated in previous years, rather than the introduction of any new startling process or technique. The usual changes, improvements and additions in production equipment have been introduced. An increased attention to, and interest in, research has been noteworthy, resulting in improved efficiency in operation of oil wells. control, utilization of reservoir energies and reduction of production costs.

Jan 1, 1941

Slovenliness is as reprehensible in words as in clothes. Much writing that we recognize as poor in style is merely sloppy. Just as some students postpone the necessary shave or forget to change their collars, so young engineers in writing drop their articles, definite and indefinite, or omit prepositions where they are required, possibly to compensate for those they use unnecessarily The work will begin [on] Saturday. Influenza seriously affected many mines [during] the last three months. Flotation in America [during] the last two years has made tremendous strides. Construction of the mill started [on] August 12, 1915, at which time 75% of the excavation was completed. The idea I wish to convey is [that] there are mineral deposits to which the present law applies badly. For this reason, if there was [for] no other, the ownership of the ore below and [of] the surface above should go together. When a unit of mapping is furnished, be the unit a claim or [a] group of claims, it is necessary . . . A fully stocked store was started in Park City and all employees [were] sold merchandise on a strictly cost basis. The word "merchandise" is left without government or agreement. 'I suggest: ". . . and merchandise was sold to all the employees on a strictly cash basis." The verb 'be' is serving concurrently both as a principal and as an auxiliary in the following: At first the work was interesting and [was] liked by most of the men. The sulphide ore was more complex or [was] milled at an increased cost. The failure to repeat the auxiliary verb in successive clauses is a common error, as in The filter is filled with liquid allowed to empty, and then ignited.

Jan 1, 1931

By A. Yoshikawa, T. Sugeno

To detenmine the origin of the sharp fatigue limit in many ferrous metals, S-N curvces were determined in push-pull fatigue at 18.6 kc per sec at room temperature and - 67°C for various kinds of iron. These differed in carbon and nitrogen content and grain size (25 and 2500 grains per sq mm). Sharp knees appeared in the S-N curves of fine-grained specimens with high interstitial content at both temperatures. In coarse-gruined specimens, knees were not sharp .regardless of the interstitial content and the testing temperature. It is concluded from these results that the controlling factov for the appeavance of the sharp fatigue limit is not strain aging but grain size. It has already been mentioned that iron and some iron alloys show fatigue curves characterized by a more or less sharp knee and a fatigue limit.' Explanations of the origin of this characteristic behavior of fatigue in iron appear to fall into two broad classes. One is concerned with interstitial impurities through the aging or locking effect and the other is based on intrinsic plastic properties of iron. Levy and sinclair2 and Lipsit and Horne3 have suggested that the fatigue limit observed generally in iron and steel is due to interstitial solute aging during the course of fatigue. On the other hand, Thompson and wadsworthl have suggested that the fatigue limit may be analogous to the sharp yield point, in the sense that alternating stresses above the fatigue limit are necessary to break down the dislocation locking. However, there are some experimental results which cast doubt on the general validity of these suppositions.4-8 Ferro and Montalenti' have recently suggested that the typical form of the fatigue curve of iron seems to come from an intrinsic plastic characteristic of the iron structure. This suggestion is based on the experimental result that pure iron containing an insufficient amount of interstitial solute to alldw appreciable strain-aging effects still showed a fatigue limit at room temperature. Although systematic investigations on the effect of grain size are scarce, it is thought that this effect is important in relation to the sharp fatigue limit. In fact, sensible differences were observed by Oates and Wilson4 in fatigue behaviors of a low-carbon steel depending on grain size. Ideally, the fatigue limit will be defined as the upper limit of stress amplitudes at which the life is infinite. This ideal fatigue limit can never be determined because of the limited time available for experiments, and moreover scattered data points often leave the construction of S-N curves somewhat arbitrary. And, it is usually stated that a material has a fatigue limit when its statistical S-N curve becomes apparently parallel to the N axis with a more or less sharp knee. The meaning of the fatigue limit and the sharp knee will be discussed in detail in relation to the construction of S-N curves. The origin of this sharp knee was investigated by determining S-N curves of iron for various interstitial contents, testing temperatures, and grain sizes. EXPERTMENTAL PROCEDURE The material as received was a commercial-grade low-carbon steel in the form of 4-mm-diameter rods with the following composition in weight percent: C, 0.09; Si, 0.017; Mn, 0.43; P, 0.006; S, 0.012; Cu, 0.11. Five different groups of specimens were tested. The grain sizes and interstitial contents in each group are given in Table I. The specimens of group C-02 were decarburized by annealing for 100 hr at 700°C, followed by an additional 100 hr at 850°C in wet hydrogen. Specimens of groups N-2 and N-9 nitrided in a mixed atmosphere of ammonia and hydrogen after an initial treatment identical to group C-02. The specimens of group C-9 were prepared in a manner similar to those of group C-02, except heat treatment was carried out in a vacuum. After polishing their surface with emery paper, the specimens of all groups were given a final anneal for 30 min at 930°C and air-cooled in an evacuated quartz tube. For group C*-9 this

