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By Jochen Petersen, Harro von Blottnitz

"The landfill disposal of slags is common practice in the metallurgical industry. Chromium may be a minor constituent in many cases. It is present mostly in the form of chromites, which are considered environmentally benign and hence safe for disposal. Wastewaters from metal finishing operations are most commonly treated by reduction and precipitation of dissolved metals, including chromium, by lime addition, and subsequent landfill disposal of the resulting sludge. The metals contained in such sludges are mostly in the form of hydroxides, and as such considered environmentally stable.Thermodynamically, trivalent chromium, which is the predominant form in these waste materials, can be oxidised to the hexavalent form by atmospheric oxygen. Detailed research work on both slags and sludges has shown that a gradual emergence of hexavalent chromium can indeed be observed. The mechanism is governed by close physical contact between chromium oxide (or hydroxide) phases on the one side and calcium oxide (or hydroxide), which is present as flux in slags and residual lime in sludges, on the other. If oxygen can migrate to the points of contact, gradual formation of calcium chromate ensues.Hexavalent chromium is associated with high environmental toxicity, and hence undesirable in landfilled materials. Moisture migrating through landfill deposits can mobilise the highly soluble chromates and thus potentially transport them into natural waterways. Such gradual release from stainless steel and ferrochromium slag deposits has been demonstrated in a column experiment."

Jan 1, 2003

Executive Committee. ROBERT H. RICHARDS, Chairman. ALBERT SAUVEUR, Vice-Chairman. TIMOTHY W. SPRAGUE. HENRY A. WENTWORTH. AUGUSTUS H. EUSTIS, Secretary, 131 State St., Boston, Mass. The twelfth meeting of the Boston Section was held at the Engineers' Club, 2 Commonwealth Ave., Boston, on Monday evening, May 5, 1913, fifteen members and three guests being present. The meeting was called to order by Vice-Chairman Albert Sauveur, who introduced the speaker of the evening, Utley Wedge, of Ardmore, Pa. Mr. Wedge read his paper on the chloridizing roasting of copper ores, which he illustrated with a stereopticon, and which will be published in full by the Institute. After Mr. Wedge had closed his paper, which was received with great interest by all the members, the following discussion took place: Professor Hofman said that iron was formerly thought to ho essential to the Henderson process, but that it is not absolutely essential. Mr.Wedge said that, as far as he. knew, the presence of some sulphates was an abso¬lute necessity, and that line ores can be worked satisfactorily, although lime has an effect on the subsequent leaching. He added that the low fuel consumption of the latest Wedge furnace is a result of direct application of the combustion gases to the ore. Ten per cent. of fuel was needed with the muffle furnace. By direct firing he has been able to reduce the fuel needed to from 2 to 4 per cent. In the latest types of furnaces the gases from the upper hearth are not used. There is doubtless some temperature at which the loss. from copper chloride volatilization becomes serious, but in practice on Rio Tinto ores troublesome losses are not experienced. The copper apparently does not become volatile at. the temperatures where we would expect that it would. There are doubtless ores in which there would be serious danger from losses from this source. The latest furnaces do not use the high temperatures that were needed in the former single-hearth Wedge furnaces.

Jan 7, 1913

By R. L. Castro

Block caving methods, when operated under favourable rock mass conditions, can achieve higher production rates and lower operating costs than other various existing underground mining applications. For this reason, it has been considered the preferred method for the mining of deep and large orebodies in current and future operations around the world. One of the key aspects in the design of block caves is the selection of the production level layout, which, among other parameters, is based on the gravity flow characteristics of the caved rock. This is because gravity flow has a large impact on total ore recovery and the amount of dilution in a caving operation. Today, there are a number of computer based methods which aim to emulate the gravity flow pattern of the caved rock. In this paper, the authors present the development of FlowSiman improved model of gravity flow based on the cellular automaton approach, to estimate dilution entry, mixing and ore recovery. As part of the model development, flow simulations were conducted and subsequently compared to full-scale data collected at two mine sectors operated by Codelco Chile. The results indicate that by using proper calibrated parameters, good correlations between simulated and measured grades as well as dilution entry are obtained. The potential use of the numerical tool to evaluate drawpoint spacing in terms of recovery and dilution for block/panel caving operations is also presented.

