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By B. Haugrud, E. McConaghy, M. Collins, G. Smith

"Laterite ore processed by the Ambatovy joint venture in Madagascar is primarily limonitic in nature, containing approximately 40–45 wt.% Fe and 1.1 wt.% Ni. The process selected for treatment of this ore considered the behaviour and deportment of iron in each step of the commercial flowsheet. Such considerations included nickel and cobalt recoveries, reagent consumptions, liquid-solid separation characteristics, and intermediate and final product purities. In this paper, the results for the first three years of commercial operation at Ambatovy are compared with the design parameters, with emphasis on the behaviour of iron.RÉSUMÉ Le minerai latéritique traité par l’entreprise commune Ambatovy au Madagascar contient principalement de la limonite, composée de 40–45 % en poids (wt%) de fer (Fe) et de 1,1 wt% de nickel (Ni). Le procédé choisi pour le traitement de ce minerai tenait compte du comportement et du maintien du fer à chaque étape du schéma de traitement commercial. Parmi les facteurs pris en compte figuraient les récupérations de nickel et de cobalt, les consommations d’agents réactifs, les caractéristiques de séparation des liquides-solides ainsi que la pureté des produits semi-fini et final. Cet article compare les résultats des trois premières années d’exploitation commerciale à Ambatovy aux paramètres d’étude, en insistant notamment sur le comportement du fer.INTRODUCTIONThe main component of nickeliferous laterite ore is iron, and the Ambatovy deposit in Madagascar is no exception. Ambatovy ore is primarily limonitic in nature, containing approximately 40–45 wt.% Fe and 1.1 wt.% Ni. The nickel content of the ore is approximately 1/40th that of the iron content by weight; therefore, successful recovery of nickel depends on close control of the behaviour of iron in the selected process.The Ambatovy area is located 80 km east of Antananarivo, the capital of Madagascar. Exploration dates back to 1960, when the Malagasy Service Géologique carried out a limited pitting and auger-drilling program. Phelps Dodge Corporation (now Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold, Inc.) was granted the mining rights to the property in 1995 and carried out significant resource definition, environmental assessment, and engineering studies between 1995 and 2001 (Chou, Rooke, Williams, & Hanks, 2000). In 2003, Dynatec Corporation, which was formed in 1997 by the merger of Dynatec International Ltd. and Sherritt International Consultants Inc., signed a joint venture agreement with subsidiaries of Phelps Dodge to evaluate the Ambatovy nickel project. Dynatec became extensively involved in the development of the project, including process selection and pilot plant testing in Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta (Collins et al., 2004, 2005; Collins & Vardill, 2005; Collins, Buban, Holloway, Masters, & Raudsepp, 2009). Dynatec acquired 100% of the project in 2005 and a joint venture between Dynatec, Sumitomo Corporation, Korea Resources Corporation (KORES), and SNC-Lavalin Inc. (SLI) was formed shortly thereafter to provide funding for further development. SLI was responsible for engineering, procurement, and construction management of the commercial facilities. Sherritt International Corporation reacquired Dynatec Corporation, including 40% ownership in the Ambatovy nickel project, in 2007. The current Ambatovy joint venture consists of an integrated nickel and cobalt mining, processing, refining, and marketing enterprise between subsidiaries of Sherritt (40% owner and mine and plant operator), Sumitomo Corporation (32.5% owner), and KORES (27.5% owner)."

