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By D. K. Bose, C. K. Gupta, K. U. Nair

A new approach to processing an indigenously available low made molysulfide concentrate by chlorination with elemental chlorine in presence of oxygen is reported. Recovery of nickel and copper values associated with the sulfide concentrate by suitably treating the residue obtained after chlorination is also reported.

Jan 3, 1978

By J. A. Brierley, Roshan B. Bhappu, D. H. Reynolds, P. H. Johnson

Although the economic importance of recovering copper by leaching of mine work dumps from open-pit operations has been realized for some time, serious attempts to understand and to improve such operations through scientifi research has been made only in recent years. This progress report covers the results of chemical, physical, and biological studies pertaining to the dump-leaching process and discusses salient features and parameters that may be helpful in improving such operations. The dump leaching of low-grade copper ores, as an integral part of the open-pit mining operations in the Southwest, has been practiced for the last 50 years and is increasing in importance as one of the major sources of copper. The recent acceleration in dump leaching can be attributed to: (1) the greater tonnages of low-grade ores mined and dumped at newer mines as well as resulting from increased stripping ratios at the older mines, (2) the relatively small investment required for dump leaching facilities per pound of copper recovered contrasted with expansion of milling facilities to recover equal amounts of the metal by raising tonnage throughout, (3) low labor requirements needed for leaching, and (4) the simple and continuous nature of the process needing little close supervision of trained operators. In the past, the mining companies have not worried about efficiency in dump leaching but have been satisfied with whatever metal recoveries could be made without much effort. However, because of the huge amounts of metal accumulating in the low-grade waste dumps, compared to the relatively small amount recovered annually, an operator today cannot leave dump leaching to chance. What appears to be a simple, empirical process is actually a very complex one involving a large number of critical factors that encompass Several Scientific disciplines, such as physics, chemistry, geology, biology, and hydrology. It is imperative that

Jan 1, 1970

By Lawrence P. Bonicatto

The steel industry's increased demand for higher grade pellets has caused the pellet producers to investigate methods of upgrading their product and the Hanna Mining Co.'s Groveland plant on the Upper Peninsula of Michigan is no exception. The low grade iron deposit is a complex mixture of magnetite and hematite with chert, quartz, jasper and various iron silicates.1 Beneficiation is by Humphrey spirals and anionic flotation of the iron minerals.2 Flotation of the spiral tailings makes up about 75% of the concentrate, while a minor amount of concentrate (less than 3%) is produced in magnetic circuits. The concentrate is pelletized at the rate of 1.6 million tpy. The initial concentrating facilities were constructed in 1958 and the concentrate was marketed as sinter feed until a pelletizing plant was added early in 1963. Grade improvement soon became a high priority research project, and several methods of concentration were investigated.

Jan 3, 1968

By Frederic Carter

THERE have been many attempts to prove that platinum was known to the ancients, but since no traces of the metal have been found in the relics of early times, it must be concluded that it had not been known to them. As far as records go, it was actually first discovered in the 16th century in a Spanish mine on the Pinto River in South America; from which source it received its name of Platina del Pinto (little silver from the Pinto). It was more or less of a rarity and was a subject of interest to a few chemists only, until the year 1822 when the metal was first discovered in Russia. In 1819 there had been noticed in the washings of the gold sands of the southern part of the Ural Mountains, grains of a heavy white substance, but it was not until three years later that this substance was found to contain platinum. While at first the amounts of platinum brought from the Urals had been meager, prospecting soon disclosed rich deposits extending over a considerable area, and nuggets from 10 to 20. lb. were by no means rare. This discovery assured to chemists an ample supply of platinum for their crucibles, etc. The ore is now found in various parts of the world but the richest deposits are still found in the Ural Mountains. The platinum of commerce is obtained entirely from alluvial deposits at depths varying from 6 to 40 ft. The sand and gravel of former river beds are subjected to a series of screenings and washings to effect the separation of the ore. Actually, probably all gold-bearing gravel beds of the world contain platinum, and it is more than likely that large quantities of platinum ore have been thrown away with the black sand washings from gold placer deposits. This is especially true of the alluvial deposits of the Pacific Coast in California and Oregon. Platinum ore is usually found in the form of rounded or, flattened grains of "sand," and occasionally in irregular lumps of the size of peas. Large nuggets are very rare. The ore has a metallic luster and is distinguished by its steel gray color, but shows light gray streak when rubbed on a hard white surface; it has a high specific gravity, 16 to 19; is infusible in the hottest blast furnaces, and insoluble in any single acid. Platinum ore is a complex body consisting of the metal in combination with varying proportions of the other members of the platinum group; iridium,

