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By Mike O'Drisooll

There is no doubt, if any existed, that the commercial minerals world has now moved into a new era of unprecedented challenges in the sourcing, mining, processing, trade and use of industrial minerals. Industrial (nonmetallic) minerals remain the often unsung workhorse of mineral commodities and specialist raw materials that frankly keep the world’s manufacturing industries ticking over, and everyday products we use in sound availability. They are also very much present among the so-called “critical minerals” necessary to advance cutting-edge developments in growing high-tech markets such as in energy transition: for example, lithium, rare earths, graphite and fluorspar. Indeed, in the United States during 2024, industrial minerals again accounted for the majority share of total sourcing, and, yes, geopolitics. The last few years have witnessed a series of geopolitical issues that have impacted and continue to impact international trade in industrial minerals. Above all, it has been the threat and implementation of recent trade tariffs between countries that have been most damaging in creating a potential trade war. mine production by value at $72.1 billion, or 54 percent, followed by metals, 25 percent, and coal, 21 percent, according to the latest data from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). But right now, “industry resilience” seems to be the rallying call, with industrial mineral producers and traders facing straitened times from market slowdowns; environmental regulations; decarbonization and other sustainability issues; pressure to diversify; and near-shore mineral sourcing, and, yes, geopolitics. The last few years have witnessed a series of geopolitical issues that have impacted and continue to impact international trade in industrial minerals. Above all, it has been the threat and implementation of recent trade tariffs between countries that have been most damaging in creating a potential trade war.

Jul 1, 2025

By P B. Schwann

The commonly accepted genetic theories of Pilbara iron ores and Woodie Woodie manganese ores have often presented them as quite unique. This apparent uniqueness is not confined to just iron and manganese, but is also seen in gold and copper deposits in Western Australia. The published material on iron and manganese ores would seem to have either a quite complicated genesis or none at all. An alternate theory for the origin of these deposits is presented which involves a protore with simple oxidation and pH controls with hydrothermal fluid sources from the diagenesis and dewatering of the underlying strata. This theory explains the distribution, thinning, cold dolerites and very high concentrations of deleterious minerals observed in these deposits. This genesis system is also related to the systems that deposit hydrothermal gold and copper in sediments in the region.This paper presents the author’s observations, sampling and mapping after several decades studying and exploring for the minerals in Australia and locations overseas. All of these theories were developed with (or in spite of!) the guidance of Mal Kneeshaw, but would never have seen the light of day without him and the others presenting here. It is not what I would call scientifically polished, and possibly deserves more detailed studies; it is, however, presented as a discussion paper.CITATION:Schwann, P B, 2015. Related genesis for iron, manganese and gold-copper ores in Western Australia, in Proceedings Iron Ore 2015, pp 327–336 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Jul 13, 2015

By Charles V. Jude

This U.S. Bureau of Mines report presents a review and evaluation of existing and new backfilling materials and methods for their applicability to the problem of gate road stress reduction in deep retreat longwall coal mines. Candidate backfill materials include pulverized coal combustion fly ash, flue gas desulfurization, and fluidized bed combustion by-products from coal-fired electric power generation plants. Properties of both backfill and its component materials are presented, with particular emphasis on the unconfined compressive strength and elastic modulus of backfill mixtures. Hydraulic mix designs discussed in this report include high-water content slurry and low-water content paste fills. Three gate road stress-transfer-modification concepts are proposed to reduce abutment stresses in gate road systems. The first concept, packwalling, involves packwall construction behind the headgate shield inby the face and adjacent to the headgate pillars. The second concept, gob-filling, involves infilling a strip of gob inset from and parallel to the headgate using paste injection methods patterned after a technology recently developed in Europe. In the third concept, entry-filling, slurry fill methods are used to fill abandoned gate roads and crosscut entries inby the face.

