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By S. Kelebek

Efficient separation of minerals is the essence of mineral processing. Separation of hexagonal pyrrhotite in processing of Ni-Cu sulphide ores was investigated together with particle size effects with respect to selective flotation recovery of pentlandite and nickel. The recovery by size response was compared for sodium metabisulphite (SMBS), triethylenetetramine (TETA) and their combinations with amyl xanthate as a collector. The pyrrhotite recovery for all sizes was lower than that of pentlandite for the blank case as well as individual cases with SMBS and TETA. For pyrrhotite, the recovery by size relations in the case of individual uses of reagents were mainly determined by recovery losses at coarser size range (>74 um), which occurs at a coarser size for pentlandite (>212 um). The combined use of SMBS and TETA, and the associated synergistic effect very significantly knocked down the pyrrhotite recovery to less than 7% that was a maximum for the –10 um (attributable to hydraulic entrainment). High recovery of pentlandite in a wide range of intermediate sizes and drastically low recovery of pyrrhotite resulted in a very efficient separation of pentlandite from pyrrhotite in all sizes. Separation of this mineral is discussed in relation to fundamental functionality of the reagents used.

Jan 1, 2017

By E. Landry, W. Naudts

"The amenability theory was developed by Alex Naudts and considers grouting operations as continuous permeability tests where Newtonian test fluid water, is replaced by a cementitious or solution grout. It utilizes hydraulic conductivity and grouting data to establish the amenability coefficient of a particular grout zone. The amenability coefficient reflects the quantity of apertures or voids accessible to the selected grout, divided by the number of apertures accessible to water, in the zone intersected by the grout hole. By calculating, in real time, the effectiveness of a particular grout at the start of a grouting operation, the most appropriate grout to match design criteria can be targeted. By incorporating the amenability theory in every grouting operation, schedule savings and an increase in productivity are typically achieved. Three short case studies illustrate different enhancements in productivity: At an underground mine during the construction of declines, a cement based suspension grouting program was highly ineffective and did not appear to affect the inflow into the mine workings. The amenability theory was utilized to evaluate the grouting program and based on this evaluation, changes to the grouting program were made which allowed the grouting to meet the project’s objectives. On another project, a pre-excavation grouting program implemented during shaft sinking operations utilized the amenability theory to select the most suitable grout for the program. Schedule constraints also influenced the selection of the grout. In the third case history presented, the amenability theory was used to select the grouting sequence of every individual grout hole for a grouting project in a highly heterogeneous soil formation. INTRODUCTION The amenability of a given soil, civil structure or rock formation for a particular grout formulation is a measure of the ability of that grout to permeate the pores, fissures and apertures water will flow through. The amenability coefficient of a particular grout for a specific zone equals the percentage of apertures, pores and fissures accessible by water that are also accessible by grout. Grouting should be viewed as a continuous permeability test, where the apparent in-situ hydraulic conductivity value for a particular grout zone is continuously evaluated, using grout instead of water as test fluid."

