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By Donald R. Rathburn

Screening during the production of high-grade lump ore for blast furnace burden, particularly from recently developed ore deposits in Australia, South America, and Africa, has resulted in large tonnages of fine iron ore. Certain owners have decided to stockpile these fines until some later date; however, others have either sold these fines "as is" for agglomeration at the steel plant or have established their own pelletizing plants to produce a premium quality agglomerate. Normally these fines consist of the higher oxides of iron and the hydrated oxides. Unfortunately, grinding these types of materials in a wet process produces a slurry that is difficult to filter to obtain the requisite moisture level for the subsequent balling and indurating operations. The purpose of this paper is to review recent developments in fine dry grinding of iron ore and to discuss the various design and operating parameters involved. Although dry grinding of raw feed and clinker has been practiced in the cement industry for many decades, its significant application to the iron ore industry has taken place within the past ten years. Even though the basic concept of dry grinding has been borrowed from the cement industry, the successful application to iron ore grinding has not taken place without some difficulties. Consequently, the application to iron ore has required the solution of several unique design and operating problems.

Jan 1, 1970

By Jaroslav Briancin, Katarína Gáborová, María Florencia Márquez-Zavalía, Marcela Achimovičová, Ol’ga Šestinová, Pavel Škácha

Naumannite (Ag,Se), a silver selenide mineral, was first discovered in 1828. This study investigates the structure, morphology, chemical composition, and leaching kinetics of naumannite. Mechanical activation in a planetary ball mill increased its specific surface area, enhancing the leaching rate of silver in nitric acid (HNO3). The study found that mechanical activation significantly improves silver recovery.

Jul 1, 2023

By Mritunjoy Sengupta

The Green River formations in the Western U.S.A. contains vast amounts of petroleum reserves in oil shale deposits. Exploitation of this petroleum reserve calls for large scale mining of the oil shale. Applicable mining methods include conventional underground mining using roan and pillar, sub-level caving and block caving; underground insitu retorting of oil shale and open pit mining. Roam and pillar mining offers one of the most economic methods of underground mining of oil shale. A 2.4 x l09 litre per year (50,000 barrels per day) of crude oil production would require a daily oil shale production of 100,000 tomes per day from underground operations. For this large production, a highly mechanized room and pillar mining muld utilize large capacity diesel equipment such as 85 tonne trucks and 8m front end loaders. The total air requirements of an oil shale mining operations can. be as high as 28443/s. Ventilation planning for such a large scale underground mining operation presents a formidable task. The major objectives of providing ventilation air to underground workings are to dilute airborne .dust and diesel fumes to harmless levels, and to insure that the mine environment is compatible with the health and safety of mine personnel. Regulation of air velocities and air temperatures is a major factor in mine environmental control. Colorado State law requires that a minimum of 0.047m3/s of fresh air be supplied for each kW of diesel power operating underground. Additionally, 0.047m3/s of fresh air must be supplied for each underground employee, and a minimum air velocity of 0.15m/s must be maintained in all working places. It is desirable to exceed this minimum velocity in order to prevent stratification of ventilation air. Moreover, Colorado law also stipulates the maximum allowable concentration of noxious gases mine air, below: ? C02 - 0.5% by volume, 5,000 ppm. ? CO - 0.005% by volume, 50 ppm. ? Oxides of Nitrogen - 0.0025% by volume, 25ppm. ? Nitrogen Dioxide 0.005% by volume, 5 ppm. This paper examines ventilation requirements for the underground mine, with respect to air quality requirements and distribution of air in mine workings in light of the above regulations. Analyses were made for sane typical mining plans to determine airflow resistance or pressure drops and fan horsepower requirements. In addition, the possible occurrence of high concentrations of toxic gases, was examined. Expected temperature levels in mine workings were approximated.

