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By Z. D. Hora

Air hough diatomite is known in many parrs of British Columbia, deposirs of mineable size have only been found in the area between Kam/oops and Quesnel in the sourh-cenrral parr of rhe province. Ar Quesnel, commercial producrion has continued since 1950 from diatomite lenses up ro 35m rhick. OCCURRENCES of diatomite are reported from many parts of British Columbia, but deposits of mineable size are known only from the area between Kamloops and Quesnel. Only Quesnel deposits have yet reached the production stage. Commercial production dates back to 1950, and up until 1979 approximately 22,700 tonnes of diatomite had been produced. Most extracted diatomite was processed until 1980 by Crownite Industrial Minerals Limited in Quesnel to produce an oil absorbent and animal bedding. Smaller shipments are used to make insulating bricks on the lower mainland. Deposits near Quesnel extend 40 km along the western bank of the Fraser River from Quesnel to Alexandria; most production has come from Lots o. 6132 and 906. Di atomite is present as discontinuous lenses up to 35 m thick. Diatomite beds Industrial Minerals in Canada are of Upper Miocene age and are overlain by plateau basalts. Diatomite consists almost exclusively of Melosira granulara diatoms that are usually very small and mixed with variable amounts of clay, ilt and volcanic ash. In recent years, extensive beds of diatomite were identified near the confluence of the Chilcotin and Fraser rivers. Diatomite in this locale is a part o f the Upper Miocene to Pliocene Chilcotin Group of sedimentary rocks that are overlain by olivine basalt and related luffs. A deposit near Red Lake is situated 50 km northwest of Kamloops. Diatomite beds occur in the Tranquille Series of Eocene age and are similar in composition to those in the Quesnel area. The Red Lake deposit is abo ut 4 m thick but its areal extent is only a few tens of hectares.

Jan 1, 1984

By M. Aljarrah

The phase equilibria in the Mg-Al-Ca system was investigated experimentally by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques similarly the Mg-Al-Sr system has been studied using DSC and XRD as well as scanning electron microscopy/energy dispersive spectrometer (SEM/EDS) and quantitative electron probe micro-analysis (EPMA). A new ternary solid solution MgxAl4,xSr was confirmed in Mg-Al-Sr system, which is a substitutional solid solution of Mg atoms in Al4Sr. Maximum solubilities of 21.3 at.% Al in Mg17Sr2 and 11.4 at.% Al in Mg were observed. It was also noticed that Mg38Sr9 dissolved 12.5 at.% Al. In the Mg-Al-Ca ternary system, one of the invariant transformations predicted by thermodynamic modeling was verified experimentally and found to occur at 512°C with composition close to 10.8 at.% Ca, 79.5 at.% Mg and 9.7 at.% Al. A ternary solid solution (Mg,Al)2Ca was confirmed where large solid solubility of Al in Mg2Ca was observed.

Jan 1, 2006

By Maria D. Mastalerz, Wei Wang, Maria E. Holuszko, Amit Kumar

In this study, the micro-FTIR analysis was used to investigate in-situ surface properties of coal and its components (macerals) and these were directly correlated to the coal hydrophobicity as measured by the contact angle before and after reagent addition to understand the suitability of the reagent for flotation. The micro-FTIR technique can provide a semi-quantitative analysis of the chemical functional groups on coal surface, exactly where the contact angle is being measured. Selected functional groups and their ratios that provide information about aromaticity, the contribution of oxygenated groups, and aliphaticity are used to evaluate the reactivity between reagents and various coal components. The observations made in relation to the susceptibility of some reagents towards certain coal components should lead the way to a smarter way of using process design in terms of reagents selection for coal flotation.

Jan 1, 2017

By D. J. MacKinnon

Zinc metal was first produced in India around 1100 A.O. and a zinc industry based on retorting gradually developed in both India and China(1) . The vertical retort method for smelting zinc ores was developed in England in the 1730s; this was followed by the more fuel efficient horizontal retort process developed by the Belgians in the 19th century(2) . The horizontal retort process was the standard method of zinc manufacture until the 1950s when it became obvious that it could not compete with electrolytic zinc technology(2). The present day extractive metallurgy of zinc is dominated by the electrolytic process which now accounts for almost 80% of the world's primary zinc production. In recent years the electrolytic zinc process has seen significant improvements: the fluid-bed roasting of zinc concentrates, improved leaching and residue treatment techniques such as the jarosite and goethite processes, improved solution purification procedures, mechanization of the zinc electrolysis step and of the zinc melting and casting operation. In addition, new leaching processes have been implemented for the treatment of oxidized ores, particularly silicates, and the pressure leaching of zinc sulphide concentrates is now a commercial reality. Although the electrolytic zinc process was first used on a commercial scale in 1916, its history can be traced back to the 1860s. The purpose of the present paper is to outline the early history of the electrolytic zinc process and to trace the significant developments which led to the first successful commercial electrolytic zinc plants.

