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By G. E. Wood

Steep Rock Resources Inc. owns a calcite quarry property at Tatlock, Ontario, and a calcite processing plant at Perth, Ontario. The Tatlock marble deposit forms part of an extensive series of carbonate rocks of the Grenville Geological Province in the Precambrian Shield of southeastern Ontario. The deposit is very unusual, if not unique, in the Grenville area in its combination of characteristics of large size, whiteness, high calcium content, low magnesium and silica contents, and scarcity of accessory minerals. A major expansion of the fine grind products capacity of the plant was undertaken in 1982 and came on stream in 1983. The expansion provides important operating benefits at the plant: greater flexibility as to the product mix and reduced dependence on the single grinding mill previously in place. The expanded facility consists of prima,y and secondary crushers, a rotary drye,~ a screenhouse producing a range of screen separator grade products, an airswept Raymond Mill, and a pebble mill with integrated air classifiers, product storage bins, bulk, semi-bulk, and bagged product shipping capabilities, road and rail access, and a substantial product warehouse. The expansion was designed to be compatible with a move into ultrafine calcite production, and is capable of supplying the anticipated sales growth within its market area during the next 5 years. Products are exceptionally white, with good chemistry, low abrasion, and consistent quality. Markets range, according to product particle size, from pre-cast concrete aggregate to fillers for coatings, plastic pipe, and compounds.

Jan 1, 1984

By Pierre Gratton, Gordon Peeling

The Mining Association of Canada launched the Towards Sustainable Mining initiative in 2004. TSM’s goal is to improve the mining industry’s performance by aligning its actions with the priorities and values of Canadians. The initiative currently includes performance indicators for four areas: tailings management, energy use and greenhouse gas management, external outreach and corporate crisis management planning. Over the past year, the association has been designing a performance assessment and verification system for these performance areas, as its members prepare to move to external verification of their performance in 2006. The presentation will describe the initiative and its evolution, as well as the challenges faced in developing a verification system applicable to an entire sector.

Jan 1, 2006

By Laszlo Imreh, Pierre Trudel, André C. Tessier

"The Siscoe gold mine is ranked as the fourth largest mine in the history of the Val d' Or mining district with a total production of 27.4 tAufrom1929 to 1949. Most of the gold mineralization occurred in quartz veins, hosted in a small (.69 km2) intrusion of altered quartz gabbro known as the Siscoe stock. The southern contact of the Siscoe stock is crosscut by a major shear zone (the ""K"" zone) trending 295/80 NE and from which gold mineralization was also exploited within the limits of the stock. Field and petrographic observations of the Siscoe stock combined with chemical analyses of major, trace and rare earth elements of the stock and its volcanic host rocks (Dubuisson Formation) suggest that:The Siscoe stock comprises four alteration facies formed from a homogeneous precursor: 1) the actinolite - Mg-chlorite facies, characterized by low FeOt,Na2O andTiO2 , and highAlp3 and MgO; 2) the albite- Fe-chlorite facies, containing high concentrations of FeOt and Nap; 3) the Mg + Fe-chloritefacies, which is transitional between the actinolite- Mg-chlorite and albite- Fe-chloritefacies; 4) the carbonate-chlorite facies, which consists of rocks that were subjected to extreme hydrothermal alteration, is spatially associated with mineralized veins and part of the K-zone. The first three facies are depleted in SiO 2, CaO and Au, and enriched in MgO, relative to fresh rocks of the Siscoe stock and the equivalent rocks of the Dubuisson Formation.Hydrothermal fluids introduced mainly along the K-zone ""channelway"" induced three types of element remobilization, resulting in the various alteration facies: 1) redistribution of elements within the stock from one facies to another (e .g., FeOt, Nap, Ti02 migrated from the actinolite- Mg-chlorite facies to the albite- F e-chlorite and Mg + Fe-chlorite facies); 2) remobilization of elements from the intrusive rocks into veins (e.g ., SiO 2 and CaO ); 3) introduction of elements by hydrothermal fluids in rocks of the Siscoe stock (e .g., Al2O3, MgO, H2O, CO2 and FeOt).The Siscoe stock and the Dubuisson Formation form part of the same tholeiitic suite. Similarly, the Bourlamaque batholith and the Val d'Or Formation belong to a single calc-alkaline suite. In view of this relationship, dissimilarities between the petrochemistry of the Siscoe stock and the Bourlamaque batholith suggest that the two intrusions are not co-magmatic.Finally, gold may have been leached from rocks of the Siscoe stock and remobilized into the quartz-carbonate mineralized veins. In order to account for the total production at the Siscoe mine, approximately 1.2 km3 of the Siscoe stock is thought to have been partially leached of its gold."

