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By George P. Demopoulos

In a departure from the traditional domain of hydrometallurgical extraction processes we consider new R&D opportunities for innovative application of solution processing into the advanced green energy and clean technology fields. It would not be an exaggeration if we state that protection of the environment via advancement of clean technologies on the one hand, and harvesting and utilizing renewable energy in a sustainable and cost-effective way on the other hand are clearly among the top pressing global priorities. When hydrometallurgy is approached on the basis of its aqueous chemistry and reactive processing fundamentals, it can indeed provide a highly fertile ground for innovation outside the "box". In this context therefore we will present highlights from our recent research that is directed towards the development of new generation HCl recycling, environmental, and solar energy conversion/storage technologies. In all systems the research is approached via the innovative integration of aqueous process engineering and material chemistry principles. The presentation will include discussion of (i) the development of crystallization-based HCl regeneration technologies; (ii) the supersaturation-controlled production and encapsulation of scorodite that was recently commercialized; (iii) the aqueous synthesis of nano-TiO2 and its electrophoretic deposition into solar cell electrodes; and (iv) the hydrothermal synthesis of nanostructured lithium titanate and lithium iron phosphate materials to make lithium-ion batteries destined for electric cars.

Jan 1, 2014

By J Zeni

In 2001, the Springvale Coal Mine determined a requirement for a 360 m deep vertical airway to ventilate ongoing underground longwall mining operations. The project, referred to as the Springvale No 3 Ventilation Shaft, was completed in 2003 - 2004 by blind boring a 4.25 m diameter hole from the surface to the coal seam at 360 m depth. The shaft was completed with a 3.5 m inside diameter lining made from a continuous watertight steel and concrete composite pipe. Presented from both the clientÆs and the contractorÆs perspective, the following paper describes the process of constructing a blind bored ventilation shaft for this application. Beginning with the clientÆs definition of the requirements and specifications for the shaft, the paper describes the steps followed by Springvale Coal prior to awarding the contract. Springv aleÆs process involved a thorough site investigation including procurement of geotechnical data for prospective contractors and the management of issues relating to safety, quality and the environment. The clientÆs view is followed by a description of the planning and works performed by their nominated shaft drilling contractor, Ardent Underground Pty Ltd.The contractorÆs description of the works includes the details of the blind shaft drilling and lining construction process used for this application. The design of the shaft lining installed at Springvale Coal was the first of its type to be used in Australia. The successful installation of a watertight composite shaft lining and the safety of the method, which did not require any personnel to enter the shaft or the mine, were among the positive outcomes from the project.

Jan 1, 2005

By W. A. Gibson, A. D. Trujillo

The Santa Rita copper deposit first served as a source of native copper for Indian implements and weapons. In 1801 Santa Rita copper, trans- ported by mule train to Chihuahua, began to be used commercially for making coins. It was a small- scale operation made difficult by Indian raids, transportation costs and depletion of the higher grade ores. There was, moreover, no known method for economically extracting copper from the under- lying low grade sulfide ores. Originally, copper and copper oxide ores were mined by underground methods, but there was virtually no development of the deposit-which became United States territory after the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848-for almost a hundred years. A number of small underground mines had been started during that time, but it was not until 1873 that all the principal claims were consolidated under one control.

Jan 1, 1966

By Alim Ullah

The paper discusses the necessity of upgrading low-iron containing ores, giving as an example, NML-Tata Steel Project in the Quebec-Labrador region of Canada. As cooling of pellets is generally a bottle-neck in most pelletizing plants, examples are given of the methods used to improve cooling in the existing plants and a simple, low-cost alternative, tested on a pot-grate system, is presented. The procedure described is applicable to sinter plants also. The trends in iron and steel production worldwide are then given, as well as the reasons for the increase in steel production by the Electric Arc Furnace (EAF) route. The stoichiometric and thermodynamic requirements for producing iron, irrespective of the process, are explained. The different ironmaking processes, especially the Direct Reduction (DR) ones are briefly discussed, outlining recent improvements made to some of them. The pros and cons of producing cooled DRI and Hot-Briquetted Iron (HBI) are given with predictions made for their future growth. An alternative to cold-briquetting of DRI fines is also discussed. Highlights of an ironmaking processes which is at the laboratory/pilot plant stage are given.