Jan 1, 1995

By James A. Finch, Stéphanie Gélinas

"A colorimetric technique, originally developed for methyl iso butyl carbinol (MIBC) based on the Komarowsky reaction, has been extended to a wide range of common mineral flotation frothers. The procedure, which is briefly described, is shown suited to on-site determination in a series of industrial campaigns. Some frother observations are described, including: concentration evolution down a bank, distribution between pulp and froth phases, and a mass balance around a circuit. Minute amounts of frother in recycle water were also measured.The contribution of frother and alcohol by-products in the analysis was generally additive for plants using aliphatic alcohol type frothers and decoupled for systems using glycols. Typically, U250C (polyglycol) was used at higher concentration (>10 ppm) than MIBC (aliphatic alcohol) (<10 ppm) or F-150 (polyglycol) (<3ppm).The ability to monitor frother easily will help interpret gas dispersion behaviour and should permit further optimization of flotation cell hydrodynamics and chemistry. The capability to directly measure should help optimize the type, amount and location of frother addition, and to assess frother recycled with reclaim process water.INTRODUCTIONOwing to the lack of analytical methods, the task of determining frother concentration in plant flotation circuits is not routinely performed. Industrial sites seldom outsource analyses that are both costly and inconvenient, due to the necessity of shipping freeze-dried samples to remote testing facilities. A more direct colorimetric method has recently been demonstrated for the laboratory characterization of common industrial frothers (Gélinas and Finch, 2004). The approach, based on the Komarowsky reaction (Penniman et al., 1936; Coles et al., 1942; Duke, 1947), was previously described by Parkhomovski et al. (1976) for methyl iso butyl carbinol (MIBC). The reaction involves the interaction of the OH group of a higher alcohol, concentrated sulphuric acid, and salicylaldehyde, to yield coloured solutions with intensities that can be analyzed by UV-visible spectrophotometry."

Jan 1, 2007

By Javier Illanes, Felipe Moroni

In recent years, implementation of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning model technology has gained ground in almost every aspect of human activities. The mining industry has not been foreign to these applications, with advantages including the creation of new optimization methods and the elimination of repetitive tasks. Those applications have been implemented in multiple operative areas, from preventive conveyor belt maintenance to energy optimization for minimizing environmental impact. The blasting process aims to use the energy liberated by the detonation of explosives to break the rock mass according to specifications that facilitate the comminution process. To optimize this process, the energy delivered must correspond to the necessary amount to exceed the tensional and compressional resistance of the rock mass. If the energy applied is insufficient, the rock will not reach the desired fragmentation level and the processing plant may incur additional costs. On the other hand, if the energy level required is exceeded, we incur increased blasting costs that correspond to excess explosive used. Optimization of this aspect of the mining process has major impact in the processing chain reflected in lower costs, efficient resources consumption and environmental impact. The Design for Outcome technology (DfO), developed by Orica, is used to characterize the rock mass in detail to classify, borehole by borehole, the rock mass relative hardness to deliver the adequate energy level to achieve optimal fragmentation. This technology uses information collected by drill sensors, producing data typically referred to as Measure While Drilling (MWD) data to classify the rock mass into domains that can later be used to apply optimal blast designs. In DfO, the data flow is fully automated, starting with the data produced by the drilling system and uploaded to the cloud, which is then domained using Machine Learning (ML) techniques, and then published for consumption using a web interface. Automated explosives loading rules are then generated for each rock mass domain, ensuring that for each borehole, the adequate explosive energy is delivered to achieve the desired fragmentation results with unprecedented accuracy. The application of machine learning techniques allows us to optimize the blasting process results by leveraging a deeper understanding of the rock mass. Applying these optimization techniques, we obtain considerable economic benefits, decrease resources consumption, and achieve a more sustainable mining operation. The application of DfO in a Chilean mining operation allowed the characterization of their rock mass into four domains and established specific explosive loading rules for each one. A 60kUSD reduction in explosives cost was achieved during the test period, while maintaining the desired fragmentation results and expected dig rate. These outcomes were the result of a comparison between the blasting costs used applying the technology mentioned above and a “traditional” classification of the rock mass with the corresponding blasting practices.

Jan 21, 2025

By Schumacher, Earle E.