Jan 1, 1928

By E. C. Harder

AT a Meeting of the New York Section, on May 23, 1918, the sole subject of discussion was the nature and occurrence of iron ores in certain parts of the world.? Owing to the importance of this subject, it has been deemed' advisable to publish the remarks made at that meeting in the form of a paper, for presentation at the Milwaukee Meeting, instead of in the usual place, under News of Local Sections. The remarks related to the following districts: Brazil, by E. C. Harder, of the U. S. Geological Survey; Scandinavia, by Waldemar Lindgren, of the U. S. Geological Survey; Cuba, by C. M. Weld, of the U. S. Bureau 'of Mines; Southern Europe, by A. C. Spencer, of the U. S. Geological Survey; China, by H. Foster Bain, of the U. S. Bureau of Mines; Alsace-Lorraine, by Sidney Paige, of the U. S. Geological Survey. BRAZIL By E. C. Harder During the years immediately preceding the war, the iron ores of Brazil were attracting the attention of iron operators both in Europe and in the United States. This was clue to the large quantities of practically undeveloped ore available, and to its great purity. It is reasonably safe to state that had capital not been diverted from the exploitation of these deposits to war purposes, Brazilian iron ores would probably now be offered in European and American markets. It is certain that after the war these ores will play a prominent part in the economic reconstruction of Europe and perhaps in the development of America.

Jan 9, 1918

By J. W. Hickman

Most of the electron diffraction studies of oxide films which form on metals and alloys have been carried out by oxidizing the specimens in an auxiliary furnace, cooling down to room temperature and then inserting the sample in the camera and taking a diffraction photograph. Prior to the investigations at the Westinghouse Research Laboratories, no systematic study of the oxidation of any metal or alloy had been made over a wide temperature range with photographs taken at elevated temperatures except the investigation of iron by Jackson and Quarrell.' In order to interpret the electron diffraction patterns of the oxides which may form on alloys, it seemed advisable to make a comprehensive study of the oxidation of the purest metals available in the bulk form. Thus far studies have been completed on iron,2 cobalt,~ nickel,= chromium,= copper,z tungsten,s molybdenum,3 beryllium,' uranium,' thorium,' titanium6 and zirconium6 while investigations are in progress on tantalum and columbium. The next step in the study is concerned with the investigation of the oxides which form on binary alloys. Some of the alloys consist of a single phase while others contain more than one phase. The identification of the oxides on the surface of a binary alloy may be more difficult than on the metals since oxides containing both metals as well as those of each metal separately may form. Furthermore, it is possible that solid solutions of the various oxides may occur. In these cases the electron diffraction method may not be able to identify the oxidation products unequivocally. Examples of solid solutions which may present difficulties are MOO* and WOp, Fe304 and FeO.CrnOa since the diffraction patterns are so similar. Since electron diffraction can determine only the structure of the oxide, the chemical composition must be inferred from the diffraction data based upon X ray diffraction investigations of specimens of known composition. It is possible in some cases to decide whether a given solid phase reaction can occur on the surface of an alloy by a study of available thermodynamic data. Table I lists the equations for the formation of most of the oxides from the elements together with values of loglo Kg for the several temperatures. AF"B = -RT In KR AF°R and KR are the free energy and equilibrium constant of the reaction. Calculations may be made using the the given in I 1 to determine whether a given solid phase reaction is possible thermodynamically. For example, a solid phase reaction should occur between aluminum and chromium oxide to form

Jan 1, 1949

The key-note of good writing, as of good manners, is B natural. Sincerity is the first requisite for effective writing. When a man says what he knows or believes, he is likely to be interesting, because each human being possesses an individuality, a point of view, or a range of sympathy that makes him different from his fellows. To say or to write what you do not think, for the mere sake of talking or writing, is a verbal exercise that must be performed with extraordinary skill if it is to be attractive. Affectations are rarely attractive, rarely effective. To be natural is to be yourself, not a poseur; to give the reader the best of yourself, instead of re-warming the baked meats of yesterday. Quotations-which are second-hand thoughts-will serve occasionally when the thing you want to say has been said so well by another that it would be waste of energy to try to say it better; gut, as a rule, the utterance of the writer himself is more interesting than the quotation, because the writer brings something of himself to bear on the subject, and for the moment is more in touch with the reader than any dear departed author. Therefore, say things as best you can in your own way, neither in borrowed words nor in the phraseology that mimics another. Write as if you were speaking to a person whom you desire to persuade or convince. You will then write better than you speak, because, in the first place, you can be more deliberate, and, secondly, you can revise what you have written. Speaking and writing are similar mental acts, with a difference: the difference between eating food raw and eating it cooked. Some kinds of food gain nothing by being cooked; likewise some kinds of utterance are not bettered by being written down first; but most expressions of thought, especially

