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By W. Geo. Waring

Introduction THE winning of zinc and lead ores from the comparatively shallow deposits of the Joplin district, presents, few such problems for the mining engineer as are encountered in deep ore mining and in the handling of complex ores. However, for those who are interested in the origin and nature of ore deposits in general, there is much here to investigate, and upon studies in this direction will depend in no small measure the future of an industry that has produced during the year 1916, in southwest Missouri, lead and zinc ores to the value of $26,319,383; adding $46,022,164 to the metallic wealth of the nation. Including the adjacent mines in Ottawa County, Oklahoma, and Cherokee County, Kansas, which are, really continuations of the Joplin district, the total value of ores produced reached the sums of $34,089,503, and that of the metals, $58,927,941.1 The ores produced in the Joplin district are remarkable on account of their almost uniformly high" metal content in both lead and zinc. Their superiority in this regard is unparalleled, and is doubtless clue to certain geological conditions that are now possibly explicable, provided that the artesian circulation = ascension hypothesis of the origin of the ore deposits is proven beyond question to be the only tenable explanation of the facts. These, as well as other valuable zinc-ore deposits, are bound to he exhausted in time, for ordinary mining purposes, acid it concerns the mining engineer that the conditions under which ores of this character were actually deposited in the form in which they occur, may, if possible, be ascertained, in order that he may learn where to look for similar deposits in other regions, or even how to reproduce artificially such condi-

Jan 9, 1917

V. H. GOTTSCHALK, Rolla, Mo. (written discussion*).-In connection with Mr. Waring's quotation of Urbain's work, attention may be drawn to a remark found in the report of the session of the Société de Chimie Physique,1 held in December, 1909, that, while all blendes contain gallium in larger or smaller quantities, those blendes carrying indium are generally free from germanium, and vice versa. Urbain, furthermore, . expresses his conviction that this behavior, being related to the condi-tions of deposition of the ore, should be an important factor in determining the origin and mode of formation of zinc blende deposits., In. searching the literature for the naturally expected sequel to these remarks, there is found a report on the extraction of germanium from blende, after many months' work, on a commercial scale;2 then a paper3 on some Spanish blendes, all containing cadmium, examined by Urbain's 'method (this paper contains, also, very important work on the com-position and color of blendes, as well as on the occurrence of organic .matter and of inclusions in such blendes), and a second paper on Spanish blendes in general, in which this original point of Urbain's concerning the relative quantities of the three rare elements is taken up.4 Angel del Campo finds that of 68 specimens examined, four only were entirely free of germanium, gallium, and indium;. 38 had small proportions, while 19 were notably, and seven relatively rich in the three rare metals. He found the relative frequency to be: gallium in 60, germanium in, 50, and indium in 38; all three occurred in 29 cases; germanium and gallium together in 18; gallium and indium together in four; germanium and indium together without gallium, in none; four had gallium only, three had germanium only, and one had indium only; in 23 it appeared feasible to extract these elements. Finally, it may be worth mentioning that the discovery of gallium in commercial aluminum5 brought forth two

Jan 1, 1918

By M. J. Collins

Direct pressure leaching of zinc sulphide concentrates was started? commercially in October 1980. Continuing research and development studies at Sherritt and feasibility studies for a number of clients have defined various pressure leach configurations for integrattons with existing roast- 1 each operations and for grass roots plants. Existing and potential applications of zinc pressure leaching are discussed.

Jan 1, 1990

By Cunningham DA

Plant based on the New Jersey refluxing process has been installed at the Cockle Creek Works of Sulphide Corporation Pty. Limited to refine portion of the zinc output from the Imperial Smelting Furnace. Refining of impure zinc is effected by distillation in two stages in vertical columns compris- ing a series of superimposed silicon carbide trays designed such that ascending zinc vapours and descending liquid metal are in intimate contact. In the first stage the volatile elements (zinc and cadmium) are distilled from impure metal, condensed, and while still molten, fed to the second column in which zinc is boiled under controlled refluxing conditions to remove the cadmium content. The resultant zinc has a purity in excess of 99,995 per cent zinc. The availability of refined zinc has made possible the production of a number of zinc alloys for marketing in addition to the basis grades of zinc.