Aug 1, 2018

By Uwe König

Traditionally quality control of iron ore sinter, its raw materials and raw mixtures has relied on time-consuming wet chemistry. The mineralogical composition that defines the properties is often not monitored. XRD analysis in combination with Rietveld quantification and statistical data evaluation using Partial Least-Square Regression (PLSR) has been successfully established to determine the mineralogical composition and process parameters such as the FeO (Fe2+) content and basicity of iron sinter within an analysis time of less than 8 minutes per sample. Both methods take the full XRD pattern into account and can be simultaneously applied on the same measurement. In addition the Rietveld method was used to quantify the phase content of raw mixtures to monitor the composition of blending beds.

Aug 16, 2017

Trans. No. Place Date Vol. Page 1. Wilkes-Barre Pa......May.71 1 3 2. Bethlehem, Pa.........Aug., '71 I 10 3. Troy, N.Y............Nov..: 71 1 13 4. Philadelphia, Pa........Feb., 72.. 1 17 5. New York. N. Y.*......May, '72.. 1 20 6. Pittsburgh. Pa.........Oct..' 72.. 1 25 7. Boston, Mesa..........Feb., '73.. 1 28 8. Philadelhia, Pa.*......May, '73.. 2 3 9. Easton, is............Oct..' 73.. 2 7 10. New York, N. Y.......Feb..' 74 . . 2 11 11. St. Louie. Mo.*........May,' 74 . . 3 3 12. Hazleton, Pa...........Oct., '74.. 3 8 13. New Haven Conn......Feb., '75.. 3 15 14. Dover,N.J.*..........May, 75.. 4 3 15. Cleveland,O...........Oct. 75. 4 0 16. Washington D. C......Feb.'' 76.: 4 18 17. philadelphia, Pa.......June,: 76.. 5 3 18. Philadelphia Pa........Oct 76.. 5 19 19. New York, N. Y.......Feb: '77.. 5 27 20. Wilkes-Barre. Pa.*.....Mag :77.. 0 3 21. Amenia N. Y..........Oct. 77.. 6 10 22. Philadeiphia Pa........Feb.;' 78. . 6 18 23. Chattanooga' Term.*. . . May' 78. . 7 3 24. Lake George: N. Y....: Oct. 78. . 7 103 25. Baltimore, Md.*.......Feb:' 79.. 7 217 26. ~ittsburgi, Pa.........~a;' 79.. 6 3 27. Montreal, Canada......~ept.;' 79.. 8 121 28. New York, N. Y.*......Feb., '80.. 8 275 29. Lake Superior, Mich....Aug., '80. . 9 1 30. Philadelphia, Pa.*......Feb., '81. 9 275 31. Staunton, Va..........May, '81. .10 1 32. Harrisburg, Pa.........Oct.. '81..10 119 33. Washington, I). C.*....Feb., '82. . 10 226 34. Denver. Colo..........Aug.. '82. . ll 1 35. Boston. Mass.*.........Feb.. '83..11 217 38. Roanoke, Va...........June, '83.. 12 3 37. Troy, N. Y...........Oct.. '83. .12 175 38. Cincinnati. O.*.... Feb, '84..12 4 39. Chicago Ill............May, '84. . 13 1 40. philadelphia, Pa........Sept., '84. . 13 285 41. New York, N. Y.*......Feb., '85. . 13 586 42. Chattanooga, Tenn.....May, '85..14 1 43. Halifax, N. S..........Sept., '85.. 14 307 44. Pittsburgh, Pa.*........Feb.. '86 . . 14 587 45. Bethlehem. Pa.........May, '86 .. 15 Ixiii. 46. St. Louis, Mo..........Oct, 86.. 15 Ixx. 47. Scranton, Pa.*.........Feb.', '87. . 15 lxxvi 48. Utah and Montana.....July '87.. 16 xvii. 49. Duluth, Minn...........July' '87. -16 xxiv. 50. Boston. Mass.*.........Feb.: '88. . 16 xxviii. 51. Birmingham, Ala.......May, '88. .17 xix. 52. Buffalo N. Y..........Oct. '88.. 17 xxiv. 53. New york, N.Y........feb.' ;89 . . 17 xxxi. 54. Colorado..............June' 89 . . 18 xvii. 55. Ottawa, Canada........Oct., 89. . 18 xxiv. 56. Washington, I). C.*. . . Feb. 90. .18 xxx. 57. New York, N. Y........sept:, '93. .19 vii. 58. New York, N. Y.*......Feb. '91. . 19 xxv. 59. Cleveland, O.......... June, :91 . .a xvi. 60. Glen Summit, Pa.......Oct, 111. . 20 lxi. 61. Baltimore, Md.*.......Feb.: '92. .21 xix. 62. Plattsburg, N. Y.......June, '02. . 21 xxxiii. 