Jan 1, 1999

By M. McKim

"Due to the fact that there were no formal papers submitted for this session we can only print the discussions of the papers. a) Maqnetic Mill Liners : M. MckimE. MarcotteFalconbridge LimitedReplyIn looking at the slides on magnetic mill liners a question comes to mind, particularly in the case of a large diameter mill using large grinding media, concerning the potential hazzards which may exist from large chuncks of steel hanging in the mill. Would you comment.The magnetism was sufficiently strong from liner to liner to hold ........................ .(We are sorry but we could not transcribe the full reply to this question as no microphone was used by the speaker and i't was impossible for us to complete the rest).·"

Jan 1, 1984

By P. Au, P. Patnaik, H. Saari, D. Y. Seo, S. Bulmer

Ti-48Al-2Cr-2Nb-xW (where x = 0, 0.5, and 1 at. %) powders were consolidated by hot isostatic pressing (HIP). The consolidated samples were solution heat treated above the a-transus followed by stepped cooling to room temperature. Selected samples were subsequently aged at 950 °C for up to 72 hours. The post-heat treatment microstructure was examined by optical and electron microscopy. It was found that increasing holding time above the a-transus generated a more homogenous microstructure. Utilizing the stepped cooling sequence, especially with a transition temperature of 1270 °C, massively transformed gamma (Ym) was diminished. Aging caused coarsening of the fully lamellar microstructure in the 0%W and 0.5%W samples while almost no coarsening occurred in the 1 % W sample. Precipitates began to form during aging in samples containing W. The precipitates at the lamellar interfaces are fine and have a needle like shape, while precipitates at the lamellar grain boundaries are coarse and circular in shape. The size and number of the precipitates depend on aging time and the level ofW content.

Jan 1, 2006

By A. G. Roach

MILLING of Nova Scotia gold ores began in 1862 with arrastras and wooden stamps and has progressed to heavier stamps followed by tables and other forms of concentration for the recovery of the sulphides. Chlorination and cyanide leaching of the concentrates has been practised, and in 1936 the combined amalgamation and all-sliming cyanidation plant of Seal Harbor Gold Mines was built. It has since been found that it is not necessary to cyanide the full tonnage and now only the concentrates are being so treated. From his experience in this enterprise, the writer presents the accompanying flow-sheet and supporting comments. While he has not the temerity to maintain that it is the best or only flow-sheet for Nova Scotia gold ores, he feels that it warrants thoughtful consideration by members of the milling fraternity of the Province. THE ORE The gold in Nova Scotia ores occurs both free and intimately associated with sulphides-chiefly arsenopyrite. Much of the free gold is quite coarse and crystalline. This is especially true when it occurs in white quartz. When in the slate, it is usually in thin plates and scales, frequently coated and discoloured. The values bound up in the sulphides are not amenable to amalgamation and must be recovered by other methods-concentration, followed by smelting or fine grinding and cyanidation. While high freight and treatment charges apply on concentrates shipped from the Province to smelters, a considerable quantity has been so disposed of in the past. However, it is hoped that a customs cyanidation plant will soon become available to producers of these auriferous concentrates in Nova Scotia.

Jan 1, 1938

By G. A. Young

THE Geological Survey was created in 1842 to aid the development of Canada's mineral resources. Although the institution has been in existence for nearly 100 years and has accomplished an immense amount of work, the need for its services remains as great as ever and, indeed, it is difficult to imagine a time when the country will no longer require a Geological Survey. This is so because of the tremendous effort required to make an adequate geological examination of so large an area as is embraced by Canada and partly because what today may seem an adequate geological examination proves, later on, to be inadequate. The ultimate objective of the Geological Survey is to complete the study of all phases of the geology of Canada, that is, to determine how and when the physical features originated, how and when the soils and other unconsolidated deposits were formed, and how and when the solid rocks and associated deposits were produced and assumed their present conditions. When the study has been completed, any only then, will it be possible to make a reliable estimate of the country's mineral resources. This appraisal embraces more than determining the value of already discovered deposits: it also involves attempting to establish what kinds of undiscovered deposits may be present and where they may occur. The estimating of the potential mineral wealth can be clone only after the geology of the country is known. Not until then will it be possible to forecast what types of valued deposits may occur in a district and what types will almost certainly be lacking. A thorough knowledge of the geology of the country is desirable not only to permit estimating the potential mineral resources but also as an aid in locating and developing mineral deposits whether these are of the nature of a bed of limestone, a seam of coal, a reservoir of petroleum, a vein, an irregular body of sulphides, or any other type of deposit.

