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By John Heter

An alum/sulfur deposit (USDA organic registered) was mined underground for alunite (K,Na) Al3 (SO4)2 (OH)6 from the early 1900s to the 1930s. It is now being mined as an open pit quarry. A larger assemblage of minerals is included with this method (Alunite, Potassium?Alum, Jarosite, Gypsum, Native Sulfur and K-feldspar). This assemblage of minerals provides the necessary requirements as a Volcanic Soil Conditioner Sulfur-Potash. Heart of Nature? Company has been marketing this product to farmers on the west coast as a (1) pH reducer, (2) soluble sulfur and potassium source for plant growth and (3) soluble calcium. Recently, a new market has been tapped. This product has been found to solve many odor, bacteria and algae problems faced in the dairy industry.

Jan 1, 2008

Outotec?s direct leaching process is an atmospheric leaching process for sulphidic zinc concentrates. The direct leaching process, based on special leaching reactors developed by Outokumpu, is the most economical way to produce electrolytic zinc. The production scale applications of the process realized so far are in use at Boliden?s Kokkola and Odda zinc plants. A new full-scale application of Outotec?s direct leaching process will be started in 2008 in China. The process is integrated into the existing production plant, replacing part of the old production facilities by modern technology. Besides high zinc extraction the plant expansion and modernization offers also indium recovery, iron precipitation and solution purification processes. The process equipment includes tailor-made reactors designed on the basis of the work and experience of Outotec research centre. Keywords: zinc, concentrate, atmospheric leaching, technology, indium, iron precipitation, solution purification, Outotec.

Jan 1, 2008

By F De Beurs, S Davies

With the emphasis on CO2 emission legislation and the increasing price of traditional fossil fuels like coal, oil and gas, the use of alternative fuels is becoming more and more attractive for the industry, particularly for the cement industry. The variety of materials burnt in the kiln is enormous and varies from tyres, to animal meal and other waste material or by-products that would otherwise end up in an incinerator or landfill facility. This wide variety in materials demands thorough analysis to determine what elements are present in the organic matrix. The elements present may have an influence on the process or the quality of the cement. Toxic or environmental unfriendly elements may be incorporated or dissolved in the clinker phases; whereas volatile components may be present in stack emission to the atmosphere. X-ray analysis is already the key to elemental analysis in cement production, and is used here to determine the composition of these alternative fuels. The XRF spectrometer configuration used in this study is designed to overcome the difficulties associated with the analysis of strongly varying light organic matrices containing heavier elements in minor and trace-level quantities. Heavy element specific excitation conditions and three-dimensional polarised optical geometry increased the signal to background ratio and improved detection limits compared to conventional XRF spectrometers.

Jan 1, 2008

By Paul Staples, Paul Messenger, Greg Lane

"Every project is different. While “conventional” SAG and ball mill circuits will suit many projects, for others there are alternatives, which may produce improved outcomes. This paper examines particular examples of recent front end designs which either went against conventional thinking or which employed “out of the box” thinking to realize the desired results.One such example is the design strategy employed for a small capacity gold plant in Victoria, Australia. The selection of HPGR technology for small capacity projects is not generally favoured, given the relatively high cost of small HPGR machines. However, the unusual size distribution of the gold and its liberation characteristics were expected to lead to improved gold recovery offsetting the higher capital cost.Another example is the first large scale application of milling in acid for copper recovery, at a project in south east Asia. The stainless steel, single stage SAG mill using ceramic grinding media was more expensive than a mill constructed of conventional materials. However, the steps of scrubbing, slurrying, grinding and leaching could all be achieved in a single unit operation and the need for thickening and repulping with acid after milling was eliminated.Rod mills were selected for both primary and secondary milling duties for another south east Asian project despite their somewhat outdated reputation. A review of previous industry experience confirmed that rod mills could outperform conventional rod/ball or SAG/ball circuits in cases where the size distribution of the ground product is critical to downstream recovery.These examples are discussed with particular focus on the key drivers in each case."

