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Morning Star Gold aims to enter the ranks of Australia's gold producers, revitalising the Eastern Victorian Goldfi elds in the second half of 2010 - the fi rst gold production in around 50 years from the Morning Star Gold mine, which was once Australia's largest under WMC. This presentation will outline the redevelopment of the Morning Star Gold Mine from exploration to production. Morning Star Gold NL's (MCO) key project area is centred at the historic mining town of Woods Point and nearby Matlock (to the southeast) and Gaffney's Creek (to the northwest), all of which are located in the lower part of the Victorian Alps roughly 60 kms south of Mansfield. Morning Star has literally numerous historic mines and gold bearing 'dykes' on its tenements, many with a rich production history of high-grade gold from quartz reefs and alluvial sources. The area encompassing the Woods Point goldfi eld and the multiple high-grade gold bearing dyke structures located north towards Jamieson and south towards Walhalla formed one of the most significant mining fields in Australian history. Historical gold production was at least 155 t or around six million ounces of over a century of mining with an average production grade exceeding 27 g per tonne. The bulk of this recorded production came from just a handful of mines and of those only three were mined to any great depth. One of the key historical production hubs in this area was the famous 'Morning Star' mine, which is situated adjacent to Woods Point township. The Morning Star mine produced almost one million ounces at 27 grams per tonne, operating fairly continuously between 1861 and 1959 with a break after Jan 1939 due to the devastating 'Black Friday' bush fi res across eastern Victoria. During the early 1940s, the Morning Star was Australia's biggest gold mine. The Morning Star mine along with Walhalla ensured that this goldfield was third behind Bendigo and Ballarat as Victoria's biggest hardrock gold production centre. Morning Star Gold has rebuilt its 100 per cent owned 'Morning Star' mine with a view to producing gold in the second half of 2010. Morning Star is exploring its regional dykes in order to estimate an overall gold endowment and rank local production sources to feed its proposed mill at the Morning Star mine site. Key initial targets (all within 11 kms of the Morning Star mine) are the Waverly, All Nations, Rose of Denmark, Hunts, Wallaby and Loch Fyne dykes, all of which historically produced high grade gold, much of it gained from only shallow workings above the water table in the weathered zone of rocks. Historically the Morning Star mine was developed over 24 levels to a depth of 940 m via one large vertical shaft and a smaller, deeper inclined shaft at the 1900 feet level underground. At present MCO has dewatered and completely refurbished all infrastructure to the ten level (~310 m below surface). MCO knows there are a number of substantially under-explored and undeveloped or partially developed but not stoped areas within the Morning Star mine. As a result, MCO has been carrying out extensive channel sampling and an underground diamond drilling program targeting areas of the mine that were largely unexplored and undeveloped by the last operators of the mine - Western Mining Corp Ltd (Gold Mines of Australia). Four thousand, fi ve hundred pages of archival WMC records have helped the cause significantly. The shaft refurbishment and reconstruction stage is complete. This has been a program that originally commenced back in 1993 and has cost around $22 M. This refurbishment paved the way for the extensive underground resource focused diamond drilling program, which MCO completed in 2008 with two company-owned and operated drill rigs from drill cuddies on level 9 (900 feet underground) of the mine. This drilling, which encountered some stunning grades intersections and multiple visible gold hits, has outlined further production opportunities including 0.4 m @ 1392 g/t Au (MS 410). Metallurgical testing conducted by Gekko Systems of samples obtained from the exploration program found gravity concentration and a leach circuit gave recoveries of ~95 per cent to 99 per cent, or ~92 per cent from gravity alone at a coarse crush (300 ¦m). Currently, the plan is to use gravity to fi rstly produce dore bars on-site from the free milling gold and secondly a saleable concentrate for CIL processing off-site. A purpose built 10 t/h (~80 000 t/a) gravity treatment plant was subsequently ordered from Gekko and is expected to be installed onsite and commissioned in the Q3 2010. The plant features fi ne crushing with a vertical shaft impactor, followed by gold concentration by inline pressure jig, inline spinner and Wilfley table. This is an ABSTRACT ONLY. No paper was prepared for this presentation.

