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By J Zhou

Based on the mineralogical characteristics and mineral processing techniques required, gold ores can be classified into 12 types, including gold placers, quartz vein-lode ores, oxidized ores, silver-rich ores, iron oxide copper gold ores, porphyry copper gold ores, iron sulphide ores, arsenic sulphide ores, antimony sulphide ores, bismuth sulphide ores, telluride ores and carbonaceous sulphide ores. The bulk mineralogy and gold deportment of each ore type is different and may have a significant impact on ore processing and metal extraction. This paper summarizes the bulk mineralogy and gold deportment in some major types of gold ores and discusses the potential impact of gold deportment on gold metallurgy.

Jan 1, 2011

The Mineralogy and Reactivity of Pyrrhotite from Selected Nickel Ore Deposits and its Effect on Flotation Performance

Sep 13, 2010

By Liming Wang

One of the steps in the extractive metallurgy of lead is a refining process called drossing. Hot dross is mixture of impurity compounds that form on the surface during the cooling of lead blast furnace bullion, and in Missouri, the main impurities are copper and sulfur. The slow cooling of bullion throws out of solution all other minor impurity elements (or their compounds) which are much less soluble at lower temperatures (mainly nickel, arsenic, iron, and zinc). The transfer of bullion from the blast furnace to the refinery and the subsequent hot drossing step cause fugitive emission of lead-containing fume and dust, which creates a plant hygiene problem. One cause of the emissions is the high vapor pressure of lead and its compounds during transmission of = 1000 °C bullion to the drossing kettle. Another cause is the lifting of dross dust during manual skimming of dross. The environmental problems associated with the traditional hot drossing process provided an incentive to investigate a new drossing process that avoids contact between plant air and hot bullion or dross. A key aspect of the process development was a detailed mineralogical examination of dross from two different bullions. The bullion samples were cooled at different rates, and the dross filtered out and examined. The morphology, phase identification, and composition of the dross was examined by optical and SEM microscopy. The principal dross phases were copper and cuprous sulfide, galena, a complex sulfide containing copper, nickel and lead, and speiss (containing nickel, cobalt, iron, copper, lead, and arsenic compounds). The copper was acicular, with nickel and arsenic in solid solution. The cuprous sulfide was largely digenite in a granular or dendritic form. A substantial part of the dross was solidified matte with a eutectic microstructure, consisting mainly of CU2S and PbS. Small particles (some of which had a eutectic microstructure) never floated to the surface of the lead during the slowest cooling rate, thus indicating that flotation of tiny matte droplets and dross crystals is exceedingly slow. The success in separating dross and lead by centrifugal filtration suggests its application in industry as a replacement for traditional hot drossing.

Jan 1, 1995

By Claudia Gasparrini

"Factors affecting the extraction of gold are of a mineralogical nature. Knowledge of the mineralogy of the ore or metallurgical product to be treated, if appropriately combined with the metallurgical test work, may improve gold recoveries. .This paper outlines the mineralogical techniques f or the study of gold ores and metallurgical products and describes the gold mineralogy in relation to its metallurgy. An effective plan for studying refractory and other difficult ores, combining metallurgical test work, chemical analysis and mineralogy and capable of giving positive results over relatively short periods of time, is suggested.IntroductionFactors affecting gold recoveries are of a mineralogical nature and include (i) the gold-bearing minerals, (ii) their grain size and, particularly where the grain size is very fine (10 microns in diameter and less), (iii) their host minerals and (iv) the association these form with the gold-bearing minerals.Mineralogical studies of gold ores and metallurgical products containing gold in economic amounts (today down to 1/10 of one ounce per tonne or 2.84 ppm) are difficult and time consuming. Mostly because of such reason, metallurgical testing (test work) is usually done simply by trial and error without understanding the causes for failure or success.Mineralogical studies, if appropriately conducted and combined with the test work, provide an efficient mean s of improving recoveries through the understanding of gold losses derived from the use of the wrong technique for separation. The information they provide is therefore the first step in the development of recovery techniques, for those ores where the test work alone failed to produce positive results."