Jan 1, 1990

By A. Kapoor, L. Morin, S. Mortazavi, P. Béedard, Gould. W. D., A. Kuiper

The degradation of thiocyanate in a simulated gold mill effluent was studied using a laboratory scale rotating biological contactor (RBC). Complete SCN- removal was obtained at temperatures of 8 and 12°C, and a hydraulic retention time of approximately 3.3 h. The NH4+ produced by thiocyanate hydrolysis was oxidized by nitrifying bacteria to NO2 and NO3-. The HS- produced by thiocyanate hydrolysis was chemically and biologically oxidized to elemental S, which was subsequently biologically oxidized to sulfate. Incomplete sulfur oxidation occurred in the RBC, particularly at 8°C and elemental sulfur deposition was observed on the RBC disks. The RBC feed exhibited toxicity to rainbow trout but the RBC was effective in removing the acute toxicity of thiocyanate.

Jan 1, 2005

By J. Keith Haddock

"IntroductionThe Bienfait Mine is operated by Bienfait Coal Company Ltd., one of the Luscar Limited group of companies. Situated 5 km southeast of the town of Bienfait, Saskatchewan, it can produce 2.0 million tonnes of lignite annually in addition to 158,000 tonnes of char from a carbonization plant located on the property. Geology The economically mineable coal seams of the Estevan area are found in the Ravenscrag Formation. The lignite-bearing sands, silts and clays were deposited in Early Tertiary age, in an inland sea centred in the Williston Basin of North Dakota. The top of the Ravenscrag is an erosional surface, overlain by Tertiary or Quarternary sands and gravels or glacial till. The regional structure is a gently plunging syncline which dips to the southeast at about 0.3 degrees. There are minor undulations in the Bienfait area which are due to differential subsidence during deposition. Sporadic faulting is probably a result of glacial pressures, and preglacial and glacial channels are responsible for washout zones and the abrupt irregular subcrop found in the area. There are two economic coal seams in the Bienfait area, an uppe; seam locally known as the Roche Percee, and a lower seam, the Estevan. Both seams have been extensively mined since lignite mining began in the area in the late 1800s. The Roche Percee remains only in a small portion of the Bienfait Mine and comprises a very minor portion of the reserves. It averages 1.74 m thick under 8.1 m of overburden. The till rests on top of the Roche Percee and due to weathering the seam is generally of poorer quality. The Estevan seam comprises the majority of reserves at Bienfait. The main seam which is being worked on consists of an upper bench averaging 2.75 m, a carbonaceous parting of 0.21 m, and a lower bench of 0.92 m. Overburden depth above this seam varies from 21.0 m to 38.0 m."

Jan 1, 1985

By David Humphreys

It is difficult to overstate the importance of China to the future of the world mining and metals industries. In a remarkably short time, China has risen to become the world?s largest producer and consumer of steel and its second largest consumer of non-ferrous metals such as copper and aluminium. It is currently the world?s largest buyer of copper on international markets, the second largest buyer of iron ore, and the third largest buyer of alumina. At the same time, it is the world?s largest or second largest producer and exporter of tin, lead, zinc, magnesium and a host of minor metals and industrial minerals, as well as a fast-growing exporter of coal.