Aug 1, 2010

By Issa S. AI-Kharusy

Oxidation/reduction (REDOX) alloy media, as used in wastewater treatment, is founded on the exchange of electrons. Because of this electron exchange, many contaminants are converted to harmless components which require no further treatment. Other types of contaminants are removed from the waste stream by electrochemically bonding to the alloy medium. This paper discusses the REDOX reactions, the role of the alloy medium in various treatment processes, and describes specific applications of REDOX alloy media for the removal and minimization of waste. The characteristics and handling of spent treatment media is also reviewed as a further consideration in waste minimization.

Jan 1, 1996

Explosives are used to mine coal. Any blast results in three size categories of products, namely over-, middle-, and under-size. Boulders can still be broken smaller in further operations after blasting. The under-size, for instance coal fines, negatively affects the mining efficiency. Their reduction ensures better returns. The paper concerns investigations aimed at reducing coal fines' generation. Inherent fractures are identified as one of source of fines. The discussion is therefore centered on establishing a relationship between the fracture occurrence, the explosive properties and the blast outputs evaluated in terms of the fines generated.

Jan 1, 1996

By J Say, M Hawtin, L Carlon, P Cann

Historically, production from sublevels of the Ernest Henry Mine (EHM) started from blind uphole rises at the end of slot drives. Where previous investigations considered removing these slot drives and starting production with independent ore drives, any development savings were consumed when drives were extended to minimise ore loss. Since 2017, EHM and Orica have been investigating opportunities to optimise drill and blast practices by implementing Orica’s Wireless Electronic Blasting System (WEBS). To reduce ore drive development metres, a novel design was proposed utilising the WebGen™ 100 system to combine a rise with pre-charged widening firings. Initially these new rise and widening firings achieved results similar to previous EHM designs, achieving on average 81 per cent of design height and width. Due to poor performance of the fourth trial a significant re-design was required. Modifications included drill hole re-positioning, in-hole primer relocation and initiation delay adjustments. Since the re-design a step change in rise performance has been observed with rise and pre-charged widening shots averaging 95 per cent of design height and width. With rise and widening performance exceeding expectations, the removal of slot drives has allowed a substantial reduction in lateral development. Development savings of 165 m and 169 m from the RL1325 and RL1300 levels have been achieved. Primary draw and ore recovery has also increased due to the later addition of pre charged forward stripping rings. Level design changes have also significantly improved the mining cycle by allowing for a reduction in required ground support, improved secondary ventilation, a reduction of critical path development, simpler production scheduling and less wear and tear on machinery. Future mine level designs now incorporate key learnings and are proving beneficial to a variety of scenarios including changing orebody boundaries at depth.

Mar 15, 2021

By Research Staff ? Verde Copper Mines

FLOTATION is now commonly practiced in alkaline ore pulps, yet little is known regarding the action of the alkaline solutions on the ore particles beyond the fact that films of oxidized material form. We wish to chronicle our discovery of the presence of soluble reducing agents in alkaline ore pulps of the United Verde, and present some data on lime consumption. During the grinding and flotation of a pyritic ore containing small amounts of ferrous sulfate and other soluble salts, an excess of lime was added to precipitate the salts, and filtered samples of the solution were titrated with standard permanganate solution. Even in pulps of high causticity an appreciable permanganate titration was always obtained, in spite of the fact that the solutions were shown to contain little iron. Investigation of the cause brought about the discovery of several previously unsuspected compounds in flotation pulps made from pyritic ore. Not only the reducing agents present had to be identified, but also the amount of dissolved oxygen, and a survey was finally made of the free oxygen content and reducing agents of the mill pulp in the concentrating mill at Clarkdale. A great many compounds might form, caused by oxidation of pyrite or other metal sulfides or by reaction between a lime solution and pyrite. The most probable compounds considered were calcium sulfides; polysul-fides, thiosulfates, and polythionates. Later it was discovered in the literature that in alkaline pulp polythionates do not exist and if introduced. are decomposed into sulfites and thiosulfates.1 Any precipitated sulfur is changed by alkali into thiosulfate and polysulfide. Sulfites and sulfides react to form thiosulfate, so that in the end it is possible to have in an alkaline solution only thiosulfate and an excess either of sulfide or sulfite. Confirmatory tests were made and it was finally established that the alkaline mill pulps made from the United Verde ore contained

