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By Douglas B. Silver

Super Cycle future The final topic is mining?s future. The most important questions are ?How much longer is the Super Cycle going to last? What should we expect to see going forward? How will the Super Cycle end?? Three possible scenarios follow. Scenario one: Super Cycle has peaked Kathy Casey-Kirschling is officially the first Baby Boomer. She was born Jan. 1st, 1946. If you google ?first baby boomer,? she?s the one that shows up. A Baby Boomer is anybody born between 1946 and 1964. In the United States, it represents about a quarter of the population ? approximately 76 million people. The Baby Boomer generation is going to change the economics of the world because there are so many in the generation. A review of spending patterns indicates that the largest amount of discretionary spending occurs between the ages of 49 and 52. Retired people tend to live on fixed incomes so they have less discretionary income. They also tend to downsize their house, which may contribute to the housing glut and the need for a lot less metal. Therefore, the upcoming retirement of the Baby Boomer generation could result in a massive shift in economic spending resulting in the peaking of the Super Cycle. Figure 1 is an index graph from the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX). The index has recently peaked. A lot of people see that as a sign that bad things coming our way. A careful review of different commodity prices also suggest that the peak has occurred and it does not seem to matter which commodity prices are considered. Copper prices have seen a peak as have nickel prices. Nickel and molybdenum displayed the same trend with a peak in 2005 as did zinc. Uranium, which has single-handedly tried to behave like the dot com craze, has also peaked.

Jan 1, 2008

By Tim Brick, Peter Jewell, Stephen Thompson, Simon Morgan

The $980m (€750m) Dublin Port Tunnel, Europe’s biggest urban highway tunnel project, was opened in December 2006. The culmination of this immense scheme is set to transform the environment, mobility and road safety of Ireland’s capital city. This paper summarizes the key aspects of a project linking both sequential and parallel construction of individual tunnels and describes various approaches to bored, mined and pre-support cut-and-cover tunneling in a wide variety of ground types and depth of cover. Examples of innovative approaches to deal with structural and geotechnical problems while maintaining full operation of both road and rail traffic and the integrity of properties in a dense urban corridor are described.

Jan 1, 2007

By Steve Kral

As the current boom in the global mining industry rumbles on, mining companies have had to step up their efforts to replace mined reserves. Many of the majors are replacing and adding to their reserves and resources through acquisitions. This situation has allowed junior mining and exploration companies to do what they do best. They have been re-examining once uneconomic gold, copper and other metals properties with an eye to partnering with a major to develop them. And mines that have been closed for years due to poor economics are being given another look.

Jan 1, 2006

By N. Sahin, K. Baris, A. Ozarslan

This paper aims to assess the current and future role of coal in energy strategy of Turkey and evaluates the compatibility of the policies to the EU energy policy and strategy. The Turkish government set targets to utilize more coal reserves of the country in next decades. However, the country is also in the process of becoming an EU Member State, hence, it is expected that the energy policies have to comply with the EU. Moreover, Turkey ratified Kyoto Protocol, thus the country should limit greenhouse gas emissions. Clean Coal, Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) technologies are expected to become an important instrument for the mid-term reduction of CO2 emissions from coal-fired power plants. An alternative technique to the conventional CCS methods is CO2 sequestration by mineral carbonation. Turkey has significant resources of magnesium silicate minerals (olivine, serpentine) deposits which can be utilised in CO2 sequestration by mineral carbonation method.