Jan 1, 2008

By Sam Spearing

Free-standing supports are commonly used in coal mines in the USA, particularly when longwalling. A recent trend has been the development of prop supports. Prop supports have many advantages over bulky, crib-type secondary standing supports, particularly in regard to material handling and installation. The challenge in prop design has been to develop load capacities that can compete with crib type systems and to develop reliable (stable) yielding capability. This paper will focus on the design aspects of steel prop supports, specifically, and evaluate the various concepts that have been developed to provide easy height adjustment and sustainable stable yielding under load. The design and resulting improvement provided by recent support developments called the Quik Stik and Ball Buster are discussed in detail. Performance areas that still need improvement in the design and usage of free standing supports in general are identified and possible solutions outlined.

Jan 1, 2008

By Autumn Fjeld

The filling and solidification of an industrial scale composite casting has been simulated to investigate the re-melting of the outer shell material during casting. Production of a composite requires a two-step casting process which includes centrifugal casting of a hard outer shell material and subsequent conventional ingot casting of a tough core material into the shell-mold assembly. During casting of the core, a thin layer of the shell material re-melts and mixes with the core material producing a bonding layer of intermediate composition. The present numerical model employs the volume of fluid method and an enthalpy-porosity technique to couple the filling of the core material and re-melting of the shell material. The interface between the two materials is tracked and can be used as a guide to examine the extent of melting and, to some degree, mixing of the two fluids and species diffusion.

Jan 1, 2008

By Brett K. Mainer

In the summer and fall of 2007, Drill Tech Drilling and Shoring, Inc. designed and built three 24-foot inside diameter shafts in Northern California using soil mix panels for support. The soil mixing was performed using the Bauer Cutter Soil Mix (CSM) method, by which rectangular soil mix panels up to 71 feet deep were arranged in an overlapping manner to form a 24-foot inside diameter circle. The shafts were then excavated to depths up to 51 feet. One of the shafts was a test shaft and used only the soil mix panels for support. The other two shafts were located immediately adjacent to the Mokelumne River and were used as access pits for a microtunnel drive under the river. These two shafts had wide flange beams embedded in the panels and were supported with several levels of ring steel placed during excavation. This project was the first use of the Bauer CSM method in the United States. The CSM method has been used extensively in Europe and Asia, but never for this application and never with this high a loading criteria due to water head and microtunnel reaction forces. Soil conditions at the river crossing shafts consisted of sands, gravels, and cobbles over top of sandstone and conglomerate bedrock ranging in strength up to 5,000 psi. Groundwater was within several feet of the surface. The shafts were successfully completed between October 2007 and January 2008, and the microtunnel was successfully completed in February 2008. This paper provides discussion regarding selection of the shoring type, structural design, the soil mixing method, and the mix designs. Shaft construction, shaft performance, and the capabilities of the CSM equipment are presented.

Jan 1, 2008

By Jonty Tshipa

The Mine Site Technologies, MST BlastPED ST is a wireless/remote blasting system used in more than sixty (60) mines (including two mines in Zambia and one in Tanzania) since its release in 2002. The system consists of a controller and signal tube initiator which communicate wirelessly using spread spectrum frequency. This technique ensures a robust and secure wireless link between the controller and the signal tube initiator. The configuration of the system ensures ease of use with all the instructions for initiating the blast printed on the equipment. This means little or no formal training is required to use the system. The technology enables you to have your blasting point at a distance of up to 4 km, line of sight (LOS), as opposed to the traditional distance of 500m from the blast. This ensures the blast takes place from a safer and secure location. The paper and presentation will provide the audience with the benefit of many years of international mining know-how in this technology as well as more recent local African experiences. There will be references to demonstration blasts done in South Africa, current users in Africa and elsewhere. Practical Return on Investment (ROI) calculations and references to safe blasting practice will also be included.