Jan 1, 1965

By T. Sterry Hunt

THERE are about sixty bodies which chemists call elements ; the simplest forms of matter which they have been able to extract from the rocky crust of our earth, its waters, and its atmosphere. These substances are distributed in very unequal quantities, and in very different manners. As regards the frequency of these elements in nature, neglecting for the present those which constitute air and water, and confining ourselves to the solid matters of the earth's crust, there are a few which are exceedingly abundant, making up nine-tenths, if not ninety-five hundredths, of the rocks so far as known to us. The elements of which silica, alumina, lime, magnesia, potash, and soda are oxides, are very common, and occur almost everywhere. There are others which are much rarer, being found in comparatively small quantities. Many of these rarer elements are, however, of great importance in the economy of nature. Such are the common metals and other substances used in the arts, which occur in nature in quantities relatively very minute, but which have been collected by various agencies, and thus made available for the wants of man. It is chiefly of the well-known metals, iron, copper, silver, and gold, that I propose to speak to-night; but there are two other elements not classed among the metals, which I shall notice for the reason that their history is extremely important, and will, moreover, enable us to comprehend more clearly some points in that of the metals themselves. I speak of phosphorus and iodine. You all know the essential part which the former of these, com- * An address before the Polytechnic Association of the American Institute, during the meeting of the American Institute of Mining Engineers in New York. Printed in this volume by request of many members.

Jan 1, 1873

By Frederick F. Sharpless

The term "segregation," as here used, means the separation of certain natural resources into groups, consisting of one or more members, with the idea that when thus segregated, each group may be more easily and effectively administrated. We may, for example, consider surface rights as distinct from underground rights, and stop there; or we may go further, and deal separately with timber, water, and agricultural rights, or, going underground, we might deal separately with such groups as precious and base metals, clay, oil, gas, etc. The present paper contemplates only the separation so far as practicable, for administrative purposes, of surface from mineral rights. " Classification," in this paper, has reference to the groups into which the government has divided, is dividing, or will hereafter divide its natural resources; first, into the broad classes of mineral and agricultural lands; and, second, into coal, oil, phosphate, brine lands, etc., the central idea being the separation into natural groups for the purpose of simplifying administration and for the purpose of encouraging maximum development and minimum waste. The two subjects are in some respects quite distinct, but as my argument develops, I think it will be obvious why they are discussed in the same paper. In the pursuit of our professions as mining engineers, geologists, or operators, we are continually confronted by conditions with which our present mining laws or regulations are incompatible. It may be a conflict, hardship or injustice, a piece of favoritism, or of unnecessary red tape; or we may see lack of development in a promising locality, and wonder what is the reason. Often we can see where a modification, slight or radical, in the laws would have obviated the difficulty without doing harm to any of those immediately concerned. Such alterations as individuals could intelligently suggest would be based on a relatively small number of situations occurring in their experiences. The published replies to the queries formulated by the various committees on mining law appear generally to reflect personal experience. Concerning a few points, there is a marked uniforhity of opinion, while on other points opinions