Jan 1, 2019

By Michael Arriagada, Ivan Arriagada

"As mines return to shafts to economically exploit deeper reserves, two methods mine owners use to minimize short term costs are: sinking shafts in phases and refurbishing old, existing shafts. While there may appear to be benefits to utilizing existing infrastructure, often this is not the case, resulting in missed deadlines and added costs. Similarly, if proper long term planning is not executed when sinking a shaft in phases, additional costs and downtime will be accrued. This paper will take an in depth look at both of these options with an eye towards optimizing costs, minimizing downtime, and facilitating construction. INTRODUCTION With the onset of mechanized mining and large capacity trucks, many mines turned away from shafts and began to use ramps to haul ore to surface. However, continual exploitation of mineral reserves located closer to surface, combined with the subsequent unearthing of additional resources at greater depths, forced mines to go deeper and deeper to extend the life and keep the operation running. In shallow mines, hauling ore by truck was an economical option. However, as mines get deeper, driving ramps takes additional time, and hauling over longer and longer distances becomes less economic, both in terms of cost and time. For this reason Mexico, in particular, has seen a jump in the number of shafts which have been put into production, as well as having a number of shafts in different stages of development and still more in the conceptual stages. Many of the shaft projects in Mexico are being designed in phases, with the hoist and equipment purchased capable of reaching the ultimate planned depth of the shaft, but with sinking operations stopping short at an intermediate depth. A loading pocket is then installed to start exploiting mineral at this depth sooner, with subsequent phases planned for a later date using either a rock pentice or bulkhead to separate the sinking operations from the active shaft above. Currently, we are directly involved in two such projects which are actively being deepened, as well as having seen various others already reach completion. If done properly with the long-term plan in mind, sinking in phases can be a very viable option, allowing for faster production while fully utilizing the equipment at various depths. However, there are many issues which can arise when sinking a shaft in phases that if not properly examined and planned for from the outset, have the potential to eliminate the gains hoped for when it was decided to sink in this manner."

Jan 1, 2019

By Derrin A. Auerswald, Jacolien P. Wyethe, Nanne M. \/egter

Base and precious metal refineries often produce effluent solution and slurry streams containing between 50 mg/L and several grams per liter of base metals. Metals have historically been precipitated from these streams with lime to produce effluent streams at pH values between 8 and 9. This effluent treatment process generally does not remove alkali and alkali-earth metals or halides efficiently and with more stringent environmental legislation, more sophisticated effluent treatment plants must be considered which could for example incorporate sulphate removal with ultra-filtration, or the SavminTM process, followed by reverse osmosis for the removal of halides. The flowrates of effluents are often high and if base metals can be recovered before neutralization, the revenue generated from this stream can reduce the cost to produce clean water significantly, and in the case where high concentrations are disposed of, result in a profitable operation. As an add-on to an existing the plant the recovered metal is upgraded and recycled to the plant, but the production of a saleable metal can also be considered. Technology selection for metal recovery depends on the composition and flowrate of the effluent, but could incorporate resin-in¬pulp or other ion-exchange technology; precipitation as sulphides, hydroxides or carbonates; or solvent extraction. This paper describes, as a case study, the technology selection process and uses data from Zincor. Zincor is a division of Exxaro Base Metals (Pty) Limited, a subsidiary of Exxaro Resources Limited.

Jan 1, 2011

By Ken McIntyre, Trodel Wolf-Dieter

"Sirius Minerals is a UK based fertilizer development company focused on advancing into operation its polyhalite project in North Yorkshire, England. The operation is known as the Woodsmith Mine which has an estimated 2.7 Billion Tonnes of reserves and is currently in the construction phase. DMC Mining Services was selected to carry out the construction of four shafts for the project, a production shaft of 6.75m diameter to a depth of 1594 m, a ventilation shaft of 6.75 m diameter to a depth of 1565 m, and two additional shafts to support the construction of the material transport system (the MTS and Lockwood Beck intermediate) to 360m in depth for servicing the underground conveyor network for transport of product from the mine site to the costal port facilities located at Teasside. This paper will review the status of the project to date and the innovative approaches that DMC is utilizing to ensure a safe and successful shaft sinking project. INTRODUCTION The Woodsmith Mine in North Yorkshire is a Sirius Minerals-owned deep potash and polyhalite mine located near to the hamlet of Sneatonthorpe, Whitby in North Yorkshire, England, approximately 75 km east of York. The area of interest is more than 700 km2. The £3.2 billion project is to develop the Woodsmith Mine to extract polyhalite, and a tunnel system to transport it to a materials handling facility and harbour at Teesside. The site is the world's largest and highest-grade deposit of polyhalite and is expected to produce 20 million tonnes of polyhalite, potash and POLY4 per annum, as well as create over 1,000 direct jobs and many more indirectly. It has the potential to generate over £2 billion of annual exports for the UK. As the project will require mining to be undertaken in the North York Moors National Park, many objections were raised about the mine. Sirius Minerals has gone to great lengths to ensure that the project is sensitive to the local landscape, including: mineshaft head frames that will be positioned below ground to reduce their visual impact; surface buildings will be kept to a minimum; and the entire site will be landscaped and screened by existing woodland to blend in with the surrounding area. The project will also abide by strict environmental limits which govern our activity during the construction phase."