Jan 1, 1969

Plant based on the New Jersey refluxing process was installed at the Cockle Creek Works of Sulphide Corporation Pty. Ltd. to refine portion of the zinc output from the Imperial Smelting furnace.Refining of impure zinc is effected by distillation in two stages in vertical columns comprising a series of superimposed silicon carbide trays designed such that ascending zinc vapours and descending liquid metal are in intimate contact. In the first stage, portion of the zinc and its cadmium content are distilled from impure feed metal, condensed, and while still molten, fed to the second column in which zinc is boiled under controlled refluxing conditions to remove the cadmium content.The resultant zinc has a purity in excess of 99·995 per cent zinc.The availability of refined zinc has made possible the production of a number of zinc alloys for marketing in addition to the basic grades of zinc.

Jan 1, 1970

By R. W. Metsger

The metamorphic zinc-iron-manganese ore in the Grenvillian rocks of the Reading Prong m Sussex County, N.J. is unique. The singularity of its mineral composition and associations has fueled controversy among economic geologists and mineralogists for more than a hundred years. The silicate-oxide ore, in two synformal concentrations has been mined since about 1838. The Franklin mine was depleted in 1954, while the one at Sterling Hill is still producing. Although the two mines are perhaps best known for their almost three hundred mineral species and have been a mecca for collectors, they -- as importantly -- have provided a window through which to observe more than a billion years of geologic history. When pieced together, studies reveal a sequence of probable sedimentary deposition, intense folding, pseudo- viscous flow with attendant negative diapirism, uplifting, erosion, karstification, hydrothermal alteration, burial, faulting, igneous intrusion, uplift , saprolitization, and glaciation.

Jan 1, 1985

By H. C. Meister

THE zinc-smelting industry of the United States has grown very rapidly in recent years and bids fair to outrival that of all other countries in the future. On account of the geographical situation of the chief ore-supplies, the industry may be divided into two main groups, the eastern and the western. The eastern and older group includes the works of Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Virginia, which practically control their own ore-supply. The western group includes the works of Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Wisconsin and Indiana, which do not control their own ore-supply, but are compelled to buy the ore in the open market. It is for this reason that the western zinc-smelting industry has been undergoing continual changes since its inception 40 years ago. During the early discoveries of lead- and zinc-ore in the lead- and zinc-districts of Wisconsin and northern Illinois, the zinc-ore (sinithsonite or " bone " as the miner calls it) had no value and was considered waste; but later, when this ore was found in large quantities, it attracted the attention of metallurgists, which finally resulted, during the early sixties, in the building of the Matthiessen & Hegeler Zinc Works at LaSalle, Ill., the pioneer zinc-works of the West. A few years later, zinc-ore was discovered associated with the lead-ore in Jefferson county, southeastern Missouri, which started the industry at Carondelet or South St. Louis. Still later, the discoveries of zinc-ore in the lead-ore region, first' at Granby and then around Joplin, lead to the introduction of the industry in the southwest Missouri and Kansas districts. At first the development of the industry was slow, but it progressed steadily and it is now one of the leading metallurgical industries of the middle West.