Jan 1, 1931

By J. Wesley Pullman

It is stated by Dr. Tuttle in a paper read before the New Jersey Historical Society, that the celebrated Dickerson mine at Succasunna, Morris Co., N. J., yielded ore, about as early as 1710, for use at the Whippany forge, on Rockaway River, between Rockaway and Boonton. The ore was, for some time, free to all who chose to dig it. The tract embracing the Dickerson mine mas taken up, on account of its minerals, in 1713 or 1714, by John Reading, who sold it in 1716 to Joseph Kirkbride. John Jackson built a forge in 1722 on the Rockaway River a mile west of Dover. The ore here worked was probably chiefly from the Dickerson mine, but a portion may have been Hibernia. Hon. E. D. Halsey, of Rockaway, K. J., writes me: It is quite possible that the ore was at first taken from the outcrop of Hibernia by anybody who wanted it. The property first had an owner, May

Jan 1, 1886

By L. VOGELSTEIN

OUTSTANDING among the year's events in copper has been the reimposition of an import duty of 4r. per pound in this country which became effective June 21. In consequence of this action by Congress, the Ottawa Empire conference recommended a duty of 2d. per pound equivalent at normal rate of exchange to our 4c. duty, on all copper originating outside of the Empire. Lip to the middle of this year only Russia and Japan had a closed market; the import duty on copper in Russia is 30 per cent ad valoremm and in Japan about 2c. Russia's consumption has always been in excess of production and she has imported from 2(1,000 to 40,000 ton, of copper per annum. Japan, with a production of 6,000 to 7,000 tons per month, has absorbed, in normal times, its production, but during recent: sears has exported varyiug quantities in 1929. 2,200 ton-: in 1930, 2,700 tons, and in 1931. 3,600 ton-. Aside from the-e two countries, the international market has heretofore been free. It and when the British Empire duty become, effective the world's markets will be divided into four unit: 1. Russia and Japan, 2. United States. 3. British Empire. 4. Rest of the world. The world's production at present is rennin it the rate of 930.000 tons per annum. This year's production will be over 1,000,000 tons because the several curtailment did not become effective until the second quarter. consumption will be slightly in excess. Deducting from 30,000 tons Russia's and Japan's production of 121.000 tons, 806,000 tons is left divided a, follows:

Jan 1, 1932

By R. G. Brown

Tars paper will present a general description of the different mineral belts in the Butte City region (limited, however, to the copper and contiguous silver veins) such as may serve to give an intelligent idea of the distribution and characteristics of the deposits, forming thus a groundwork of information, which it is hoped will have value, when later writers enter into particularized detail.

Jan 1, 1895

By Benjamin Miller

FROM earliest recorded times, limestone has been employed in the industrial life of peoples of all sections of the world where it exists. It is widely distributed and therefore has been available in almost every country and has been employed for a variety of purposes. Its earliest use was for buildings, since it is more easily quarried and dressed than most other kinds of rocks and so could be utilized by early inhabitants, poorly equipped, with tools. The next use was in the manufacture of lime, which was employed by the ancients in mortar. These two uses of limestone are still all important, but they have been overshadowed in scores of regions by literally hundreds of new applications for raw lime-stone or products made from it. Anyone familiar with modern manu-facturing processes can quickly call to mind many industries in which limestones are essential, and new uses are continually coming to notice. Any enumeration would probably be incomplete and soon out of date.

Jan 1, 1935

By S. J. Swainson

"It appears to me that the chief progress in milling operations in America have been made in the steady improvement of existing practice through both higher extractions and increased efficiencies of operations rather than by the development of new processes. The recent rapid development of sink-float, or heavy-medium separation, however, is an exception, and is becoming increasingly used to permit the economic treatment of certain low-grade ores that otherwise could not profitably be mined. The use of spirals and of small cyclones, both of which employ the principle of centrifugal force, show promise of increasing adoption through their application and efficiency in special cases." So did our distinguished colleague, O. A. E. Jackson, consulting metallurgist for the Union Corporation and president of the Chemical, Metallurgical and Mining Society of South Africa, summarize his impressions of a recent tour which he made of various metallurgical and milling plants in North America. I believe that all mineral dressers will agree with Dr. Jackson's concise conclusions.

