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Lime and cement manufacturing has a proud history in Otago, with the earliest lime kilns appearing around 1849 at Caversham and Kaikorai in Dunedin . At Dunback or Makareao (to be precise) three well-type kilns were built by the government in 1899. In 1909 these kilns were leased to the then Milburn Lime and Cement Company. They erected a large brick Schmatolla kiln in 1909, elliptical in plan and fired by coal gas. The kiln operated up until 1944 before being left derelict. The quarry which supplied the kiln also supplied the Burnside Cement works from 1929 up until its closure in 1988. The quarry was shifted to the top of the hill in the 1950s.

Jan 1, 1992

By P M. Hetherington, M P. Murphy, K E. Crook, F Pym

Resource characterisation is critical for informed decisions in both strategic and operational space. The sources of information for resource characterisation are limited by: direct measurement of resource attributes, such as grades, rock-types, mineralogy, and are available only from sparse locations, ie drill holes; or indirect geophysical measurements such as seismic, gravity or electro[1]magnetic survey. Data collection tools, methods, and processing technologies are constantly improving providing a broad spectrum of options for data collection strategies. The cost of each data survey varies from thousands to millions of dollars with the value of each additional data having diminishing return for a particular business decision. The value of information analysis provides the optimal decision on data collection strategy within a limited available budget. This work presents an example of value of information analysis for new Blast Hole Assay Tool (BHAT) and Reverse Circulation Grade Control (RCGC) data used in addition to the wider spaced exploration data. The value of information is quantified in terms of reduction of grade uncertainty, ore loss and dilution by comparing different combinations of data collection methods. Four different strategies were considered: exploration samples in addition to 50 per cent of blastholes surveyed with BHAT, exploration samples in addition to 33 per cent of blastholes surveyed with BHAT, exploration with wide-spaced RCGC data, and exploration without additional grade control. For each strategy the observed values have been simulated using advanced multivariate geostatistical simulations and compared with simulated ground truth models. The calculated uncertainty, ore loss and dilution informed the optimal data collection strategy. Opportunity to reduce sample density from the nominal 50 per cent of drill holes was evaluated.

Mar 22, 2022

By G B. Smith

Barrick (Australia Pacific) Limited initiated a trial of Caterpillar’s Minegem autonomous loader technology in 2009 at the Kanowna Belle mine in Kalgoorlie. Autonomous loader technology offers the potential to improve loader productivity, reduce operating costs and improve safety through removing personnel from the mine operating environment. This paper discusses the implementation of the technology at the mine site, the data collected during the trial and quantifies the benefits of using automated loader technology in comparison with teleremote loader operation. The lessons learned from the trial and work planned for the future in respect of this technology is also discussed.

Mar 21, 2011

By R Moreby

This paper is a demonstration of the techniques developed during an Australian Coal Association Research Program (ACARP) funded research project aimed to develop aids, principally computer based, to assist mine personnel to more efficiently manage significant incidents in coal mines. These aids include software to aid in the location of the incident, electronic information storage and retrieval, online site emergency response manuals and software to aid in decision-making.

Jan 1, 2005

By H Allday

The mining industry’s attention has shifted over the last decade with the recovery from the downturn resulting in greater development of innovation and new work methods in a bid to remain competitive and deliver higher productivity. The emphasis on cost reduction to improve profit margins has primarily been the focus of the “work smarter” campaigns embraced within the industry. But is this strategy holistically the best-for-business, or does it place a ceiling on revenue opportunities and inhibit mining companies from truly maximising value? Businesses need to maintain a balance between active cost management and revenue generation often resulting in cost reduction strategies at site level. These strategies have merit, assessing areas of cost wastage across operations and creating space for opportunity. However, this potentially can create distractions from the goal of enabling growth and lead to the sacrifice of quality and delivery. Focusing too heavily on cost reductions without addressing revenue generation is an unprofitable lens to look through, and the relationships between cost, revenue, quality and profit margin can often be overlooked resulting in missed opportunity to maximise value. How these relationships are effectively employed by mining companies to reap the rewards from an overarching corporate perspective down to site level remains a fluid concept depending on the nature, operating market and strategy of the business. A common directive from businesses to their operations is to strive for greater profitability and productivity. The quantification of these requirements, and the nature of the cascading message delivered, impacts the methods employed by the operational team to meet the expectations of the business. Cascaded strategies, if not delivered with appropriate participation and buy-in can often be perceived to be knee-jerk and create frustration for operations who are squeezed to deliver on expectations by slashing site costs. This squeezing is not only felt by the mining operation but at the individual level and can result in increased team stresses. In some cases, this may also steer behaviours towards activities that result in corner cutting and an elevation of operational risk, potentially increasing associated incidents and injury. Driving down costs by any means can create an unhealthy tunnel vision where value is no-longer assessed for best-forbusiness results. By flipping the viewpoint to a value-based approach revenue opportunity may be realised and potentially exceeded, however this opportunity may be missed if value is over shadowed by a cost heavy focus. By analysing a selection of real operational cases (ranging from mining contractors through to in-house mining giants), it becomes apparent that practical revenue maximisation strategies are not only key to an increase in value and cash flow but to a stronger understanding of business drivers for sites and operators alike. In the cases evaluated additional revenue opportunities are foregone in favour of cost reduction strategies resulting in negative impacts on the associated operations and wider businesses. Alignment towards value generation is king. If strategies are not implemented focusing towards value and revenue maximisation, the opportunity loss experienced by mining operations could continue be great and the question should be posed; when the next up-turn hits will operations be ready to reap the rewards or still have a glass ceiling above their heads?