Jan 1, 1905

By J. A. Lombardi

"EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The use of membranes for the treatment of Acid-Mine-Drainage (AMD) water has been a 35 year mining industry quest that has only recently produced commercial scale Zero-Liquid-Discharge (ZLD) plants. The process of development of the membrane treatment of AMD has been defined by the water treatment industry’s efforts to control gypsum scaling of the membranes, an artifact of the concentration of calcium and sulfate ions on the concentrate or “brine” side of the membranes. Improved anti-scalants, changes to membrane surface geometry and a lowered permeate flux rate were all part of solving the calcium sulfate (gypsum) scale formation problem. Whether used singly or as part of a multi-stage membrane treatment process, the production of “left over” membrane concentrate or brine, in any volume large or small, was a second barrier to adoption of the method by the mining industry. The two identified “final brine” treatments were a) solar evaporation ponds and b) mechanical evaporators. Brine disposal by solar means is typically site limited to flat terrains or high net evaporation locations. Mechanical evaporation-crystallization is applicable at all sites but, typically, at onerously high ownership and operating costs. Miwatek, a South African water treatment start-up, has entered the mining AMD ZLD marketplace with two new, pilot-scale tested, processes, both of which are predicated on the innovative treatment of a reasonably concentrated AMD and neither of which produces a final brine that requires disposal. In the Miwatek Brine Treatment, MBT, method the membrane brine is caustic pH adjusted and de-calcified precedent to passage through a second membrane plant. The caustic is generated on-site by a lime treatment of the second-membrane concentrate. The first- and second-stage permeates are blended for discharge. The process usually yields no “final brine” for disposal. In the Miwatek Ettringite Treatment, MET, method a low pH first-stage membrane brine is lime treated in two or three steps in the presence of aluminum in a way that metal hydroxide and calcium sulfate solids are formed and purged from the system. Sufficient aluminum is often present in the feed water to, with judicious recycling, enable operation of the lime-aluminum treatment without the purchase of outside aluminum reagent. The first-stage membrane permeate is blended with the lime-aluminum treated membrane concentrate for discharge. The indications are that the method can comfortably meet the low 250 -500 ppm SO4 discharge water quality standards that have most recently been proposed in South America. The process yields no “final brine” that requires disposal. Projected own-operate costs for the MBT and MET systems are less than the estimated costs for all identified alternative treatments."

Jan 1, 2015

The æMountain Camp reefÆ at Alford's mine, Wakamarina,Marlborough, had no recorded gold production although assays of 5 - 26 g/t were reported, but it did produce c. l000 kg of scheelite. The lode consists of a lower massive quartz layer, and upper, cm-banded, ribboned quartz layers, and has a very low sulphide content. Within the massive layer, relict early fine-grained mosaic quartz with idioblastic scheelite is surrounded by recrystallised granoblastic coarse-grained quartz with calcite and plagioclase, in which an original ribbon banding texture is mimiced by strings of tiny inclusions. In both the banded and massive layers, rounded quartz grains, created by cataclastic milling of grain margins and along syn-vein fractures, have been partially annealed within later quartz overgrowths. Late fibrous quartz and calcite fill brittle cross fractures.   Deformation events D1 and D2 are associated with mid-late Jurassic metamorphism of the Pelorus Group, D2 producing the main regional schistosity (S2, and the earliest scheelite. D3 is an extensional mylonitic shear event that formed the dominant schistosity in Alford's mine (S3). The quartz lode was emplaced within the mylonite by a series of individual dilation pulses (D4). The D5 event caused crenulation of the S3 mylonite, kink banding and chevron folding of the S2 schist and S3 mylonite, and reverse faulting, rodding and cross-fracturing with late fibrous quartz-calcite veining of the D4 quartz lode.   Fluid influxes during successive dilations of D4 fractures progressively caused recrystallisation of earlier quartz bands on the footwall, annealing and recrystallisation of quartz along milled crystal margins and fractures, and deposition of minor sulphides. There was thus a dynamic interplay between fault dilation, lode fracture, fluid influx, lode band deposition, and lode recrystallisation. Illite-Kfeldspar al ¦ 2 Ma (K/Ar), c.30 Ma after metamorphism.

Jan 1, 1996

By A Hutton, C Dick, D Fletcher

Mine and facility closure planning is a dynamic and rapidly evolving landscape. In this landscape, mining companies and industry consultants are generally good at estimating the associated earthworks and rehabilitation costs, because it is æcore businessÆ. Through our extensive work in mine closure, we have found that the safe and cost-effective demolition of mining related infrastructure is often grossly underestimated. Or alternately, it is simply assumed that the returns on scrap steel and the sale of re-usable plant will cover the related costs. With fluctuating steel prices and no guaranteed buyer for the assets, the estimated monetary return is often unreliable and in many cases unrealistic. On this basis this logic is fundamentally flawed. We have found that on most occasions this has meant that closure cost estimates fall well short of what the actual costs are to close the mine.GSSE and Liberty Industrial have worked on over 60 mine closure projects in Australia and overseas of varying scales and across a range of commodity types. An evaluation of these projects has shown that costs associated with the safe demolition and removal of a mining related infrastructure is in the order of 20 - 30 per cent of the total cost at closure. We believe it is one of the top three risk areas associated with mine closure planning and cost estimation, alongside bulk earthworks and the capping of tailings and waste rock storage facilities.Our paper uses examples from recent projects to demonstrate all aspects outlined above. We have also endeavoured to address the following key points related to the demolition and removal of mining related infrastructure:If companies fail to plan appropriately, complicating factors such as contamination, hazardous materials, mobilisation/demobilisation, geographical location, decommissioning standards, site constraints and weather, can add considerable costs to the project and result in variations for the demolition contractor.Closure planning often assumes infrastructure that is no longer required can be utilised by a third party and/or the new land holder. We intend to show that unless adequate consultation and planning is undertaken, this is not beneficial to the mining company, the environment, or the local community.CITATION:Fletcher, D, Hutton, A and Dick, C, 2012. The æsmoking gunÆ of detailed mine closure cost over-run - A review using case studies of the real costs associated with the demolition and removal of infrastructure in mine closure, in Proceedings Life-of-Mine 2012 , pp 325-332 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Jul 10, 2012