Jan 1, 1915

By Frank W. Cramer

THE operator's panel is the control center f or the operation of the electric-arc furnace. It contains the switches and meters that control and indicate the power supply and in a way gives a picture of what is going on during the meltdown and refining periods. Regardless of manufacture, these panels are very similar with respect to equipment and position of apparatus. A typical panel is shown in Fig I. The three lights at the top of the panel are connected from the electrodes to ground and give a visual measure of the voltage across each arc. The ammeters underneath the lights show the current passing through each electrode. Directly underneath are the voltmeter, the watt-hour meter and the wattmeter and under these the three current-adjusting rheostats. In the center of the panel is the master electrode-control switch, which controls the movement of all three electrodes, with the individual electrode-control switches directly underneath. Next from left to right is the six-position voltmeter switch, which can be positioned to show on the voltmeter above the voltage between phases and to ground, the tap-changer switch with its indicating lights, and the main circuit-breaker control switch.

Jan 1, 1947

By W. H. Bassett

ABOUT twenty-five years ago the copper industry had outgrown the Lake Superior production. The electrolytic copper producers had- their process well in hand and the industry was well started in the use of electrolytic copper, both for working into wire and sheet, and for the making of alloys. The trade knew that some brands of copper made good material and that other brands did not. There came together a group of men-a refiner, a rolling-mill man, and a manufacturer of electrical machinery-each of them desiring to know why there was a difference and what .it was. Much investigation was done with wire bars and cakes which involved ' chemical analysis, metallographic examination, physical tests and electrical tests. To find the influence of different kinds of copper in making brass 200 carloads of ingots were made into ,eyelet brass under careful observation; each carload was carefully analyzed and tested before used. The alloy was made and rolled under standard conditions and the results recorded.

Jan 1, 1924

By John D. Sullivan

MAJOR technical advances seldom occur in a single year, and this is especially true with aluminum and magnesium where marked improvements in metallurgical processes and products took place during the war years. Nevertheless, the light metals and alloys, particularly aluminum, are advancing in commercial importance and are finding their niche in industry. New applications during the year have resulted from a better over-all knowledge of properties, handling, etc., rather than from revolutionary new developments.

Jan 1, 1948

By Luther B. Eames

J. V. N. DORR, New York, N. Y.-I have read Mr. Eames' excellent paper on this' subject with great interest, for besides being connected with the design and installation of the first modern countercurrent decantation plant, he was associated with me in the development of the thickener in the Black Hills some years earlier, and has now been operating the largest plant that has used this method of treatment. His, discussion, of the influence of different factors on the results obtained is quite thorough, but several features I think may not be apparent to the reader who has not studied the subject carefully. 1. Grade of Ore That Can Be Treated.-Mr. Eames has shown graphically that' the assay of all solutions increases directly as the grade of the ore treated. He has not emphasized, however, the fact that, as most operators prefer to keep the assay of pregnant solutions down below a certain figure in order to insure complete precipitation, an increase in ore value beyond a certain point means a proportional increase in solution precipitated and therefore not only an increase in the percentage of dissolved gold recovered, but an actual descrease in tailing loss. The importance of the influence of the percentage of moisture in the underflow on loss is made clear, and I. may add that unless it is quite evident that pulp can be safely settled to 50 per cent. solids, or more, it is usually advisable to use a continuous filter at the end of. a decantation plant to reduce losses in cyanide and gold. Dissolution in Thickeners.-The influence of a change of solution on silver dissolution has long been emphasized and most gold operators have. recognized the annoying way in which a gold ore after being agitated until nothing more can be dissolved will loosen up again when almost ready for the dump after the dissolved metal has been removed by decantation or filtration. Continuous decantation gives favorable conditions for this additional dissolution and a chance to recover most of what is thus dissolved. This is especially true if an extra tank is used in the series and barren solution added at the second tank from the end instead, of the first, as shown in Mr. Eames' Fig. 1. It can be calculated that the use of this tank will reduce the mechanical loss of cyanide by one-third and cut the gold loss as well; but the saving in gold or silver that may dissolve when the pulp is first diluted with weak solution may be as important.