Jan 1, 2017

By R. T. MacMillan

A number of chemical techniques have been applied to manganese ores from three areas of Aroostook County, Maine. Although large tonnages of these ores have been proved, they are low grade, and their exploitation has awaited a suitable beneficiation scheme. As conventional ore-dressing methods had failed to yield satisfactory results, attention was turned to chemical procedures. Leaching with dilute (7-percent) H2S04 extracted over 90 percent of the manganese from ore of the Dudley farm area, consuming 3.8 pounds of acid per pound of manganese extracted. Ores from the Littleton Ridge and Maple Mountain-Hovey Mountain areas were less amenable to this treatment, yielding approximately 80 and 60 percent of their Mn content, respectively. To increase the percentage extraction of manganese in the latter two ores, a number of factors were varied, including (1) acid concentration in the extracting solution, (2) ratio of acid to Mn in the slurry, and (3) preliminary heat treatment of the ore with a reducing agent. Other acids, including HNO3, HC1, and H2SO3, were tried also; however, no significant improvements in the Mn leached from Maple Mountain-Hovey Mountain ore were made. The manganese extraction of Littleton Ridge ore was raised to 90 percent by providing 9 to 11 pounds of HNO3 per pound of Mn in the ore.

Jan 1, 1954

By Beatrice Lukens, David Schlain, John D. Prater

"The electrolytic manganese process4/ developed by the Bureau of Mines involves the electrolysis of a solution of manganese sulfate and ammonium sulfate in a diaphragm-type cell. Metallic manganese is deposited on the cathodes, and sulfuric acid is produced at the anodes. The spent electrolyte contains, in addition to the sulfuric acid, approximately 40 percent of the manganese sulfate and most of the ammonium sulfate originally present in the feed solution. This spent solution is used to leach fresh ore that has previously been subjected to a reducing roast. The resulting leach liquor is purified and returned to the cell.Manganese of very high purity is produced by the electrolytic process. The properties of this metal are so different from those of the best grade of manganese that can be made by any other commercially feasible process that it is virtually a new material. Electrolytic manganese has been used in the preparation of new high-manganese alloys with valuable properties.3/ and further developments are to be expected. The electrolytic manganese process not only results in a product of superior qualities, but is applicable to large tonnages of domestic ores that are unsuitable for direct use in producing ferromanganese.The future industrial use of electrolytic manganese is of course, related to its cost. Decreases in the cost of production will lead to wider use of the metal; conversely, increases in the volume of production made possible by greater demand will bring further .decreases in cost."

May 1, 1946

By Donlad B. Lindsay

This report describes a field-test program to determine the effectiveness of a polymeric wall sealant to reduce the excape of naturally occurring radio-active gas radon from the walls of an underground uranium mine into the ventilation air. A 75-foot-long, dead-end drift with a surface area of about 6,000 ft2 was used as the test site in which the average natural radon flux from the normally dry rock was 16 fCi/cm2-s. The effect on radon emanation of wetting the walls with water to a depth of 3 inches was tested, after which the rock was completely covered with a coating of dry-mix concrete to provide a base for the sealant, an acrylic latex. Sealant was applied in two coats to about 0.25 mm thick. An overall reduction of average radon flux of about 75 pct was achieved. Radon production and other environmental values were measured continuously and automatically by a Bureau of Mines data acquisition system. A commercial microcomputer was programed to convert raw data to engineering units and to perform other useful operations while recording all data on magnetic diskettes. Direct measurements of radon flux from the rock surface were made by a charcoal adsorption technique.

Jan 1, 1981

By Raymond M. Stateham

The Bureau of Mines used portable infrared scanners to examine the surface of pillars and faces in the Somerset mine near Somerset, Colo. Zones of temperature buildup, indicative of potential combustion, were detected with the scanners; their existence was verified by temperature measurements with conventional instrumentation. Temperatures of 32° to 6° C were measured on surfaces with normal temperatures of 26° to 35° C. The infrared instruments and techniques appeared to offer a rapid and efficient method for locating potential trouble spots in mines susceptible to fires caused by spontaneous combustion.