Jan 1, 2009

By X. S. Yuan

With a demand for increasing energy efficiency and a need for improving bitumen recovery, a highly integrated solution for sustainable lease development of Aurora North of Syncrude has been proposed and implementation plans are underway. Flocculation and thickening technology as an important component of the integrated solution provides Syncrude an opportunity of rapid heat recovery from tailings and more flexible tailings closure and reclamation options. Flocculation of fine-particle suspensions by polymers is a non-equilibrium process whose performance is strongly influenced by physical and chemical variables. While polymeric flocculants are frequently used to establish the chemical conditions favorable for flocculation, the actual performance of a flocculation process generally depends more on the physical variables, such as the hydrodynamic conditions in mixing the flocculants and slurry. In order to study the effect of hydrodynamic conditions on flocculation of Syncrude fine tailings, a standardized laboratory test procedure called power flocculation has been developed in comparison with the conventional manual mixing methods. It is shown that the agitation speed and time in conditioning the flocculant solution and the slurry have a profound effect on the flocculation performances measured by initial settling rates, supernatant clarity and sediment density. It was found that the optimum bench test conditions for power flocculation of Aurora fine tailings with a sand-to-fine ratio (SFR) of about 1:1 are conditioning of the flocculant solution and the tailings slurry at 250 rev/min to 300 rev/min in 20 s to 40 s. The test results are inter-preted with a flocculant adsorption/redistribution kinetic model that helps understanding of the effect of hydrodynamic conditions on flocculant adsorption, floc formation and floc growth.

Jan 1, 2014

By Charles H. Jacoby, Stanley J. LeFond

Salt, or halite, has a long and most varied history. While we know the Chinese were producing salt as early as 3000 B.C., the first written reference to salt appears in the book of Job recorded about 2250 B.C., which reads: "Can nothing which is unsavory be eaten without salt?" We do not know when man first used or realized that he needed salt. Perhaps one of our early Eolithic ancestors noted a piece of salt shining along the shore of a salt lake or a bay. He may have been attracted by its shining luster and tasted it. He found that it had a tart, zesty, distinctive flavor and perhaps chewing a large piece, became ill. However, by experimentation he soon learned that taken in the proper proportions salt was a very pleasant additive to his food. He may have noticed, too, that it increased his feeling of well-being. Thus, when the curtain of recorded history rises, we find man using salt for his health's sake, seasoning his food with it, feeding it to his animals, and using it in many superstitious and religious ceremonies. These uses, however, are a far cry from the uses for salt today. The first attempts of white man to make salt in continental United States were reported in the year 1614, while the first commercial production was in 1753 from the Kanawha licks. Practically all this salt was for human consumption, preserving food, and curing hides. Prior to the coming of the white man, Indians are known to have made salt from salt springs such as those that existed at Avery Island, LA, Charleston, WV, Saltville, VA, and Onondaga, NY. In 1862 the first rock salt was mined in the US from the Avery Island salt dome. Almost immediately thereafter, rock salt was mined at Saltville, VA and then at Retsof, NY in 1885. Of the more than 39 million tons produced annually in the United States, about 58% or 23 million tons are consumed by the chemical industry in the production of chlorine, caustic soda, hydrochloric acid, sodium metal, and some 30 other basic chemicals. These basic chemicals, in turn, are used in the preparation of approximately 14,000 chemicals which range from soap and detergents, to such chlorinated hydrocarbons as DDT, BHC, carbon tetrachloride, etc. Utilization of cavities created in salt beds and domes has grown rapidly since 1947 until now the waste salt is creating an ecological problem. The uses for both dry- and solution-mined cavities range from the storage of liquid hydrocarbons to containerized storage of toxic wastes, from compressed air for the peak shaving of power to storage of nuclear wastes. Geology Mineralogy Properties: Because of its simple structure, halite, the mineralogical name for salt, was the first structure to be analyzed by X-rays. It has the following properties: Formula: NaCl (Na-39.34%. Cl2-60.66% ) Crystallography: isometric, hexoctahedral, 4/m 32/m Space group: Fm3m A0: 5.627 kX Cell contents: Na4CI4 Habit: usually cubic, rarely octahedral, massive, granular to compact Physical properties: Refractive index: 1.554 Twinning: observed on {111} Cleavage: {001} perfect Fracture: conchoidal, brittle