Jan 1, 2011

By John C. Nigro

Bench scale and pilot plant research was conducted using dolomites (CaO,MgO) lime as the basic additive in the preparation of self-fluxed pellets from a typical magnetic taconite concentrate (5.57 S_2). The specific objective of this investigation was to ascertain the viability of the magnesia lime pellets in high temperature oxidizing and reducing atmospheres. Pellet basicity and induration temperature were major parameters affecting fired pellet quality; temperatures ranging from 1,200° to 1,250" C appeared to be the most favorable for production of self-fluxed pellets with basesities (B) above 1.0. Comparison of the mechani¬cal and metallurgical properties of regular (acid) and self-fluxed pellets (B 1.55) produced under similar conditions in a modified grate pelletizing machine showed that the self-fluxed pellets were more resistant to abrasion and to high and low temperature reduction disintegration, an important consideration in commercial application. The Plus 3 mesh Linder index increased from 68 percent (regular pellets) to over 90 percent (self-fluxed pellets). The reducibility and swelling indices of the self-fluxed pellets were found to be comparable to the regular pellets.

Jan 1, 1972

By B. Asbury, M. Cigla, C. Balci

The Western Mining Resource Center (WMRC) at the Colorado School of Mines (CSM) received a grant from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) to perform a study that will help reduce the amount of respirable dust generated from the cutting of coal. The study is based upon laboratory testing and field experience. This information is being used to develop a new cutterhead design in conjunction with Joy Mining Machinery. The new cutterhead design is being evaluated with existing computer models developed at CSM. The new continuous miner cutterhead will be tested at the Twenty Mile Coal Company’s Foidal Creek Mine. Baseline testing with the current cutterhead will also be performed. This paper presents laboratory test results, design methodology, and test results performed to date.

Jan 1, 2002

By P. A. Hagerty

Biological treatment of metals-impacted water using sulfate reduction is a viable means of treatment that has been applied in pilot and full scale at numerous projects. One of the fundamental challenges with this type of treatment is the selection of an appropriate substrate to support the sulfate reduction process long-term. The substrate degradation products provide a carbon source and an electron donor for metabolism by sulfate-reducing bacteria and consequently organic characteristics are critical; however, the physical attributes of the substrate are equally critical to an efficient and optimized substrate mix. This paper explores the affect of particle size (a.k.a. grain size) of several substrate mixes on the treatment efficiency of sulfate reducing treatment systems. Substrate selection can be separated into two phases of evaluation, the primary selection phase and the secondary optimization phase. The primary selection phase considers such fundamental attributes as source availability, economics, bioavailability and longevity. These fundamental activities are conducted in order to identify potential candidate ingredients of the substrate mix which are regionally available, economically viable and consistent with the biogeochemical aspects of the project. Recent work has been conducted in the development of testing protocol for organic substrates to quantify bioavailability (Martinez Hernandez et al. 2010, Place et al. 2006) as part of the primary selection phase. Once the substrate ingredients have been selected based on the primary criteria, the mixture of these ingredients is then developed based on an optimization process, including consideration of the substrate ingredient?s particle size distribution.

Jan 1, 2011

By S. M. Moore

Each year more than 400 coal miners are injured (fatal and non-fatal) by rock falling from between or around roof supports. Many of these injuries could be prevented by the installation of roof screen (wire mesh). However, many coal mines may be reluctant to use roof screen because of the added cost. The goal of this study was to determine the potential saving in workers? compensation (WC) premiums that could be achieved due to a reduction in rock fall injuries after roof screening. The WC rate-setting methods utilized by IL and KY were investigated in this study. Using actual data obtained from MSHA, national and state WC bodies and individual insurance companies (e.g. average cost per injury, loss cost rate, number of injuries per year, number of injuries preventable each year with roof screening), hypothetical mines (representing two mine sizes: 67 and 150 employees) were constructed with realistic ranges for estimates of injuries and WC premium costs. Using each state?s actual WC rate-setting formulas, total savings in WC costs after a three-year period were determined. Across both states, savings in WC premiums ranged from 1.8% to 14.6% when injuries were reduced by 10% to 20%. Additionally, an economic analysis was performed for an existing mine consisting of 67 employees. For this mine, the annual cost of a roof screening program was estimated at $240,000. If the screening prevented 13 ?struck by? WC claims over a 3-year period at this mine, the reduction in WC premiums alone could pay for the entire screening program.