Jan 1, 1940

By Daniel Murray

"ACCIDENT PREVENTION in and around coal mines presents many problems of a type which are not encountered in any other industry. This is particularly true of the coal mines in Nova Scotia, where the underground workings are very extensive and the area of exposure to workmen is very great.Roof conditions at the coal faces and in the waste change very rapidly, almost from hour to hour, and it is at these places that the greatest dangers exist and where most mine accidents occur. It is only natural, therefore, that our attention, as far as accident prevention is concerned, should be concentrated •at the coal faces and in the waste, especially in mines where the longwall system is used in the operation •of the seam.It has been said that no hard and fast rules can be set down for timbering at the coal faces and in the waste in the coal mines in this area. We do not subscribe to this theory, however, for the following reasons:On the longwall faces in No. 18 Colliery of the Dominion Coal Company, Limited, where the 'Dosco Miner' has been in operation and where there is a very rigid system of timbering and roof supports, which is strictly followed, only one compensable accident has occurred on those faces from May 2ndJ 1950, to the time of writing this paper, February 3rd, 1953.The 'Dosco Miner' has worked on four different longwall faces in this mine and has mined and loaded some hundreds of thousands of tons of coal."

Jan 1, 1953

By Andrew Popko

Introducing EnCana ?? A leading North American Oil and Gas company ?? Focused on natural gas and oil sands development in 12 key resource play areas across North America ?? In 2007, over 4300 wells drilled, producing about Enterprise value of approximately $50 billion ?? Invest between $5.8 Billion in 2007 ?? Over 7500 employees ?? Headquarters ? Calgary, AB

May 1, 2008

By Sunil S. Gandhi

"The Mountain Lake deposit is a tabular sandstone-type uranium deposit, hosted by the basal unit of Middle Proterozoic Dismal Lakes Group. Uranium occurs mainly as sooty pitchblende disseminated in stratiform lenses within gently dipping quartzose sandstone. It is associated with copper sulphides, pyrite, hematite, and traces of nickel and cobalt arsenides and of silver.Exploration HistoryUranium showings on the PEC claim group were discovered during 1969 by an airborne radiometric survey carried out over the Dismal Lakes-Great Bear Lake area by Aquitaine of Canada Limited (Bizard and Salat, 1969). Some drilling was done in the vicinity of the showings in 1975 by the company under a joint venture with Eldorado Nuclear Limited but the results were not encouraging (Hassard and Woollett, 1975). During 1972, Trigg, Woollett and Associates Limited conducting surveys for Imperial Oil Limited, discovered numerous high-grade radioactive boulders scattered over a distance of several kilometres north and west of the showings, and the area north of the PEC claims was staked as the YUK claims (Ahuja, 1974). A systematic study of the boulder distribution and Pleistocene geology suggested a source additional to the showings. More intensive exploration followed, and in 1976 drilling just north of the PEC claim group boundary intersected the main deposit at a depth of 75 m to 150 m, beneath overburden up to 60 m thick. Part of the deposit extends into the PEC claim group which is under exploration by the Aquitaine-Cominco Joint Venture.The following brief description is based on the presentations in 1978 by F. Hassard of Trigg, Woollett and Associates Limited at the Geoscience Forum in Yellowknife, and by S.S. Gandhi of the Geological Survey of Canada at the Mineralogical Association of Canada Uranium Short Course in Toronto."

Jan 1, 1986

By Kimberly Morrison

Strategically located within the Uravan Mineral Belt District of western Colorado, the Piñon Ridge Project is the first new uranium mill being proposed for construction in the United States in over 25 years. In 1992, dramatic changes to the US regulatory environment for uranium ore processing occurred making regulatory compliance an increased challenge for a new facility. Proposed as a 6.3 million tonne uranium milling operation, the mill will receive ore from a number of mines in the region. The project includes design and permitting of a uranium/vanadium processing facility, tailings cells, evaporation ponds, and ore stockpile pads. The focus of this paper is to provide an overview of the US regulations and how these regulations were applied to design of the mill facilities, as well as provide a status update on the project as the mill license application was submitted to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) in November 2009.