Jan 1, 1983

By Thomas Kuhn, Carsten Ruehlemann, Christina Heller, Anna Wegorzewski

The commercial extraction of metals from manganese nodules on an industrial scale requires more than 50% of the investment necessary to realize manganese nodule mining. This is mainly due to the fact that a completely new metallurgical processing scheme for the extraction of both base metals (Ni, Cu, Co) and high-tech metals (Mo, Li, Ga) has to be developed and upgraded to industrial scale. There are a number of conventional processing technologies that combine hydro- and pyro-metallurgical approaches such as the INCO and CUPRION processes which have been developed in the 1970s and 1980s. Today, new approaches based on selective leaching with chelating agents and bioleaching try to minimize energy consumption and waste production. All of these extraction methods require knowledge how the metals are structurally bound in the manganese oxides. In this contribution we will review the current knowledge about the mineralogy of iron and manganese minerals in the different marine oxide deposits, present our results, and discuss the possible consequences for metal extraction.

Sep 1, 2014

By Sarah Beutner Mavrogenes

The mineralogy of three slags from a domestic secondary copper refinery were studied by applied mineralogical techniques to determine the: 1) phases present, 2) phase chemistry, 3) phase abundance, 4) associations, 5) crystalline habit, 6) grain size, 7)microtextures, and 8) causes for certain metallurgical problems, such as metal losses to the slags. The slags were produced by skimming the bath prior to melt-down to allow heat from the flame to reach the bath. The first slag is highly viscous and all three slags contain a large amount of copper. The "first slag", which is skimmed prior to treatment of the bath with fluxes, contains metallic copper, cuprite, delafossite, magnetite, Mg-hercynite, common spinel-chromite solid solution, picrochromite-chromite solid solution, common spinel-picrochromite solid soiution, gahnite, cassiterite, silica-rich glass, and corundum. Its abundant solid refractory phases make the slag difficult to skim. The "soda-rich slag", skimmed after the treatment of the bath with sodium carbonate flux, contains cuprite, delafossite, magnetite, cassiterite, Na-Al-silicate, and Na-Al-Ca-silicate. It contains less metallic copper than the first slag and lacks the refractory minerals. The "phosphorus-rich slag", skimmed after treatment of the bath with a copper phosphide flUX, contains metallic copper, cuprite, delafossite, berlinite, cassiterite, silica, apatite, Cu-Fe-rich apatite, copper phosphate, Cu-Fe-phosphate, and a Pb-phosphate. In contrast to the above three copper-rich slags, recent charges have produced a silver-copper-rich slag. The "silver-rich slag", skimmed after the treatment of the bath with a copper phosphor ide-borax flux, contains, cassiterite, delafossite, cuprite, a Na-Al-silicate, magnetite, metallic copper, MgO, common spinel-chromite solid solution, and wollastonite. Silver ranging from 0.05 to 2.02% was found by atomic absorption and inductively coupled plasma spectrometry analyses in the metallic copper phase.

Jan 1, 1989

By McGhie R. R

The general structural features and the principal mineral relationships of the Black Star ore body, Mount Isa, Queensland, have been described in several previously published papers. But particular reference may be made to the work of Grondijs and Schouten, whose examination of over 200 polished sections revealed some remarkable features in the process of ore deposition. The observations by the present authors are based upon the study of a smaller ·set of specimens complementary to those examined by Grondijs and Schouten and are intended to elaborate certain aspects of the mineral relationships, more particularly those affecting the ore-dressing processes.The work described applies to the primary sulphide ore only, and to the present milling practice of fine-grinding and selective flotation.GEOLOGICAL FEATURESThe Black Star is one of several economic mineral concentrations in the Mount Isa series of thinly bedded carbonaceous shales, which are considered to be of preCambrian age. The nlineralization is apparently connected with pegmatite intrustions located within some miles of the ore bodies, and has been Gontrolled in the main by major folding of the shales and by a shear system which follows approximately the strike and dip of the beds. The detailed "The investigations described in this paper were made in the Metallurgy Department, University of Melbourne, where the senior author was formerly Senior Lecturer in Mining and Metallurgy. A report on a section of the work was submitted by the junior author as a thesis requIred by the University of Queensland.