03. Reading. Pa...........Oct., :92. .21 xliv. 64. Montreal. Canada*.....Feb. 93..21 65. Chicago, Ill............aug.: '93..22 XI. 66. Virginia Reach. Va.*. ...Feb., '04. .24 xwl. 67. Bridgeport Coon.......Oct., '94..24 xxx?. 08. Florida ...'............Mar., '95. .25 xix 69 Atlanta. Ga......... Oct 95. 25 xi 70. Pittsburgh. Pa.*........Feb., '96.. 26 xvii. Trans. No. Place Date Vol. Page 71. Colorado..............Sept. '96. .26 xxix. 72. Chicago, Ill............Feb.. "97.. 27 xvii. 73. Lake Superior..........July '97. .27 xxx. 74. Atlantic City, N. J.*. ..Feb.: :98. .28 xvii. 75. Buffalo N. Y..........Oct. 08. .28 XXXVI. 76. New York,N. Y.*......Feb.: '99. .29 xvii. 77. California.............Sept., ;99. . 29 xlix. 78. Washington, D. C.*.....Feb., 00. .30 xix. 79. Canada...............Aug.. '00. .30 xlv. 80. Richmond. Va.*........Feb.. '01. . 31 xix. 81. Mexico................Nov..'01.. 32 cxviii. 82. Philadelphia Pa. $......May, :02. . 33 xxxv. 83. New Haven, Conn......Oct.. 02.. 33 xlvii. 84. Albany N. Y.*........Feb '03. .34 xxiii. 85. New York, N. Y........Oct.': '03. .34 xi. 86. Atlantic City. N. J.*....Feb., '04. .35 XXIII. 87. Lake Superior..........Sept.'04. .35 dii. 88. Washington. D. C......May' '05. .36 xlii. 89. British Columbia.......July, '05. . 36 90. Bethlehem. Pa.........Feb. '06. .37 xli. 91. London, England.......July: '06. .37 xlviii. 92. New York, N. Y........April, '07. . 38 lii. 93. Toronto, Canada.......July. '07. .38 lix. 94. New York, N. Y........Feb., :08. .39 xli. 95. Chattanooga, Tenn.....Oct.. 08..39 xlviii. 06. New Haven Conn......Feb. '09. .40 xli. 97. Spokane,Wash.........Sept:.'09. .40 xlviii. 98. Pittsburgh, Pa.........Mar.,'10. .41 xxxviii. 99. Canal Zone............Nov.,'10. .41 dv. 100. Wilkes-Barre, Pa.......June. ' 11. . 42 xxxiv. 101. San Francisco, Cal......Oct.. '11..42 xliv. 102. New York. N. Y.*......Feb 12. .43 Ixxvii. 103. Cleveland, Ohio........0ct;' '12.. 44 wii. 104. New York, N. Y.*......Feb.. '13. .45 xv. 105. Butte, Mont...........Aug., '13. .46 ?' 108. New York, N. Y........Oct., 13..47 vii 107. New York. N. Y.*......Feb.. '14..48 xv. 108 Salt Lake City. Otah Aug. :l. 49 5: 109. Pittsburgh, Pa.........Oct., 14. .50 vii. 110. New York, N. Y.*......Feb., '15. .51 xvi. 111. San Francisco, Cal......Sept., '15. .52 xii. 112. New York,N. Y.*......Feb., '16..54 xvi. 1 Arizona...............Sept.,'l6. .55 VII 114. New York, N. Y.*......Feb., '17: .56 vii. 115. St. Louis, Mo..........Oct.. '17..57 vii. 116. NewYork,N. Y.*......Feb.. '18..59 xvii 117. Colorado.....:........Sept.,'18. .60 vii. 118. Milwaukee, Wis........Oct.. '18. .60 x:!: 119. NewYork,N. Y.*......Feb., '19..61 xi. 120. Chicago...............Sept.,' l9.. 62 VII. 121. New York, N. T.*......Feb., '20..63 ix. 122. Lake Superior District. .Aug., '20.. 66 ix. 123. New York, N. Y.*......Feb., '21. .66 xiii. 124. Wilkes-Barre, Pa...... Sept.. : 21.. 66 xix. 125. New York, N. Y.*......Feb., 22. .67 ix. 126. San Francisco. Cal......Sept.,:22. .68 xxix. 127. New York, N.Y.*.....Feb., 23. .69 xxix 128. Canada...............Aug., '23. .69 xxxv! 128.129. New York, N. Y.*......Feb., ;24. .70 xxxi. 130. Birmingham, Ala.......Oct. 24. .71 xxxiii 131. NewYork.N Y.*......Feb.: '25.. 71 xxxviii. 132. 131.Salt Lake City, Utah .. .Sept., '25. .73 xvi 133. New York, N. Y.*......Feb., '26. .73 xxii. 134. Pittsburgh Pa ....... Oct.. '26. .74 xv. 135. New York,' N. Y.*............Feb., '27. .75 x::: 135.136. NewYork,N. Y.*......Feb., '28..76 104 137 NewYork.N. Y.*......Feb., '29. .291 116 138.San FranciscoYork,N.Y. Cal..........Oct. 29..308 406 139. New York, N. Y.*...Feb., '30..30H 1321