May 1, 2002

By John R. Sullivan, Real Daigneault, Mathieu Piché, Jayanta Guha, Gilles Bouchard

"RESUMELa stratigraphie du camp minier de Matagami se résume a la présence de deux groupes volcaniques: le Groupe du Lac Watson et le Groupe de Wabassee qui le surmonte. Les gisements de sulfures massifs volcanogènes sont situés au sommet du Groupe du Lac Watson. Ces roches sont déformées par l'anticlinal de Galinée dont l'axe, orienté E-W, plonge vers l'ouest. Le cœur de cette structure est occupé par le Complexe de la Rivière Bell.Les roches volcaniques du flanc sud de l'anticlinal sont peu déformées et pendent à 45° vers le sud. Les gites qui s'y trouvent présentent la morphologie typique des gisements de sulfures massifs volcanogènes. Ceux-ci se situent le long d'un horizon repère cherteux et sulfure, appelé ""Tuffite Clef', et leurs cheminées d'altération rejoignent, en profondeur, une zone d'altération stratiforme d'étendue régionale.Les roches du flanc nord ont été transposées tectoniquement en écailles chevauchantes, de dimension kilométrique, a l'intérieur d'un couloir de failles anastomosées d'orientation est-ouest. A l'intérieur: le ce couloir, les gites de sulfures sont déformes et sépares de leur héminée d'altération sous-jacente par des failles.Les gites de sulfures situes sur les deux flancs de l'anticlinal de 'Galinée se seraient mis en place dans un mime environnement volcanique. Leur position stratigraphique est identique puisqu' ils se 'rouvent au sommet de la rhyolite porphyrique du Groupe du Lac Watson. lis se seraient constitués au cours d'une pose volcanique recédant 1'éruption du basalte du Groupe de Wabassee. Le Complexe de la Rivière Bell est perçu comme la source de chaleur responsable de la circulation des fluides hydrothermaux qui sont à ""origine des gisements de sulfures massifs volcanogènes."

Jan 1, 1990

By E. A. Roux

As the first mine-to-metal zinc operation utilising atmospheric leaching, solvent extraction and electrowinning, Skorpion Zinc faces unique challenges and opportunities. One of these challenges is found in the solvent extraction circuit, in which di-ethylhexyl phosphoric acid (D2EHPA) is used as the organic extractant. Although D2EHPA is an excellent extractant for zinc, it suffers from the co-extraction of ferric iron, which is produced during leaching and by the corrosion of the grinding media. This situation is partially mitigated by iron precipitation in the neutralisation step prior to solvent extraction. Unfortunately, some ferric iron still reports to the solvent extraction process. This leads to a slow build up of iron in the organic phase. Chemical stripping is used to maintain the Fe concentration at an acceptable level. In this paper, the efficiency of the iron removal process is discussed.

Jan 1, 2006

In this study, we develop a detailed model of the likely future carbon footprint of primary copper supply. We develop a peak copper production model, based on a detailed copper resource data set, and combine this with a comprehensive life cycle assessment model of copper mining and milling to predict greenhouse gas emission rates and intensities of Australian and global copper production up to 2100. By establishing a quantitative prediction of both copper production and corresponding greenhouse gas emissions of Australian and global copper industry, we then analysed the emissions intensity of various energy input scenarios, such as business-as-usual, solar thermal electricity and solar thermal electricity with biodiesel. The Australian Government has an aspirational goal for long-term greenhouse gas emissions of an 80% reduction from the 2000 level by 2050. For the copper sector, this means moving from about 12.6 Mt CO2e in 2000 to a goal of some 2.52 Mt CO2e in 2050 (assuming equal emissions reductions across the economy). Based on the energy sources modelled, only the solar thermal plus biodiesel scenario was capable of achieving this goal at about 0.15 Mt CO2e, since the solar thermal alone scenario still includes normal petro-diesel as a major source of emissions. Overall, it is clear that there are abundant resources which can meet expected long-term copper demands, the critical issue is more the carbon (and environmental) footprint of different copper supplies and use rather than how much is available for mining. It is clear that the switch to renewable energy can have a profound impact on the carbon intensity of copper supply, even allowing for increased energy intensity as ore grades decline, and a complete conversion to renewable energy will position the copper sector to meet existing annual greenhouse gas emissions targets and goals.

Aug 1, 2013

By F. Dubuc

"The Adams Mine of Jones & Laughlin Steel Corporation is situated on the Boston Township iron range near Kirkland Lake, Ontario. Eight different orebodies have been outlined, with a total open-pit crude tonnage of. about 100,000,000 tons or the equivalent of 30,000,000 tons of concentrate. The ore consists of fine-grained, well-bedded Early Precambrian iron-formation composed essentially of alternating layers of chert and magnetite. Grade averages about 22 per cent magnetic Fe.The iron range varies in width from 3,000 to 4,000 feet and is made up of several horizons of iron-formation, cherty ""quartzite"" and volcanic rocks. The latter consist mostly of basic lava flows and minor amounts of tuff. Dips are rarely Jess than 50 degrees, and the range is believed to represent an overturned limb of a major synclinal structure. Dykes of syenite and lam prophyre, along with local younger diabase, intrude the rocks of the iron range."