Jan 1, 1939

By M. Bryson, S. Broom-Fendley, A. E. Brady, W. Dawes, G. Beer, N. Sehlotho, S. Al-Ali, F. Wall

The Songwe Hill Rare Earth Element (REE) Project in Malawi is a near surface carbonatite-hosted deposit with synchysite and apatite as the key REE bearing minerals. A strong focus has been placed on understanding the REE mineralogy of the Songwe Hill carbonatite as REE mineralogical characterization is a crucial component at all steps, ranging from exploration to production, in the development of REE deposits. Extensive mineralogical work has been completed at Camborne School of Mines (CSM), Natural History Museum (NHM) London, British Geological Survey (BGS), Nottingham, Aberystwyth University, Wales, Mintek, South Africa, and SGS Inc. Canada (SGS). The following analytical techniques were used: scanning electron microscopy (SEM), electron microprobe analysis (EMPA), laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS), and QEMSCAN®. The detailed studies have demonstrated that while synchysite is light-REE enriched as expected, apatite, abundant in all stages of carbonatite emplacement at Songwe, is anomalously enriched in mid- to heavy-REE relative to apatite in other carbonatite deposits. The distribution of REE within synchysite and apatite at Songwe has had important implications for the direction of the metallurgical work with respect to the behaviour of light and heavy REE through the flotation and hydrometallurgical stages of the flow sheet.

Jan 1, 2014

By C. Doyle, J. Brennan, C. Díaz, J. Hrepic, K. Cushnie

"In 1991/1992, INCO undertook a successful R&D program aimed at extending the lining lives of the top blown rotary converters (TBRCs)at its Copper Cliff Nickel Refinery (CCNR) and the electric furnace at INMETCO. At the laboratory scale, this effort was divided into three phases. In the first part, mineralogical work was performed on six refractories that were either currently being used to line these vessels or were considered suitable alternatives. In the second part, this mineralogical knowledge was used to help determine the compositions of slags that would not corrode the bricks at the operating temperature (1600°C) of the above furnaces. Finally, several important properties of the six refractories were measured to complete their evaluation as candidate linings. This paper reports the results of all three phases of the laboratory scale R&D work.The mineralogical work showed that rebonded fused grain magnesite-chrome (RFG-MC) bricks consist principally of periclase with minor amounts of free chromite and trace quantities of silicates monticellite and sometimes olivine. The bricks are principally held together by periclase-periclase direct bonding. Of note, the bulk of the chromite exists as exsolved precipitated blebs within the periclase grains. These likely redissolve at high temperature.Slags on the periclase liquidus coexist stably with these refractories. Examples are presented using CaO-MgO-Al2O3-SiO2 slags at~1600°C.Finally, the two refractories manufactured using close to 100% fused grain material generally outperformed the others in terms of physical properties and certainly were superior in their resistance to slag penetration damage."

Jan 1, 1997

By Harold J. Bennett

The Minerals Availability Program is a Bureau of Mines Program to systematically measure and classify identified worldwide nonfuel mineral resources according to their respective extraction technology, economics, and commercial availability. The program is designed to identify, collect, compile, and evaluate information on worldwide active mines as well as on developed and explored mineral deposits, and on mineral processing plants. Objectives are to classify domestic and foreign resources, to identify by cost evaluations resources that are reserves, and to prepare analyses of the availability of these resources for 34 commodities and secondary minerals. Availability analyses consider such factors as geographic location, the type of producible material, the technology and time required to produce a marketable product, and the productive capacity and unit cost for each deposit. These factors, reflected in the aggregated tabular and graphical data in the study for each commodity, are developed for consideration in the formulation of both domestic and foreign mineral policy. To date, the data have been collected for the 34 commodities and the availability analyses are in various stages of completion; expected first cycle completion date for all 34 is early 1986. Raw and aggregated data are available to the public in the form of computer-generated listings, tapes, and maps as well as in published reports. Also, systems developed to assist in performing the engineering and economic c analyses, including the computerized economic evaluation program (MINSIM) and the cost estimating system (CES), are available.