Jan 1, 1974

The discovery since 1990 of four major orebodies in the Mt Isa Inlier - Century Zn-Pb, Osborne Cu-Au, Cannington Pb-Zn and Ernest Henry Cu-Au - only serves to enhance the already high stature of the Inlier in world mining importance. Currently the known mineral resources of the Inlier represent about 11 per cent of the world's Pb-Zn resources, five per cent of the world's Ag resources, and one per cent of the world's Cu resources. More can be expected to be added to these impressive figures given that two-thirds of the Inlier remains obscured by younger cover. Individually, projects such as Century and Cannington may ultimately achieve `world's best' status; Century's proposed production of 450 000 tpa of Zn metal would rank it close to number one with Cominco's expanded Red Dog project in Alaska. Cannington, with projected production of 660 tpa Ag, could become the world's biggest producer of silver. For comparison, Mt Isa produced 170 000 t of zinc metal and 335 t of silver in 1995. The apparent physical diversity of deposits in the Mt Isa Inlier is matched by a great diversity of opinion as to their origins. Because Ernest Henry is hosted by `porphyries', it is described by some as a porphyry copper deposit, despite mineralisation age possibly post-dating volcanic age by 200 Ma. Cannington Pb-Zn could be a Broken Hill-type (BHT) exhalitive deposit, or a late epigenetic replacement `regional skarn'. Mt Isa - Hilton Pb-Zn deposits appear to have experienced all deformational events and he syn-diagenetic in origin, or may have experienced little of the above and be epigenetic replacement deposits formed late in the major Isan orogeny, some 150 Ma after deposition.

Jan 1, 1996

By Raju S. Sagi

This paper deals primarily with the different types of drilling methods used by the Iron. Ore Company of Canada for sampling the soft and friable hematite-limonite (secondary) iron ore deposits found in the Scheferville area. The problems associated with drilling, sampling, sample handling and sample preparation. for chemical analysis of these ores are discussed. Systematic evaluation of the various drilling methods led to the selection of an integrated drilling system. This system consists of a rotary dual- tube - reverse-circulation drill, with tricone bit, polymer mud and mechanical sample splitter, The historic al development of this drilling system is described in detail, as are the equipment , sample flow and quality control checks carried out to obtain representative samples. This integrated drilling and sampling system has been used satisfactorily on a routine basis for determining the grade and tonnage of ore for the various deposits for the last five years (1972-76) in the Schefferville area.

Jan 1, 1977

By Gerald Blackmore

"This paper suggests that with the settlement of long-term contracts of fifteen years' duration, with prospects of extension, the coal mining industry has, for the first time, a complete commercial justification for large-scale planning.The labour costs of coal production over past years are analyzed and, with the acceptance of the premise that the basic shift rates are certain to rise in the years to come, the paper suggests that forward planning should provide &r capital investment to make a traditionally labour-dense industry into a capital-dense industry.Automated methods of manpower deployment and timekeeping and the monitoring of all equipment back to a central control point are discussed as ail-important means of obtaining maximum utilization of high-cost capital investment.Principles of payment of the work-force, and the utilization of equipment 24 hours a day, seven days a week and the maximum number of days a year, are dealt with as means of achieving maximum capital utilization. Some of the new technical underground and coal preparation problems which will undoubtedly result from the concentration of workings and maximum machine utilization are discussed, and the author makes suggestions as to how these might be solved.In short, the author predicts that if the coal mining industry is prepared to recognize the problems and invest in modern equipment backed by highly trained staff. then the outcome will justify the high capital investment involved. He stresses the importance of human communications in achieving this end."