Jan 1, 1950

By E. B. Swanson

There is only one way to transport natural gas and that is by pipe lines. In the past few years, these lines have been extended rapidly into areas which previously had been served mainly by solid and liquid fuels. In the subject given me, this extension is referred to as an invasion, which implies a rather forceful entry. Whether or not such an implication may be applied to recent natural-gas developments is unimportant. It is the fact of the extension, not its definition, which is important. For centuries, natural gas has been utilized for various purposes in many parts of the world. It was the foundation of fire worship at Baku. The Chinese used it for the evaporation of brine in salt manufacture. In our country, its history seemingly dates back 110 years to the vicinity of Fredonia, N. Y., where seepage gas was assembled and used for lighting purposes. A few years later, a %inch pipe was laid to a lighthouse on Lake Erie, and the early records of the Lighthouse Service tell of the difficulties surrounding this use. With the discovery of oil in Pennsylvania, there followed further development; the town of Titusville was piped with natural gas and, some few years later, gas was made available for manufacturing plants adjacent to the oil fields. For more than a half century, the industry was concentrated in the

Jan 1, 1932

By Albert J. Phillips

IT is a privilege and a pleasure to deliver this, the Twenty-sixth Annual Institute of Metals Division Lecture. Eleven years ago C. A. Edwards addressed this audience on the subject "Gases in Metals." In spite of this relatively recent presentation, I propose to, present to you some quantitative considerations of industrial significance on the separation of gases from molten metals because recent observations and measurements, presented in the literature, have made it possible to evaluate mathematically the gases or gas-forming elements and to develop an understanding of the mechanism of gas separation that should permit, in many cases, the control of this baffling phenomenon. DEFINITIONS Before becoming involved in the subject it seems desirable, for the sake of clarity, to state certain definitions and axioms: I. We are dealing only with gases that separate from the molten metal either during cooling or in the transition from liquid to solid. Gases injected by the liquid stream and trapped in the solidified metal, or those forced into the solidifying metal from the mold due to either thermal or cher4ical effects are not considered. Neither are we concerned with the separation of gases within the metal after solidification is complete for the data on this subject are at least complete enough to permit the practicing metallurgist to satisfactorily control the phenomenon. 2. Only where there is a decrease in solubility or a change in equilibrium of either a gaseous element or an element that reacts to form a gaseous compound, can there be a separation of a gaseous phase from the liquid or solidifying metal. 3. The amount of gas separating from the liquid during solidification can be computed directly from the amount of the element contained in the liquid when freezing commences less the amount of the element found in the solid either as a separate solid phase or in solid solution. 4. There can be no separation of gas bubbles unless the told pressure of the gases in the liquid meld exceeds atmospheric pressure plus the hydrostatic pressure of ' the liquid metal head. (In addition, pres- sure resulting from surface tension in- creases the total pressure requirement for initial gas separation. Probably the remarkable differences in appearance caused by different gases in the same host metal are influenced greatly by the rate of diffusion of the gas in the liquid metal balancing the decrease in pressure as the gas bubble size increases and the surface tension effect decreases. Thus hydrogen with its high diffusion rate in liquid copper separates in the form of relatively coarse cavities for a given rate of heat extraction.) 5. Gas separation can take place at less than atmospheric pressure in the voids created by the shrinkage from liquid to solid, but since the voids are not caused by the gas the presence of gas in the voids is of importance only where it

Jan 1, 1947

By J. H. Pratt

In a recent paper* on the origin of corundum associated with the peridotites of North Carolina, attention was called to the constant occurrence of the mineral, chromite, in these rocks. The field-data obtained during the preparation of that paper have been used largely in the present paper. During the past summer the general occurrences of chromite have been carefully studied, and those in North Carolina have been especially examined in the field. It is purposed to give, in this paper, the reasons why the chromite should be regarded as having been formed at the same time with the peridotites, having been held in solution by the molten mass of the peridotite, and crystallizing out among the first minerals as the mass began to cool. This theory is essentially the same as that advanced by me for the origin of the corundum associated with the peridotite rocks, and a similar line of reasoning has been used to substantiate the theory proposed. Investigations concerning the igneous origin of some of the ores have been materially aided, during recent years, by the skillful experiments of Morozewicz and Lagorio,§ and by researches that show us, more clearly, why we should regard a fused mass of rock as a liquid, having similar properties to an ordinary solution. These experiments have shown that a molten basic glass, similar in composition to the basic magnesian rocks, dissolves alumina readily, and that upon cooling, the first minerals to separate out are corundum and spinel.