Aug 1, 2010

By H. C. Gunning

The Privateer is the major mine of the Zeballos mining camp; with a total production from May 1937 through the first half of 1946 of $5; 610; 423 from 139; 254 tons of ore. This includes a small production from the connected Prident mine. The entire operation was closed from October 1943 to November 1945.

Jan 1, 1954

"The gravimetric dust sampler is one of the tools now available to the industrial hygienists for determining the worker 's exposure to the numerous types of particulate matter that may be present in the workplace. The paper ' reviews the different sampling trains that can be used for the two major criteria for respirable dust and some of the sources of error in this dust assessment technique.IntroductionIt may be stated simply that the measurement of airborne dust in the working environment is done for one or two reasons: namely, for engineering control purposes and! or to evaluate the potential for toxicological insult arising from the inhalation of dust particles.This paper reviews the progress made in the development of dust-assessing instruments, particularly the gravimetric types designed to meet British and U.S. dust criteria , and discusses the limitations in their use for this purpose."

Jan 1, 1981

By M. Lundström

The Outotec HydroCopper® process is a novel technology, developed and registered by Outotec Technology Oy, for leaching copper from chalcopyrite using cupric chloride solution. The leaching process is operated at atmospheric pressure in a stirred tank reactor, at temperatures near the boiling point of water and pH values between 1.5 and 2.5. During the leaching of chalcopyrite in cupric chloride solution, a reaction product layer forms on the mineral surface. In the present work, the formation and the composition of the reaction product layer was studied in an environment similar to that of the HydroCopper® process. The effect of the process parameters on the reaction product layer was investigated. Electrochemical measurements, including A.C. impedance spectroscopy and microscopic observations were carried out and an equivalent circuit was used to determine the surface parameters, such as the reaction product layer capacitance and the charge transfer resistance. The results suggest that, at low pH, a passivating sulfur-rich layer forms, whereas at high pH, a more porous iron-rich layer was detected. The values measured can give useful information for optimising the leaching parameters of the HydroCopper® process. Cu2007

Jan 1, 2007

By K. Kryst, K. Elkayar

The increasing need to process lower grade contaminated copper concentrates and simultaneously produce higher purity copper cathodes necessitates a more diligent control in the electrorefining process. Ion exchange processes can be a powerful tool in controlling electrolyte impurities to ensure trouble free operation within the tankhouse and to help maintain cathode purity. In addition, some impurities can be recovered as a value added product. The use of a short bed ion exchange process provides a unique opportunity for impurity management in copper refineries. Several metals are discussed in this paper, including Sb, Bi, As and Ni and their methods of control and recovery within the copper electrolyte circuit. INTRODUCTION To produce a high purity copper product by electro-refining a copper electrolyte, it is important to control the concentration of impurities such as arsenic (As), bismuth (Bi), antimony (Sb), and nickel (Ni). These impurities are introduced into the electrolyte from the copper anode and can affect the copper product and the production operation. The presence of As in the copper product results in a lower electric conductivity and reduced workability of the copper. High levels of Bi in the electrolyte will result in a copper cathode product containing Bi. High Sb concentration will cause undesired floating slimes. A variety of methods have been developed to control the level of these impurities in the copper electrolyte including precipitation, liquid extraction, and ion exchange. These impurities can be recovered and used. This paper discusses novel methods that utilize short bed ion exchange technology to control these impurities. Also, the use of ion exchange to recover acid from the liberator cells bleed for reuse in the tankhouse is reviewed. SHORT BED ION EXCHANGE Short bed ion exchange technology has been employed extensively in the metal finishing industries for over forty years. Unlike conventional ion exchange, short beds are fixed beds without freeboard space. The application of short bed technology results in significant benefits when compared to conventional ion exchange. The resin used in this technology has a significantly smaller diameter than conventional ion exchange resin. As a result of the smaller resin size, exchange kinetics improves dramatically. This facilitates operation at higher flow rates and the use of smaller beds with a small mass transfer zone length. Smaller beds are especially important for applications that use chelating resins due to the high cost of the resin.