Jan 1, 1970

By Mark Jolly, Xiaojun Dai

"Foundry engineers in the traditional foundry usually regard the quality of casting component as the most important issue and leave the energy saving or energy efficiency as the subsidiary one. This frequently causes disproportionate energy consumption as a result of the inefficient casting processes used and increases the production costs. This paper presents the novel CRIMSON aluminium casting process and compares its facility and melting process with traditional melt furnaces and aluminium alloy melting process. A real example is investigated to demonstrate quantitatively how the traditional foundry wastes energy and what the improvement of energy efficiency can be achieved using the new CRIMSON method. The results of this investigation will help the foundry engineer recognize the importance of energy saving and demonstrate how to use this new technology to reduce production costs and carbon footprint without decreasing the quality of the cast component.IntroductionAluminium melting in metal casting industry is an energy intensive process where it is estimated that the energy consumption is in the order of 1,700 ~ 4,700 kWh tonne-1 in using crucible and natural gas [1]. Different countries may use different energy resources for aluminium melting: in US the main energy resources are natural gas, electricity and coke [2] and in UK most of the foundry use electricity, gas and oil as energy resources [3]. Due to the pressure of rising energy price and the strict environment law, it is anticipated that under the right socioeconomic conditions, the efficiency optimisation of industrial process can be an important step toward increased industrial sustainability [4]. In metal casting industry the energy efficiency of a casting facility depends largely on the efficiency of its melting and heat treating performance. In association with the two performances, over 60 % of the total process energy costs are represented in a typical casting facility [5] where there are huge opportunities for metal casting industry to adopt the best energy practices for potential energy saving. How to ameliorate the current processes for increasing energy efficiency will have a vital effect on reducing the production costs and increasing the competitiveness. For instance, by implementing some state of the art technologies such as the CRIMSON method in aluminium alloy casting will make use of such opportunities."

Jan 1, 2011

By P. D. I. Honeyman

DURING 1938 many copper companies again felt the economic pinch and smelter operations were often on a reduced basis which some- times resulted in intermittent operations and complete shutdowns. During the last half of the year production was stepped up and smelting operations resumed a more normal appearance. One of the present-day trends in reverberatory sme1ting is definitely toward high-tonnage operations. i\ t the Phelps Dodge Corporation's Douglas plant, the reconstructed 107 by 26- ft. reverberatory furnaces are operated at the rate of 1000 tons of solid charge per day. The arch, all of silica brick; is sufficiently high above the bath to give

Jan 1, 1939

By The Staff

THE object of the work was to increase the capacity of the plant and, if possible, to reduce costs of the actual unit grinding while doing so. The accompanying assays of an infra-sizer analysis of the cyanide tail (Table l) illustrate the problem in hand. The cyanide tail is a combination of two products, gangue and FeS2. The assay alters by virtue of a change in gold value due to grinding and the relative quantity of FeS2 in the sizes, which itself varies with the grind. The disposal tail is the residue after the cyanide tail is scavenged by flotation, most of the pyrite being removed for roasting. It presents a somewhat different problem, since grinding gangue is all gain, but -10 micron FeS2 does not float nearly as well as + 10 product. This results in compromise in the final size to be aimed at. Extra grinding has hardly any appreciable effect on the gold extraction from the FeS2. (See Milling Investigations Into the Ore as Occurring at the Lake Shore Mine; Trans. C.l.M.M., Vol. XXXIX, 1936).