THE solidus line above the solid solution field in the lead-antimony system was originally determined by Dean and his associates1 from heating curves. They did not regard this line as having been accurately fixed and in their more recent publications2 the curves drawn do not follow closely the original data. The precise location of the solidus line is of importance in the extrusion of lead-antimony cable sheath, as the temperature of the metal in this process must be less than the lowest temperature at which any part of the alloy in the lead-press charge becomes liquid. It is very desirable, however, to operate at as high a temperature as possible, as the rate of extrusion for a given pressure is approximately doubled for an increase of 10" C. in temperature. The precise location of this line is also important in the investigation of ternary systems of lead, antimony and a third metal. For these reasons, and because of the differences reported in the literature, data were secured on the lead-antimony solidus line by the classical quenching-test procedure.

Jan 1, 1927

By N Murthy

Alumina is a major impurity in Australian iron ores and as the higher grade ores become depleted there will be a stronger focus on treating lower grade haematite/goethite ores and developing suitable beneficiation techniques to reduce the alumina content. High alumina in iron ore is deleterious in that it can:• produce slags with lower desulfurising capacity,• reduce sinter/pellet strength and quality, and• produce higher slag volume and increase slag viscosity.Meeting iron ore quality specifications for alumina by blending ore from different sources will eventually be insufficient. Hence, innovative flow sheets based on new and commercially available technologies will be required. Their advantages and disadvantages, the testing methodologies and the challenges and diffi culties involved in reducing the alumina content of iron ores are presented and discussed.

Jul 11, 2011

Minerals are vital to any industrialized civilization. Annually, the United States uses more than 4 billion tons of new mineral materials, or about 40,000 pounds per person-about half being mineral fuels and the other half metals and nonmetallics. Stable and economic domestic mining, mineral, metal, and mineral reclamation industries are essential to the economy. The value of United States energy and processed materials of mineral origin exceeds $200 billion annually. Although a number of minerals are imported, especially some designated as "strategic and critical," most U.S. mineral supplies are derived from the domestic mines and processing facilities that you will be seeing, reading about, and visiting as you use this visitor guide. We hope you enjoy your experiences. This pamphlet, a guide to mining and mineral operations that may be observed or visited and some other points of interest relating to minerals, is intended to aid tourists and students who are interested in mining. Some may wish to study our Nation&apos;s romantic past; others may plan to enter the minerals industry as a career; still others may have a primary interest in conservation practices. The pamphlet is also intended to aid State and local officials, Chambers of Commerce, and mining firms in answering some of the many questions of tourists and students.

Jan 1, 1977

By A. Landsberg

Kaolinitic clays are potentially a vast domestic resource for aluminum. Utilization of this resource could decrease or eliminate the nearly complete dependence of the United States on foreign raw materials for this important metal. Furthermore, processing of clay to aluminum through anhydrous chloride metallurgy could reduce the high electrical energy requirements of the conventional Hall-Heroult aluminum reduction process. Several anhydrous chloride processes have been proposed; however, unresolved technical problems have prevented their commercialization. In particular, an acceptable chemical means has not been found to extract aluminum from clay as a highly pure anhydrous aluminum chloride. This Bureau of Mines report identifies and discusses the important chemical problems involved in achieving an acceptably rapid, self-heating, selective chlorination reaction and the subsequent separation of iron chloride byproduct from the anhydrous aluminum chloride.

Jan 1, 1983

By A. B. Hooker

A list of permissible mine equipment approved by the Bureau of Mines prior to January 1, 1940, was published as Information Circular 7207.3 Three supplements published as I. C. 7240,4 I. c. 7283,2/ and I. C. 73166/ completed the list of equipment available to January 1, 1945. The present list is a revision of the previous lists, together with the additional equip- ment approved from January 1, 1945, to January 1, 1947. In preparing this list, certain items have been omitted, either because the manufacturer is no longer in business or manufacture was discontinued several years ago. However, some discontinued equipments that are still in service and for which repair parts are available are marked with an asterisk to indicate their limited status. The remaining obsolete equipments are listed in tabular form in Appendix 1. Appendix 2 lists seven satisfactory fuels available for use in permissi- ble flame safety lamps and shows where the fuels are available. The equipments listed were approved only when inspection and tests showed that they met the minimum standards of safety as outlined in "schedules" based upon laboratory tests as well as on performance underground. This circular is published so that users and potential users may be in- formed of the many types of permissible equipment available for reducing hazards incidental to coal mining and as an aid in identifying the equipments.