Jan 1, 2019

By T. Ward, K. Shah, K. Murray

The mining industry is processing deposits with ever decreasing grade at ever increasing operating costs while margins are under constant pressure by material substitution and recycling. We are reaching the point where building it bigger just isn’t good enough as social and environmental constraints become more intense. In response to the growing demands on our industry, Goldcorp has embarked on a journey to increase resources by converting Waste to Ore. Gravity pre-concentration and sensor sorting testwork has been completed on samples from our Canadian operations in order to determine the amenability of our mineralized waste to sorting and upgrading. As expected some material was amenable to sorting and a review of the economics supported demonstration plant testing. The ability to economically sort mineralized waste into ore and barren rock is being demonstrated by Goldcorp. It has been made possible by leveraging the experience mineral sizer manufacturers have gained in the oil sands and hard rock applications, seeking more energy efficient screening machines and embracing the advancements that ore and recycling sorter suppliers have achieved. The paper will discuss the testwork and results achieved to date from both the lab and demonstration plant.

Jan 1, 2018

By D. T. Aikens, R. Gaudreault

"This paper summarizes structural repairs carried out on a marine wharf consisting of six 13.7 m by 13.7 m reinforced concrete cribs linked together by five 14.6 m long beam spans. As a result of problems during original construction and twenty years exposure to severe weather conditions, the deck support system between the cribs required major restoration work. In particular, some of the beam seats under the crane rail supports had marginal bearing area to support the structural loads. Faced with closure order for the wharf which is required to bring in raw materials to the plant and a long outage to make repairs as stipulated by Ports Canada (owners of the structure) alternate means of making the required repair were examined.The method chosen allowed the work to be done much more quickly, at lower cost, without taking the wharf completely out of service. The badly deteriorated seats were rebuilt using epoxy grout, tapered sole plates and a positioning jig."

Jan 1, 1988

By J. Cayouette, . Blatter, P. Cousin

The Laronde mill was commissioned in 1988 and has been treating the Laronde Perim ore since 2000. The Laronde plant, situated in the Abitibi region of Quebec, has experienced mill expansions to accommodate 7500 mtpd and to recover gold and silver as well as important amounts of base metals (Cu, Zn, Pb). Ten sequential metallurgical and environmental processes are responsible for metals recovery and process viability. Over 200,000 ounces of gold, 4,5 million ounces of silver, 7000 tonnes of copper, and 78,000 tonnes of zinc are produced annually. In 2008, the Goldex plant began trucking high wade (35-45 Wt Au) pyrite sulphide concentrate (TCGO) for gold extraction at a newly constructed treatment plant, increasing gold output at Laronde by 40,000 ounces. In 2009, the high gold wade Lapa ore processing facilities were annexed to the Laronde plant increasing output by 120,000 ounces of gold. TCGO and Lapa productions are forecasted until 2018 and 2015 respectively, with known reserves of each mine. Today, up to 140 permanent employees run and optimise the Laronde plant operation. As a result, Laronde has intricacies intrinsic to a large and varied operation. The paper will outline the metallurgical highlights, challenges, and future outlook related to the treatment of each ore type (Laronde, TCGO, and Lapa)

Jan 1, 2011

By F. J. Hrach, K. P. Flynn, P. J. Miranda

"ST Equipment & Technology, LLC (STET) has developed a processing system based on tribo-electrostatic belt separation that provides the mineral processing industry a means to beneficiate fine materials with an entirely dry technology. In contrast to other electrostatic separation processes that are typically limited to particles greater than 75 µm in size, the triboelectric belt separator is ideally suited for separation of very fine (<1 µm) to moderately coarse (300 µm) particles with very high throughput. The high efficiency multi-stage separation through internal charging/recharging and recycle results in far superior separations that can be achieved with a conventional single-stage free-fall tribo-electrostatic separator. The triboelectric belt separator technology has been used to separate a wide range of materials including mixtures of glassy aluminosilicates/carbon, calcite/quartz, talc/magnesite, and barite/quartz. Separation results are presented for selected industrial mineral sources. An economic comparison of using the tribo-electrostatic belt separation versus conventional flotation for barite / quartz separation illustrates the advantages of dry processing for minerals.INTRODUCTIONThe lack of access to fresh water is becoming a major factor affecting the feasibility of mining projects around the world. According to Hubert Fleming, former global director for Hatch Water, “Of all the mining projects in the world that have either been stopped or slowed down over the past year, it has been, in almost 100% of the cases, a result of water, either directly or indirectly” (Blin et al., 2013). Dry mineral processing methods offer a solution to this looming problem."

Jan 1, 2016