Jan 1, 2010

By NILAMADHABA SAHU, Gajanan U. Kapure, Pankaj Kumar, Sunil Kumar Tripathy

Chromite ore processing tailings and low-grade manganese ores are typically considered waste due to their limited or negligible utility, leading to environmental and storage concerns. Researchers globally have explored various methods to utilize or upgrade these wastes, particularly because dumping chromite ore has been linked to severe health issues through Cr(VI) leaching. Individually, these ores lack economic value, and there has not been research on simultaneously reducing both low-grade ores. In this study, the focus lies on smelting these ores together, aiming to create a precursor alloy for 200 series stainless steel scrap. Initial research indicated the potential for scrap formation, validated through lab experiments with varying coke rate, basicity, and holding time. The investigation discovered that smelting this combination could yield a metal product comprising 59% Fe, 24.93% Cr, 7.56% Mn, 0.62% Ni, and 0.93% Si. The optimum basicity was found to be 0.6 with 80% recovery. Notably, this process eliminates intermediate steps in 200 series stainless steel production, potentially reducing overall CO2 emissions. This proposed method represents a cleaner, sustainable approach to repurpose these two waste ores, projecting a net profit of USD 330 per ton.

Jan 10, 2024

By S. A. Smith-Hamm, E. A. Sarver, A. S. Cox

Appalachia is an increasing concern, as unnaturally high TDS and/or associated specific conductivity (SC) may contribute to deteriorated stream ecosystem health. The aim of this preliminary study was to explore the efficacy of accelerated leaching as a means of minimizing long-term TDS/SC generation by problematic overburden materials. Five spoil samples were collected and leached using simulated rainwater solutions under ambient and acidified pH conditions. SC and pH were monitored during each leach cycle, and inductively coupled plasma-mass spectroscopy (ICP-MS) was used to determine how leaching conditions affected the release of specific ions. This paper highlights the results of both jar and column leaching tests. Among the most significant findings was that for certain spoil materials, the SC in the leach column effluent was effectively reduced when the spoil was first leached with acidic rainwater followed by ambient rainwater, as opposed to leaching with ambient rainwater alone. This suggests that accelerated leaching might aid in the long-term stabilization of some materials.

Jan 1, 2015

By L. Yuan, J. Soles, W. Tang, R. Thomas

Lithium-ion battery pack fires pose great hazards to the safety and health of miners. A detailed experimental study has been conducted at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Pittsburgh Mining Research Division (PMRD) to investigate the effectiveness of different fire suppression systems on Li-ion battery pack fire extinguishment. Tests were conducted in a well-ventilated container. Two sizes of battery packs (12V, 24V) were heated by heater strips to trigger thermal runaway and fire. Water mist with different flow rates, ABC powder, type D dry chemical, and water mist with F500 additives were used as the fire suppression agents. Multiple thermocouples were installed on the battery packs to measure the temperature evolution during the tests. The results indicated that the water mist with F500 additives is the most effective suppressant among the agents tested. Dry chemicals, however, do quench the fire for a moment, but cannot prevent re-ignition of the battery since they do not provide enough cooling. The findings of this paper can be used to develop safer battery fire suppression techniques in mining environments.

Feb 1, 2023

By Alexander Darío Huamán Ccorahua, Cayo Fernando Soto Buendía, Jhonatan Raphael Rojas Ventura