Jan 1, 1984

By Thomas J. O’Neil

During the past five years, the mining industry has been subjected to new operating constraints that are unprecedented in number, scope, and urgency. The industry must operate in a safer, cleaner manner, yet produce more without large price increases. Compliance with any new sweeping legislation is always difficult-and particularly so in today's adverse economic climate, which is being aggravated by the steady stream of environmental control and tax-reform programs. In effect, while government is unwittingly but surely undercutting the country's productive capabilities, it blames industry for the resulting failure to meet consumer demand. Any such real or alleged failure then brings heightened bitterness from Congress. During the recent energy shortage, for instance, threats of nationalization were ventilated in public along with proposals to abolish the mineral depletion allowance.

Jan 11, 1974

In the 1980s and?90s the gold mining industry in South Africa came under pressure from the continued poor dollar gold price and escalating Rand based costs, furthermore the external impacts on the industry were changing. Thus, the Chamber of Mines (COM) shifted its focus away from many historical areas of support towards the new industry challenges in safety and health, labour markets, environmental responsibility, mineral rights legislation and social responsibility. During 1997 the lack of funds and the changes facing the tertiary institutions were often subjects of discussion at the various sub-committee meetings. The Metallurgical Sub-committee of the Chamber Education Fund or the Sub-committee of Consulting Metallurgists as it was known identified the need for the funding structure to change with the times. Up to this time the Chamber of Mines operated an Education Fund that supported mining industry academic departments at various South African tertiary institutions; these funds were derived exclusively from the country?s gold and coal mines the basis of Chamber membership. Funds of less than R5 million per annum were available for distribution by the three disciplinary sub-committees of mining, metallurgy and geology.

Jan 1, 2003

By D. Almond

Low-grade, complex mineral deposits have resulted in the need for complicated large-throughput processing plants delivering increased productivity, reliability, and utilization, together with reducing operational costs. Complex mineralogy has resulted in complicated process flow sheets designed to recover minerals as efficiently as possible. In addition, the remote location of many minerals-processing plants, continuously rising energy costs, and fierce competition pose significant challenges to the modern mine, compounded by a global scarcity of qualified and experienced operational personnel. Over the last decade the Internet and automation technologies have undergone major advancements. Automation technologies, solutions, and concepts that existed, but were considered risky or unreliable prior to the year 2000, have now gained acceptance and matured. Furthermore, new technologies and different collaboration schemes have appeared, offering innovative solutions to the mining industry to address many of the challenges described. These advancements in reliable remote systems that access technology through the Internet provide significant opportunity to support mining operations, enhance process performance, provide engineering services, and proactively anticipate and execute maintenance services. This paper references a global survey of automation trends in the mining industry and the potential for an intelligent collaborative environment using automation technologies to exploit opportunities in operating the plant of the future, increasing effectiveness, and reducing operational costs. A variety of possibilities are described, including asset management solutions, remote access capabilities, performance monitoring solutions, advanced process control technologies, and the formation of an intelligent collaborative environment. A real example where this technology is used to support the operation and maintenance at a cement plant in Egypt is given to underpin the concepts described in this paper.