Mar 15, 2021

By P S. Heithersay, M McGeough

The discovery of Olympic Dam in 1975 and, more recently, Prominent Hill in 2001 and Carrapateena in 2005 demonstrates the potential for world-class IOCG deposits in South Australia. Potential for further discovery of large IOCG mineral deposits in the Gawler Craton and the Curnamona Province is high because of continental-scale pervasive iron-rich alteration, crustal-scale structural preparation and unique magmatic-hydrothermal conditions. Recent exploration successes point to the effectiveness of new exploration tools and technologies to locate this style of mineralisation under cover. The gold endowment of these orebodies located in South Australia exceeds 75 Moz, with further discoveries to come. The lead time between discovery and development of the multi-million ounce Prominent Hill copper-gold mine in less than seven years demonstrates how quickly this style of deposit can be brought into production in South Australia. Clearly these long-life, multi- commodity IOCG deposits mines are an immediate exploration and future growth opportunity for the gold mining industry to replace ever depleting gold inventories.

Jan 1, 2007

By G Malherbe, J Gonzalez, D C. Franklin, J Bassan, C T. Farrelly

To respond to ever-increasing challenges, mining companies have been experimenting with new business models and technologies in order to speed mine development, production, processing and transport. The various experiments involve mobile access to data, intelligent sensors, advanced analytics, virtual collaboration, virtual reality, automated equipment, remote operations centres and strategic partnerships. A synthesis of all these components creates a ænetwork effectÆ that can dramatically improve the overall effectiveness the entire operation. The concept of the Network Centric Mine borrows from a variety of industries, including defence, aerospace, aviation, petroleum, utilities and manufacturing. Central to the concept are improvements to the way we connect people, process, information and technology, resulting in a more highly collaborative business model, with roles and processes designed to take advantage of new technology. The components of the mining operation act as a connected network aimed at a common goal, regardless of the boundaries of organisation and location.The design of this new organisational ecosystem needs to take into account the recent advances that enable the æplug and playÆ integrated collaborative environment, including cloud computing, mobile devices and social networking, as well as advances in augmented reality, robotics, geo-location, digital labelling, simulation and analytics. However, the most consistent lesson from other industries is the need to properly enable the behaviour and process changes necessary for success.Benefits from adopting a network centric approach include the more effective use of scarce expertise, improved data and information analysis, reduced process variance, and more informed and faster decision-making. The future of mining will see more technology savvy workers who will drive the adoption of new processes. The operations will shift from a relatively static and disparate set of functions, to a digitally aware, dynamic, automated, integrated and interactive environment, with increased agility, lower operating costs, higher productivity and improved safety.CITATION:Farrelly, C T, Malherbe, G, Gonzalez, J, Bassan, J and Franklin, D C, 2012. The network centric mine, in Proceedings International Mine Management 2012, pp 143-160 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Nov 20, 2012

