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By J. M. Dempsey, R. A. Litle

Asarco Incorporated’s Omaha, Nebraska refinery site and the City of Omaha’s downtown redevelopment projects are the perfect example of the marriage of the Brownfield and Sustainable Development strategies. Nebraska’s largest voluntary site remediation project created a focus point for redevelopment and has spurred over $1 billion in economic investment within a 1-mile radius of the site. Asarco was faced with options of very expensive and uncertain facility upgrades or a shutdown. Local leaders, Asarco, and regulators worked together to convert a controversial and complex site to a park-like redevelopment area with numerous long-term benefits to the City and the environment.

Jan 1, 2004

By S. Nakamura, M. Takaoka, Y. Mizuno, T. Kusakabe

"Mercury is produced as a byproduct from gold mines and, historically, has been transferred to recyclers and used for various industrial processes and products. However, under the Minamata Convention on Mercury, adopted in 2013,the intentional use of mercury in processes or products will be minimized in the world. Surplus elemental mercury should be treated as a hazardous waste and consequently, should be converted to a more stable chemical form for long-term storage or permanent disposal. A stabilization method has been developed to react mercury and sulfur using a planetary ball mill. The planetary ball mill can produce high-energy conditions and enable samples to react within a short period of time. A series of tests has been conducted to confirm that mercury sulfide can be produced using a bench scale machine with 2400 mL pot. Under a suitable experimental condition with 25 mm ball diameter, 30%of ball filling rate and 1.05 of molar ratio of S/Hg, a powdered mercury sulfide product was successfully obtained in 60 minutes. The leach ability and atmospheric emission from the product was extremely low. This stabilization method would contribute to an environmentally sound mercury management strategy for the gold industry.INTRODUCTIONDue to its unique physical and chemical properties, mercury has numerous applications, including in industry and medicine. However, mercury and its compounds are highly toxic. For example, in Japan, methyl mercury in waste water caused Minamata disease in the 1950s, which affected large numbers of people (Minamata Disease Municipal Museum, 2001). In recent years, environmental pollution caused by emissions and releases of mercury into the atmosphere, waterbody and land by various emission sources such as coal fire plants, artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM), non-ferrous metal industries, waste incinerations etc. has also become a significant problem. To protect human health and the environment from anthropogenic emissions and releases of mercury and its compounds, the Minamata Convention on Mercury was adopted in 2013(UNEP, 2013)Because ground gold ore typically contains mercury at 0 to 100 ppm, mercury is often produced as a byproduct from gold mines (UNEP, 2016). In gold mining operations, mercury can be released from the ore by roasting or by leaching in cyanide solutions and recovery onto activated carbon. According to Yanget al. (2016), 85.1%of mercury in a concentrate was vaporized during a roasting process. Both processes finally discharge elemental mercury as a byproduct. In the USA, more than 100 ton of mercury was discharged from large-scale and industrial gold mining (Miller, 2004)."

Jan 1, 2017

By F. N. Kissell, C. D. Litton

This study ranks the factors impacting survival during a coal mine fire. It bas already been established that reducing time delays is the most important factor in saving lives. Consequently every event during afire is measured in terms d its duration, and the effectiveness d any action taken to improve survival is measured in terms d the time it saves. By ranking actions according to time saved these authors found that a comhination d actions was most effective. This combination was: • installing lifelines. • moderately decreasing air leakage and • decreasing the fire growth rate. Changing ventilation leakage alone was much less effective, as was altering the CO (carbon monoxide), sensor alarm threshold. These results confirm an earlier fault-tree study on escape from mine fires. The fault-tree study bad shown that, with the exception d delays, single factor changes have minimal impact. Significant reductions in fire fatalities only take place with multiple factor changes.