Jan 1, 1980

By Om P. Garg

The purpose of this paper is: 1) To summarize the capabilities and some of the limitations of the existing mine planning software. 2) To provide some guidelines for acquiring the software. 3) To identify problems and challenges in terms of how to justify increased use of computers (particularly the 32-bit microprocessor based super micro computers), for various activities related to a mining operation No attempt has been made to review the contents of available software packages in detail. Also the scope of this paper is limited to mine planning related computer applications. Applications related to accounting, inventory control, preventive maintenance, equipment scheduling, etc. have not been covered.

Jan 1, 1983

By Christopher D. Henry

Environmental geologic maps of the Wilcox and Jackson-Yegua lignite belts of the Texas Coastal Plain delineate land areas on the basis of their natural characteristics. Criteria used to define map units include substrate, soil, topography, geologic process, vegetation, and land use. The maps are useful in planning and reclamation of lignite mines and in meeting the requirements of State and Federal surface mining laws. Specific applications include identification of land capability, recharge areas and geometry of aquifers, flood-prone areas, areas that may qualify for prime farmland status, and other areas sensitive to lignite mining.

Jan 1, 1982

By D. G. Purdy

Planning, as defined in Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary, is a detailed program of action designed to achieve an end. When developing a detailed plan to incorporate all the complex activities involved in a surface lignite mine, many elements must be carefully evaluated as to the individual and cumulative effects on the end result. The following elements are generally evaluated when planning a surface lignite mine: ? Reserve evaluation, including lignite quality characterization; ? Delineation of mining parameters, including lignite recovery factors, geotechnical factors, land control factors; ? Selection of mining blocks; ? Pit sequencing; ? Reclamation, including soil reconstruction design and land use planning; ? Overburden handling design; ? Selection of equipment; ? Sizing of equipment; ? Manpower requirements; and ? Other elements, including contract negotiations and execution, financing, investment return, operation economics, permitting and scheduling.

Jan 1, 1985

By Michael MacMillan

The mining industry has always operated under intense public scrutiny. Community expectations, investor pressures, regulatory obligations, and environmental oversight create a uniquely complex communications environment. In recent years, technological change, climate urgency, and geopolitics have reshaped how the industry communicates its role and value. The rise of artificial intelligence in the information ecosystem represents yet another fundamental shift. As AI evolves, an organization’s reputation will no longer be shaped solely through human interactions, media coverage, social activity, or corporate disclosure. Increasingly, public understanding depends on how AI systems interpret and represent company information. These systems influence search results, conversational tools, news aggregation, social discourse, and even investor intelligence platforms. As AI-generated summaries, answers, and narratives become the default interface for stakeholders, they also become authoritative in shaping trust. For mining companies, this creates both risk and opportunity. The organizations that recognize how AI reads, prioritizes, and amplifies information will be better positioned to build trust. Those that remain silent or rely on traditional communication methods may find their reputations being algorithmically defined without their participation. This paper explores how mining companies can proactively engineer their reputations in the age of AI.

Jan 1, 2026

By and Heather E. Lawson, Mark K. Larson, Gabriel Walton

In this study, we evaluated the effects of different shapes and distribution densities of mineral grains in coal on failure mechanics using the numerical software 3DEC. The main aim of this study was to identify possible failure mechanisms influenced by mineral habit and frequency in coal. Exploring differences in failure mechanics associated with the mineral grains helped to determine the role of mineral character as a possible contributor to characterize burst-prone coals. To achieve the goal of this study, a series of numerical specimens were prepared in the 3DEC model as follows: first, the 3DEC modeling in conjunction with the DFNs (Discrete Fracture Networks) technique was performed to explicitly generate the discontinuities (i.e., cleats and bedding planes) in the numerical specimens based on the results of laboratory analyses. Then, the different realizations of mineral grains were embedded in the 3DEC model to simulate an unconfined compressive strength (UCS) test to assess the influence of the mineralogical characteristics on the UCS.