Jan 1, 2019

By P. C. Patnaik

Performance of industrial gas turbine engines in terms of power output, reduced cooling and efficiency have been continuously increasing in parallel with aero gas turbines due to the advances made in the development of new materials, protective thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) and the advanced diagnostics to monitor service induced problems such as hot corrosion, thermal and thermo-mechanical fatigue and other operational issues, Environmental attack (hot corrosion or high temperature oxidation) is a common degradation mode in the hot section of the gas turbine, Hot corrosion occurs when Na or K bearing compounds in the environment or in the fuel combine with other contaminants such as S and Pb or V to form corrosive sulphates or vanadates thus attacking the protective oxide on the turbine airfoil, These problems pose far more threat to new turbine engine materials such as directional solidified, single crystals and ceramic matrix composites (CMCs). The CMCs due to their increased temperature capability, when used in the combustion chamber, are likely to reduce the peak temperatures attained during combustion and therefore provide the benefits of reduced emissions of oxides of C and N, These issues will be reviewed critically and their impact will be assessed on gas turbine lives. With respect to alternate fuels, past experience has shown that utilization of residual oils and coal derived fuels in gas turbines have resulted in complex deposition and corrosion processes, In recent years biomass derived alternate fuels have been used either through a gasification cycle or through direct firing of the biomass derived liquid fuel with a view to reduce Green House Gases (GHGs) and improve the climatic conditions. In both cases, the resulting high temperature corrosion processes (in the presence of alkaloids in the fuel) are also very complex, leading to premature removal of hot section components, Technology solutions mitigating these fundamental problems will be reviewed and solutions presented.

Jan 1, 2005

By Dong-min Lee

As the construction industry is becoming more large-scaled and complex, the BIM technology has been utilized throughout the industry. Since 2008, the construction industry in South Korea (Korea) has required carrying on BIM-based project continually. According to this trend, BIM S/W market, as well as BIM library market is also gradually activated. Many countries have already been establishing Web-based BIM library market, also Korea has been trying to establishing this Web-based BIM library market. In this study, through market research of Web-based BIM library market of advanced countries including the U.S.A. and U.K., establishment strategy of BIM library market to be derived by late starters that introduce BIM such as Korea, Japan and China was deduced based on current establishment status of BIM library market in Korea. In addition, deal with an issue that a clear revenue-sharing system between business principals of Web-based BIM library market is not available at the current stage was presented as a factor of inhibiting activation of BIM library market. So in order to offer a reasonable revenue-sharing strategy in BIM library market as conceptual level, a methodology and process of applying Game theory being used for deriving. It is expected that a reasonable revenue-sharing model between business principals would be presented as its standard of BIM library market to be more activated in the future.

Aug 1, 2013

By A. Bhowmik

Uranium Refining is the process in which undesirable neutron absorbing elements such as Boron (B), Gadolinium (Gd), Cadmium (Cd), Europium (Eu), Samarium (Sm) and other heavy metals (Fe, Ni, Co, Ca, Mg etc.) are removed to make it nuclear pure. At present, Uranium refining is carried out by solvent extraction process by using organic based solvent e, g. TBP diluted with Kerosene. The above process generates lot of nitrate bearing liquid waste and degraded organic. In order to eliminate use of hazardous organic and ammonia for Uranium refining altogether, a new process has been developed. In the new process, Yellow Cake is dissolved in nitric acid and uranium peroxide hydrate is precipitated selectively from the solution leaving all the impurities in the solution by using commercial grade hydrogen peroxide at a pre-defined pH, U conc., temperature and stoichiometric quantity of hydrogen peroxide under mild agitation. The precipitate is filtered and washed with DM water to obtain nuclear pure product meeting purity standard as per ASTM C ? 753-99.The product is spray dried and calcined to obtain uranium oxide. The process eliminates use of organic, flammable, toxic chemicals, consumes less quantity of nitric acid and uses environfriendly chemical hydrogen peroxide. The process is simple and can be integrated in the mill. A patent application is entering national phase in several countries including CANADA and abstract/full paper is available in WIPO publication no: WO/2009/013759.