Jan 1, 1930

By Mark Van Kleek

CONTENTS ?The Falcon C ?Data from a Production Trial ?Methodology ?Scale-up ?Test Results ?Circuit Configurations ?Conclusion

Jan 1, 2006

By Cesar H. Oboni

The development of specific risk-based methodologies to guide and prioritize clearing decisions in countries contaminated by Unexploded Ordnance and Land Mines (generically defined as Explosive Remnants of War: ERW) either at country-wide scale or road-network-scale was used in an unexpected way when a large mining company asked Riskope (www.riskope.com) to develop a multi-modal transportation network risk assessment plan, which included ocean going vessels, ports, wharves, railroad, trucking and other modes of transportation. What had been a first-in-the-world attempt in the humanitarian landmine clearing industry turned out to be extremely useful and equally innovative in the extractive corporate world. Instead of a country contaminated by man-made hazards such as Explosive Remnants of War (ERW) we were now dealing with a very complex multi-modal transportation system afflicted by all sorts of potential hazards from quakes to climate change, sabotage to labour strikes, and vulnerable infrastructures to potential energy crises. Interestingly enough the method developed to deal with ERW risk based clearing was also capable of solving the transportation risk evaluation problem, after necessary customization. This paper shows how ?out of the box? thinking and industry cross dissemination can bring significant evolution and a competitive edge even to unexpected areas of the world-wide mining industry. The results of the logistic system risk assessment shed new light on the management of the system, changed the way insurance coverage was purchased, and led to significant potential cost reductions in a period of global recession.