Jan 1, 1929

By Research Staff ? Verde Copper Mines

FLOTATION is now commonly practiced in alkaline ore pulps, yet little is known regarding the action of the alkaline solutions on the ore particles beyond the fact that films of oxidized material form. We wish to chronicle our discovery of the presence of soluble reducing agents in alkaline ore pulps of the United Verde, and present some data on lime consumption. During the grinding and flotation of a pyritic ore containing small amounts of ferrous sulfate and other soluble salts, an excess of lime was added to precipitate the salts, and filtered samples of the solution were titrated with standard permanganate solution. Even in pulps of high causticity an appreciable permanganate titration was always obtained, in spite of the fact that the solutions were shown to contain little iron. Investigation of the cause brought about the discovery of several previously unsuspected compounds in flotation pulps made from pyritic ore. Not only the reducing agents present had to be identified, but also the amount of dissolved oxygen, and a survey was finally made of the free oxygen content and reducing agents of the mill pulp in the concentrating mill at Clarkdale. A great many. compounds might form, caused by oxidation of pyrite or other metal sulfides or by reaction between a lime solution and pyrite. The most probable compounds considered were calcium sulfides, polysulfides, thiosulfates, and polythionates. Later it was discovered in the literature that in alkaline pulp polythionates do not exist and if introduced are decomposed into sulfites and thiosulfates.1 Any precipitated sulfur is changed by alkali into thiosulfate and polysulfide. Sulfites and sulfides react to form thiosulfate, so that in the end it is possible to have in an alkaline solution only thiosulfate and an excess either of sulfide or sulfite. Confirmatory tests were made and it was finally established that the alkaline mill pulps made from the United Verde ore contained

Jan 1, 1929

By S B. Richardson, D Mead, N T. Moxon

The use of air-decks to reduce explosive costs has become very topical in recent years. The majority of the research in this area has been arried out between the Soviet Union where reductions in explosive consumption of between 10-30% have been claimed with apparent benefits being gained in both fragmentation and movement. Work carried out by the University of Maryland using thick plexiglass blocks has supported these findings and indicated that air-decks in measetbe duration of action of the shock wave on the surrounding material by a factor of 2 to 5 (see Figure 1). Although the fracture network resulting from this mechanism is not as intense as that produced adjacent to the explosive charge it does appear to act over a larger volume of material. Although the mechanism attributed to air-decking has been studied in some detail the effect of this mechanism on the size distribution of material produced during a blast does not appear tot have attracted much attention.

Jan 1, 1991

By M. J. Klishis

This paper presents the findings of a study on roof bolters' hazard exposure. A "micro-analysis" of accident data was combined with ergonomic observations of roof bolter operators to categorize bolting-related injuries and a checklist was constructed. Bolting-related problems were identified as situations that could expose bolter operators to hazards. Approaches to avoid these situations were applied at six mining operations to evaluate specific problems in roof bolting operations. The re-search emphasized the importance of analyzing worker behaviors in the context of mining situations and equipment design problems that lead to human error accidents.