Lithium is a top-quality mineral in the energy market, with growing demand. It has many applications in medical, nuclear, and energy industries. The purpose of this article is to quantify and analyze the economic potential and projected global demand for lithium annually. It aims to determine Peru’s (specifically Puno) positioning in the global context in 2025 and 2030. The article also seeks to identify the main regulatory, environmental, and social challenges to sustainably exploit lithium in Peru. The study employs applied research (mixed approach), descriptive-correlational scope, and observational, crosssectional design. The methodology demonstrates the use of statistical techniques to model and make predictions about this energy-transition metal. Academic sources were reviewed to enable a comparative approach and projection into the future of lithium for development in the mining industry. In the last 10 years, lithium demand has grown, noting a 600% increase in the economy and projected annual growth of +26%. Exponential growth in resources is projected, where econometric, R-multivariable and R-linear models estimate that Peru could supply 1.5% in 2025 and 3% in 2030 of global lithium. Estimated growth of 5–15% in socio-environmental conflicts is projected with the start of lithium exploitation (Peru – Puno). The global potential of lithium demonstrates exponential growth. Lithium reserves in Puno - Peru would rank 13th between 2025 and 2030. It is necessary to establish a clear regulatory framework to avoid excessive increase in socio-environmental conflicts.

Feb 1, 2024

By A. W. Fletcher

A nickel-copper sulphide concentrate was treated in a pilot plant at Warren Spring Laboratory during 1961, by a hydrometallurgical roast-leach- solvent extraction process devised to cleanly separate the metal values, and produce acid sulphate liquors containing the metals. It is shown that 86 percent of the nickel and 95 percent of the copper could be leached from the calcine, after a sulphatizing roast on finely ground flotation concentrate. Iron was removed from the leach liquor by limestone neutralization with a small loss of values. Copper and nickel were separated by solvent extraction with naphthenic acid in kerosene after partial neutralization of the iron-free liquors with ammonium hydroxide. Hydrogen sulphide and chlorine were used to remove zinc (and residual copper) and cobalt impurities respectively. The recovery of pure copper and pure nickel, by electrowinning, from the acidic solvent extract strip liquors finally produced, appears technically feasible.

Jan 1, 1964

By Arnaud Colson

1 Good morning ladies and gentlemen. Let me first thank you for welcoming me to this international congress. I?ll have the pleasure to explain to you how the Lafarge group works on its quarry rehabilitation. I will deal with the way quarry rehabilitation has affected all branches of the group trough a global approach. 2 Quarries often are a subject of controversy dividing those are for and those who are against. My purpose is rather to examine where factors of progress lay and how in a quarry such as Lafarge we can include quarry rehabilitation, which is so fundamental dimension of our process. 3 - 4 As these two photos of French quarry show taking into account the environment in the quarry industry has been a recent preoccupation. In less than a century rehabilitation has a dramatically evolved in a positive way. Consequently our group integrate an ecological dimension in its activity. It?s an ethical question as well as a personal view of our role as a responsible industrial group. 5 My presentation is built around 4 points: I?ll begin by explaining why it?s our responsibility to rehabilitate quarries. I?ll go on to fill you in on the method of the project. After that I?ll outline the expected results. Finally I?ll talk about the rest of the project and the way we can ensure this know how.

Jan 1, 2002

By R. Heiser, J. Vendetti, B. P. Connor, E. J. Haas

Health and safety indicators help mine sites predict the likelihood of an event, advance initiatives to control risks, and track progress. Although useful to encourage individuals within the mining companies to work together to identify such indicators, executing risk assessments comes with challenges. Specifically, varying or inaccurate perceptions of risk, in addition to trust and buy-in of a risk management system, contribute to inconsistent levels of participation in risk programs. This paper focuses on one trona mine’s experience in the development and implementation of a field-level risk assessment program to help its organization understand and manage risk to an acceptable level. Through a transformational process of ongoing leadership development, support and communication, Solvay Green River fostered a culture grounded in risk assessment, safety interactions and hazard correction. The application of consistent risk assessment tools was critical to create a participatory workforce that not only talks about safety but actively identifies factors that contribute to hazards and potential incidents. In this paper, reflecting on the mine’s previous process of risk-assessment implementation provides examples of likely barriers that sites may encounter when trying to document and manage risks, as well as a variety of mini case examples that showcase how the organization worked through these barriers to facilitate the identification of leading indicators to ultimately reduce incidents.