By P. K. Muduli

The number and the type of trucks and shovels are two important factors in determining the optimal design parameters of an open-pit mining system. Characteristics of trucks' arrival and service-time distributions determine the performance measures of a truck-shovel system when it is modeled as a closed queuing network. In all of the previous analytical queuing studies of truck-shovel systems, trucks are assumed to be identical with respect to their arrival and service-time distributions. This assumption, although desirable for reducing computational difficulties, causes either underestimation or overestimation of the performance measures depending on the number and type of equipment used in the model. The relative error in performance measures could be significant when the number of different types of trucks and shovels is large. In this paper an analytical method is proposed to model the truck-shovel system as a multiple-chain closed queuing network. This approach would provide the capability of estimating system performance measures for planning purposes when the truck fleet is not necessarily composed of identical trucks. An example of truck-shovel systems is discussed to show how the incorporation of different types of trucks does affect performance measures.

Jan 1, 1996

By John F. Burst

For several generations now, the high alumina clayey sediments of Southeastern Alabama and Southwestern Georgia have supplied those regions with steady, mineral-based income although the impact of that income has been relatively minor until recently. Since World War II, mining activity has increased algebraically with over half of the total ore value in the Alabama area having been recovered since that time. The Georgia area production increases are even more dramatic. The trends are continuing and the next decade should see ore winning figures which will dwarf all previous production. It's time for the mining engineers to take note of this development as the mining methods, similar to the production, have developed rapidly and now offer challenges for the most competent professional. The development of mining techniques has followed a classic pattern. Beginning almost a hundred years or so ago, with the loading of weather-resistant surface boulders into mule-drawn wagons, mining methods have progressed to discovery of limited surface exposures in outcrop and eventually to stripping and development of non-obvious, subsurface deposits. Little by little, the overburden thickness of new pits has increased until, at present, pits with 100' -125' of overburden are being actively worked. Ground water problems in the Eufaula District are particularly challenging. At A. P. Green's J. W. Baker Pit, #l, in Barbour Co., Alabama, it is necessary to continually pump groundwater at the rate of about 400 gallons per minute from wells on the periphery of this large pit in order to keep the water table low enough to allow mining of the ore body.

Jan 1, 1972

By Rodolfo V. de la Cruz

The broad front concept is based on the principle that gasification can be achieved more efficiently and completely from a plane broad combustion front in contrast to other geometries obtainable with current methods of gasification. By restricting combustion to a plane broad front, the ideal condition for gasification is achieved. A plane broad combustion front can be developed in coal by initiating and propagating combustion from the walls of an oriented channel and collecting product gases from another similarly oriented channel. Flow will then be directed along the highest permeability of the coal bed, the available cross-sectional area for fluid flow is substantially increased and, more importantly, the increased flow will be uniformly distributed throughout the whole mass of coal. The success of the method is greatly dependent on how well an initial and rigorous permeability survey and associated corrective measures yield a well-characterized coal bed. To maintain uniform reaction rates, the advance of the combustion front is located with pressure- or mass flow-transducers. These sensors are then connected to servo-controlled mufflers for controlling segments of the fire front which are advancing ahead of others. Finally, the development of the concept to overcome problems of roof collapse, reactant and product gas leakages, and water invasion are briefly summarized.