Jan 1, 1983

By Christian Brits, Bob Blain, Lloyd Buckingham, Juliu Stieger, Jean-Francoi Dupont

Barrick Gold Corporation (Barrick) has undertaken innovative methods of evaluating and improving the performance of grinding mills in several of its operations around the world. The results have been positive with some of the mines showing more than 20% net energy improvement leading to more than 43,000 tonnes per year reduction in CO2 emissions in four of the operations reviewed.

Jan 1, 2012

By Everett Parker

THIS paper describes the methods used to determine the rates of payment for contract work and the plan of contract supervision in the Elm Orlu mine. A discussion of the theory of wages and the eternal question-what is a just wage-are beyond the scope of this article. In the fall of 1920 the Elm Orlu was the largest mine in Butte using the day's pay system of payment for stoping operations. High labor and supply costs and a falling market for the product of the mine made economic mining difficult. The mining method had been changed from the square set stoping to timbered rilling to eliminate most of the shoveling. There was no opportunity to reduce the cost of supplies other than more rigid economy in their use. It was recognized, however, that the labor efficiency was low and that the reduction in costs depended on increasing the output per man. While in general, the low man efficiency was a resultant of the high wages paid and the shortage of men during the war and subsequent period of inflation, it was felt that the contract and bonus system used in the other mines was the main factor in that the most capable and energetic men had been attracted to those mines where more than average skill and dili-gence were recognized by more than average pay.

Jan 1, 1927

By V. K. Srivastava, T. Gupta, T. Ghosh

"In recent years, the demand for rare earth elements (REEs) has grown due to increasing demand and global supply shortage. The supply deficit of these critical elements has encouraged the search for new sources, with coal and coal byproducts as possibilities. Coals from certain parts of the world can be rich in REEs and can approach a total concentration of 1,000 ppm. Two Alaskan coal samples, from Healy and Wishbone Hill, were investigated for the effects of density and particle size on REE concentrations for three selected size fractions, and flotation tests were conducted on finer fractions. Additionally, bottom ash and fly ash samples from a power plant were examined for their REE concentrations. The results show that the upgrade potential for REEs on an ash basis from a whole-coal basis ranges from 2:1 for the Wishbone Hill samples to 4:1 for the Healy coal samples. Flotations of the finer fractions of the two coal samples, conducted under similar conditions, revealed higher concentrations of REEs in the tailings. Both coal samples had comparatively higher contents of light-group rare earth elements (LREEs) than heavy-group rare earth elements (HREEs). REE content trends for the power-plant products on an ash basis indicate that fly ash has slightly higher concentrations of both LREEs and HREEs than bottom ash. IntroductionRare earth elements (REEs), also known as rare earth metals, and their compounds are vital components in industrial, automotive, petrochemical, defense and medical applications. Dysprosium in combination with other elements is used in laser materials and nuclear control applications. Neodymium is present in magnets that are used in the manufacture of wind turbines and hybrid cars. Europium, terbium and yttrium are used in devices that have visual displays such as computer screens and laptops (Haxel, Hedrick and Greta, 2002; Bunzli, 2013). REEs pose fewer environmental problems of disposal and recycling than their conventional heavy metal counterparts (Haxel, Hedrick and Greta, 2002). They are key materials for radar systems, avionics, modern national defense and satellites (Cammarata and Sieradzki, 1994; Hedrick, 2010; Martin, 2010; Szumigala and Werdon, 2011; Cordier, 2011; Bunzli, 2013). REEs are often classified into light-group rare earth elements (LREEs) and heavy-group rare earth elements (HREEs). This classification is primarily based on the electronic configuration in the outermost shell. LREEs, ranging from lanthanum to gadolinium, have a single or no spinning electron in the outermost 4f shell while HREEs, ranging from terbium to lutetium, have paired electrons in the 4f shell. This difference in electronic configuration is responsible for the differences in physical and chemical properties of REEs."