Jan 1, 1995

By Monique Pharand, Jeet Basi, Simon Hille

"High quality activated carbon is essential in the recovery of gold in Carbon-in-Leach (CIL), Carbon-in-Pulp (CIP), and Carbon-in-Column (CIC) circuits. Goldcorp’s Campbell complex at Red Lake Gold Mines (RLGM) experienced a period of low soluble gold (Au) recoveries during Q3 2013, during which time the processing plant saw higher than typical Au grades in the CIP tails solution stream. A technical review identified that the CIP circuit may be experiencing a carbon-fouling issue. To further understand the degree of fouling, and to troubleshoot the low recovery problem, samples of carbon were collected from the CIP, elution, acid wash, and regeneration circuits, and submitted for characterization test work. This paper summarizes the steps taken to remedy the carbon-fouling problem at RLGM resulting in increased overall Au recovery.Overview of Red Lake Gold MinesRed Lake Gold Mines is located approximately 450 kilometres northeast of Winnipeg, Manitoba, in Ontario’s western boundary region.All mining is carried out through underground operations, utilizing overhand cut and fill, underhand cut and fill, and long-hole mining methods. Ore types include: silica-replaced carbonate veins with free milling gold, siliceous replacement-type mineralization (rich with arsenopyrite) marginal to veins, broad disseminated sulphide mineralization along major shears, and some minor sulphidized chemical sediment-hosted ore. The operation is supported by two milling complexes: Red Lake, and Campbell.Process DescriptionThe Campbell processing plant's main unit operations consist of grinding, gravity concentrating, flotation, autoclaving, leaching, carbon-in-pulp (CIP), carbon elution and reactivation, electro-winning, bullion smelting/refining and cyanide destruction, and concentrate handling. A schematic of the plant flowsheet is shown in the figure below.BackgroundHigh quality activated carbon is essential in the recovery of gold at many CIP/CIL/CIC processing plants. At RLGM, gold-bearing ore is milled and cyanide is added to leach the gold from the solids into solution. The dissolved gold then comes into contact with activated carbon, and adsorbs onto its highly porous surfaces. Gold is then recovered by separating the activated carbon from the main slurry for further refining. As such, the characteristics and quality of the activated carbon have a significant and direct impact on overall gold recovery."

Jan 1, 2016

By G M. Tranell, M Tangstad

The CO2 footprints in the production of Mn-ferroalloys and silicon/ferrosilicon are correlated with the fossil carbon consumption. The CO2 emissions may be reduced in the Mn-ferroalloy process by increasing the degree of prereduction and reduction of carbonate materials, while the silicon/ferrosilicon process is optimised based on silicon yield. By changing the fossil reductant into biogenic reductants, the global warming potential will be decreased even more. Even if the reductants are biogenic reductants, there will still be a global warming potential (GWP) in eg the electrode consumption and the CH4 emissions in the charcoal production. To reduce the use of fossil reductants there are also more disruptive technologies like the use of H2 that at least for the silicon production is on a very low technology readiness level (TRL). Using metallothermic processes will reduce the use of carbon but requires carbon neutral metal reductants. Electrowinning can have low CO2 emissions, and the electrowinning of pure Mn is a technology of high TRL. Salt and oxide electrolysis is under investigation for both Mn and Si production however the research is still on a low TRL. The use of CCS/CCU (carbon capture storage/utilisation) is a part of obtaining carbon neutral processes. Last, the energy mix used for these energy demanding processes is discussed.

Aug 21, 2024

By Tapan Goswami, Lloyd Hain, Geoff Brent

For many years Ramp 24 at Ensham mine in Queensland, Australia has suffered substantial coal loss and damage due to the fragile nature of the coal and problematic geological conditions, which have proved very challenging. In the past various blasting techniques were applied in attempts to improve coal recovery. One approach was to use a shallow throw (cast) blast followed by a separate post-strip blast underneath. Another method was the introduction of the practice known as “baby decking” with the addition of a large buffer of material in front of the coal. However, despite increasing mining costs, none of these techniques adequately reduced coal edge loss and damage.