Jan 1, 1966

By Laura Kelsey

Contaminant Robust In Situ Water Extractor CRIWE Nafion-based water clean-up Extract purified water from natural extraterrestrial sources In situ water processing for downstream electrolysis Chemically resistant to process contaminants such as acid

May 1, 2013

By E. V. Manlapig, M. A. Hampton, M. E. Holuszko

Methanol treatment of ZnS particles has been found to remove slimes and facilitate flotation. The removal of slimes renders the ZnS surface more hydrophobic, resulting in an increase in the hydrophobic attractive force between the particle and bubble. Hallimond tube flotation, induction time measurement and particle-bubble force analysis with the atomic force microscope (AFM) was undertaken to link the beneficial effect of methanol treatment of ZnS particles to their increased floatability.

Jan 1, 2009

By E. M. Watkin

"Land directly disturbed by hard rock mining activities in Ontario and Quebec was surveyed in 1974 as part of a country-wide assessment, (Murray 1977). Some 15, 000 hectares, or 5 7 square miles, are listed as having been disturbed by overburden removal, waste rock and tailings deposition (Table 1) in the region. That area represents sixty-eight per cent of the total area which ha1; been disturbed by mining in central and Atlantic Canada. Assessment of disturbed areas was undertaken using LANDSAT-1 and LANDSAT-2 satellite imagery. Certain limitations of the technique were recognized but the data obtained were considered a relatively acceptable assessment of the extent of disturbed areas larger than ten hectares.Approximately ten per cent of the land disturbed by mining in the two provinces has been reclaimed to varying degrees. Indeed, this proportion is correct for the country as a whole. As pointed out by Ripley, Redmann and Maxwell (1978), some of the land was disturbed long before environmental concern 01· reclamation were ever considered. In numerous instances reclamation will remain impossible until presently active operations are closed. Nevertheless, these authors feel such figures make it clear that reclamation has not been a high priority in Canada in the past. Canada is a vast country, and there has been little pressure toward efficient use of all land space. Most mining operations occur in areas distant from the country's population centres. Under these circumstances, therefore, the pressure to reduce the environmental impact of mining is much less than in the more densely populated areas of Europe and the eastern United States, where such activity can occur in or adjacent to large metropolitan areas."

Jan 1, 1980

By V. Vekris

A diverse patent portfolio and an effective intellectual property strategy are vital in today’s small business world. Not only does a diverse patent portfolio enable a company to secure a monopoly within the market, it greatly increases the value of a company’s intangible assets and keeps competitors at bay. An overview of the patenting process as it pertains specifically to the materials science-related start-ups will be given, together with a summary of some general patenting strategies and a review of some patenting errors to be avoided, such as premature disclosure of the invention to the public. Additionally, a review of new “green technology” initiatives recently adopted by Patent Offices around the world is also provided. These initiatives are expected to greatly benefit patent applicants in the fields of metallurgy and mining, where research efforts are often directed to environmentally-friendly products and processes. INTRODUCTION Patents are playing an increasingly significant role in the business world. A diverse patent portfolio can enable a company to secure a monopoly within the market, which can provide a competitive advantage over competitors. At the same time, patent portfolio of any size can greatly contribute to the total value of a company’s intangible assets. As an example, Nortel entertained bids in 2011 for its portfolio of about 4000 patents, a large portion of which were directed to 3G- and 4G-mobile communication technologies. The portfolio was eventually sold for $4.5 billion to a consortium including Apple, EMC, Ericsson, Microsoft, Research in Motion, and Sony. Copper mining, and indeed the global mining industry as a whole, is facing challenges. Ore deposits are increasingly low grade, complex, and deeper in the ground, rendering copper mining operations more difficult and costly. Production costs are increasing. According to one study, the cost of producing copper has increased by an average of 10% per year since 2005 (Cantallopts, 2017). To illustrate, the cost of producing a pound of copper in 2005 was 90 cents, but had increased to 217 cents by 2014.