Jan 1, 2017

By G. K. Mann

Fragmentation analysis of blast or crushed rock material is a time-consuming and costly process. During the last two decades, the mining industry has been investigating image-based analysis systems as an alternative to generate fragmentation results. Many image-based techniques and commercial products have emerged during the last few years, and the mining industry has recently begun using these tools for real-time estimation of size distributions. Some existing systems require manual image editing to add or delete edges (or net) before executing the fragmentation analysis routine. This manual procedure may take hours of time for each image analyzed. Reliable and robust image segmentation should be able to handle a wide range of rock textures and sizes under a variety of lighting conditions. This paper describes a novel software application, which has the capability to autonomously capture images and analyze them to generate the particle size distribution. The system can also process a batch of images captured during a fixed duration of time and produce the overall particle size distribution. The new method has different layers of segmentation modules, which allows the system to operate under a wide range of rock textures and lighting conditions. A new grey-level slicing technique is developed which can perform under a range of illuminating conditions. The Canny-based edge detection technique is used to segment rocks appearing in dark regions.

Jan 1, 2006

By Theo. A. M. Salet

The historic centre of one of the most beautiful cities in Northern Europe -Amsterdam - is being excavated to accommodate the new North/South metro line. This new line is due for completion in 2012, and will link the Buikslotermeerplein district north of the harbour, underneath the Central Station and the old city with its gables and picturesque canals, to the commercial centre in Amsterdam Zuid/WTC. Three underground stations are being construction in the old city at Rokin, Vijzelgracht and Ceintuurbaan. The logistics of working in the middle of an historic city are demanding -maintaining tram, vehicular traffic and pedestrian access along narrow streets, providing suitable protection for the public alongside the working areas, arranging adequate delivery routes, as well as monitoring the old and mostly historical buildings for potential settlement. Safety of both the public and adjacent properties is paramount. Diaphragm walling - 1.2m & 1.5m thick and up to 48m deep - was chosen as the support system for the three deep metro stations. Challenging engineering as well as state-of-the-art equipment to construct the diaphragm walls was needed in order to meet the tight working specifications, in the narrowest locations imaginable. Extreme conditions call for innovative solutions.

Jan 1, 2006

By R. K. Guthrie, H. B. Hill

"INTRODUCTION The Rodessa oil field in Marion and Cass Counties, Tex., Miller County, Ark., and Caddo Parish, La., was discovered in August 1930, when a well drilled to a depth of 5,506 feet in Caddo Parish, close to the surface trace of the Rodessa fault, produced gas in commercial quantities. During the next 5 years 21 gas wells were drilled, and a large reserve of natural gas was developed in the high part of the Rodessa structure underlying the Massive Anhydrite member of the Glen Rose formation.In July 1935 oil was discovered on the flank of the structure when a well drilled to 6,048 feet also in Caddo Parish, was completed as an oil well. The discovery of oil in the Rodessa structure initiated art intensive development program of more than usual interest to geologists, engineers, and operators in the petroleum and natural-gas industry. The complex nature of the different reservoirs, the large volume of ""free"" gas under high pressures and temperatures in the upper part of the reservoirs, and the high gas:oil ratios of some of the wells during the early production of oil presented many problems the solution of which taxed the ingenuity of those responsible for the development and exploitation of the Rodessa field.Early waste of gas and resultant dissipation of reservoir energy led to State intervention, which brought about effective regulation of the quantity of gas blown to the air. Oil production from wells producing more than 2.000 cubic feet of gas per barrel of oil was restricted, and oil allowables generally were based equally upon acreage and upon reservoir pressures. Consequently, oil-production statistics of the field are closely associated with gas:oil ratios and reservoir pressures.The primary object of this report is to present factual and statistical data on well performance in the Rodessa field and to show established trends under certain operating methods and practices in high-pressure gaseous reservoirs, which have been carefully developed and outlined by modern technique and exploited under close engineering supervision.The large size of the Rodessa field, it’s fairly well defined gas caps, and a somewhat definite water table in a part- of the oil- and gas-producing region are of special interest and importance in a study of the fluid and energy relationships in reservoirs. Consequently, the results of much of the authors' work in collecting and compiling date are presented in the form of tables, maps and cross sections to show the relative thicknesses of the different oil-and gas-producing members and their permeability and porosity relationships, and, when possible, the variations in stratigraphy are exhibited in cross sections. Results of a detailed analysis of cores from a number of wells also are presented in tabular and graphic form."