Jan 1, 2008

By R Battison, R Duggan, S Esen, K Henley, P Dare-Bryan

Increased catch bench crest loss has been observed in recent years at Barrick’s Cowal Gold Mine situated in central New South Wales, Australia. A project was initiated to diagnose the cause of the crest loss, and evaluate ways to limit its effect on final walls.A range of different blast measurement techniques were utilised to evaluate the progressive damage caused to catch berms by presplit, production and trim blasts. Techniques employed included; single point vibration measurement, cross-hole seismic analysis, precision berm surveys, horizontal p-wave velocity measurements, crest loss volume calculation and water level changes between blasts.Blast measurements showed that the majority of damage to the catch berm was caused by the presplit blasts, which registered vibrations greater than 700 mm/s at 5 m behind the presplit line. As a result, considerable changes were made to the blast designs after a series of computer simulations via mechanistic blast modelling (MBM). The uncharged presplit collar was increased from 2 m to 4 m, and every second hole was left uncharged. Vibration modelling using a multiple seed wave (MSW) model was used to optimise trim blast delay timing. Burden relief was changed from 16 ms/m to 27 ms/m using one hole firing per 4 ms time window, and the initiation angle was changed from shallow to steep. These changes in the presplit loading and trim timing helped reduce catch bench crest loss by 1–2 m.Trim shots using a high strength bulk emulsion explosive were also identified as contributors to berm damage after analysis of blast monitoring and MBM modelling. The modelling study resulted in the generation of alternative blast designs to minimise the crest loss, including the use of low-density/low-velocity of detonation (VOD) bulk explosive product (Flexigel™ Advantage) in trim pattern designs. This was trialled on the Northern and Eastern pit walls to evaluate the damage to catch berms on final walls. The trials demonstrated that berm vibration was reduced significantly; fragmentation was similar (or slightly blockier) compared to the fragmentation using the old blast designs; displacement of the berm was reduced, so increased catch bench widths were attained. This paper summarises the trials, and presents a summary of the crest loss to date.CITATION:Battison, R, Esen, S, Duggan, R, Henley, K and Dare-Bryan, P, 2015. Reducing crest loss at Barrick Cowal Gold Mine, in Proceedings 11th International Symposium on Rock Fragmentation by Blasting, pp 189–202 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Aug 24, 2015

By Fred Kissell

The Bureau of Mines has developed the shearer-clearer--a new type of dust control system for longwall shearers. The system partitions the airflow around the shearer into a clean split and a contaminated split. The dust cloud is confined to the vicinity of the coal face, while the shearer operators remain in the clean split on the gob side of the machine. The shearer-clearer operates on the principle that each water spray moves air like a small fan and can be positioned to direct the dusty air towards the face. The hardware is inexpensive and can be installed in a single shift. It consists of several strategically mounted water sprays and one or more passive barriers. Laboratory testing indicates reductions 1n shearer operator dust exposure as high as 97 pct. Preliminary results from an underground demonstration in one mine also indicate that considerable dust reductions at the shearer may be obtained. In conjunction with the development of the shearer-clearer, dust surveys were conducted in three other mines to determine if some shearer spray systems currently in use partition the flow in a manner similar to the shearer-clearer, and if so, whether this partially accounts for markedly cleaner conditions on some longwalls. Results from these surveys indicate this to be the case. A feature of the cleaner longwalls was a downwind orientation of their water sprays, which is a key element of the shearer-clearer system. The shearer-clearer system described in this report was designed for an Eickhoff EDW 300 shearer working a 7-foot coal seam. The testing to date has concentrated on cutting directions counter to the primary airflow. The development effort continues for different mining equipment and conditions. It is expected that different systems will be required to accommodate the range of conditions occurring underground. Application of the system presented here to conditions different than those described is not likely to produce the same results.

Jan 1, 1981

By Jr. Raleigh

As part vi the development of the Coal Quality Expert (CQRN) --a computer program capable of predicting the impacts of coal quality on power plant performance, costs, and emissions control--several nationally important coals are being characterized to augment the coal quality database associated with the software. The project is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy and the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) under the Clean coal Technology Program. Since 1989, CQ Inc. (a subsidiary of EPRI) has characterized seven bituminous coals from Alabama, Illinois, Kentucky and Oklahoma and six sub-bituminous coals from the Powder River Basin (PRB) in Montana and Wyoming. Coals from the PRB region--being burned more frequently in Midwestern and southern power plants to reduce emissions of sulfur oxide compounds--can sometimes contain significant concentrations of potentially toxic elements. Although no limits were imposed on air toxics emissions from fossil-fuel fired utilities by the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990, future regulations may be implemented at the conclusion of Federally-mandated emissions studies. One possible result is that any increased utilization of coals, including those from the PRB, may depend on the potential for removing toxic trace elements prior to combustion.