Jan 1, 1976

By A. T. Yu

Technology and economies of scale have, in the past decade, brought about the emergence of giant vessels. Meanwhile, to answer the need for rapid dispatch, as a means of combating the proportionately far greater demurrage charges, shiploading and unloading speeds have soared (Ref. 1, 2, 3). As the loading and unloading rates have dramatically increased, so has the cloud of dust grown in unbearable proportions. It not only has threatened to be a real menace to machinery and men, but in certain instances has also seriously jeopardized fish and marine life (Ref. 4). In an era when ecology is king, dust in shiploading and unloading can no longer be shrugged off as a mere public nuisance, and its control is now duly recognized as of grave concern to all. Even if public outcry were not a problem, from the operator's own parochial point of view, dust can adversely affect productivity and the well-being of the operating personnel. Without adequate control, it can also result in costly equipment maintenance, particularly when the dust is micronic in size, and abrasive. The Hierarchy of Control Techniques Given the great fortune of not yet having to deal with gas and odors, in the jargon of pollution control, our problem is confined to having to control "particulates" only. To deal with "particulates", the myriad of dust control techniques can be utterly confusing to those who are not entirely well versed in the methodology. Our analysis of what is available to date results in the following hierarchy of logical preferences: 1. Prevention 2. Removal 3. Suppression 4. Containment 5. Dilution Since it deals with the root cause, prevention always outranks the cure. Once the dust is generated, removal nips it in the bud. Only when dust removal is

Jan 1, 1972

By Lester G. Rollins

Coal today enjoys a dominant position, serving the energy and metallurgical marketed The measure of success in the market place is, and will continue to be, the price per million BTUs or price per ton delivered to the user. The Coal Industry's remarkable record of price stability since World War II is well known. The next twenty years promise to be equally as challenging. This challenge will be met our president, Mr. Drain, has often stated that, ?The Joy Manufacturing Company is betting that coal will meet the challenge.? To this end, the resources of Joy have been committed to doing its part. Joy's efforts are directed toward a target which has been defined as: 1. Deliver coal to the user at a price of $.15/MBTU or less. or; 2. Deliver coal to the mine portal at a cost of $1.00 or less.

Jan 1, 1966

By Josh Willhite, Seth Pollak, Ben Seling

The Long Baseline Neutrino Facility Far Site at the Sanford Underground Research Facility in Lead, South Dakota will house four large detector tanks located in deep underground caverns. Construction of the supporting infrastructure required for this project is no complete including installation of a waste rock conveyance system and drill and blast excavation of several supporting drifts and chambers. This paper will discuss the design and construction of these pre-excavation and early works elements, and the overall project schedule as it closes in on commencement of cavern excavation activities.

Jun 13, 2021

By M. H. Morcali

Pistachio nut shells, an agricultural waste biomass, and Lewatit TP 214, a commercial sorbent, were investigated as adsorbents for the adsorption of platinum from dilute hexachloroplatinic acid solutions. Before the pistachio nut shells were carbonized, adsorption percentage was 65%, whereas Lewatit TP 214 ensured almost 100% adsorption. However, after the pistachio nut shell was carbonized at 1,000° C under an argon atmosphere, the platinum adsorption (%) increased two-fold. The effects of such parameters as sorbent dosage, contact time, temperature and solution pH on adsorption were studied in detail in batch mode. The adsorption equilibrium data were best fitted with the Langmuir isotherm model. The maximum adsorption capacities, Qmax, at 25° C were found to be 38.31 and 33.22 mg/g for the carbonized pistachio nut shell and Lewatit TP 214, respectively. The adsorption of platinum on both sorbents was found to be described by the pseudo-second-order kinetic model. The results indicated that the activated carbon prepared from pistachio nut shells can be effectively used for the removal of platinum from acidic solutions.