By D Connelly

Magnetite ores can be used to produce very high-grade concentrates that are suitable feed for the direct reduction process route but the high sulfur content of some concentrates can cause substantial environmental issues. Processing of high sulfur magnetite ore is therefore increasingly problematic for the industry. Generally, the industry demands a concentrate with <0.05 per cent sulfur and <2 per cent silica. This paper reports the outcomes of a study to produce a concentrate with the requisite low sulfur content from a sulfur-rich magnetite ore. The main findings may be summarised as follows: if the sulfur is present in magnetite as nonmagnetic pyrrhotite or pyrite, it can be beneficiated using magnetic separation and hence, monoclinic pyrrhotite is magnetic and is magnetically recovered with magnetite leading to a concentrate that is too high in sulfur. X-ray diffraction and QEMSCAN analyses revealed that the magnetite concentrate was liberated at P80 30 microns and was associated with maghemite, pyrrhotite (magnetic), carbonates and hematite with very low amounts of chalcopyrite, sphalerite and arsenopyrite. Sulfur removal using flotation was the first stage of investigation and this required flash flotation in the grinding stage followed by column flotation of the initial concentrate to generate the final concentrate. At the same time, it was observed that oxidation of the pyrrhotite had a negative effect on its flotation requiring copper sulfate to activate it. Bioleaching and concentrate leaching were also considered and achieved over 90 per cent sulfur removal but were deemed unsuitable owing to the production of highly reactive wastes and high CAPEX. Reference is made to a number of operating magnetite producers and how they manage the sulfur in feed.

Sep 18, 2023

By P Mikula, R Geranmayeh, R Carlton, M Ferguson, R Whiting

The concept of using specially designed slot blasts to mine through stress abutments that intersect faults, while controlling fault-slip seismicity, has come of age at Mt Charlotte Mine. Due to the high and adverse stress field and the presence of major faults, the mine is vulnerable to significant fault-slip seismicity. As mining proceeded, advancing stress abutments around various mined areas encroached on several major subvertical faults. If the sequence formed a diminishing pillar between stope and fault, the removal or failure of that pillar daylighted the fault, and often resulted in significant fault-slip seismicity. A new strategy called ‘Tight Slot Blasting’ (TSB) was developed to restrain or dampen this style of fault-slip movement. The TSB has geometric similarities to a conventional cut-off slot used to create stress shadows, but its function is different. Its objective is to trigger and control a sudden shift of the stress state on a fault from an initial stable state, through an unstable transition, to a second stable state. A TSB firing advances a long tall narrow slot through a stressed abutment between a stope void and a nearby fault, using a rapid blast with a low swell ratio, so that the slot substantially and rapidly fills with blasted rock fragments. During the blast process, the stressed rock is rapidly removed and transformed into the fragmented rock fill in the slot. The strategy deliberately allows a fault-slip episode to manifest at a chosen time and place. The tight-packed broken rock in the slot performs an essential shock-absorbing function by controlling the slip amount and rate on the fault, while at the same time the fill becomes compacted by the movement. This controls the dissipation of fault-slip energy, and greatly reduces the seismic response in time and space. A small closure across the slot occurs, with consequent relaxation and destressing of the adjacent rock mass. Stress monitoring data shows that slot creation lowers the abutment stress in the nearby rock mass, while the newly placed fragmented rock fill acts as a shock absorber, providing considerable resistance to substantial fault-slip movement that otherwise could deliver a significant seismic event. First used in 2007, the strategy has been refined to become a routine specialised practice for management of seismically hazardous situations at Mt Charlotte, with 12 successful TSBs conducted to date. Despite mining through multiple high stress abutments, seismic reactions have not exceeded ML 2.1 with any TSB firing, all remaining below the site tolerable maximum of ML 2.3. This paper presents an overview of the strategy, and five case examples of the strategy in critical stressed areas in July 2016, Sept 2017, Dec 2017 and two in Oct 2020. The strategy has successfully managed the seismicity and is expected to remain an essential part of the seismic management plan at Mt Charlotte Mine.