Jan 1, 2008

By Ludy C. Motta, Denise C. O. Nascimento, Sergio N. Monteiro

"Natural cellulose-based fibers are nowadays of growing interest for modern industrial composites. Relatively unknown fibers like piassava, curaua and gourde have shown promising behavior as reinforcement of polymeric composites. However, the hydrophilic characteristics of the natural fibers impair its adhesion to the normally hydrophobic polymeric matrix. Surface treatments can, in principle, improve this adhesion and the fiber/matrix interfacial strength. In this paper, the effect of alkali treatment of the surface of piassava (Atallea funifera) waste fibers was investigated in terms of the change in strength of epoxy composites reinforced with these waste fibers.IntroductionThe consequences of global warming and the increase in the price of petroleum are motivating the use of natural materials as substitute for energy intensive synthetic materials [1]. In particular, natural fibers obtained both, from cultivated plants such as jute, sisal, hemp and flax as well as from industrial waste such as sugar come bagasse and coir, are being considered to replace synthetic glass fibers [2,3]. These natural fibers, also known as lignocellulosic fibers, present the comparative advantages of being renewable, recyclable and biodegradable. Moreover, lignocellulosic fibers require less amount of processing energy and are neutral with respect to CO2 emission, which causes the atmospheric greenhouse effect responsible for the global warming [4]. Low cost is another important economical advantage of the natural fibers over the synthetic ones and the application of lignocellulosic is also associated with a lower wear of processing equipment and better finishing of molded components [5]. Moreover, for some fibers, properties such as the mechanical strength and impact resistance can be superiors to the corresponding properties of synthetic glass fiber [6]. The characteristics and properties of several lignocellulosic fibers are, nowadays being extensively discussed in the literature. It is beyond the scope of this work to comment on the hundreds of papers dealing with this subject. However, there are still less known fibers with great potential as engineering material that deserves investigation."

Jan 1, 2008

By Tobias Pröll, Bernhard Kronberger, Joachim Rohovec, Werner Hölt, Hermann Hofbauer

"As this is only a first draft, more precise explanations as well as detailed schemes, figures and plots will be included in the final draft. The description og the 100 kW test rig will also be mor detailed as construction is ongoing and will be finished during the summer. Furthermore simulations are to be finished shortly; so details on combustibles and gas concentrations will also be included in the final draft.AbstractOxyFuel combustion is a key technology for the efficient separation of CO2 from fuel combus¬tion (especially coal). Since coal plays a minor role in the Austrian energy mix the application of OxyFuel towards other fuels (biomass, waste fuels) is interesting to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from Austrian energy sector. The investigation of OxyFuel technology for alter¬native fuels is also interesting from a strategic point of view in order to generate knowledge for operation of capture ready cofiring and waste/sludge-incineration plants. OxyFuel uses a synthetic mixture of 02 and recycled exhaust gas where the 02 content may vary. This supplementary degree of freedom allows improved operation especially for low calorific fuels. Heavy fuel oil addition for low calorific combustibles can be omitted when using OxyFuel combustion. Application of alternative fuels (wood, waste wood, municipal waste, sewage sludge) in a 100-kW CFB plant is investigated in combination with process simulation.IntroductionOxyFuel combustion is discussed as one of the key technologies for the efficient separation of CO2 from combustion of fossil fuels (especially coal). Since coal plays only a minor role as primary energy source in Austria, the broadening of the scope towards OxyFuel of other fuels like biomass or waste fuels is necessary to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from Austrian energy sector. The investigation of OxyFuel technology for alternative fuels besides the large coal-oriented projects is interesting also from the strategic point of view. The presented project aims at the generation of knowledge in order to design and operate capture ready cofiring and waste/sludge incineration plants."