Dec 1, 1947

By P. Valicek

Anglo American Platinum Limited is constantly striving to improve safety and productivity. There are many different initiatives taking place within the organization in order to ensure continued safe operation and profitable ounces for the future. One of the opportunities and potential growth areas that has been identified and is being explored is that of mechanization. In order to do this, the approach that has been adopted by Anglo American Platinum is to fully understand and analyse the current mechanized mining methods. Once each configuration is fully understood, the method can then be optimized and new mining technologies and systems can be developed to overcome the current shortfalls. This paper will discuss a methodology that was developed by Anglo American Platinum (in conjunction with Cyest Corporation) and adopted to optimize the mechanized mining layout and fleet configuration, and will also present the final findings of the study. Due to the impracticability of piloting every possible option in the workplace, extensive modelling and simulation exercises were conducted to determine realistic parameters for productivity and value. The study resulted in a full understanding of mechanized mining systems and their associated layout. From the results of the study a mining / logistic layout was developed which highlighted the following opportunities: 1. Create safe operations through the reduction of personnel in the ?high-risk zone? of stopes 2. Separate machines and personnel by use of remotely operated machines 3. Create focused mining on primary development from the production stoping, thus having dedicated teams on development and stoping. 4. Develop primary development ahead of the stoping activity. This enables: a) Understanding of the geology and subsequent implementation of the correct b) technology (?fit-for-purpose?) required to mine that area based upon this geological knowledge c) Ability to install tipping points ahead of stoping, creating ?immediate stoping reserves?, thus increasing flexibility and reducing production risk d) Improved productivity by having adequate faces available and reduction in re-development to establish faces. 5. Quicker return on Investment due to recovering revenue from ?on-reef development? 6. The layout allows flexibility between stope sections enabling better ?resource sharing? 7. Optimize the long-term ratio of machine makeup of the fleet in relation to the production outputs 8. Creates an agile mining layout allowing rapid response to market pressures. The findings and work presented in this paper is currently being implemented at different test sites within Anglo American Platinum and will demonstrate that improved safety and productivity can be achieved through the adoption of mechanization.

Jan 1, 2012

By Oliver B. Hopkins

"WE HAVE patterned our lives on the things we take from under the earth's surface. Our civilization is built upon the ore from which we obtain our metals and the fuels which power the world as we know it.Today I should like to discuss with you a newcomer to the ancient mining industry. This lusty infant of which I speak is just a century old - the oil industry.While one doesn't commonly think of oil men as delvers in the earth, It was by sinking a shaft that the first oil was obtained commercially in Canada. Men sank a shaft in a ‘gum bed' in southwestern Ontario's Lambton county, not far from Petroilia, and distilled from the gum a burning oil That was just a hundred years ago. The gum was originally liquid petroleum which had seeped to the surface and lost most of its volatile components.Later, the miners dug down to •bed-rock and soon after they were not digging but were drilling wells, as they have been ever since. From the wells they obtained erode oil.What is crude oil? It is not an element like gold, silver or lead, •but a complex mixture of compounds. These compounds are made basically from two elements, carbon and hydrogen, and are called hydrocarbons (Figure 1).The remarkable ability of these. Two elements to combine in different ways gives crude oil its physical and chemical character. The lighter hydrocarbon compounds in it are gases, at normal temperature and pressure, and these are dissolved in the other, heavier compounds."