By Walter L. Maxson, Fred C. Bond

SINCE the last publication of tabulated results of grindability tests by the authors1 the total number of ball-mill tests made has more than doubled, and rod-mill tests have become increasingly important. Nearly all of the standard closed-circuit ball-mill and rod-mill tests made to date are included in the present tabulation, together with additional information not previously published. STANDARD BALL-MILL GRINDABILITY TESTS The method of conducting these closed-circuit tests has not been altered. A sample of the ore or other material is stage-crushed in rolls set at 1/16-in. opening with a 6-mesh screen until all of it has passed the screen. The combined minus 6-mesh screen undersize is mixed, sampled and screen-analyzed, and its apparent specific gravity is determined by packing and shaking in a standard container, and weighing. The apparent specific gravity ordinarily is about 60 per cent of the true specific gravity. The unit volume present in the mill in all tests is 700 c.c. of the packed minus 6-mesh roll product, and the number of grams occupying 700 c.c. is the unit test weight. This weight is placed in the mill dry, ground for the number of revolutions estimated to be necessary, discharged, and screened mechanically in three testing sieves of the mesh size at which the test is to be conducted. The oversize, or circulating load, is weighed, sufficient fresh minus 6-mesh feed is added to bring the total weight up to that of 700 c.c., and the charge is returned to the mill for a second grinding period. All standard ball-mill tests are conducted at 250 per cent circulating load, and the number of revolutions in the mill necessary to obtain this circulating load at any grinding period is estimated from the results of the previous period. The number of net grams of screen undersize produced per revolution of the mill approaches its final equilibrium value after several grinding periods, and this is recorded as the grindability, or relative ease of grinding, of the sample. A cylindrical ball mill, 12 by 12 in. inside, with a smooth lining and rounded corners, is used with a revolution counter. Under standard grinding conditions it runs at 70 r.p.m., and contains a charge of 285 iron balls weighing 20,125 grams, ranging from I ½ to ¾ in. in diameter. Tests are conducted at the mesh size to which the ore is to be ground in practice, and the capacity to be expected from a given mill is calculated by comparing the

Jan 1, 1943

By A. W. Randall

Geological Aspects of Ore Reserve Estimates of Pine Point District Zinc- Lead Deposits, N.W.T. Zinc-lead ores of the Pine Point District, Northwest Territories, Canada are hosted in paleokarst cavities within a Middle Devonian carbonate barrier complex. Of the nearly 100 deposits found, most are irregularly distributed along two main regional stratigraphically controlled trends. The ores, which occur predominantly as open space filling, form deposits most of which average one million tonnes in size with an average grade of 10% combined zinc plus lead. Geological features related to karsting control not only distribution of deposits but also their shape, size and grade. The higher grade ore in these deposits generally occurs in a relatively small core area. Consequently, accuracy of reserve estimation is dependent on drill hole density and understanding of karst geometry. Several case examples will be reviewed to demonstrate the relationship between shape, size and grade of deposit, geological reserves and drill hole density, along with a discussion of geological ore reserve estimation methods.

Jan 1, 1985

By Alan B. Nicol, W. T. Parry

The outcome of these tests has been twofold. They have served to demonstrate that the tiltmeter is a useful and dependable instrument which could prove to be of significant value in reaching the goals of landslide prediction and control, and they have raised a good many more questions about the mechanism of slides than they have answered. It seems likely that many of the old concepts and assumptions will be modified or discarded as more knowledge of actual field phenomenon is gained. Safety and economy are paramount concerns in determining slope stability. These two considerations govern the feasibility and character of slope construction from start to finish.

Jan 1, 1970

By A. S. Polubinsky, V. P. Chernyak

A further development of the theory of heat- and mass transfer in the system “strata - mine opening" is necessary for an improvement of the existing technique of heat calculation of mines and other underground constructions. A generalized boundary problem of heat- and mass conduction in strata around an opening as a theoretical ground for that purpose and several particular situations, important from the point of view of an opening and surrounding strata heat state analysis, as well as results of numerical experiments executed for such analysis are presented.

Jan 1, 1997

By C. M. Marquardt

The minerals industry in general should bow in homage to the uranium milling industry. Those in the uranium milling industry have "spark- plugged" more progress in the application of instrumentation and control in the last 5 years than has been made in 50 years by the industry in general. Part of this real progress in the application of instrumentation and control has been born of necessity because milling processes are more complex. A lot of the impetus for instrumentation and control has come from the fact that the industry is new, the processes are new, and there are no hide-bound conventions to overcome. Part of it comes from the fact that much of processing is more chemical than metallurgical and the thinking of the process chemist has carried over into the plants. One need not elaborate on what instrumentation has done for the process chemical industries. Each new mill that is constructed, if of appreciable size, seems to employ more instrumentation than the previously completed plant. Plant A makes a break-through in the application of instrumentation to a particular part of the process and Plant B accepts this and goes one step farther, while Plant C, anticipating Plant B, makes two or three more steps before Plant B is entirely leveled out.