Jan 1, 1993

By Arthur Barnes, Mika Muinonen, M. J. Lavigne

"The carbothermic reduction of chromite ore to produce high carbon ferrochromium is among the most energy intensive metal extraction processes performed, due not only to the highly endothermic nature of the reduction reactions but also the very high operating temperatures required for the smelting operation to separate the chrome-containing alloy from the discard slag.KWG Resources and XPS have collaborated over the last 3 years in developing a patented (Winter) processing alternative to the traditional smelting operation in which all processing takes place in the solid state at temperatures many hundreds of degrees lower than those required for liquid processing. Amongst the attractions of the process are much lower capital costs, as well as reduced operating costs, particularly of energy.A techno-economic study on the new process identifies a reduction in overall energy consumption of 70% against conventional processing and approximately 40% lower than the current best practice. By utilising more natural gas than coal based energy sources, the KWG process is able to show an overall 50% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions compared with the most energy efficient current practice. The impact of the new process on future processing is therefore regarded as highly significant, with global energy reductions equivalent to the effect of completely eliminating energy demand from a country the size of Italy.The study concluded that the potential for this process to completely revolutionise the global ferrochrome industry should not be underestimated. Its impact reaches far beyond exploitation of a regional natural resource."

Jan 1, 2015

By Leming Ou, Hongqiang Li, Li Zeng, Qiming Feng, Yiping Lu, Guofan Zhang

"The entrainment of sericite, especially in the presence of hydrophobic microcrystalline graphite, leads to the poor flotation selectivity of microcrystalline graphite ore. In this paper, it was attempted to reduce entrainment of sericite, selective flocculation of microcrystalline graphite using polyethylene oxide (PEO) was studied. For the sake of flocculate microcrystalline graphiteselectively, flocculation tests of microcrystalline graphite and sericite single mineral were conducted.To investigate the effect of selectiveflocculation of graphite on entrainment of sericite in microcrystalline graphite flotation, batch flotation tests of graphite single mineral and artificial mixtures were conducted; theflocculationselectivity of PEO of different molecular weight (M.W.) was alsocompared inartificial mixture flotation. Inthe end, the structure of flocs in different particle size was studied by sieve analysis and microscopic observation. The resultsindicated that PEO of molecular weightone million andtwo million could selectivelyflocculate the microcrystalline graphite and reduce the entrainment of sericite at a lower dosage; further increasingof the dosage of PEO(M.W. ?two million) led to hetero-flocculation between graphite and sericiteandmadethe ash content of concentrate increase again."

Jan 1, 2014

By R. V. Ramani

"In this paper, the current status of respirable dust control in coal mine atmospheres is presented. The advancements in the engineering control of dust generation and entrainment, and of reducing the exposures are summarized. The results of the Health Surveillance Program are briefly reviewed. The results of research conducted in the Generic Mineral Technology Center for Respirable Dust are presented. The 1995 NIOSH criteria document on respirable coal mine dust is briefly reviewed. The fundamental scientific and engineering issues in need of research are discussed. A detailed bibliography is attached.IntroductionFor coal mines in the United States, the current permissible exposure limit (PEL) of 2mg/m3MRE-equivalent concentration (an 8-hour TWA concentration measured gravimetrically) was established by Public Law 91-173: the Federal Coal Mine Health and Safety of 1969 (the 1969 Coal Act). This standard is reduced when the respirable quartz content in the dust sample exceeds 5%; the reduced standard in mglm3 is obtained by dividing 10 by the percent quartz. The OSHA and ACGIB PEL for respirable coal mine dust is also 2 mg/m3 , and OSHA PEL for respirable quartz is 100 µg/m3 . The 1969 Coal Act also prescribed two activities in the Coal Mine Respirable Dust Sampling Program and the National Coal Workers' Health Surveillance Program n to control respirable dust in mines, and the coal worker's pneumoconiosis (CWP) among the coal miners.There are three principal methods by which personal exposures to respirable dust are controlled. The first is engineering control where the aim is to reduce the concentration in the mine atmosphere to or below the mandated level. The second is the provision of personal protective devices which allow the miner to work in dusty atmospheres without increasing personal exposure. The third is the use of administrative controls where the miner's exposure is controlled through work schedules and procedures to keep miner exposure at or under the mandated levels. The 1969 Coal Act specifically prohibits the use of respirators in lieu of environmental control. The compliance sampling program essentially does not give any credit to the use of administrative controls."