Jan 1, 2008

The Lane Cove Tunnel (LCT) is an important infrastructure link in New South Wales (NSW) and runs from the end of the Gore Hill Freeway at Artarmon at its eastern extremity, to the end of the M2 at North Ryde at its western extremity.  The LCT is 3.6 km long and generally consists of twin two/three lane unidirectional tunnels running largely under Epping Road from just east of Mowbray Road, west to the western end of the Gore Hill Freeway. The tunnel opened in early 2007. The presentation will provide a summary of the traffic and emission modelling performed for selected representative surface road sections in the vicinity of the Lane Cove Tunnel. An assessment of the predicted impact of vehicle emissions on ambient air quality in the corridor as a result of changed traffic conditions due to the tunnel opening will be presented. The traffic modelling and emission calculations were undertaken for the following two scenarios: Year 2006 û Lane Cove Tunnel no-build option, and Year 2006 û Lane Cove Tunnel build option. Vehicle emission calculations for the four main pollutants from vehicles: CO, VOC, NOx and PM10 on the surface roads in the vicinity of the Lane Cove Tunnel were performed using the predicted daily traffic for the two cases (no-build and build). The analyses indicated that the vehicle emissions for all pollutants are expected to significantly reduce in the corridor with the building of the Lane Cove Tunnel, including the areas in the vicinity of all tunnel portals, when compared to vehicle emissions for the no-build case.  As a result of the decreased vehicle emissions on the surface roads, the study concluded that the actual ambient air quality is expected to improve in the corridor including the tunnel portal areas after the Lane Cove Tunnel opening.

Jan 1, 2008

By E. I. Gedgagov, A. V. Tarasov, V. M. Paretsky, A. D. Besser

"Hydrometallurgical technology and equipment have been developed in the Gintsvetmet Institute (Moscow, Russia) for processing of rhenium-containing alloys waste to produce commercial- grade metal products with recovery of all valuable components. The technology is based on waste treatment with hydrofluoric acid with subsequent decomposition with nitric acid at pH = 1 to 1.5 to ensure maximum degree of rhenium conversion to the liquid phase of pulp. Some experimental lots of ammonium rhenate and ammonium molybdate were produced at a pilot plant. The following main techno-economic performance values have been achieved when processing grinding residues (balance-based tests were conducted with a lot of SP-2 alloy waste) to produce ammonium rhenate of high purity, as well as tantalum-niobium, nickel-cobalt and tungsten-molybdenum concentrates: rhenium recovery of 92.3% into a commercial product from grinding waste; production cost of 170-210 US Dollars per 1 kg of rhenium in commercial-grade ammonium perrhenate taking into account its recovery; tantalum and niobium recovery of 75- 77% into bulk concentrate; nickel and cobalt recovery of 88-89% into a mixed concentrate; tungsten and molybdenum recovery of 88% to 91% into concentrate. Introduction During the recent years the use of rhenium has been increasing at a fast pace worldwide [1]. The growing prices for this refractory metal are an essential factor encouraging collection and processing of rhenium-containing wastes. Double-component waste, such as molybdenum- rhenium or tungsten-rhenium alloys can be readily decomposed and the process of rhenium recovery does not cause, therefore, any difficulties. The main separation of metals takes place at the stage of waste digestion with acid, because molybdenum and especially tungsten remain in precipitate in the form of hydrated oxides and rhenium reports in the liquid phase, from which it can be easily extracted by solid ion-exchange or solvent extraction techniques. However, most of rhenium is contained in super-alloy waste [2]. Such waste has different contents of valuable components, such as tantalum, niobium, molybdenum, tungsten, cobalt, nickel, chromium and other metals. The basis of all such super-alloy waste is nickel. Refractory metals in the super- alloy composition are in the form of metallized target-oriented eutectics, and due to this reason hydrometallurgical decomposition of such alloys is a difficult technological task."

Jan 1, 2008

By S M. C Verryn

The amount of raw material used in the production of cement can be reduced by partially supplementing it by pozzolanic waste material without changing its properties negatively. This paper discusses results of an investigation using slag from the Pt industry, from the production of steel using Midrex processes as well as fly ashes from different coal power plants in South Africa. These are blended in a 20 per cent slag or fly ash to 80 per cent cement ratio. The properties of the mixtures depend on the phase composition, chemistry, grain size and the sources of the materials. The results are promising, but show variable behaviour depending on slag and cement composition. Compressive strength tests as well have heat flow curves showing the hydration behaviour, indicating that 20 per cent addition of slag or fly ash to ordinary Portland cement is viable. There is a large potential to use slag in cement mixtures and this study can be used to develop cements that will positively influence CO2 emissions and help to reduce large slag and fly ash stockpiles.