Jan 1, 2012

The New Zealand Minerals Industry is small but growing. Over the next 10 years it will be facing stiff international competition for skills to support this growth, particularly from Australia who are forecasting that a further 70 000 people will be employed by 2015.   The value of commodities mined and quarried in NZ continues to increase; and the value of coal, metals and industrial minerals production reached $1.505 billion in 2006, an increase of 15 per cent on 2005. Production increases will continue à. Latest Crown Minerals statistics show that national prospecting and exploration expenditure rose to $29.9 million in the year ended March 31 2006 û an increase of 46 per cent from the $20.4 million spent in the March 2005 year. The equivalent 2001 year expenditure was only $2.48 million.   The industry already experiences difficulty in recruiting the people it needs with ongoing demand for skilled underground miners, trades people, and mining professionals. This discussion paper will outline the national context with regard to labour, skills and training. It will suggest options and provide an opportunity for conference participants to discuss the way forward.

Jan 1, 2007

By Z. Zhang, M. S. Gonzalez, M. de P. Bueno, P. Holopainen, S. Luukkanen

In an extremely competitive mining industry, onsite experience is a big advantage. Mining education at the universities is mostly focused on theoretical studies without a possibility of practical training in mining sites. Hence, experimental mines suitable for practical education are needed to provide a platform for systematic research and education in industrial scale and for training in real mining conditions. Yet, this kind of mine sites is rare worldwide. Thus, a new educational research project, namely MINETRAIN is introduced in this paper evaluating the transition of the Pyhäsalmi mine in Central Finland from an active base metal mine to a research, educational and training underground facility. The uniqueness of MINETRAIN compared to other test mine programs is that the existing state‐of‐art infrastructure in Pyhäsalmi enables research and training facilities among all disciplines related to the overall mine value chain. Though all the above sound interesting in the context of research and education purposes, in practice Pyhäsalmi will have to become an experimental mine that can be sustainable in the future. Accordingly, a prefeasibility study is being conducted and some preliminary results are presented in this paper. INTRODUCTION Despite being a field of studies that requires practical knowledge and experience, mining engineering education follows the same pattern in most mining universities around the world; consisting of theoretical courses and laboratory-based practical modules (Mischo, 2015). The possibility of having practical training in real mining conditions on actual mine sites or processing plants is limited to none, while the only contact that undergraduate students have with mining operations during their time of studies is usually through short-time internships or visits in the context of educational trips. Yet, real integration between universities and the mining industry may be scarce, which does not help students to observe the actual processes, and thus understand the whole picture of mining operations. Indirect practical training is also possible nowadays that technology is shifting from mechanical to digital, and the use of virtual reality -in the context of Mining 4.0- can provide additional experience to the learning process. However, virtual reality is limited to the visual impression and is also limited in actions (Binder et al, 2018). In any case, when there is not a proper pragmatic view of how the different disciplines link to each other and especially if there is a lack of communication, unfortunately the results could be seen at a later stage in the mines as a poor performance of professionals and workers. Another major challenge for educating specialists in the mining sector is that experimental mines suitable for practical education, where the skills and know-how could be developed and/or enhanced are rare worldwide. Such research and educational (R&E) facilities are practically former metal ore mines that have been transformed into experimental sites. Besides being limited in number, not all facilities of this kind serve both a research and educational purpose.