Jan 1, 1940

By Warren B. Weeks

The year 1940 saw an increase of 20 per cent in oil production over the previous year—compared with a 16 per cent increase the previous year. In all, 25,790,380 bbl. were produced, an increase of 4,414,150 bbl, over 1939 and the largest production figure for south Arkansas since 1928. The older settled production continued to decline. Magnolia accounted for most of the increase, with aid from the other recent deep fields. During the year, 169 wells were drilled, 79 fewer than in the previous year. Of 131 wells drilled in proven fields, 18 were dry. Three of the 38 wildcats were pool openers. The drilling depth record was increased from 9028 to 9550 feet. Trend of Prospecting For the first time since 1936, the search for oil in the deep Smackover limestone slackened perceptibly; g dry wildcats ended in Smackover, 2 in. the underlying Eagle Mills; 7 penetrated Paleozoic beds, while 9 ended in Hosston, 2 in Glen Rose, 2 in Paluxy and 4 in Gulf. Geology The wells listed in Table 2 either resulted in the discovery of new oil pools or, because of their depth or location, afforded impor-tant stratigraphic or structural informa-tion. Fig. I is a general columnar and stratigraphic section showing the relation-ship of the strata within the Comanche series. The nomenclature shown was ac-cepted by the Shreveport Geological Society. It was subsequently published by Imlay,l who indicated probable correlations with other areas and presented evidence for the possible Jurassic age of the under-lying Cotton Valley and Smackover formations. New Fields Pouke.—On June 10, 1940, the Louark Producing Co. completed its No. I Sturgis, sec. I, T. 17 S., R. 27 W., in central Miller County, producing between 3583 and 3607 ft. in the upper part of the Paluxy forma-tion. The well flowed I00 bbl. of 3r.4' gravity oil per day through Ns-in. tubing choke. This discovery resulted from seismograph work. Six other wells were drilled in the area, none of which found production in the original sand. One of these wells is producing from a sand 50 ft. deeper in the section. The others were abandoned. No further development is in prospect. Production is from lenticular sands of the upper Paluxy; 45,556 bbl. had been pro-duced by the end of 1940. There is structural closure against a fault to the northwest. McKanzie.—The Atlantic Refining Com-pany's No. I Bodcaw Lumber Co., sec. 29, T. 17 S., R. 23 W., eastern central La-fayette County, was completed June 8, 1940, as the eighth and farthest west of the Smackover (Reynolds o6lite) limestone pools. The well flowed 10 bbl. an hour of 58.6' gravity distillate through an 1 1/64 Ma-in. tubing choke, with a gas-oil ratio of 8400:I.

Jan 1, 1941

By Warren B. Weeks

The year 1940 saw an increase of 20 per cent in oil production over the previous year—compared with a 16 per cent increase the previous year. In all, 25,790,380 bbl. were produced, an increase of 4,414,150 bbl, over 1939 and the largest production figure for south Arkansas since 1928. The older settled production continued to decline. Magnolia accounted for most of the increase, with aid from the other recent deep fields. During the year, 169 wells were drilled, 79 fewer than in the previous year. Of 131 wells drilled in proven fields, 18 were dry. Three of the 38 wildcats were pool openers. The drilling depth record was increased from 9028 to 9550 feet. Trend of Prospecting For the first time since 1936, the search for oil in the deep Smackover limestone slackened perceptibly; g dry wildcats ended in Smackover, 2 in. the underlying Eagle Mills; 7 penetrated Paleozoic beds, while 9 ended in Hosston, 2 in Glen Rose, 2 in Paluxy and 4 in Gulf. Geology The wells listed in Table 2 either resulted in the discovery of new oil pools or, because of their depth or location, afforded impor-tant stratigraphic or structural informa-tion. Fig. I is a general columnar and stratigraphic section showing the relation-ship of the strata within the Comanche series. The nomenclature shown was ac-cepted by the Shreveport Geological Society. It was subsequently published by Imlay,l who indicated probable correlations with other areas and presented evidence for the possible Jurassic age of the under-lying Cotton Valley and Smackover formations. New Fields Pouke.—On June 10, 1940, the Louark Producing Co. completed its No. I Sturgis, sec. I, T. 17 S., R. 27 W., in central Miller County, producing between 3583 and 3607 ft. in the upper part of the Paluxy forma-tion. The well flowed I00 bbl. of 3r.4' gravity oil per day through Ns-in. tubing choke. This discovery resulted from seismograph work. Six other wells were drilled in the area, none of which found production in the original sand. One of these wells is producing from a sand 50 ft. deeper in the section. The others were abandoned. No further development is in prospect. Production is from lenticular sands of the upper Paluxy; 45,556 bbl. had been pro-duced by the end of 1940. There is structural closure against a fault to the northwest. McKanzie.—The Atlantic Refining Com-pany's No. I Bodcaw Lumber Co., sec. 29, T. 17 S., R. 23 W., eastern central La-fayette County, was completed June 8, 1940, as the eighth and farthest west of the Smackover (Reynolds o6lite) limestone pools. The well flowed 10 bbl. an hour of 58.6' gravity distillate through an 1 1/64 Ma-in. tubing choke, with a gas-oil ratio of 8400:I.