Aug 1, 2010

By K R. Brentley

"Tshepong Mine, Harmony’s largest gold producing mine, is situated in the Free State portion of the Witwatersrand Basin, east of Odendaalsrus and north of Welkom, South Africa. The Basal reef is a narrow tabular conglomerate and is the main gold bearing ore body. The strata strikes mainly in a northsouth direction with an average dip of 22 degrees. Currently mining takes place at depths of between 1 690m and 2 150m below surface. The Basal reef unit consists of a conglomerate ranging between a few and 30cm in thickness. Some 80-90% of the gold occurs in the lower portion of the conglomerate. Directly above the conglomerate is a quartzite placer unit, the Basal quartzite, which is a clean, hard competent rock and varies in thickness between 50cm and 200cm. The Basal unit is overlain by the Khaki shale which can vary between 30cm and 500cm in width. It is weak and incompetent khaki coloured chloritic shale.A method of stoping, termed “undercut”, is practiced in order to remove the lower 15-20cm of the gold rich strata. The method entails removing this portion along with some 70-80cm of footwall host rock which is a strong competent quartzite. The hard competent quartzite overlying the conglomerate is left in-situ to form a competent hangingwall which can stabilize and prevent exposure of the weak Khakishale. This method of extraction was developed through trial and error and has been used reasonably successfully since its inception in the early 1960’s where the method was developed to extract the Basal reef at the Western Holdings Mines. Recently prospect drilling and a number of localised hangingwall failures indicated that the residual quartzite beam could be less than 60cm and in some instances as thin as 30cm in certain areas of the mine. The result of this is a less stable hangingwall which not only poses a safety risk to workers in these areas but also had the potential of locking up some 840 000 Tonnes of gold bearing ore. At the present gold price this amounts to revenue of approximately ZAR1.5 billion (U.S. $143 million).This paper discusses the method of “undercut stoping” and existing practices in place at Tshepong Mine. It also explores new initiatives such as the use of a simple freely-supported elastic beam solution to perform back analysis, on-site data capturing of beam thickness and support geometries in order to develop empirical design charts and numerical modelling to assist in the verification of the empirical design method."

Jan 1, 2015

By J. Lammers, D. Adams

Most pressure oxidation operations introduce oxygen through a large multi-use nozzle in the vapour space of the autoclave. Sparge pipes extend inside the vessel to the point of discharge below the compartment agitator. However, two zinc pressure leach operations have successfully used a bottom entry oxygen sparge system for a number of years. Recently, the concept has been used in a whole ore gold pressure oxidation operation as well as a copper pressure leach plant. Both of the latter operations also introduce cooling water for temperature control through the same sparge pipe. This paper addresses the benefits of the bottom entry system with regards to autoclave performance and the positive effects on agitator performance.