Jan 9, 1958

Jan 1, 1895

By Y Cao, J C. Tien

Occupational health and safety is essential in modern mining workplaces and in China it is often not given enough emphasis due to a lack of knowledge and/or appreciation. Although many health and safety regulations have been passed over the years, serious and relevant laws and regulations on mine health and safety are of recent history (since 2002), the level of stringent enforcement is still inconsistent and accurate field data are scant and not readily available. As of year-end 2006 there were 676 562 recorded cases of occupational diseases in China, of which 616 442 or 91 per cent were miners’ pneumoconiosis. Of these, 146 195 (23 per cent) have died, and an average of 10 000 new cases were added every year between 1991 and 2006. Another report shows that 93.18 per cent of miners have never had a contract with their companies, which means their cases were not even part of China’s official statistics. This study attempts to examine the prevalence of occupational diseases in the Chinese mining industry during 2000–2013, compiled from government annual reports and academic studies. The research will review the correlational analysis among occupational diseases, ventilation practices, protection devices and legislation.CITATION:Cao, Y and Tien, J C, 2015. Occupational diseases in China, with the emphasis on its occurrence in Chinese mine workers, in Proceedings The Australian Mine Ventilation Conference, pp 155–160 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Aug 31, 2015

By B. A. Kennedy

The instrumentation, monitoring, and prediction of a major slope failure at the Chuquicamata mine are described. In December 1967, pre-existing tension cracks on the south end of the east wall of the Chquicamata mine began to open. Various forms of instrumentation were installed for continuous monitoring. These systems included tension crack stakes, crack extensometers, linear extensometers, tape and transit lines, sliding wire contacts, and a seismograph. From the information obtained, the failure date was accurately predicted some five weeks before failure, enabling the mine to reroute truck and rail access; hence, causing a minimal mine shutdown of two and one-half days and preventing any injuries to persons or damage to equipment. The shape and form of the sliding mass are analyzed, as are the possible modes of failure.

Jan 1, 1970

At 10 a. m., Tuesday, November 12, 1912, the following members of the committee appointed by "Coal Age" to organize a Coal-Mining Institute for the Rocky Mountain region, met in the State Capitol, at Denver, Colo. : E. H. Weitzel W. J. Murray T. H. O'Brien W. B. Williams James Dalrvmple F. W. Whitksiie A. C. Watts David Griffiths The following members of the committee were not present: Frank Manley Allan French H. C. Williams Frank Cameron J. E. Pettit D. W. Brown C. H. Gibbs E. H. Weitzel acted as chairman of the meeting. This committee drew up a form of Constitution and By-Laws, to be recommended to the general meeting to be held on the following day; and, with the exception of two alterations, this Constitution and By-Laws, formulated by the Organization Committee, were accepted as a whole by the general meeting. With the exception of a general discussion of affairs that might be brought out by means of such an institute, no further business was done at this meeting of the Organization Committee, and it was adjourned.

Jan 1, 1913

By G. B. Harris

A new process for the recovery of copper and associated base metals from a polymetallic massive sulphide ore is described. The massive sulphide contains copper and especially nickel sulphide in a mineralogical form which negates both good recovery and high grades in concentrates using conventional flotation methods. Flotation concentrate processing and smelting from this ore is therefore probably not an economically viable option. Utilising the properties of high concentration chloride brines, a flow sheet has been developed and tested whereby the recovery of all of the metals and some of the power requirements for the plant itself can be derived from the ore. The new process overcomes the less-amenable-to-flotation ore characteristics, and provides the opportunity of economic processing in remote locations where the dependency on fossil fuels is both a logistical and an economic concern. The Ferguson Lake deposit of Starfield Resources in Nunavut, Canada, is the subject of this paper, which focuses on the leaching and copper recovery unit operations of the proposed flow sheet.