Jan 4, 1917

By J. F. Shirley, H. K. Burke

In January, 1964, three years of laboratory and pilot plant test work reached its culmination. The San Manuel Div. of the Magma Copper Co. switched its molybdenite extraction circuit from the sodium hypochlorite-ferrocyanide process to the new process described in this paper. The San Manuel Div. Concentrator of the Magma Copper Co. is located near San Manuel, Ariz., approximately 45 miles northeast of Tucson. The concentrator treats approximately 35,000 tons of ore per day containing about 0.85% copper and 0.025% molybdenite. The San Manuel ore body is a disseminated copper deposit in quartz monzonite and quartz monzonite porphyry. The primary copper mineral is chalcopyrite; minor amounts of chalcocite, bornite and covellite are also present in varying degrees. Pyrite makes up somewhat more than half the sulfide content of the rock. The molybdenite is nearly always found on fracture faces or associated with quartz veinlets.' On January 9, 1964, the sodium hypochlorite-ferrocyanide process that had been used for molybdenite recovery was replaced by the following process: 1) A conditioning step with hydrogen peroxide, sulfuric acid, sodium cyanide and zinc sulfate. 2) A two stage rougher flotation step with stove oil and sodium ferrocyanide. 3) One cleaning step with sodium ferrocyanide. 4) One cleaning step with sodium hypochlorite and potassium ferricyanide. 5) Four cleaning steps with an anti-foam Exfoam 636 and potassium ferricyanide. COPPER CONCENTRATOR Since molybdenite recovery is closely allied with previous steps in the operation, the copper concentrator will be briefly described first. The ore is ground to approximately 5% plus 65-mesh and 65% minus 200-mesh in a two-step grinding circuit consisting of rod mills in open circuit and ball mills in closed circuit with rake classifiers. A straight forward rougher circuit producing only one concentrate is used. The rougher concentrate is combined with the discharge from the regrind ball mills and is then cycloned, with the overflow going directly to the cleaner circuit and the underflow going to the regrind mills. The feed to the cleaner circuit is approximately 90% to 94% minus 325 mesh. The cleaner circuit consists of two stages in which the tailing from the final cleaner stage is returned to the primary cleaner and the primary cleaner tailing is returned to the rod mill discharge at the head of the circuit. Approximately 0.013 lb of the allyl ester of amyl xanthate (S-3302) per ton of ore is added to the rod mills and approximately 0.006 lb of sodium isopropyl xanthate (2-11) per ton of ore is stage added down the rougher banks. The frother used is methyl iso-butyl carbinol (MIBC) and it is added at various points in the grinding and the rougher flotation circuits. Lime is added to the ball mills and/or to the rod mills to maintain the desired pH in the rougher flotation. The rougher flotation has been operated at various pH levels between 10.5 and 11.5. Fuel oil is added in the regrind mills at a loading of approximately 0.01 lb per ton of ore. Factors Which Directly Affect Molybdenite Recovery: It has been found at San Manuel that, to obtain maximum molybdenite recovery, an oily type flotation collector must be added in the grinding circuit. When molybdenite is crystallized in the characteristic platy form, which appears to be the case almost all of the time at San Manuel, its surface has a greater tendency to adhere to oils than water. 2 Of the several oily type collectors available on the market, the allyl ester of amyl xanthate seems to be the best molybdenite promoter. The floatability of San Manuel's molybdenite does not appear to be affected, at least up to a pH of 11.5, by lime. It has been reported that at several plant operations high lime alkaline circuits have adversely affected the molybdenite recovery.3,4 It has been found through microscopic studies that the bulk of the chalcopyrite will float before the molybdenite in both the rougher and cleaner circuits. It is necessary to add fuel oil to the regrind mills to enhance the

Jan 1, 1965