Aug 1, 1943

By Ernesto Diez-Canseco Yañez

El siguiente trabajo señala los modos de aprovechamiento del mineral de carbón denominado "andracita", en tanto materia combustible de producción de las briquetas. Es decir, se busca crear un producto biocombustible que mantenga su calidad ecológica y que a su vez genere mayores posiblidades de venta en el mercado internacional, Para ello es necesario, evaluar el nivel de los aglutinantes en su composición y tratar de conservar sus características primigenias de dicho producto.

Jun 20, 1954

By David R. Poirier

Activity data of carbon as a function of both temperature and composition throughout the stable austenite range is correlated by mearts of an equation derived from a quasi-chemical model. The carbon activity data of austmite for temperatures between 800° and 1200°C are utilized in conjunction with the activity of carbon calculated for the y solidus using the activity of carbon in liquid iron and published austenite-liquid equilibria. The results agree very well with Chip-man's correlation; however, a small difference in the activity of carbon in the high-temperature range of the austenite field is evident. Excellent agreement is found for the heat of solution of graphite in infinitely dilute austenite; from this study the value is 10,550 cal as compared with Chipman's value of 10,680 cal. AS part of a program to study microsegregation in dendritic solidification of ternary Fe-C-Cr alloys, it was desirable to be able to describe the equilibria between austenite and liquid iron in Fe-C-Cr alloys. In this regard, it was necessary to correlate existing data on the activity of carbon in Fe-C austenite as a function of both temperature and composition. At that time, Chipman's analysis1 of the thermodynamics of binary Fe-C austenite was not available. It will be shown that this study and Chipman's study agree rather well throughout the stable austenite range of temperature and composition; however, some small differences appear at temperatures greater than the eutectic temperature. Benz and Elliott 2 presented isoactivity lines for austenite superimposed on their revised Fe-C phase diagram. Using an expression from Darken and Gury 3 representing Smith's4 activity data between 800" and 1000°C, they found that the activities extrapolated above 1000°C to the solidus did not agree with the activities determined from the corresponding liquidus compositions. It is the purpose of the following argument to reconcile carbon activity data of austenite with the activity in liquid Fe-C alloys as determined by Rist and Chipman. 5 In addition, a simple analytical expression is sought for computational convenience. ACTIVITY DATA OF CARBON IN ZRON Fig. 1 shows the activity of carbon in Fe-C austenite as determined by Smith, 4 Schenck and Kaiser, 6 Scheil et a1.,7 and Bungardt et al.' The lines are merely drawn to separate the data into the respective isotherms. These data are inadequate to determine the activity of carbon at temperatures greater than 1200°C. The activity coefficient in Fe-C liquid alloys was assumed by Rist and chipmans to obey the following