Disastrous earthquakes are a reality on the Australiancontinent. Unfortunately it has taken the fatal 1989 New-castle earthquake to demonstrate to all Australians that we do not reside on a "stable continent". While the world accepts the potential of plate tectonics and its associated plate margin earthquakes, particularly around the active Pacific Rim, the realisation of devastating intra-plate, or continental, earthquakes is only now beginning to take effect. The 1989 Newcastle earthquake provides many lessons on which to further fundamental earthquake research and the applications to the future welfare of human civilisation. To mitigate the earthquake hazard in relation to the devastation to life, property and industry, research must be undertaken with the resulting informa-tion to be included in the nation's disaster management programs. The earthquake hazard is everpresent in east-ern Australia and the major step in its quantification is a more realistic determination of earthquake risk estimates through an integrated study of seismology, engineering, insurance and sociology.

Jan 1, 1990

By Jon Pocock, Ashma Singh

The traditional approach for the beneficiation of South African siliceous sedimentary phosphate ores has been reverse cationic flotation. The robustness of this approach, however, has been a concern due to its sensitivity to parameters such as slimes content, headgrade ( P2O5 and SiO2 content), reagent dosages and conditioning times. The phosphate mineralisation for the ore body under investigation is predominantly carbonate fluorapatite composed of mainly quartz and apatite and minor amounts of chlorite, ilmenite and carbonates. Beneficiation of low grade sedimentary ores containing calcareous impurities, such as calcite and/or dolomite in addition to siliceous gangue, is required to meet the increasing demand; therefore, much research has been carried out to find an alternative technique to beneficiate this material. This paper investigates traditional flotation approaches versus the currently adopted ‘Crago Process’. Comparative results are presented in terms of upgrade potential for the production of concentrate rock for downstream applications. The novelty of the ‘Crago Process’ lies in its double stage approach, i.e. direct fatty acid flotation followed by reverse cationic amine flotation. The Crago process was able to achieve higher upgrades reporting at 32.1% P2O5 compared to conventional cationic flotation only achieving grades of 18.5% P2O5. Furthermore, the recovery gain was 3%.