Jan 1, 2019

By Z. Zhang, M. S. Gonzalez, M. de P. Bueno, P. Holopainen, S. Luukkanen

"Despite being a field of study that requires practical knowledge and experience, mining engineering education follows the same pattern in most mining universities around the world, consisting of theoretical courses and laboratory-based practical modules (Mischo, 2015). The possibility of having practical training in real mining conditions on actual mine sites or processing plants is limited, while the only contact that undergraduate students have with mining operations during their time of study is usually through shorttime internships or visits in the context of educational trips. Real integration between universities and the mining industry may be scarce, which does not help students to observe the actual processes and thus understand the whole picture of mining operations.Indirect practical training is now possible since that technology is shifting from mechanical to digital, and the use of virtual reality — in the context of Mining 4.0 — can provide additional experience to the learning process. However, virtual reality is limited to the visual impression and is also limited in actions (Binder et al., 2018). In any case, when there is not a proper pragmatic view of how the different disciplines link to each other, especially if there is a lack of communication, unfortunately the results could be seen at a later stage in the mines as a poor performance of professionals and workers.Another major challenge for educating specialists in the mining sector is that experimental mines suitable for practical education, where the skills and knowhow could be developed and/or enhanced, are rare worldwide. Such research and educational (R&E) facilities are practically former metal ore mines that have been transformed into experimental sites. Besides being limited in number, not all facilities of this kind serve both a research and educational purpose.An early example of asolely experimental mines is the Luossavaara-Kiirunavaara Mine site operated by LKAB in Sweden, where systematic research on rock mechanics and mining engineering was successfully carried out in the 1980s. As a result, the developed underground mining technology was applied in LKAB’s mines at a later stage. There have also been research mines within collieries such as the former Lake Macquarie Mine at New South Wales in Australia and the Zeche Tremonia Mine in Germany), but these are no longer in operation (Mischo, 2015)."

Oct 1, 2019

By G. A. Mallory

"The South Bay Division of Selco Mining is located fifty-four miles northeast of Ear Falls Ontario on Confederation Lake. The concentrator operates five days a week and processes six hundred tons per day of copper zinc silver sulphide ore. The concentrator is comprised of crushing, grinding, differential flotation, thickening and drying circuits. The major constituents of the concentrator feed are: chalcopyrite 7%, sphalerite 20%, pyrrhotite 3%, pyrite 25 - 30% and felsitic volcanics 40 - 50%. The mine went into production in March 1971 with an anticipated three year life and is now scheduled for closure in the summer of 1981. Recent mine production has been limited to three cut and fill stopes which have widely varying ore grades, therefore mill feeds vary from 0.25 to 4% copper, 3.5 to 27% zinc, 0 to 0.4% lead and 15 to 30% iron.In mid 1977 Selco negotiated a six month rental purchase agreement with Outokumpu Instruments Canada Limited for a five stream analyser system. The Minexan 202 probes were the first Outokumpu probe type analysers installed in Canada although Outokumpus' Courier systems are well known. Installation of the system took place in April 1978 and after numerous hardware faults the six month evaluation began in August. By December it was obvious that the Minexan 202 probes with proportional detectors did not have adequate resolution to determine low copper values in either of the tailings streams. Outokumpu offered to replace the tailings analysers with a new prototype solid state detector probe the following summer. The evaluation on the five Minexan 202 probes continued until August 1979 when the new solid probe was installed. The Minexan S (solid state) probe was evaluated with the three remaining Minexan 202 probes until December 1979 when Selco elected to purchase the system."

Jan 1, 1981

By Thomas A. Morley

This paper deals with the minimization of ventilation costs for the controlled-flow mine ventilation network. Cost elements considered include the cost of power and the fixed cost of the fans. The problem is modeled in a mixed-integer programming format and solved via the branch and bound method. Computational experience with sample problems is discussed.

Jan 1, 1983

By A P. Tinnelly

This paper explores the structural/physical and policy based issues that have lead to the apparent resource conflict between Forestry and Mining on the West Coast. Both industries are important to the West Coast and bear many similarities, particularly at the corporate end of the mining scale. However there are very distinct structural differences which set the scene for friction at the boundaries. Examples of how mining impacts upon forestry illustrate where some of the friction arises and provides some insight as to where some solutions are or may be found.

Jan 1, 1996

The mining industry provides employment opportunities for individuals from a wide variety of disciplines. Solid Energy New Zealand Limited (Solid Energy) is New ZealandÆs largest coal mining company and the career opportunities for school leaver trainees and university graduates are numerous. Solid Energy also provides fixed term opportunities for consultants and contracting companies, who complement the wealth of knowledge already within the company.   Focussing on Stockton Mine and my involvement there as an Engineering Geologist, this paper looks at Stockton Mine and the Stockton Water Management Project and outlines the career paths of other young professionals also working at Stockton.

Jan 1, 2007