Jan 1, 2019

By Ning Shi

This paper suggests an alternative design approach for an innovative shovel dipper, for use in ground conditions where cutting of virgin ground rather than scooping of blasted material is required. Not only does the new design have an optimized dimension ratio (width:height:depth) and attachment arrangement (angle, position), but also a non-linear pro¯le in 2D and 3D. The approach is based on the simulation of a shovel's duty cycle to verify a pilot dipper model. In order to achieve a realistic simulation that could be used to evaluate a dipper design, the model is e®ectively a descriptor of actual shovel activity under soft ground conditions. The shovel geometry, motion and operation, with an emphasis on digging and dumping kinematics and dynamics are the principal elements of the simulation. The simulation considers a fresh face location, repeating tucking, digging and dumping swing motions within the geometric range of the machine, ending when no more face material remaining within reach without re- positioning. The simulation yields digging force, friction force, trajectory, ¯ll time, ¯ll factor, etc, which may be integrated into two basic considerations: power draw (output) and volume delivered (production), as indicators of dipper performance. The simulation has been used as a tool to modify an existing dipper design, prior to looping further simulation cycles. Ultimately, an optimized or totally-new-concept shape is realized. A prototype dipper as a fractional scale model will be built to verity the performance under actual mining conditions.

May 1, 2004

By L. Lamothe, C. H. The

"Pilot precipitator tests were conducted at Noranda's Horne Smelter in late 1978 to evaluate methods of improving converter dust collection efficiency. A bout 35 Nms/min. of converter off-gas were isokineticatly diverted from the converter flue to the pilot precipitator leased from Flakt (Canada) Ltd., consisting of three fields, one transformer-rectifier set per field and 77-m2 total collecting plate area. The effects of gas volume flow rate and conditioning the gas with sulphur trioxide and/or additional moisture were tested. II was found that gas flow rate and moisture level had the most pronounced effect on collection efficiency. Based on a techno-economic assessment of different options for improving converter Courell efficiency, waffle hoods and water sprays were installed on the converters to reduce air infiltration and increase the moisture level in the gas.BackgroundThe Horne Smelter of Noranda Inc. is situated in northwestern Quebec and, since the closure o f the min e in 1976, has been operating as a custom smelter. The concentrates treated at the smelter come from various mines with mixed sulphide ores , many o f them containing significant amounts of lead and zinc which makes dust collection in electrostatic precipitators mo re difficult than normal.As part of a continuing program on reducing smelter dust emissions, the No . 6 Cottrell was installed in 1972 up stream of Nos. 2 and 4 Cottrells (in parallel) in a n attempt to improve dust collection by increasing the over- all precipitator capacity ( Fig. I). However, it has never per formed a t its designed efficiency o f 94%. The average efficiency established in various test s was in the range of 60 – 65%."

Jan 1, 1985

By Glenn Kosick, John Starkey, Glenn Dobby

"A practical new test has been developed for SAG hardness determination. Using two kilogram samples of minus one inch diamond drill core or crushed muck samples, the Starkey SAG Test has been shown to give accurate predictive information which directly relates to on-stream SAG mill performance. Typical results and test criteria are discussed in the paperAchievements to date include:• Identification of hardness profiles and the location of hard and soft zones in a large ore body.• Accurate prediction of the hardness of a bulk sample by using an adjacent diamond drill hole.• Derivation of a plotted curve relating pilot plant power to laboratory relative hardness.• Demonstration that for every test done to date, the Starkey SAG Test produced a product size distribution identical to that produced in a pilot plant or full scale plant SAG operation.This test can now be used for blast hardness monitoring and short term control of mine production in existing plants and for identifying the proper locations for bulk samples in new projects. In addition, new SAG mill design can now be rationalized in a low cost way to eliminate unforeseen production shortfalls.IntroductionThis paper is presented to introduce the Starkey SAG Test, a practical new laboratory tool for measuring the relative hardness of small ore samples in a semi-autogenous grinding (SAG) environment. The test was first designed for use on diamond drill core samples during the prefeasibility stage of new mining projects, to provide new information about the ore body at reasonable cost. It is a new tool and does not replace existing pilot plant test requirements.The test will also be useful for throughput prediction in existing SAG plants by assisting in short and long term mine planning, where forecasting of metal grades and milled tonnage is used to control mine profitability. Because in-plant hardness testing has previously been unavailable on small samples, this test offers exciting possibilities for SAG mill operations where hardness variation is or could be a problem.The Starkey SAG Test provides the following benefits to the mining industry"