Jan 1, 2018

By R. Heiser, J. Vendetti, B. P. Connor, E. J. Haas

Health and safety indicators help mine sites predict the likelihood of an event, advance initiatives to control risks, and track progress. Although useful to encourage individuals within the mining companies to work together to identify such indicators, executing risk assessments comes with challenges. Specifically, varying or inaccurate perceptions of risk, in addition to trust and buy-in of a risk management system, contribute to inconsistent levels of participation in risk programs. This paper focuses on one trona mine’s experience in the development and implementation of a field-level risk assessment program to help its organization understand and manage risk to an acceptable level. Through a transformational process of ongoing leadership development, support and communication, Solvay Green River fostered a culture grounded in risk assessment, safety interactions and hazard correction. The application of consistent risk assessment tools was critical to create a participatory workforce that not only talks about safety but actively identifies factors that contribute to hazards and potential incidents. In this paper, reflecting on the mine’s previous process of risk-assessment implementation provides examples of likely barriers that sites may encounter when trying to document and manage risks, as well as a variety of mini case examples that showcase how the organization worked through these barriers to facilitate the identification of leading indicators to ultimately reduce incidents.

Jan 1, 2017

By Steven T. Mitchell

The introduction of Vertical Crater Retreat (VCR) Stoping at the Homestake Mine in Lead, SD, constitutes a major advance in Homes take Mining Company's efforts to improve productivity and reduce costs through underground mine mechanization. The work to date indicates that Vertical Crater Retreat Stoping is one of the safest methods of underground hardrock mining today, and is competitive with all other forms of stoping in terms of cost and productivity. Homes take anticipates that VCR stoping rill account for approximately 30% of the total mine production in 1980.