Jan 1, 2007

By John P. Capp

The feasibility of simultaneously burning several paths through a coalbed to develop a multiple path underground gasification system was investigated by the Bureau of Mines during two experiments, Boreholes were drilled through the overburden and into the coal and arranged in a circle approximately 50 feet from a central borehole. In the first experiment, in an area which had previously been hydraulically fractured,5 air was injected at the center borehole. The coal was ignited at the other boreholes and the fire fronts traveled toward the center, counter to the flow of air, to backward burn paths through the coalbed. Two paths were linked during the first 5 days of operation. The outlets of these two paths were throttled and air pressure was increased to maintain the flow of air, but no other linkages were made. Fourteen days after the two linkages these two paths were opened and gasification was carried on for 10 days, but with only moderate success. In an effort to overcome operating difficulties air was injected at the peripheral boreholes, and the gases were drawn off at the center borehole. Reversed flow operations continued for 12 days and two more paths linked. The heating value of the gas generally was higher than 100 British thermal units per standard cubic foot (B.t.u. per std. c.f.). Because only four of seven paths linked, however, the entire system could not be evaluated with respect to product-gas output and recovery of energy.

Jan 1, 1961

"El laboratorio químico del departamento de Higiene industrial conjuntamente con la mina tiene la responsabilidad de velar por la salud integral del trabajador, como de la prevención de las enfermedades ocupacionales. Por ello, el objetivo del texto es señalar las principales actividades de este organismo, la estructura de sus funciones y los métodos utilizados, a fin de lograr un progreso posterior en la sociedad industrial y humana. Una de las principales labores del laboratorio químico son los exámenes de análisis, los cuales determinarán los agentes tóxicos causantes de distintas enfermedades. Su aplicación será dentro del ambiente de trabajo, a los trabajadores participantes y en muestras minerales del objeto de estudio. Asimismo, el laboratorio cuenta con un consultor químico, quien supervisa, capacita a profesionales químicos o extranjeros, y utiliza una serie de técnicas instrumentales de análisis como los método electroanalíticos (electrogravimetría, potenciometría, columbimetría, polarografía), los métodos ópticos (espectrografía, espectrofotometría), entre otros. Los métodos usualmente empleados son el polarográfico y espectrofotométrico ya que tiene resultados más precisos, muestran mayor reproducibilidad y facilitan la estandarización de los procedimientos. En conclusión, es necesaria la labor del laboratorio químico dentro de una industria minera, ya que apoya la investigación y la salud del trabajador a través de la introducción de nuevas técnicas instrumentales como los métodos descritos."

Jul 20, 1957

By Adolph V. Mitterer

International Minerals and Chemical Corporation operates one of six potash mines in the Carlsbad potash basin. More than 90 percent of America's potash is produced at Carlsbad and IMC accounts for about one-fifth of that amount, Since the Company began operations in 1941 it has mined nearly 50 million tons of ore. Of the two types of ore mined at Carlsbad the principal tonnage is sylvinite in which sylvite-potassium chloride-is the ore mineral. It is produced by IMC as well as by all other mines in the area, In addition to sylvinite IMC is the exclusive producer of langbeinite ore--potassium-magnesium sulfate. From its two ores, International produces a spectrum of 8 high-quality agricultural and industrial chemical products.

Jan 1, 1959

By B Huls, B E. Smith, I Brake, M Yu

A brief outline of some of the pioneering events in the development of flotation technology, which originated in Broken Hill at the start of the 1900s, is presented. The development of the original Potter-Delprat process, the introduction of oils to generate froth flotation and the achievement of selective flotation processing are described, all focussed on solving challenges with the Broken Hill Pb-Ag-Zn ores. Some recent initiatives in flotation at BHP Billiton operations are also outlined, covering coal, copper, lead-silver-zinc and diamonds. Some views are offered on the characteristics of innovation in flotation and on possible trends into the future.