Jan 1, 1900

By J. Steininger

The Hallimond tube flotation of sphalerite and pyrite with sulfhydryl collectors has been found to be inhibited near neutral pH in the presence of copper salts. Alkalimetric titration studies of the reactions between collector and activator indicate that this effect is apparently related to the formation of basic copper collector complexes. The conditions of formation of these compounds and their stability are in good agreement with the depression observed in flotation experiments. The general procedure employed in the flotation of zinc sulfide minerals requires activation of the mineral surface by heavy metal ions, usually copper, which react more easily than zinc with the common short-chain ionic sulfhydryl collectors.' Commercially, zinc flotation is carried out under alkaline conditions (pH 7 to 10.5), but small-scale experiments indicate that zinc sulfide minerals can also be activated and collected under acid conditions. Selectivity, however, becomes poor at low pH and undesirable materials such as pyrite, silicates and carbonates tend to report in the float. Several years ago, Wark and Sutherland~, measured the contact angles of air bubbles on copper-activated sphalerite immersed in various sulfhydryl collector solutions. When represented, as in Fig. 1, on pH-sodium cyanide diagrams, the results are characterized by 'islands' of non-contact near neutral pH and

Jan 1, 1969

By W. B. HILLHOUSE

AN excerpt from the Alabama State Mining Law, pertaining to, transporting men' into and out of the mines, reads as follows: "A trip of empty cars may be operated for the purpose of taking employees into and out of the mine, where the distance to and from their work exceeds one mile." The State Mining Department of Alabama includes in its inspection the transportation of men into and out of the mines, also studying and noting improvements, or progress made, that would tend to create a greater assurance of safety in this practice. Everyone is familiar with the original safety methods employed in man-trip transportation, such as passing a rope around the trip of cars, or through the cars, fastened in the conventional manner, and with the usual "clog," commonly called a drag, on the rear end. Also there is a more advanced method of transporting men, such as the double-rope system, which is feasible on slopes used exclusively for this purpose, and is very satisfactory. However, for the past eighteen months; the Republic Steel Corp. and the Tennessee Coal, Iron & Railroad Co. have adopted a practice that shows

Jan 1, 1935

CHARLES KIRCHHOFF, Chairman. ALBERT SAUVEUR, Vice-Chairman. A. A. STEVENSON, Vice- Chairman. HERBERT M. BOYLSTON, Secretary, Abbot Bldg., Cambridge, Mass. John Birkinbine, J. Esrey Johnson, Jr., Felix A: Vogel, William H. Blauvelt, William Kelly, Leonard Waldo, James Gayley, Richard Moldenke, William R. Walker, Henry D. Hibbard, Joseph W. Richards, William R. Webster. Henry M. Howe, E. Gybbon Spilsbury, Frederick W. Wood. Robert W. Hunt, A. A. Stevenson is appointed an additional Vice-Chairman of the Committee. He will serve as Acting Chairman during the absence abroad of Professor Sauveur. For the meeting of the Institute which is to be held in New York City, Oct. 16 and 17, 1913, the following papers are now assured

Jan 7, 1913

By J. L. Gregg

RECENTLY there has been considerable interest in the production and use of, extra hard alloys composed primarily of tungsten and carbon. Dr. Hoyt's recent paper1 gives a good description of these alloys and describes their performance when used as tools. There are a number of these alloys on the market sold under various trade names, and it is the purpose of this paper to describe the results of an investigation of the structure of five of these alloys by means of microscopic and X-ray methods. The samples studied were in the form of small tools or wire-drawing dies, which were either purchased or supplied as samples. They were in some cases not supplied by the original makers but were furnished by the agents in this country, and we wish to call attention to the fact that they may not be truly representative of the materials supplied under the various trade names. No performance data are given and no inference as to the inferiority of one alloy as against any other is made K Schröter2 recently described methods for polishing alloys of this type for microscopic examination and has presented photomicrographs of several alloys. However, he did not identify their constituents or describe methods for their identification.

Jan 1, 1929

K. W. Turner, Sail Francisco, Cal. (communication to the Secretary*): The recent papers in the Transactions by Vogt,' Lindgren2 and Weed: on ore-deposits that have formed as a direct result of igneous intrusions, show that deposits of this class are widely distributed over the world, and are occasionally of commercial value. This is especially true if we consider under this head all deposits in the zone of contactrnletamorphism, the origin of which may be ascribed to the gases and vapors generated by the heat of the intrusive rock. Mr. Smith's description of the Chillagoe garnet-formations containing copper, leads one to regard these depoaits as of contactrmetamorphic origin, although he gives certain reaeons for supposing them to be of igneous origin.

Jan 1, 1904