Jan 1, 2004

By Jochen Petersen, Caroline Muzawazi

The technical feasibility of ammonia leaching of PGM bearing Platreef flotation concentrates was investigated as an alternative method for the recovery of base metals prior to precious metal recovery. The composition of the concentrates includes 2.02% Cu and 3.17% Ni, and the major base metal minerals are chalcopyrite and pentlandite. Optimal leaching conditions were initially established in shake flask experiments to be a solution containing 4 M NH4OH, 4 M (NH4)2CO3 and a pH range between 9 and 10. These were used as base case conditions in column and batch stirred tank reactor tests, where the effects of total ammonia concentration and operating temperature were explored further. At optimal conditions nearly 100% Cu and Ni extraction were obtained in the batch stirred tank reactor, and 95% Cu and 60% Ni extraction was obtained in columns. The activation energy for chalcopyrite and pentlandite was 36 kJ/mol and 16 kJ/mol, respectively, in both reactors, indicating different reaction pathways for the two minerals. Gas-liquid mass transfer appears to be the limiting reaction step in columns much more than in tanks, and the degree of ammonia loss to air is significant. This initial test work indicates the feasibility of using ammonia leaching for this and similar materials as an alternative route to conventional smelting and refining prior to PGM recovery, but a number of technical challenges still need to be overcome.

Jan 1, 2014

By Behzad Vaziri Hassas, Firat Karakas, Esra Tanisali, Mehmet S. Çelik, Ahmad Hassanzadeh

Coagulation is basically an aggregation process where particles settle under the influence of interfacial forces with electrostatic forces playing a governing role. Although particle morphology consisting of shape and roughness dictates the physical encounter of two particles, their eventual coagulation is not only influenced by columbic forces but also other interfacial forces such as hydrophobic interaction, which affects the extent of aggregation of particles through increasing the distance of interaction. Roughness is well known to increase the effective contact angle on hydrophobic surfaces and also enhance interfacial forces. In this study, the effect of morphology of particles and particularly roughness on the settling velocity and in turn coagulation tendency was investigated. Batch settling tests (BSTs) of different particle morphologies were investigated as a function of pH. Two different morphologies of silica particles were utilized with the same particle size distribution (PSD) including smooth-spherical and rough-spherical (Etched). Rough particles were prepared by acid etching technique using hydrofluoric (HF) at different time intervals (15-300 sec). Etched samples were identified and quantified by optic profilometry. Settling test results showed that the settling velocity of particles in a suspension of 2% solids in the massive settling region is significantly affected by particle morphology of the suspension. Coagulation results further revealed that aggregation of rough particles is faster than smooth-spherical particles. Coagulation results are elucidated on the basis of particle morphology and its effect on distance of separation through hydrophobic forces.

Jan 1, 2016

By John L. Rich

A New Field for the Mining Industry A new field for the mining industry is in prospect. This is the recovery of the petroleum which has been left in the ground in the older oil fields whose yield has declined until they are no longer profitable to operate in the ordinary way. The fact that an oil field has reached the economic limit for operation by pumping does not necessarily 'mean that the oil has ? been exhausted. In many such cases not over one-fifth, or even one-tenth, of the total oil content of the field may have been taken out when this stage has been reached. This means that there exists a large reserve of oil which can be recovered by whatever process best takes advantage of the natural conditions under which the oil occurs. Mine drainage is one of the processes by which this oil may be recovered. Its relative importance will depend partly on the ingenuity and wide-awakeness of mining engineers, and on mining capital. The opportunity is undoubtedly at hand. In order that we may be in a position to judge the possible advantages of mining methods for the recovery of this oil, I have reviewed, on the following pages, the methods now in use, and have discussed the physical conditions of the reservoir rocks in which the oil is found, and the suitability of the various recovery processes, in use or proposed, in the light of these reservoir conditions.