May 1, 2010

By A. Makinen

There is an increasing trend between increasing consumption of water and the production of metal concentrate. Along with this trend we see that ore grades are declining and getting more complex to concentrate around the world. This will not only complicate processing but also generate new requirements for the management of water and waste streams on mining sites. The mining industry is a large user of water and its water consumption is growing rapidly. The processing of lower quality ores requires greater volumes of water. For these reasons, the need for efficient use of water and water management at mine sites is becoming more urgent. The perception of water in the mining industry has changed from thinking about it only in terms of "water treatment" to actually seeing it as a valuable resource, a resource that needs proper management. This resource management needs to involve various aspects, such as optimizing water usage of the entire mine or concentrator site, minimizing fresh water usage, minimizing or eliminating waste generated in water treatment and implementing practices for water reuse and water recycling. This paper presents trends and new developments relating to waste and water management in the mining industry.

Jan 1, 2015

By Clifford J. Lewis

The role of calcareous minerals in that area of the environmental improvement program involving the control or elimination of sulfur oxide emissions is discussed, and a new concept in gas scrubbing, rendering possible the use of calcareous rocks more extensively for this purpose, is presented. Calcareous rocks are defined as the more common limestones, consisting essentially of calcium carbonate and magnesium carbonate. The effect of magnesium carbonate on the reaction rate of limestones and lime toward sulfur oxides in aqueous scrubbing systems is pointed out. The relative economics of lime- stone versus lime as aqueous scrubbing reagents for sulfur dioxide are indicated.

Jan 1, 1974

By Andrew McNamara, Stuart Norman, Matthew Dearing, Michael Pelken, Asha Panchal

The deep foundations industry has largely remained unchanged since in the advent of CFA piling in the 1960s. Piles have consequently been designed and constructed following the traditional codes and standards without much regard for optimising in-life efficiency or end-of-life reuse. After existing developments have been demolished there is little motivation to reuse existing piled foundations as their load bearing capacity and structural integrity cannot be verified. Therefore piling contractors are increasingly spending more resources on coring through existing piles, only to be replaced with larger diameter or deeper piles. The hollow element of the HIPER® Pile provides access to the entire length of the pile to permit inspections and a shaft in which the pile can be extended if needed. This paper presents and compares the embodied carbon savings, both during construction and through foundation reuse, from a HIPER® Pile scheme compared with the traditional solid pile scheme. A discussion on the benefits of this technology and its implications on warranties and approvals is also presented to motivate the foundations industry to embrace whole lifecycle assessments and support the journey to net-zero carbon.

May 1, 2022

By K Barns, H Law, T Whebell, P Scobie, T Perkins, J Siliezar, M Larson

With processing a variety of orebodies at Glencore’s Ernest Henry Mining (EHM) has come a changing mineralogy and more complex requirements for treatment in the concentrator. From mid-2013 and into 2014 the grind size required to achieve sufficient mineral liberation for production of a quality concentrate has reduced significantly. What was once a final P80 of 35–45 microns was forced to 20 microns. This has necessitated some creative changes to the flow sheet that previously had a 937?kW Vertimill regrinding a rougher concentrate to 40 microns. EHM is able to utilise an existing M10 000 3 MW IsaMill previously used for magnetite processing, to provide a quick convenient solution without large scale capital expenditures. Operating the Vertimill and IsaMill in parallel in closed circuit was successful at reducing the P80 of the regrind circuit to below 20 microns which increased the final concentrate grade by four per cent. This circuit and intermediate circuits used are discussed. Performance of the Vertimill and IsaMill is compared for efficiency optimisation to improve the overall circuit performance.CITATION:Siliezar, J, Whebell, T, Perkins, T, Law, H, Scobie, P, Larson, M and Barns, K, 2014. From magnetite to chalcopyrite – a story of versatility and efficiency at Glencore’s Ernest Henry mining?operation, in Proceedings 12th AusIMM Mill Operators’ Conference 2014 , pp 85–92 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Sep 1, 2014

By Fred Drury

I spent 38 years in the Industry in a variety of sales, technical and management positions. I started out with Hercules, then was one of the founders of ECONEX, a large regional Distributor, and finally served with Dyno Nobel as a global Vice President, based in Oslo, Norway. When I retired in the fall of 1998, I looked forward to spending a lot less time traveling and a lot more time around home. After 4 years, I’m still traveling and still wondering how to find a few more hours in the day.