May 13, 2023

By L. Widdifield, R. Riggle

"In today’s challenging mining environment the “Big Picture” (Caterpillar, 2013) approach to mining is often neglected. With haulage costs approaching up to 45 % of the overall mining costs, all too often the load-haul-dump- return cycle is not investigated in its completeness. This paper will discuss the aspects of taking the time to observe an operation from the “Big Picture” approach. In today’s mining business miners, engineers, trainers, supervisors, and managers have ever increasing roles and responsibilities as never seen before in the past decade. The endless human resource, safety, environmental, cost control issues and performance initiatives, detracts from precious time that may have been dedicated to examining the day to day operation. Having examined numerous mining operations over the past several years, one common denominator is lack of time to properly observe operating practices in the field and recognize both positive and negative observations. The old fashioned vocation of observing the operation to assess the haulage, loading and maintenance processes to adjust, maximize or enhance operations have sometimes vanished. Four areas to be discussed in this paper: (1) Look at the “Big Picture”(Caterpillar, 2013), (2) Use common sense, (3) Areas identified for biggest improvements in the operations, (4) Observation of small details for big impacts to lower cost per ton and increased production. The objective of this paper is to provide low cost recommendations to lower cost per ton and increase production. INTRODUCTION Whether miners claim to have been around and experienced it all or the “rookie” on the mine site, miners are expected to execute the mine plan at the lowest cost possible. So why is it so difficult to execute this task? Shouldn’t supervisors just have to man the equipment, tell operators to have a safe day and tally up the numbers at the end of the shift? And let the technology system do the rest? So what could go wrong? Lots. Mining companies seek help from consultants, training departments, performance reporting systems and an arsenal of resources. Armed with all this information, the supervisors just hop in the pick-up and tell the shovel operator to speed up. Sounds simple enough. When the improvements don’t happen, what could have gone wrong? It comes down to people, the simple things that were not executed over the months previously and as a result today the mines performance is not where it should be. A mine is built by people. Managers who have the vision to develop the ore body in a manner that follows sound engineering practices. The infrastructure to mill the ore and support the equipment needed to move the material. Along the way equipment is procured and operators trained to run the gear. Engineers and geologists set up the design, the material movement, and haulage routes. Sounds easy to this point. So, why mine after mine is there this constant struggle to move more with less and get the costs down? Understanding how to make “Great Miners” out of these people is critical to lowering your cost per ton."

Jan 1, 2016

By G. Labonté, J. Truskoski, A. Kerr, A. Bouchard, J. Barrett

"Improving mill grade recovery relationships is always good business. Inco’s Clarabelle mill has just undergone a $16 M process upgrade that was designed to improve nickel recovery by 2%. The “Mill Redesign Project” was completed on time, under budget and delivered the promised improvement in recoveries.This paper describes the methodology of the Mill Redesign Project team, details of the process improvements and the critical success factors that helped the team deliver on its promises.With a payback of under one year, the Mill Redesign Project will play a key role in ensuring a competitive edge as Inco embarks on its second century of operation. IntroductionIt is not uncommon in milling operations to encounter a crisis. That is the point when the process does not behave as expected and fails to respond to the increasingly desperate efforts of the metallurgists and operators. Flowsheet and process changes are attempted and abandoned. With luck, one or more of the changes achieves some mitigation of the original problem or more usually, the original cause of the problem disappears. Regardless, the metallurgist can sit back and bask in the apparent success of his or her endeavours.Less common is when a problem is carefully diagnosed, a team put together to explore all avenues and recommend a path of action that is implemented on time, on budget and immediately delivers on the promises which are sustained over time. This is one such story. It is the story of the Mill Redesign Project at Inco’s Clarabelle mill in Copper Cliff, Ontario."

Jan 1, 2003

By Jim Truskoski, Alain Bouchard, Andy Kerr, Germain Labonté, Jim Barrett

"Improving mill grade recovery relationships is always good business. INCO’s Clarabelle Mill has just undergone a $16 million process upgrade that was designed to improve nickel recovery by 2%. The “Mill Redesign Project” was completed on time, under budget and delivered the promised improvement in recoveries.This paper describes the methodology of the Mill Redesign Team, details of the process improvements and the critical success factors that helped the team deliver on its promises.With a payback of under one year, the Mill Redesign Project will play a key role in ensuring a competitive edge as INCO embarks on its second century of operation.INTRODUCTIONIt is not uncommon in milling operations to encounter a crisis. That is the point when the process does not behave as expected and fails to respond to the increasingly desperate efforts of the metallurgists and operators. Flowsheet and process changes are attempted and abandoned. With luck, one or more of the changes achieves some mitigation of the original problem or more usually, the original cause of the problem disappears. Regardless, the metallurgist can sit back and bask in the apparent success of his or her endeavours.Less common is when a problem is carefully diagnosed, a team put together to explore all avenues and recommend a path of action that is implemented on time, on budget and immediately delivers on the promises which are sustained over time. This is one such story. It is the story of the Mill Redesign Project at INCO’s Clarabelle Mill in Copper Cliff, Ontario.BACKGROUNDThe Clarabelle Mill was built in 1971 on the southern rim of the Sudbury basin. At that time it was one of four mills operated by INCO in the Sudbury area. During the 1970’s, 80’s and 90’s, the need for increased process efficiency, higher levels of sulphur rejection to tails and the concurrent development of high capacity mills and flotation cells, resulted in the consolidation of INCO’s Sudbury area milling operations into a single, expanded facility at Clarabelle."