Nov 29, 2022

This paper addresses, in particular, the influence of winding depth on the selection of head ropes for Koepe winders. Because this is just one aspect of winder design that affects the operational safety of the winding system, the paper starts by considering all the issues governing the life and safety of the winding ropes. Regulations from a variety of countries are reviewed and comparisons of the legislated rope factors of safety and their variation with winding depth are made. This is followed by a discussion of the typical observed mode of in-service deterioration of Koepe head ropes. This mode of deterioration is due to fatigue and is influenced by the load range occurring in the ropes. Parameters contributing to load range are discussed and the influence of winding depth is highlighted. Lessons learned from early experience with very deep Koepe winders in South Africa are recalled. Predictions of load range as a function of depth are made, from which general rope life predictions are made for ropes selected by conventional national factor of safety requirements. This is illustrated in graphs comparing rope life as a function of depth. Typically a reducing life with depth is predicted. A rope selection strategy is advocated, which is based on achieving a constant rope life irrespective of the depth of wind. A new factor of safety (or rope design factor) equation is prepared that has the trend of increasing with depth. This proposed equation is compared with other published proposals that promote an increasing rope factor of safety with depth. It is shown that smoother winder drive controls enhance winding rope life and this improvement is quantified. The paper concludes by pointing out the consistency in predicted and observed life of winding ropes selected in accordance with legislated factor of safety approaches. It recommends the adoption of a new rope design factor equation for rope selection, to be used in conjunction with appropriate codes of practice for winding rope condition assessment and for the design, installation, operation, maintenance and testing of Koepe winders. The new rope design factor equation approaches a limiting economic depth of wind at shallower depths than the existing Koepe factor of safety approaches. However these older approaches æbuild-inÆ a reducing rope life with depth. The new rope design factor is therefore a more consistent way to select Koepe ropes and to evaluate economic trade-offs between Koepe and conventional double-drum or Blair winding systems.

Jan 1, 2005

India is on fast economic growth. Even in the turbulent years of global crisis, it could achieve a growth of over eight per cent. In recent past, Indian Government has been contemplating a faster growth in all the sectors of economy so as to make the nation an economic power in the world.Steel is a versatile material. It has its role in most of the major industrial activities, such as infrastructure, automobiles, urbanisation, consumer durables and other. In other words, steel is a part and parcel of industrial expansion, urban and rural development. It is rightly admitted that steel acts as pillar of any development model. Volume of steel consumption is the barometer which measures economic progress and/or industrial status of any country.India and China are the two countries in Asia which have the significant impact on the global steel industry. Of course, China is much ahead of India in consumption level of steel.

Dec 6, 2010

One of the major changes in the resource industry in the nineties has been the re- internationalisation of the industry. The history of the resource business has been one of companies from the developed world utilising the cash flows from their operations to explore and develop mines in less developed regions of the world. This resource development has progressively generated wealth and economic development, which in tum, has led to a new generation of exploration and mining projects. &nbsp; InSouth America, Chile had led the way in a mining resurgence, now closely followed by Argentina, Brazil, Venezuela and Peru. Although Chile has long had a significant copper mining industry, the pre-nationalisation phase was driven by American capital; the current phase has been spearheaded by RTZ - BHP at Escondida with Canadian junior companies, in particular, providing major speculative impetus. The Australian junior companies have not been significant in South America. &nbsp; Although Canadian and USA exploration appears to be in decline, the mining industry, particularly in gold, is buoyant in North America. Interestingly, a number of listed and unlisted Australian companies are active, particularly in United States exploration. &nbsp; Australian-based companies have dominated the South-East Asian exploration scene, especially in the Vietnam region. To date, the combination of political and legislative uncertainties have failed to lead to significant resource developments in this region. The area remains one of great potential, as exemplified by the exciting developments in Indonesia. &nbsp; The Philippines has a history of mining, and this has been dominated by both local and North American operators. Both large and small Australian resource companies have a presence in the Philippines, and the development of the copper-gold potential could be impressive over the next decade. &nbsp; The tales of the undeveloped mineral potential of China are probably rivalled only by the supposed strings of virgin Russian orebodies! Many Australian companies appear to have looked but few have chosen to proceed with Chinese developments. There seems little likelihood that China will, in the foreseeable future, rival South America as a target for Australian and North American resource capital. &nbsp; Papua New Guinea has had an active, albeit chequered history in mining, with Australia long being the predominant source of exploration and development funds. The developing nation status of PNG has generated extreme uncertainty, with the current exploration scene all but dead. Most recently, the international flotation of Lihir Gold has tested the international and Australian investment community&apos;s commitment to PNG resource development. &nbsp; The Australian exploration scene continues buoyant, although dominated by gold. The base metals scene is generating, on average, one significant base metal mine developed every couple of years. This is probably the fastest rate of significant base metal development in Australia&apos;s history. &nbsp; The gold scene has been one of incredible dynamics, and there is no evidence that this momentum is waning. The development of new exploration techniques, together with a number of the companies reaching a critical size, has added to the momentum in the industry.