Jan 1, 1994

By L. Haavanlammi

Iron is a significant component of all copper concentrates leached in the HydroCopperTM process. The metals in the concentrate are leached in a chloride solution by oxidation with cupric ions. Copper enters into the solution as a cuprous chloro¬complex. Iron dissolves at the same time in the ferrous form, but it is immediately oxidized to the ferric state. Oxidation is effected by sparging air or oxygen into the leaching reactors. Because the pH is 1 - 2.5, ferric ion precipitates as akaganeite (T<90°C) or hematite (T> 90°C). Arsenic, antimony and the main part of the bismuth co-precipitate with iron and report to the leach residue. Cupric leaching is faster than iron oxidation; thus, leaching of low-iron concentrates (secondary copper minerals) is quicker than leaching high iron concentrates (chalcopyrite). Pyrite does not dissolve during copper leaching, but is oxidized slowly at higher redox-potentials after the copper has been leached.

Jan 1, 2006

By William Hawker, James Vaughan, Jeff Chen, Antony van der Ent

"Nickel agromining utilizes hyperaccumulator plants (“metal crops”) to extract nickel from low-grade soils, a process that yields high-grade nickel bio-ore. This feedstock is further processed into a range of nickel products. The bio-ore is relatively free of impurities that complicate the traditional processing of laterite nickel ores. In this paper, current primary nickel processing routes and proposed nickel bio-ore processing options are summarised. A novel pyro-hydrometallurgical route demonstrated at the laboratory scale is described. This process produces a precipitated nickel hydroxide product and takes advantage of the water-soluble basic compounds in the ash to minimise reagent requirements, thereby making it suitable for small-scale implementation in close proximity to the nickel farm. In this process, nickel is precipitated from the leach solution using the basic ash wash liquor. Leaching nickel from ash generated from open air burning requires strong acid and long residence times to obtain high recoveries due to its complex nature and distribution of nickel in multiple phases. This process can be improved by optimising the ashing process with respect to nickel leachability.INTRODUCTIONHyperaccumulator plants have the unique capacity to ‘biopurify’ and concentrate certain trace elements (e.g. nickel) from the soil into their biomass (Reeves 2003; van der Ent et al., 2015). Cultivating these plants as ‘metal crops’ by periodically harvesting and incinerating their biomass generates a high-grade bio-ore (Chaney et al. 1998; Li et al. 2003). This process is called phytomining or ‘agromining’ which is an emerging technology for extracting nickel from sub-economic resources (van der Ent et al., 2015). Potential near-term applications of the technology include implementation on land ahead of processing of the underlying ore-body (Willis 2015), as a mine-site rehabilitation strategy or as an alternative crop for farmers on land that is not suitable for normal food crops. In the longer term, nickel agromining could provide a significant supplement to the nickel supply chain. Critical to the success of agromining is effective bio-ore processing. Due to the unique chemical composition of this feedstock material, existing processes are not very efficient. Our current research efforts aim to develop new process options that overcome limitations of previously trialled routes. In this paper we summarise conventional nickel process routes and proposed new options for producing agromined nickel."

Jan 1, 2016

By L. P. Connolly, M. J. Fraser

"Hydraulic transport of solids has long been an important technique in mining and beneficiation. More recently, slurry pipelines have proved to be economic for longdistance overland transport of many commoditieis, including iron ore concentrates and coal. Now, the Marconaflo system brings the many advantages of hydraulic transport to bulk storage, loading, transportation and unloading of ships and other carrying equipment, thus providing important new means for delivering mineral commodities to market. In this paper, the authors describe the Marconaflo system and the potential economies which can be realized when applying it for loading, transporting, storing, reclaiming and blending a variety of mineral commodities, using several commercial installations as examples."

Jan 1, 1972