Jan 1, 1969

POSITIONS VACANT Position as superintendent of all-sliming cyanide plant in Montana will he open in spring. Thoroughly experienced man wanted. No. 6. Position as engineer for iron-mining company in Virginia is open. Single man with experience in underground surveying preferred. No. 7. ENGINEERS AVAILABLE (Under this heading will be published notes sent to the Secretary of the Institute. by members or other persons.) Member, 34 years old, married, nine years responsible position in South America, excellent knowledge of Spanish, Latin-American people and customs, with present employer seven years, six years as manager and legal representative of a mining company, desires to make a change April, 1914. Prefers position requiring energy, executive ability, business tact and practical knowledge dealing with political and legal authorities, rather than strictly technical position. No. 35. Technical graduate, married, with four years' experience in assaying, surveying, sampling,. and mine supervision in Utah and Mexico, open for engagement. No. 37. Member, aged 28, desires opening on engineering or sales force of machinery house, or manufacturing concern. Twelve years' experience, in smelters, cyanide plants, concentrators and gold dredges, steam, gas and electric machinery and mechanical drafting. At present foreman for a silver-lead company. No. 40.

Jan 1, 1914

By Kal V. S. Sastry

Mathematical and expert system models are being used extensively for mineral process engineering; nevertheless, standardized methodologies for their computer implementation do not exist. In meeting this need, this paper introduces the concept of a process software model, or more specifically an object-oriented software model, and presents a detailed methodology for its development involving software model specification and development. These software models provide a formal basis for the subsequent design and construction of software objects corresponding to the real world process objects.

Jan 1, 1995

By Dean E. Matthews

The concept of a pile for construction is credited to a Neolithic tribe called the "Swiss Lake Dwellers" who lived in what is now Switzerland about 6,000 years ago. They used piling, not for supporting heavy loads as we do today, but for elevation to protect themselves from wildlife. The Romans often used piles, and built many structures, including buildings, homes, bridges, roads and viaducts on piling. The Romans built the first bridge across the Tiber River in Rome on timber piles in B.C. 1620. Homes in the cities of Venice and Ravenna were built on piles from B.C. 100 to A.D. 400. The Romans also built the first bridge across the Thames River in London in A.D. 60 on timber piling.

Jan 1, 2003

By Peter A. Hacquebard

"The coals of the Sydney and Pictou coalfields are generally classed as high volatile ""A "" and medium volatile bituminous coals but there are significant differences within and even beyond this rank. These are related to the observation that the coalification in eastern Canada is essentially post-deformational, resulting in a general increase of rank with depth in individual seams.Exploration drilling in the Sydney coalfield has shown that the rank increases offshore to M. V. bituminous at mineable depths and in the Pictou field to L. V. bituminous coal. There is also a marked easterly shift in rank within one seam at the same depth at Sydney, with the result that M. V. coal will be reached sooner in the Donkin Reserve area (at 700 m depth) than in the Lingan-No , 26 Reserve area (at 900 m depth). These rank changes are important for the manufacturing of metallurgical coke as shown with coke stability predictions based on petrographic analyses. The L. V. coal of the Pictou field can be used for blending purposes and is the only known L. V. deposit of mineable thickness in eastern Canada.In addition, the vertical rank changes between seams have been studied in ten boreholes. They are not constant within the confines of the Sydney coalfield. Four separate areas can be recognized, each with different coalification gradients, which can be related to changes in the paleogeothermal gradients . Variations of 2.5 degrees to 6. 7 degrees CI IOO m are indicated and geological causes for these changes are suggested.IntroductionThe Sydney coalfield is the largest and most important field in eastern Can ad a, and although it has been in production some 200 years, the remaining ""demonstrated "" resources of 1.6 billion metric tons can extend its production capability for at least another 100 years. All coals mined are high volatile "" A"" bituminous and have been used for both thermal and metallurgical purposes. For the latter rank variations even of a minor scale are of critical importance for the manufacturing of metallurgical coke.The significance at the present time of the Pictou coalfield, which has only modest remaining "" demonstrated"" resources of 60 million metric ton s, lies in the discovery in 1975 of a 14-million-ton deposit of low volatile bituminous coal. It is the only known low-volatile coal in eastern Canada and is suitable for use as a blend for metallurgical coal. As such, it could supply the Sydney coke ovens for a period of 30 years at the current rate o f coke production and replace imported American low volatile coal.Consequently, coal rank studies of the Sydney and Pictou fields are important not only from a geological point of view, but also because of economic considerations."