Jan 1, 2008

By I. Ashmole

The dimension stone industry is not widely known or appreciated within the mainstream mining industry. This is in spite of the fact that the industry has grown at an average of over 7% per annum since 1980, and is estimated to now have a global turnover in excess of US$ 60 Billion per annum. Production technologies, particularly in the developed world where labour costs are high, have developed rapidly over the past two decades. Aligned with this, there has been a significant trend in adoption of a more professional mining approach in the exploration for and operation of dimension stone quarries. In fact, in the experience of the authors, mining a dimension stone deposit successfully if often more challenging from a mining engineering point of view than many conventional surface mines. This paper gives an overview of the industry and then proceeds to discuss best practice in exploration for dimension stone and to outline the latest technologies applied in mining of dimension stone. These technologies are varied and the specific combination of technologies applied in any given quarry is determined by both the physical properties of the material as well as the influence of geology which significantly impacts on the recovery of saleable material and hence the economics of the quarry.

Jan 1, 2008

The development of information concerning mesothelioma in South Africa started with the 1959 finding of Dr. J. Christopher Wagner of cases of mesothelioma in persons living in the vicinity or working in crocidolite mines in Cape Province. After more than 40 years, the data from South Africa now provide important insights into the differences in mesothelioma risk associated with different asbestos fiber-types. Three case series reports and one analytical report were reviewed in this session. In total, information on 504 proven cases was presented. There were 28% of cases arising from occupational exposure in mining, 35% from non-mining occupations, 23% from environmental exposures; 14% where no exposure was established and 9% where the exposure was unknown. Among the 129 cases for which occupational exposure and asbestos fiber-type were established, 115 cases were associated with occupational exposure to Cape crocidolite; 1 case associated with occupational exposure to Transvaal crocidolite and 9 cases with occupational exposure to amosite (grunerite asbestos) and 4 cases with occupational exposure to mixed fiber-types. There were no cases associated with chrysotile asbestos. There were 33 cases of environmental mesothelioma linked to Cape crocidolite exposure and 2 to exposure to amosite and crocidolite but none to Transvaal amosite alone or to chrysotile. The evidence shows that amosite is capable of causing mesothelioma but that the major risk in South Africa is associated with Cape crocidolite.

Jan 1, 2008

In 2005, a total of 263 metal mining operations reported employment to the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA). Metal mines were the smallest mining commodity sector, comprising 1.8% of all mining operations. ? Gold mines comprised 46.0% (n=121) of all metal mining operations. Other common types of metal mines were iron ore (n=32; 12.2%), copper ore (n=31; 11.8%), and lead and/or zinc ore (n=16; 6.1%). ? Nevada had the largest number of metal mines (n=52; 19.8%), followed by Alaska (n=27; 10.3%).

Jan 1, 2008

By Julian Prada

Tunneling requirements are presenting designers with greater challenges. The design and construction of the 2000-ft long unidirectional twin highway tunnels for the approach to one of two bridges of the Louisville-Southern Indiana Ohio River Bridges (LSIORB) Project is no exception. Excavation under low cover, beneath an historic site, with each tunnel of 70-feet wide and 50-feet high dimensions will set precedents for US highway tunnel excavation size. To investigate ground conditions to supplement final design of the highway tunnels, an exploratory tunnel excavated through karstic limestone and shale will be located within the confines of the proposed final alignment. With the LSIORB Project, Jefferson County, Kentucky and Clark County, Indiana will have improved cross-river mobility between them. The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) and the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) are developing the LSIORB Project jointly, in coordination with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). Section 4, one of six sections, as shown in Figure 1 is the East End Kentucky Approach and Connections to I-265. Key elements of Section 4 are the twin three-lane highway tunnels under the historic Drumanard Estate. The property is located on the north side of US Highway 42 (US 42) at the intersection with the Gene Snyder Freeway (also KY841) as shown in Figure 2. One aspect of the project consists of the excavation of an Exploratory Tunnel along the southbound alignment tunnel. At the time of preparation of this paper, KYTC has not awarded the Exploratory Tunnel Contract. This paper will focus on the planned geotechnical investigation program that will occur during excavation of the exploratory tunnel and how the design of the twin highway tunnels will incorporate the findings to achieve an innovative and efficient configuration.