Jan 1, 1998

By Zong-Xian Zhang

In sublevel caving mines, serious eyebrow break usually gives rise to lower ore recovery, higher dilution, and worse safety for the people working in the field. For example, chargers must go near the caving region and stand under the damaged eyebrow where a hanging stone may suddenly fall down or rock fragments may quickly roll down.

Jan 1, 2011

By O. Lopez

"Stringent regulations and increased arsenic presence in ore bodies being exploited have created the need for cost effective and environmentally compliant technologies to remove selenium and arsenic from mine waters and metallurgical waste streams. Existing treatment methods have high life cycle costs and/or produce residues that, due to their unknown stability over the long-term, may represent future liabilities. This results in high compliance costs and uncertainties which negatively impact existing operations and projects in permitting. Selen-IX™ is a new ion exchange based process that selectively removes selenium from mine impacted waters down to 1 ppb while producing a stable inorganic iron-selenium product. Results of piloting completed on streams generated from coal and copper-gold deposits are presented along with preliminary equipment sizing and life cycle costs of full scale treatment. An example of a commercially available system for arsenic removal using sulphide precipitation is presented. The benefit of this treatment method is discussed based on recently completed technical feasibility assessment including laboratory testing and preliminary engineering design. INTRODUCTION Selenium Due to the chemical similarity between selenium and sulfur, selenium substitutes sulfur in many minerals that can be found in a wide range of deposits including coal, base metal, precious metal, phosphate, and uranium. One of the main environmental challenges facing the industry in North America today is related to the removal of hexavalent selenium, e.g. selenate, to ultralow levels, typically between 1 to 10 ppb, from large flows of often cold water containing less than 1,000 ppb of selenium. Recent studies commissioned by the industry identified biological selenium reduction systems as the best available technology. Although the biological selenium reduction process is commercially proven in certain applications to remove selenium to ultralow discharge levels, the technology has been primarily applied to relatively low and constant flows of warm water produced by the Flue Gas Desulfurization (FGD) scrubbers in the power generation industry. The wide spread adoption of this treatment method by the mining industry is hindered by high capital and operating costs associated with treating large flows of cold water, lack of data and knowledge about the long term stability of solid residues produced by this treatment, and limited capacity of biological systems to respond to sudden changes in flow and/or mass load of contaminants. Furthermore, it has been reported that reaching discharge limits less than 3 ppb could be a challenge and that polishing treatment for the removal of BOD and phosphate maybe required to avoid the impact of the biological treatment which requires organics and nutrients, on aquatic environment downstream of treatment plants. Alternate treatment systems are being developed to overcome and/or completely avoid some of the challenges of biological systems. One such treatment system is BioteQ’s Selen-IX™ process which is purely physico-chemical treatment system."

Jan 1, 2015

Reduce exposure of longwall face workers to respirable dust generated during the advancement of roof supports. Approach Identify and implement current water-application and improved support-movement practices used to lower support-generated dust. Defining the Problem Bureau studies have shown that on some longwall faces support dust can contribute over 30 percent of the respirable dust exposure of face workers. Conditions contributing to high levels of respirable dust generation during support movement are: depth of cover greater than 1,000 ft; immediate roof consisting of coal top or friable shales; and face-air velocities in excess of 500 fpm. Moreover, at most longwalls, supports are advanced on the intake-air side of the shearer as it travels with the airflow. This places the shearer operators, and in many cases the support movers, downwind of support advance, thus increasing their respirable dust exposures.

Jan 1, 1984