Jan 1, 1941

By J Seppelt, B Akerstrom, A Rice, J Bubnich, T Waters

The Concentrator 1 plant at Cadia transitioned from Cadia Hill open pit to the Cadia East block cave ore body in 2013. As a result of this change, major plant upgrades were required to achieve the desired throughput while treating more competent ore. The 40-foot (40’) SAG mill now receives a feed of predominantly high pressure grinding rolls (HPGR) product with a minor component of secondary crushed ore at a combined F80 of 17 mm. The significant reduction in feed size to the SAG mill has markedly changed the operating characteristics of the mill, which has been extensively studied since commissioning in 1998.This paper examines the operation of the 40’ SAG mill in its new configuration in the Concentrator 1 circuit. Operational stability is highlighted as a significant factor in delivering mill performance, which has been achieved through several key improvement projects utilising a theory of constraints framework. Five years of successful project implementation has progressively lifted the maximum processing rate of Concentrator 1 from the design estimate of 2455 t/h to above 3000 t/h. CITATION:Waters, T, Rice, A, Seppelt, J, Bubnich, J and Akerstrom, B, 2018. The evolution of the Cadia 40-foot SAG mill to treat the Cadia East orebody: a case study of incremental change leading to operational stability, in Proceedings 14th AusIMM Mill Operators' Conference 2018, pp 217–232 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Aug 29, 2018

By C. Arthur Carlson

"It now becomes my privilege and duty to call to order this fifty-first meeting of the Rocky Mountain Coal Mining Institute. "I bid you a hearty welcome and I know by your attendance at these meetings you will gain a great deal of valuable information, as well as have a wonderful time. "We have been very ably represented by Mr. John H. Emrick as General Chairman, assisted by our good friend Mr. Fred W. Whiteside, our secretary and treasurer. I know they have worked very hard in selecting the various committees, who in turn - by the looks of our program have gone all out to prepare material that should be of great interest to us. I trust we will be attentive to the subjects presented and freely enter into the discussions, also relating our problems and experiences. I am sure this will prove both profitable and beneficial to all present. "The main purpose of these conventions is to become acquainted with each other, renew old acquaintances, talk over our problems, and have a little fun and relaxation from our every day routine. "Let us not forget the manufacturers, the distributors, the operators, or the press because it is through their splendid support that this organization is successful. "Since our last meeting we have gained many new members, whom we especially welcome. We are sorry to have lost a few. I am mindful, at this time, of two very good members from my home state who have passed away, Walter Wetzel, a former president of this institute, and Lee Alger, at the time of his death, Vice-President from Utah. We also lost very recently our assistant Secretary-Treasurer, Everret Davis. These men contributed a great deal to the institute and the coal industry in general. I am sure they are greatly missed by all who knew them."

Jan 1, 1955

By O. M. Bishop

"INTRODUCTION Early in World War II, the Bureau of Mines realized that reserves of fluorspar ore at many mines in the southern Illinois fluorspar district were not being developed as rapidly as the old ones were being depleted. At some mines the measured and indicated ore reserves were almost entirely depleted, although geologic factors favored new discoveries. The Leo mine, which had not been worked since 1938, was among this group of mining. The Bureau of Mines, together with the Illinois Geological Survey examined the property, studied the mine records and,geologic factors in 1944, and agreed that exploratory drilling was warranted Funds were,obtained for the work in the fiscal year 1945, and drilling was done; between October 27, 1944, and June 15, 1945.The property was owned in fee simple by the Hllside Fluor Spar Mines at the time exploration was begun in October 1944. Subsequently, in 1945, the Inland Steel Co. acquired of the Hillside property."