Jan 1, 2008

Hindered settling devices (teeter bed, up-current) are widely used in the mining industry to classify mineral streams into various size fractions and to separate minerals. In the coal industry these devices are extremely successful in separating coal of low densities from shale and pyrite. In the beach sand and in the iron ore industry, this equipment is used to beneficiate minerals either as stand alone units or lately as classifiers in spiral circuits. The challenge that these applications give to metallurgists is to be able to simulate the equipment by using mathematical models with or without the aid of small bench scale tests. In any green fields and many brownfields projects, limited amounts of samples make pilot plant tests difficult. Although there are mathematical approaches available, the accuracy is of such a nature that it can not be used for design purposes. This refers to the use of StrokeÆs law, NewtonÆs and the so called intermediate law as is widely published. Research done by the author indicates that in most applications none of the above laws apply. Using the original data as published by Perry and Chilton (Chemical Engineering Handbook, pp 5-64, 1973) and re-plotting it indicates that the settling velocity of particles is a function of (particle diameter)n where n varies between 1.2 and 1.6 which is different from that predicted by the intermediate law that suggests that n = 1.18. Another way of describing the relationship between the drag force and the Reynolds number is done by iterating between settling velocity and the Reynolds number. This needs more computer time but the accuracy obtained from this does add value to simulations. A small but simple test is suggested to determine the settling velocity of particles to enable metallurgists to determine variations from the theoretical calculations to determine the influence of viscosity and particle shape.

Jan 1, 2008

The relative importance of magmatic and metamorphic fluids in Archaean gold mineralisation has long been a subject of debate. Computer simulations can be used to explore the interaction between competing fluid flow drivers, thus providing insight into their role in mineralisation. This approach has been applied to Archaean gold mineralisation in the Yilgarn craton, Western Australia. A simple model representing regional metamorphism in a granite-greenstone terrane indicates that fluid produced during a regional metamorphic event in the Yilgarn was unlikely to have been involved in mineralisation, because it would have escaped from the crust long before the main gold event. Another model illustrates the competition between magmatic fluid production, convection, and deformation. The model shows that the timing of deformation relative to fluid production is important in determining the fate of magmatic and metamorphic fluids, and hence their potential to play a role in mineralisation. An EXTENDED ABSTRACT is available for download. A full-length paper was not prepared for this presentation.

Jan 1, 2008

By D. Komljenovic, E. Lafontaine, J. Paraszczak

Availability of the production equipment used in underground mines has a substantial impact on production costs and, thus, on mine profitability. Appropriate collection of pertinent data and information, as well as use of adequate performance measures and their analyses, can help mine operators identify cost-effective opportunities to improve equipment availability. This paper presents study results aimed at reviewing and analyzing means and measures used to quantify equipment availability and its contributing factors (reliability, maintainability and maintenance support) in several Canadian underground mines. It overviews sources, as well as quality and quantity of relevant data and information, and examines performance measures and their definitions, as applied to surveyed mines. Problems concerning data acquisition and meaningfulness of the performance measures are discussed. The paper concludes with some suggestions and recommendations concerning several aspects of equipment availability assessment. Evidence suggests that the latter may become a more useful tool for mine operators in their efforts to reduce production cost.

Jan 1, 2008