Jan 1, 2005

By Herbert F. ?Buck? Darling

A bridge replacement project in Rochester, NY, encountered difficulties when it was determined that rock below one pier was sloping downward toward the river at an angle of 42 degrees versus anticipated 12 degrees. Cofferdam design and construction became very difficult. The unanticipated subsurface conditions delayed the project by eighteen months and increased the cofferdam cost by almost $3.0 million ($US) when direct costs and associated delays were taken into account. The initial approach after discovery of the problem was to use the same type pier design and modify the cofferdam accordingly. This resulted in a cofferdam 12 meters (39.4 feet) deep on the shore side and 18 meters (59.0 feet) deep on the water side. The design used a master pile system to attain required wall strength and used rock anchors to prevent the cofferdam from moving toward the river. The pier foundation was then redesigned by the owner using revised seismic parameters. The original stepped footing carved into rock was replaced by caissons socketed into the rock beneath a large tremie concrete placement. The revised pier and cofferdam designs caused a shift from a mostly land based cofferdam, excavation, and rock removal project into an almost entirely water based cofferdam, caisson drilling, and tremie construction project. These design changes resulted in a reliable, safe, and unusual cofferdam and construction method. All of this was accomplished within a very narrow worksite with a railroad on one side, and the river with its public and commercial freighter traffic on the other. In addition, the existing two-leaf drawbridge was to be maintained in place which put further limitations on the water borne equipment. The engineering and construction considerations, problems, and solutions related to these cofferdams and pier foundations are presented.

Jan 1, 2013

By James Norman

SEPARATION of minerals by froth flotation is rightly called an art. It can truthfully be said that no two ores separate in the same way. The difference in results obtained when natural and synthetic mixtures of minerals are separated is so great that such tests frequently have been worthless in attempting to select conditions in which a natural mixture will separate. With a few rare exceptions, the natural mixture is much more difficult to treat than a synthetic mixture, and a much poorer separation is obtained. Perhaps several experimenters have wondered why 10 or 20 per cent of a mineral being floated from an ore does not float and is different from the 90 or 80 per cent that is recovered. In experimental tests on pure sphalerite, observers1 have noted that varying amounts of sphalerite may be froth-floated with pine oil alone, the amount recovered in the froth depending apparently upon the source of the sulphide. The only explanation of results such as these, barring insufficiency of frother or time of flotation, is that the surface of the mineral floated is different from that of the mineral depressed. This difference often has been found to be caused by natural contamination of mineral surfaces, apparently brought about by weathering and exposure to natural solu-tions. There is virtually no rock that is absolutely unweathered. One of the writers had an exceedingly instructive experience in 1931 while working with United Verde copper-zinc iron sulphide ore in Arizona. Nonselective flotation of chalcopyrite and sphalerite away from some of the pyrite was all that could be accomplished. All known depressants produced only slight effect. Sodium cyanide showed some effect, but so much had to be used that only a small amount of chalcopyrite could be

Jan 1, 1939

By F. P. Dewey

At the Wilkes-Barre Meeting of the Institute, Dr. J. Lawrence Smith, in the course of his remarks on some peculiarities in the composition of irons, alluded to the so-called " bucltshot" iron, and exhibited a specimen of this material. He said that when the small granules, or shot, were separatetl from the mass, they could be flattencd under the hammer, and inferred that these particles had been decarburized by the blast before sinking into the hearth of the furnace, and thus we had the exceptional production of wrought iron in the blast furnace. I have recently obtained a characteristic specimen of this variety of iron from one of the furnaces at Orbisona, Pa. Considerable uncertainty existed as to its true nature and the conditions of its production. Its weight seemed to preclude the idea that it containetl much or any slag, yet its lack of strength indicated that it was not homogeneous cast iron. At times considerable quantities had been produced, which could only be utilized by charging in the furnace and remelting. The specimen, on the freshly fractured surfacc, appeared to consist of flattened globules of iron cemented together by a bluish material which one would naturally suppose to be slag, and qualitative examination for lime strengthened this supposition. It was quite difficult to obtain drillings, as there was a tendency to split in several directions as soon as pressure mas applied; but enough was obtained to undertaltc quantitative determinations. They were found to consist of two portions—one attracted by the magnet, and the other not. By repeated separation the magnetic portion was found to be 94.44 per cent., and the non-magnetic 5.56 per cent. Analyses of these gave the following results: Magnetic Portion. Non-magnetic Portion. Percent, Percent. Graphite,.....3.480 Lime,. . 71.41 0 = 24.028 Combined carbon,. .. 0.260 Magnesia,. trace. Silicon,..... 2.790 Protox. of Phosphorus,.... 0.412 iron,. trace. Sulphur,.....0.292 Sulphide of Copper,.....0.110 caleium, 3.67 S= 1.72 0 = 3.440 Manganese,.... 0.500 -Iron (by dif.).,. .. . 91.206 27.468 --Silica,. 24 62 0 = 13.131 100.000 99.90

Jan 1, 1879