Jan 1, 1947

By William S. Alldredge

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority(WMATA) officially came into existence in February 1967 after the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia joined in a com¬pact pursuant to Federal creative legislation signed the previous November to build a regional rapid rail transit system called METRO (1). The parent organization was the National Capital Transportation Agency (NCTA), a Federal agency, subject to Federal statutes and regulations. Soon after the completion of the transition from NCTA to the new "non-Federal" status of the Authority, the Board of Directors of the Authority formally adopted procurement policies and procedures (2). These are specific statements concerning competition by formal advertising for bids or by solicitation of proposals for negotiation, contracting authority, approval of awards, awards of contract modifications, and processing of claims and disputes. These policies and procedures are silent as to Federal procurement statutes and regulations. But because of the Authority's origin, the sensitive nature of the compact among the several sovereign jurisdictions, Federal financing of two-thirds of the costs, and the resultant surveillance by the General Accounting Office over staff operations, the Authority's procurement practices follow closely Federal regulations adapted to WMATA's needs. This is an important point and is the foundation of contractual relations between the Authority as the owner and its construction contractors. Various constraints and flexibilities of this arrangement with respect to excavation and tunneling contracts will be pointed out in the ensuing discussions.

Jan 1, 1974

By J. C. Ashby

Electric utility response to certain amendments of the Clean Air Act has resulted in a production of several types of alkaline coal combustion byproducts. Alkaline combustion byproducts are gaining increasing usage for acid mine drainage mitigation as research leads to a better understanding of their beneficial applications. Since January of 1997, Mettiki Coal Corporation has been injecting alkaline flue gas desulfurization material from Virginia Power's Mt. Storm Unit #3 wet limestone scrubber into abandoned portions of the active Mettiki mine. This paper provides an overview of the key design, transportation, regulatory, and environmental issues faced in the project.

Jan 1, 1998

By IPMI Educational and Scientific Foundation

It is with great pleasure that we announce the availability of this fourth issue of the IPMI Journal, a publication of the International Precious Metals Educational and Scientific Foundation. This digital peer reviewed publication has been created as a vehicle for the sharing of technical information related to the science and technology of precious metals. Since 1976, the International Precious Metals Institute has championed the exchange of information of critical importance to the precious metals scientific and commercial communities through its various communications vehicles. This has included instructional videos, annual conference symposia, special topic committee meetings, regional seminars, and professional and student achievement awards. Due to the breadth of important topics related to all aspects of precious metals, it has been the vision of the IPMI to provide a publication available to the general public that would become a key source of pertinent topics containing high quality publications by experts in their fields of study. Historically, the IPMI has attracted world renowned experts in many fields (including Nobel Laureates Henry Taube, Ei-ishi Negishi, Robert Grubs, Professor Ben Feringa, and David MacMillan) in the dissemination of discoveries, inventions, and industry proven practices. Such information has a total value greater than the sum of its parts as seemingly unrelated innovations from distinct focus areas can be adapted to solve problems. Because of this important characteristic of information exchange, we have decided to create a digital journal, available to the general public, that will not only communicate state of the art discoveries and sound practices, but will also review historical communications from the IPMI’s archives that have value and use even in today’s environment. On behalf of the members and leaders of the IPMI, we hope you will find value in this new publication.

Dec 1, 2023

By M. L. Requa

EVERY forward step in civilization brings with it an increase in population and increasing demand for raw materials. Modern civilization, because of its industrial development, depends more and more for its well-being on ample supplies of raw materials; the higher the type of that civilization, the greater its dependence. No fact is more obvious than that the raw materials should be put to use with greatest prudence and efficiency. National life is not a matter of a decade or a century. Conservation is no longer a matter for political discussion; it is a vital element in the future welfare of all nations. Unfortunately, to the minds of many, conservation means the locking up of natural resources, their arbitrary withdrawal, bringing about, in short, a condition of industrial stagnation. This has occurred in past centuries through misdirected governmental effort. Two eminent engineers have variously defined conservation as follows:

Jan 1, 1925