Jan 1, 1995

By M Orunesu Preiata

The Odysseus Project is part of the high-grade Cosmos Nickel Complex that lies 30 km north of Leinster. The Odysseus definitive feasibility study (DFS) was approved by the Western Areas’ board in October 2018. Early works commenced in January 2019 with rehabilitation of the existing underground infrastructure. In June 2022 Western Areas was acquired by IGO Ltd. The project is now well advanced to meet its target of first concentrate. The project included the construction of a haulage shaft. The design of the hoisting equipment and the shaft barrel evolved from the initial DFS design stage to the final execution, as the data were made available from the initial investigation to the data gathered during execution (although this did not change from its initial concept). The design philosophy for the haulage shaft incorporated, from the beginning a multidisciplinary approach with inputs from three main areas involved in such projects, namely excavation techniques, geotechnical assessments, and infrastructure construction. This interaction is a fundamental component for the success of such a critical project. In fact, each of these three areas influences each other in a cyclical manner, triggering a continuous review of the project inputs and outputs, while maintaining the original project goals: the design of an infrastructure able to deliver the desired throughput. The throughput dictates the infrastructure that needs to be built, which in turn controls the size of the shaft. The key assumption applied to this is that the rock mass can accommodate the excavation void, and the excavation technique with its tolerances and limits that ultimately need to be verified back with the initial assumptions used for the infrastructure design. The aim of the paper is to present a case study of the experience gained with the Odysseus hoisting shaft and to propose a possible logic path for similar projects elsewhere.

Mar 29, 2023

By G Morgan, C Kemp

In December 2010, a trial of borehole radar technology was conducted to test the usefulness of the technique in better refining the position and geometry of narrow vein orebodies away from the primary data sources of drilling and mapping of development excavations. This paper summarises the reasons why the technique was applied, describes the testing methods selected and summarises the outcomes of the trial.Poor reconciliations of recovered metal from a section of an orebody at Jundee mine site, Western Australia, led to an investigation that identified insufficient understanding of the geometry of a narrow vein orebody as a potential cause. This orebody was situated between mapped development excavations and away from surrounding drill holes. Borehole radar was identified as a possible technique that could supply information on vein location and continuity away from other data sources allowing more accurate orebody modelling and subsequent stope optimisation.A borehole radar instrument (10 - 100 MHz frequency) was inserted into pairs of purpose-drilled boreholes on either side of relatively well-constrained mineralisation and the radar reflection data was collected. This process was repeated in five locations across the mine to represent the most common geological settings, lithologies and orebody varieties encountered at Jundee to determine the suitability of applying the technique in each of these settings. Collected, processed and interpreted radar data was compared to other geology data collected independently for verification and interpretation.Conclusions drawn from the analysis were that the technique could effectively determine the following features of the mineralised veins in the majority of test environments: geometry of veins, magnitude of offsets where structures intersect and orientations of planar structures with short strike length. The technique was very useful in selecting the appropriate structural interpretation where available data could lead to multiple, equally likely, interpretations.CITATION:Kemp, C and Morgan, G, 2012. Using borehole radar to refine orebody interpretations in a narrow vein gold deposit, in Proceedings Narrow Vein Mining 2012 , pp 121-130 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Mar 26, 2012

By D Tucker, K Harney

Hatch forecasts that an increasing share of seaborne traded iron ore will be ultrafine, being either concentrate or pellet feed. This provides several challenges for the iron and steel industries, but the principal concern is: how much ultrafine iron ore can be consumed on sinter strands and with a minimal effect on productivity?This paper will identify new supply by project through 2020. Demand will be estimated for sinter production and practical steps will be identified to increase ultrafine consumption in sinter strands. The long-term iron ore price will be forecast to balance supply and demand. The paper will conclude by assessing how the pricing of ultrafine ore will develop relative to the Chinese iron ore indices.CITATION:Tucker, D and Harney, K, 2015. Iron ore ultrafines challenges and opportunities, in Proceedings Iron Ore 2015, pp 501–504 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Jul 13, 2015