Jan 1, 1927

By F. Liu, S. Rezaei, M. Muinonen, M. Barati, V. L. Lakshmanan, S. Marcuson

Canadian nickel-copper ore deposits have been a major source of nickel, copper, cobalt and precious metals for more than 100 years. The two main minerals of interest, pentlandite (Pn, (Ni,Fe)9S8) and chalcopyrite (Cp, CuFeS2), are usually accompanied by large quantities of pyrrhotite (Po, Fe1-xS). Until the 1950s, Po containing small amounts of nickel was routinely smelted as part of the valuable Ni concentrate. The rapid growth in Ni demand following the Second World War created impetus to treat the Po separately. This action would liberate a valuable smelting capacity for higher value Pn, allow for recovery of Ni locked in Po, convert the Fe to iron oxide or metallic iron pellets, and recover S as sulphuric acid or elemental sulphur. The roasting process also has the potential to produce energy due to the highly exothermic oxidation of Po. The Ni industry would then have a “waste-free” process. Both Inco (now Vale) and Falconbridge (now Glencore) developed processes and built large industrial plants for this purpose that operated with some success. But technical issues and tenuous economics were continual challenges. By the early 1980s these industrial operations were closed. Sophisticated froth flotation methods of rejecting Po were developed, and Po containing up to 1% Ni became a waste material reporting to the tailings stream. As part of a major study on possible processing methods of Po for both value recovery and waste remediation, this paper presents a historical perspective on Canadian Po tailings with regards to their generation, inventory, value, and attempts to process them.

Jan 1, 2017

By Karl J. C. Harries

"9.1. INTRODUCTIONIn Chapter 5 of Volume I royalties are dealt with and several topics would appear to be duplicated in this Volume. However, Volume I may be looked upon as a general guide, whereas this Volume is a reference volume. It deals in considerable detail with specific provisions and concepts relating to royalties between private parties. This does not, however, mean that Chapter 5 can be ignored. It should be looked upon as a source of general information concerning royalties between private parties and as a negotiating aid intended to give an overview of various topics. You may well find that in its general approach it will lead you to ask a question which, hopefully, will be dealt with in this Volume .It should be remembered that royalty agreements are agreements with a particular focus, and so the concepts set forth in Chapter 1 apply to them. This chapter addresses a few considerations specific to royalties that will usually form part of an agreement rather than a stand-alone agreement.9.2. FORMAT FOR ROYALTY PROVISIONSIn many of the cases where royalties arise, they are adjunct to, or part of, other arrangements. For example, a royalty may form part or all of the consideration to be given to an owner upon purchase of his property, or it may arise if a joint venturer ceases to contribute to the venture and has his interest converted to a royalty.1 It is with such situations that this section primarily deals; if the royalty is contained in an agreement that is singularly, or primarily, concerned with creating it, then it is just a normal agreement.Commonly, by the time the right to receive the royalty arises, at least some of the other provisions of the agreement have been performed and/or become redundant. For example, in an option agreement the royalty will be a continuing obligation of the optionee, usually arising only after the option has been exercised.2 In a joint venture agreement, a royalty will often arise where the interest of a non-participating venturer has been diluted and converted to a royalty, in which case the recipient will usually become a passive party, entitled only to his royalty, and most of the rights that he enjoyed as an active venturer will cease to be effective."

Jan 1, 2003

By James F. A. Hatley

Northern Saskatchewan comprises an area of about 350 000 km2 and boasts some of the world's largest known high-grade uranium deposits. The successful mining of these deposits, however, can not be accomplished without overcoming technical challenges. Not only is the high grade of the uranium ore challenging, but mining methods need to be developed to deal with groundwater at very high pressures, and ground conditions that vary substantially from excellent to wholly unconsolidated clays and sand. This paper discusses the various mechanisms of inflows at the three of the Cameco Corporation Mines in Northern Saskatchewan. The risk of inflows is quantified in terms of unique challenges from hydrogeologic conditions, rockmass integrity, and uncertainty in geologic conditions. Mitigation strategies in case of an inflow are also briefly described. The paper concludes by addressing the impact of institutional rules (corporate standards) on minimizing, monitoring, and controlling the probability and/or impact of unexpected inflows.