Jan 1, 1984

The Kalkadoon Granite is regarded as composite in character with at least two different phases. The older phase is considered older than the sediments of the Western Geosyncline, and the younger phase is considered younger than the sediments of the Western Geosyncline.Consequently, the older phase could be a time equivalent of the Ewen Granite, whereas the younger phase could not. An age of 1760 million years seems plausible for the older phase, and an age of 1540 millionyears seems appropriate for the younger phase.

Jan 1, 1967

By G. Castillo, J. Mortensen

"INTRODUCTION Molybdenite is typically produced as a co-product in the copper ore flotation process. At the Rio Tinto Kennecott Concentrator (RTKC) in Copperton, Utah, the molybdenite is initially floated with copper sulfides and other value minerals producing a Cu-Mo concentrate. This is then separated in the molybdenum plant by depressing copper sulfides and pyrite and floating only molybdenite. The molybdenum plant in RTKC comprises the rougher circuit and several stages of cleaning to achieve a certain grade requirement of Mo. The rougher circuit is where the first stage of separation occurs. Cu sulfides and pyrite are depressed in the rougher circuit by adding NaSH under nitrogen and in the cleaner circuit by adding NaSH under air. The depression of Cu sulfides (and pyrite) by NaSH is related to the redox activity1. It is important therefore to maintain a reducing potential in the circuit in order to achieve effective Cu-Mo separation. If the rougher circuit is under air, like RTKC’s molybdenum cleaner circuits, it is harder to maintain the target redox potential because NaSH oxidizes rapidly in the presence of air thereby increasing NaSH consumption significantly. CU-MO SEPARATION AND ROLE OF PULP POTENTIAL The collector adsorption on copper sulfide minerals is through an electrochemical mechanism2. The collector changes the surface chemistry of the Cu mineral allowing it to float. Molybdenite, or MoS2, on the other hand, floats readily in the presence of a frother as it is naturally hydrophobic. Usually, hydrocarbon oil extenders such as diesel or burner oil are added to enhance Mo recovery. In order to effectively separate Cu from Mo, the collector complex on the copper surface needs to be destabilized or desorbed using a reducing agent such as NaSH or Nokes. As long as the circuit is under highly reducing conditions, the collector remains detached from the sulfide mineral surface allowing Cu sulfide depression. Therefore, it is important to measure the oxidation-reduction potential (ORP) continually and maintain the reducing condition with addition of NaSH. For a given collector each mineral will have a characteristic potential or electrochemical window for flotation to occur3, therefore, it is necessary to reduce the potential outside of this window in order to effectively separate Cu and Fe sulfides from MoS2 minerals2. In RTKC plant, the target reducing condition is between -450 to -550 mV to effectively destabilize the collector and depress Cu and Fe minerals. Typically the dosage of NaSH used in the molybdenum plant could range from 6 to 30 gallons/min (gpm). The high dosage of NaSH could pose risk of H2S exposure. RTKC wanted to evaluate alternatives to NaSH in order to reduce its consumption and minimize risk of H2S gas generation."

Jan 1, 2016

By A. R. Rule

This report describes preliminary studies by the Bureau of Mines to develop a procedure for extracting the fluorine from low-grade fluorspar ores in which the CaF2 particles are finely locked in the calcite matrix. A combination of flotation beneficiation and pyrohydrolysis is applied to recover and to liberate the fluorine. Flotation of a finely locked high-calcite fluorspar ore containing only 11.7 pct CaF2 recovered over 92 pct of the fluorspar at a grade of 51 to 52 pct CaF2. Pyrohydrolysis of the flotation concentrate liberated nearly 90 pct of the fluorine as aqueous HF. By this procedure over 80 pct of the fluorine contained in the original ore was extracted.

Jan 1, 1974