Jan 1, 2003

By Thomas Lane Carter

THE history of mining in South Africa differs somewhat from that of other countries in the part taken by the aborigines in the development ?of the mineral deposits. The Spaniards in America, and the fortune-seekers of Australia and New Zealand, found large numbers of natives in these new countries, but the inhabitants did not become willing or efficient workers ill the mines which the white men started. The Kaffirs of South. Africa have not shown the same antipathy to labor, nor do they show any signs of dying out in the presence of the white man's civilization. They are a virile race, and so far the vices of civilization have not killed. them. While it is true that the brain and skill necessary for the exploitation of the mineral resources of this sub-continent-have been supplied by the white race, it is also a fact that most of the rough labor in the development of the mining industry of South Africa has been done by the Kaffirs. The Kaffir tribes differ greatly in their mental and physical capabilities. Compare, for instance, a Zulu of Natal with a Bechuana, or a Xosa of Cape Colony with some of the degenerate tribes of Central or East Africa, and you will find that they have little in common, save that their skin is black and that they do not believe in clothes. As a general rule, the tribe's in the milder, healthier climates are far superior, both in mind and body, to the Kaffirs brought up in the hot malarial sections of Central Africa; and it naturally follows that the black men from the temperate zones of the country, are much finer workmen than the degenerates from less favorable sections: It is universal in South Africa to speak. of the .Kaffirs as " boys." No matter if he is 90 years old, the Kaffir is always a " boy," and in this paper the word " boy " is synonymous with Kaffir.

Nov 1, 1908

Preliminary work being undertaken on the optimisation of decision strategies for an open-pit metalliferous deposit is presented. The Optimal Control method has been selected rather than the easier to implement Dynamic Programming method of optimisation since a fundamental criteria of Dynamic Programming is violated. Essentially a system of state equations and decision variables is developed for the operation under consideration.

Jan 1, 1984

By J. F. Ednie

SCRAP metals to the value of more than a billion and a half dollars were recovered in the United States in 1939 for further use in industry. Few people have any true conception of the magnitude of the secondary-metal industry as related to that engaged in the production of the primary, or virgin, metals; of its importance, particularly when a shortage of primary metals exists, as at present; or of the advance that has been made in standardizing and improving the quality of its products. Of the iron and steel produced in the United States in 1939 (the data used in this article are largely taken from Bureau of Mines reports for that year) just over 50 per cent came from scrap and slightly less than 50 per cent from ore. Of the principal nonferrous metals-aluminum, anti-mony, copper, lead, nickel, tin, and zinc-63 per cent came from domestic ores and 37 per cent from scrap. Fig. 1 presents graphically the relative tonnage and value of primary and secondary production of ferrous and nonferrous metals. In this chart only purchased secondary metals are considered, the figures being exclusive of "home" or "plant" scrap which amounts to rather large figures in the iron and steel industry. Incidentally, the chart shows that from the tonnage standpoint the iron and steel industry is some twenty times larger than the nonferrous industry, though with regard to the value of the product the ratio drops to about two to one.

Jan 1, 1941

By Phillips H. R

The action of free rolling disc cutters is well understood, relationships between disc geometry and performance having been established both in the laboratory and under field conditions. However, under severe operational conditions a malfunction of the disc bearing assembly is likely to produce a definite change of cutting action. Collapsed or siezed bearings can even prevent the disc from rolling and thereby create what is equivalent to a drag pick. This paper describes a programme of laboratory experiments using deliberately stalled discs. Their performance under such conditions is contrasted with that for a free rolling disc and also with a drag pick having a ridged front developing into a negative radiused back clearance angle. In conclusion an assessment is made of the influence stalled discs can have on the torque and thrust requirements for a tunnel boring machine.

Jan 1, 1981

By Rapheal Trousselle

For over 5 years, Davey Bickford has been developing and testing an electronic detonator blasting system. These new-technology detonators provide more accurate timing than conventional systems that rely on the combustion speed of a pyrotechnic composition.

Jan 1, 1997