Jan 1, 1980

By G. Rainville, I. Servi, F. Katrak

Despite the severe drought conditions that reduced farm requirements for industrial mineral products, most industrial minerals markets in 1988 continued their growth or, at worst, remained flat. Earlier projections of output declines did not materialize in most segments. Preliminary estimates of demand in Europe and Asia show strong growth for most industrial minerals. Profitability in industrial minerals in North America was best in those minerals that had a significant export market or were not strongly regional. Growth and price trends in the more regional industrial minerals markets in the US such as sand and gravel, crushed stone, and cement, more closely followed the broadly disparate regional economic conditions. For example, sand and gravel and crushed stone grew strongly in the Pacific Coast and northeastern markets but not as much as in the Southeast. Total growth for sand and gravel in 1988 is projected at about 3% above 1987 levels. Combined production is up about 27 Mt (30 million st) to 2 Gt (2.2 billion st). Following the relentless trend of foreign acquisition of US cement companies (currently about two-thirds are owned by foreign interests), several aggregate operations have been purchased by foreign companies. Notable among these in 1988 was the acquisition of Rinker Materials Corp. by CSR of Australia. The acquisition of this Florida-based aggregate and concrete operation will expand the current holdings of CSR in the southeastern US, with operations consolidated under the Rinker logo. In addition, Pike Industries of New England and J.L. Shiely Co. of Minnesota were significant aggregate producers that were acquired by foreign firms. New England's only cement manufacturer, Dragon Products, was acquired by a subsidiary of Cementes del Norte of Spain. Dravo continued to expand its influence in the lime and limestone markets. It became the major supplier of construction aggregates on the inland river system with its purchase of Cyprus Minerals' limestone aggregate operations in Kentucky, Louisiana, and Texas. Although lime production continued to grow from 14 to 15 Mt (15.7 to 16.7 million st) in 1988, lime imports decreased for the fifth consecutive year to 145 kt (160,000 st). In the more export-oriented industrial minerals markets, performance was generally very good for 1988. Soda ash enjoyed an excellent year, with its price up to $102.50/t ($93 per st). This reflected the tight market situation for soda ash, particularly in late 1988. Soda ash production in 1988 was 8.6 Mt (9.5 million st), reflecting the industry's improved efficiency. Particularly significant was the increase in caustic soda prices that led to increased substitution by soda ash. The export market remained at 2.1 Mt (2.3 million st). Phosphate production recovered to the 42 Mt (46 million st) level, a 12% increase despite a soft export market. The price, however, remained soft throughout the year. W.R. Grace sold its interest in its Florida phosphate mine and its phosphoric acid complex as part of its divestiture of the agrichemicals business. The strengthening of the major producers has continued as lower cost capacity has been idled. Future permitting of phosphoric acid facilities and development of reserves will be necessary to maintain current production levels beyond the mid- to late 1990s. Despite new developments worldwide in the titanium minerals market, strong demand has continued to apply pressure to price, with concentrate and slag prices going up. The demand for high quality slag as feedstock for pigment production has resulted in process improvements in South Africa (Richard's Bay) and in plans by Canada to import high quality ilmenite by 1991 to produce a 90% TiO2 slag. Although growth in industrial silica sand applications was small in 1988, concentration in the industry continued. Unimin continued to acquire silica operations. Unimin is now the nation's leading producer of granular silica. The end users of silica have consolidated further. Owens-Illinois purchased Brockway Inc., a leading container glass producer. Three companies now control 75% of the container glass industry. ECC continued to be an aggressive purchaser of industrial minerals operations throughout the world. It acquired Cyprus Minerals' calcium carbonate business as well as two operations in Italy. In addition, ECC continued its aggressive acquisition of kaolin (Australia) and aggregate producers. 1988 was a good year for industrial minerals markets worldwide. More importantly, though, it was a year that showed continuing consolidations of reserve ownership in the industry around the world. Barite AN. Castelli, Baroid Drilling Fluids Inc. US mine production of barite decreased 9.4% during 1988. Consumption (sold or used by grinding plants) increased by 37.9%. Imports are estimated to have increased by 21.2%. World mine production decreased by 9.8%, according to the US Bureau of Mines. The value of domestically produced barite, fob mine, decreased 4.6%, according to the Bureau. The declared value cif US port of all imported ground barite during the first 10 months of 1988 increased from $37.16/t ($33.71 per st) in 1987 to $37.92/t ($34.40 per st), according to Bureau figures. Nevada continued to be the leading producer of barite with 72% of the total, followed by Georgia and Missouri. The Bureau of Mines estimates 69% of US mine production was used as a weighting agent in drilling fluids. The other 31% was used in barium chemicals, glass, or as a filler. Most of the production from Missouri, Georgia, and Tennessee was used in the non-oilfield sector. Of the total consumption used by grinding plants and chemical manufac-

Jan 1, 1989

By R. J. Sweigard

The effects of postmining land use planning are addressed in this paper. These effects may include savings in reclamation costs and increased value of reclaimed land. However, this may result in greater planning costs and possible delays in production. Therefore, an economic analysis was undertaken in an effort to determine the importance of each potential result and to quantify the overall economic impact of postmining land use planning. A discounted cash flow analysis was performed using a surface mine cost model to analyze the sensitivity of selling price to changes in various postmining land use planning parameters. As a result of this analysis it was determined that the profitability of a project is most sensitive to delays in production, particularly, if the delay occurs after major investments have been made. Many methods have been proposed for evaluating postmining land use alternatives (Sweigard and Ramani, 1981). Both quantitative methods, such as benefit-cost analysis (Brock and Brooks, 1968), and nonquantitative methods have been proposed. The application of one specific analytical method is pursued in this paper.

Jan 1, 1985

By K. Taniguchi, Y. Inada

When underground openings are excavated in rock mass for storage of Liquefied Natural Gas, hereinafter referred to as L.N.G., as its temperature is -162o C, steep temperature gradients and thermal stress occur around the openings. That is, the plastic zone and cracks around openings will expand with time. In this paper, the range of cracks which were obtained by the Crack Analysis Method and the range of the plastic zone which was obtained by the No Tension Analysis Method were investigated and compared.

Jan 1, 1986