Aug 1, 2010

By H. C. W. Bosman

"Over the past five years, contributions from geologists and mining engineers were instrumental in the successful development of MEPS. It is a system of FORTRAN programs specifically designed to be used by mining personnel to solve geological and mining problems. MEPS is a flexible keyword-driven system. Extensive error editing procedures significantly reduce the time required to proceed from problem recognition to solution. Possibly the most attractive feature of MEPS is that computer solutions may be guided or selectively modified to obtain desired solutions. Some highlights of MEPS are:1. Vocabulary that is familiar to mining people.2. Geological data storage and retrieval.3. Statistical analysis and variograms.4. Contour maps of assays and geological horizons.5. Trend surface analysis with residual evaluation.6. Ore reserve calculations.7. Open-pit mine design.8. Marginal profitability calculations on pit walls.9. Production scheduling.10. Vertical cross-section plots indicating pit outlines, ore grade contours and selected geological horizons."

Jan 1, 1973

By Mory Ghomshei

As fossil fuels become depleted over the next century, it is imperative that Canada and other countries examine ways to transition to other sources of energy, particularly renewable resources. A critical obstacle to developing Canada?s renewable energy resources is the scarcity of infrastructure to wheel the generated electricity to a viable market. For each megawatt of renewable electrical power, a maximum of 1 km of connecting power line is typically feasible. This means that hydropower, geothermal, and wind power projects with capacities up to 100 MW must be located within a maximum of 100 km of a main power line in order to be economically viable. With a total length of about 1200 km, the proposed Northern Gateway oil pipeline project creates an excellent opportunity to become a corridor that can seed renewable energy projects in Northern British Columbia and Alberta. Utility companies must build new infrastructure to provide the electricity for constructing and operating the proposed pipeline. The pipeline and linked power line infrastructure therefore, should be designed and built with consideration to create an energy highway to the significant renewable energy resources, such as hydro, wind, and geothermal, in the vicinity of the proposed pipeline. Some of the important renewable energy resources in northern British Columbia can be developed in connection with the proposed pipeline. It is estimated that close to 2,500 MW of commercially viable wind, geothermal and run-of-river power resources are present in the proximity of the proposed pipeline corridor. While oil flows westward from the Alberta bitumen fields, the generated green power can flow eastward to help the Canadian oil sand industry to offset as much as 10 Megatons of carbon emissions per year. The generated carbon credits are equivalent to 75% of the emissions associated with extraction of the 525,000 barrels per day of oil from oil sands, intended to be carried by the pipeline.

Aug 1, 2013

By H. Nouranian, M. Askari

GOLGOHAR Mining & Industrial Co., with annual production of 16 million tons, is one of the largest pelletizing and iron ore supplier in Iran that recently this year, because of using mineral processing techniques and extraction of ore body positioning between the metamorphic rocks, about 150 million tons of dry tailings has been created as a result of concentrate production. On the other hand, many environmental issues such as groundwater pollution have been developed by sulfide and silicate gangue minerals, which containing heavy metals such as mercury and arsenic. In this study, a new product with high added value has been introduced for the company by identification and extraction of industrial minerals in dry tailings. Also, by removing large masses of dry tailings, environmental pollution sources were gradually eliminated. This method can be used as a modern waste management approach in the world.

Jan 1, 2017

By H. Vendette, N. R. Dando, A. Moras

The thorough analysis of results obtained from different testing campaigns performed on an alumina dry-scrubber pilot installation treating aluminum potline offgases, suggests a clear relationship between the emissions of gaseous fluoride and the fluoride saturation level of the alumina. The integration of this relationship into the development of a new generation of alumina dry scrubber represents an intriguing challenge regarding the design of more efficient air pollution control equipment. An innovative scheme challenging conventional industry practices was proposed. From theoretical simulations, the reduction in fluoride emissions can potentially be reduced by as much as 50% in the summer season. To validate this innovative approach, Solios in partnership with Alcoa Primary Metals, modified one of the Aluminerie de Deschambault's systems by adding new temporary equipment on the operating units and subjecting it to several test campaigns. This article presents the first results obtained in testing this new and innovative approach on alumina dry scrubbers used to capture fluoride emissions coming from aluminum electrolysis potlines.

Jan 1, 2006