Jan 1, 2003

By Meyer Steinberg

"Some early experiences of a Cooper Union Chemical Engineer on the Manhattan project and his latest studies on CO2 Greenhouse Gas Mitigation Technologies are presented. Mitigating Global Greenhouse effect while maintaining a fossil fuel economy, requires improving the efficiency of conversion and utilization of fossil fuels, use of high hydrogen content fossil fuels, decarbonization of fossil fuels and sequestration of carbon and CO2 applied to all energy consuming sectors of the economy including electric power generation, materials production, transportation and industrial domestic heating. Decarbonization means removal of carbon as C or CO2 either before or after fossil fuel utilization and sequestration means long term disposal of C or CO2. The review will cover the principles of removal and recovery from power plant, stacks, the oceanographic and geological disposal of CO2 and the conversion of CO2 to gaseous and liquid transportation fuels. The global economic aspects of CO2 mitigation technologies are touched upon.IntroductionThis is an odyssey of a chemical engineer. My career started with the production of U235 at the Gaseous Diffusion Plant in Oak Ridge, Tennessee and the production of PU-239 metal at Los Alamos on the Manhattan Project. After 40 years at Brookhaven National Laboratory, I wound up performing studies on CO2 mitigation technologies. The following is a power point presentation on the subject of global warmingThe DOE is proposing to increase its sequestration development program in order to maintain the utilization of our vast resources in coal both for power and for transportation fuel production. Congress is considering steps to promote energy efficiency in attempts to solve not only the CO2 problem, but also the prime problem of energy supply. We will be promoting increases in energy efficiency as time goes on."

Jan 1, 2008

By M. Rieber

The recent history of the mercury market results almost entirely from U.S. Government actions. Its derived demand has been curtailed by U.S.E.P.A. mandates; its supply has been augmented by U.S.D.L.A. controlled stockpile releases. The resultant prices have altered its market structure, impacted mercury mining, refiners and recyclers, and affected international production and markets. From a marketplace product mercury is rapidly becoming a disposal problem. Other minerals may follow in its wake. This paper reviews developments in demand, particularly in relation to environmental constraints. Supply side impacts are considered. The impact of stockpiles, both as a market overhang and as a potential supply is reviewed. Government stockpile disposal activity is emphasized, but the size, estimated disposal rate, and quality of the private stockpiles are considered, as is the potential availability of additional material from shut-in mines.

Jan 1, 1995

By D. Seke

Metal inventories are usually reported in financial statements of mining companies. However, the value of these inventories can be reliable only if the metals in stock are measured within acceptable tolerances. Reliable metal balancing requires accurate mass measurement, sampling, and chemical analysis. Many mining companies are usually unable to validate the accuracy of metals in inventories at the end of their financial year. This is mainly due to poor mass measurement, sampling, and chemical analysis practices. This has an adverse impact on metallurgical accounting and metal valuation. In addition, it puts a lot of stress on external auditors, who have the duty to recommend the approval of the financial statements to the board of directors. Although a full value chain of metal reconciliation includes the accuracy of Mineral Reserve definition and grade control at the mine, this paper discusses the implementation of best practices for mass measurement, sampling, and chemical analysis at processing plants. This is an important aspect of sampling and reconciliation that is required in order to improve the reporting of inventories in the financial statements of public mining companies. Keywords metallurgical accounting, corporate governance, sampling, analysis.

Jan 1, 2014

By John J. Van den Broek

As the established tailings disposal techniques do not meet the requirements of today, alternative methods of disposal are explored. McIntyre Mines Ltd., Coal Div. found a solution in the construction and operation of a tailings dewatering plant. The solids are recovered from the tailings slurry by means of mechanical dewatering equipment and are then dried in a unique drying system to provide an excellent thermal fuel for a power generating station.