By C Rothfuss, X Wang, S J. Herbert, K Prasad

The extraction of groundwater to produce gas from coal seam gas (CSG) reservoirs has highlighted the opportunity for beneficial uses of groundwater in Australia. This paper presents an assessment of alternate groundwater modelling approaches that can be used for assessment of one beneficial use option, that of injection. This assessment examines the outcome of the use of different simulation methods on predictions of hydrodynamic behaviour.In this paper, a simplified hydraulic concept of a multi-aquifer system within the hypothetical injection field was used to investigate the hydrodynamic behaviour of injection into the Precipice Sandstone. Comparisons were made through the analysis of a Theis 3D analytical solution with 2D and 3D numerical solutions. The paper discusses the different solution methods and the impact of these on predictions of pressure and flux. Differences in 2D and 3D solutions result in implications if planning injection as a beneficial use of water. For example, the 2D solution resulted in faster and higher injection pressure build-up when compared to the 3D solutions. The 2D modelling could result in either plans that require higher capital expenditure for a greater number of wells in order to spread the pressure effect and remain below the maximum injection pressure or a reduced injection rate. Meanwhile, the 3D modelling with sensitivity analysis could result in planning for lower capital expenditure for fewer wells required to spread the pressure effect and remain below the maximum injection pressure. CITATION:Wang, X, Herbert, S J,?Rothfuss, C and Prasad, K, 2013. Assessment of effectiveness of artificial recharge for coal seam gas water management based on numerical modelling, in Proceedings Water in Mining 2013 , pp 67-72 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Nov 26, 2013

By L Eriksson, D Penn, J Appelgren

Atlas Copco, a leading supplier of equipment and services to the mining and construction industries, is consistently pursuing its strategy to offer the most productive and economical solutions by continuously offering new innovative products. These are, in most cases, developed and tested in close cooperation with demanding end users before being officially launched on the international market. The demands for higher productivity and improved overall economy have resulted in systems for automation of the drilling cycle and also tools for integrating the drilling equipment to the production control system used by the customer. In terms of improving the blasted material quality, the company has placed emphasis on accuracy in the drilling process and documenting what has been drilled. By applying state of the art technology to the common automation platform, developed for the surface drilling market, major steps in improving overall drilling productivity and blasting performance have been achieved. This paper will give some examples derived from the latest development of solutions for the companyÆs surface drilling products.CITATION:Appelgren, J, Eriksson, E and Penn, D, 2012. Rotary drilling automation increasing operator productivity and drilling quality, in Proceedings Eighth Open Pit OperatorsÆ Conference , pp 13-18 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Sep 18, 2012

In a modern economy there is a compelling case why governments should not own property rights to mineral deposits. Assuming they do, however, governments will use these constitutional rights to raise revenue. They have two basic instruments to achieve this; a royalty charge on price or a rent tax on income/profits. On the one hand, a royalty charge creates a &apos;deadweight loss&apos; to society by increasing cut-off grades and decreasing the life-of-mine. They are also regressive. However, they are easy to administer. On the other hand, a rent tax avoids the problem of &apos;deadweight loss&apos;; it does not impact on the life-of-mine because the tax structure is neutral. But, they are difficult to administer correctly, particularly in the determination of rents and the definition of mining per se. If rents are incorrectly determined capital markets are distorted. And, if mining activities are incorrectly defined, downstream activities could be adversely affected.

Jun 1, 2010

By P Dunn

Following civil war in Sierra Leone, London Mining Plc obtained the mining license in 2006 and commenced activity to redevelop the Marampa mining and processing operations. The Sierra Leone Marampa mine is a brownfield development effort, having been operated by a few companies since the 1930s until low iron ore prices forced closure. Peak production of the preceding operations was approximately 2.5 Mt/a in the 1960s. There are two virgin ore deposits of interest for development as well as a resource comprised of tailings accumulated from previous operations. The Marampa tailings operation (Phase 1a) is being implemented first with a 1.8 Mt/a plant producing 66 per cent Fe sinter feed, expandable to 3.6 Mt/a in a Phase 1b. The first phase is currently under construction with start-up expected in the third quarter of 2011. Further expansion (Phase 2) that includes the development of the virgin deposits is currently under prefeasibility study and targets a final 16 Mt/a concentrate production. Outotec partnered with London Mining to develop the magnetic separation flow sheet using SLon VPHGMS machines to process the Marampa tailings (haematite) material. The flow sheet development process started with sample characterisation and detailed parametric investigations to evaluate SLon performance. The final flow sheet configuration, including expected circuit recoveries and concentrate quality, demonstrates the performance of the SLon VPHGMS circuit for iron ore tailings.

Jul 11, 2011

By Parida K. M, Paramguru R. K

Laboratory-scale studies aimed at developing a process for solubilising manganese values from a low grade pyrolusite containing material using low grade pyrite, both available in India, are described. Leaching 21 parts by mole of pyrolusite with 6 and 26 parts by mole of pyrite and sulphuric acid respectively results in good manganese dissolution (98 per cent) at 100&#176;C within one hour. The probable kinetics of the leaching process has also been given.

Jan 1, 1995