By W. R. Reed

This study evaluates the roof-bolter canopy air curtain (CAC) system in an exhausting face ventilation system, demonstrating its effectiveness and illustrating the CAC protection zones. Two scenarios are considered: (1) a roof-bolting machine in the center of the entry for installation of the fifth row of bolts from the face, and (2) a roof-bolting machine positioned close to the face for the installation of the last row of bolts. In both scenarios, the bolting machine is placed in an environment that contains 6.0 mg/m3 of respirable dust and is ventilated by an exhaust curtain with 9,000 cfm (4.25 m3/s) of air to simulate the roof-bolter machine operating downstream of a continuous mining machine. Two operation positions are simulated at the same bolting location: dual drill heads in the inward position for two inside bolts and in the outward position for two outside bolts. The influence of the CAC on airflows and dust dispersion is evaluated with the CAC operating at 250 cfm (0.12 m3/s) with dust reductions ranging from 39.5 to 82.8 percent. When the roof bolter is operated close to the face, increasing CAC airflow was required for adequate protection, as the dust reductions can be as low as 39.5 percent. Increasing CAC airflows to 350 cfm (0.17 m3/s) and 450 cfm (0.21 m3/s) were evaluated, demonstrating that dust reductions increased to 59.7 percent (350 cfm) and 72.0 percent (450 cfm). These results revealed improvement in respirable dust reductions compared to the CAC airflows at 250 cfm when the bolter is operated close to the face, showing the CAC can provide protection against high respirable dust concentrations for roof-bolter operators.

By G. A. Christie

This paper presents a vision system capable of providing an accurate estimate for the volume of stockpiles using 2D images. By imaging a stockpile from multiple viewpoints with a two-camera system, a 3D point cloud of known scale is generated using image-based 3D reconstructions. With a small amount of user interaction, the points that correspond to the surface of the stockpile are extracted and used to measure the volume. The hardware required for the two-camera system is light enough to be carried by a small unmanned aircraft and is a cheaper alternative to LiDAR while still being competitive in terms of accuracy. When testing the volume measurement algorithm on a stockpile of known volume, the measured output was found to have less than a 3% error from the ground truth.

By M. R. Fletcher

Slags generated by the ferrous-metals industry can be used to produce high-tech ceramic materials. The properties of these ceramics can be controlled by judicious choices of composition, additives, and processing parameters. Standard methods of materials handling, such as comminution and mixing, are as applicable to slag as to any other mineralogic raw material. In this study, foundry slag was ground, homogenized, melted and formed to produce a glass, and then heat treated to crystallize it into a high-strength glass-ceramic. The product shows promise as a low-cost wear-resistant tile material which can be custom cast. This and similar materials, made from slags and natural rocks, are candidates for use as construction materials, acid-resistant piping, shock-resistant sheathing, rot-proof pilings, and, when foamed, even as pontoons.

Jan 1, 1988

By Elham Najafi, Sina Ghassa, Ata Akcil, Hadi Abdollahi, Sandeep Panda, Zohreh Boroumand

Bioleaching is an environmental friendly process that has gained much interest for the production of metals from metal-bearing wastes or materials. The process decreases carbon footprint by reducing consumption of fossil fuels. Iron is a key factor in acidophilic iron-oxidizing bacteria’s activity, which is used extensively in the bioleaching of sulfide minerals. In the present study, the effect of different iron sources is investigated on sphalerite (ZnS) bioleaching. For this purpose, the effects of FeSO4  .7H2O, Fe2(SO4  )3 and FeS2 (pyrite) were studied on bacterial activity, and zinc (Zn), lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd) and arsenic (As) dissolutions were monitored from a ZnS concentrate. Under optimum conditions, the dissolutions of Zn, Pb, Cd and As were found to be 39.8, 0.1. 0.03 and 10 percent, respectively, in 25 days.

By Gordon B. French

The Occidental Oil Shale mining and retorting system for the production of shale oil has many advantages over the conventional underground mine and surface retort systems. For example only a portion of the oil shale is mined and transported to the outside, where it blends with the existing shale talus found on most of the slopes in the immediate area. The retorted spent shale is retained underground so that it does not become a surface disposal problem. The process consumes only minor amounts of water which is produced in adequate amounts in the retorting to fulfill all mining operations needs without outside supplies. Noise and dust levels are kept to a minimum with most of the facilities located underground. The exception being the generating stations and facilities as required to monitor air and water qualities, and last but not least, more than four times as much oil is pro¬duced from a given acre than from conventional surface processing. With the increased thicknesses as available on the government monopoly area this number could be increased by a substantial amount.

Jan 1, 1975