Jan 1, 1983

By I Thomson, L D. Black, R G. Boutilier

The social license to operate (SLO) began as a metaphor for the ability of communities to stop mining projects. Soon people began to speak of levels of social license and the ability of communities to raise costs without completely stopping exploration or mining activities. Today the concept has spread to other industries and is evolving towards becoming a general management perspective on the socio-political rights and responsibilities of the corporation. The business case underpinning the SLO perspective on management is the need to assess and manage socio-political risk. For mining companies, socio-political risk has been steadily rising for several reasons, including the efforts of non-government organisations (NGOs) to pre-empt government policy options; the entry of mining companies into jurisdictions weak in the rule of law; and the weakness of global economic and financial regulation. In this perilous world beyond the comfort zone of effective government, mining companies must build their own socio-political stability by engaging directly with stakeholders to develop a strong SLO. In order to become a practical management perspective, the SLO needs to be measurable, which amounts to measuring the socio-political risks and opportunities presented by stakeholders. We present the results of efforts since 2009 to develop a globally reliable and valid measurement tool at the project and industry levels, validated in studies in Australia, Bolivia, Mexico and the USA. A factor analysis suggested four factors that mine management can address to raise their SLO level. The most chronically neglected factor involves the political right of the corporation to foster more equitable social contracts locally and regionally in both developed and developing countries. We conclude with recommended steps to earn and maintain the social license at the project and industry levels.CITATION:Boutilier, R G, Black, L D and Thomson, I, 2012. From metaphor to management tool - How the social license to operate can stabilise the socio-political environment for business, in Proceedings International Mine Management 2012, pp 227-238 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Nov 20, 2012

By A. L. Williamson

Bio-mining is a cost-effective, energy efficient and potentially environmentally protective method of exploiting a variety of ore deposits, from high-grade base metal deposits of nickel to lower-grade uranium and rare earth deposits such as are found in the uraniferous quartz-pebble conglomerate beds of the Quirke Syncline, Elliot Lake, Ontario. The effectiveness of bio-mining in Elliot Lake depends on the success of bacterially-influenced dissolution of metals of economic importance. The determination of both the dissolution efficiency and rate controls for uranium and rare earth elements from bio-extraction processes is critical to assess the potential for success of bio-mining along the Quirke Syncline. This poster provides an overview of proton-mediated biogeochemical dissolution of more than 50 elements, including uranium and rare earth elements from samples of the low grade uraniferous ore collected as drill core from the Elliot Lake area. The elemental data is quantified using advanced spectroscopic tools (ICP-MS and ICP-AES) to analyze solutions obtained from a series of environmentally controlled biologically-mediated uranium ore extraction experiments. The findings are being to guide design of larger scale bio-leaching experiments to further assess the potential for success of bio-mining along the Quirke Syncline.

Aug 1, 2010

By Aimee Williamson

Bio-mining is a cost-effective, energy efficient and potentially environmentally protective method of exploiting a variety of ore deposits, from high-grade base metal deposits of nickel to lower-grade uranium deposits such as are found in the uraniferous quartz-pebble conglomerate beds of the Quirke Syncline, Elliot Lake, Ontario, using bacterial metabolic processes are used to enhance the solubilization of the metal(s) of interest. The cost effectiveness of bio-mining in Elliot Lake depends on the bacterially-influenced dissolution metals of economic importance, as well as on the ability to suppress microbiological activity following the release to solution of the economically important elements. This poster provides an overview of elemental recovery results and release kinetics for more than 50 elements. The data is obtained using a combination of advanced spectroscopic tools (ICPAES and ICP-MS) to analyze solutions obtained from a series of environmentally controlled biologically mediated uranium ore extraction experiments. The focus will be on rare earth elements, potential environmentally toxic elements, and metals of economic importance. Furthermore, the importance of these findings will be put into an economic and geologic context for the re-development of the mining industry of the Elliot Lake Camp.

Aug 1, 2010