Jan 1, 1952

By S. Pule, Z. Ndabezimbi, A. Hefer, E. Cupido

This article outlines various projects implemented at Rand Refinery to reduce effluent generation and freshwater consumption. The refinery generates about 2800 m³ of effluent annually and has initiated projects such as granulation water recycle and silver leach optimisation to address these issues. The granulation water recycle project has successfully reduced effluent volumes, while the silver leach optimisation has further decreased effluent by implementing stoichiometric addition of HCl and NaClO3. The vibratory shear enhanced processing (VSEP) trial showed promising results for gold recovery from wastewater, though further trials are recommended. The water savings of the effluent reduction projects are monitored by measuring the amount of effluent pumped to service yard effluent storage facilities with the use of flow meters connected on SCADA. Since the effluent reduction initiative of granulation effluent recycle in FY23, the effluent reduced to 2676 m³. In FY24, the stoichiometric addition of HCl and NaClO3 was implemented in the silver leach process, further reducing the effluent to 2083 m³.

Mar 5, 2025

By Russel Delmar, Rick Everdell, Harry Charalambu, John Tait

Award of the Design/Build Agreement for construction of Ontario Power Generation’s (OPG’s) Niagara Tunnel Project was made after an intensive 8-month international procurement process. The 14.4-m diameter × 10.4-km long rock tunnel will divert 500 m3/s of water from the Niagara River to the Sir Adam Beck hydroelectric generating complex. The procurement process and Design/Build Agreement included features to address the owner’s requirements regarding risk allocation and cost and schedule certainty, while encouraging innovative ideas from the industry, both technically and commercially. The process included an international expression of interest and prequalification, followed by an invitation for design/build proposals to qualified proponents, and comprehensive proposal evaluations and negotiations with several respondent proponents. An honorarium was provided to the unsuccessful participants in the proposal stage. The resultant negotiated Design/Build Agreement includes Owner’s Mandatory Requirements, negotiated contract terms and conditions, performanceincentive bonuses and liquidated damages for schedule and water delivery performance, a multistaged Geotechnical Baseline Report, joint risk management, references to preexisting community impact agreements and measures to reduce impact on tourism. It also addresses regulatory approvals and permits, an owner controlled insurance policy that required reference to the International Tunneling Insurance Group (ITIG) Code of Practice for Risk Management as a condition of coverage, site specific safety, security and environmental plans, formal team building, a dispute review board, and escrow documentation.

Jan 1, 2007

More gold is being produced now than ever before in recorded history. All over the world huge quantities of ore are being mined and processed, thanks to historically high prices for gold and the use of processing techniques demonstrated as cost efficient in the last 20 years. Over the past 10-15 years prices for many other metals have been depressed, and gold has accounted for a significant proportion of worldwide exploration and development expenditures(l)1. The revenues generated from gold mining are providing greater return on investment, more jobs, and more tax revenues to national governments than ever before. Emerging nations are using the gold industry as a springboard for development; developed nations are continuing to fuel their economies with gold industry revenues; and China and countries of the former Soviet Union are using the gold industry to generate foreign exchange, modernize their mining industries, and take the first tentative steps toward private sector participation in their economies.

Jan 1, 1994

By A. T. Jakubick, A. MacG. Robertson

This paper reviews key issues related to the placement of dry (soil) covers on extremely weak, compressible fine tailings. The design and construction of soil covers on such tailings often presents a formidable challenge to the geotechnical as well as the environmental engineer due to the low shear strength, poor traffic ability, and high settlement of under consolidated tailings at the time of reclamation. The geotechnical issues to be considered include: (1) consolidation of near-surface tailings to achieve strength gains, improve traffic ability, and allow safe placement of initial cover layer; (2) stability of tailings slopes during dewatering of tailings ponds and/or cover placement; and (3) long-term settlement of tailings and its impact on cover integrity and final surface shaping. The environmental issues to be considered include: (1) management of contaminated (free) pond water; (2) management of contaminated pore water expelled during tailings consolidation; and (3) management of (uncontaminated) surface water on top of the cover. This paper summarizes recent experiences gained in a large uranium tailings reclamation project. It is concluded that a careful consideration of both geotechnical and environmental issues during the planning stages greatly reduces the costs and environmental risks associated with fine tailings reclamation.

Jan 1, 2000

By Klaus L. Cappel

In 1972, the Bureau of Mines of the U. S. Department of the Interior commissioned the development and design of a Simulator for research and testing of mine roof supports used in long-wall mining. The purpose of the Simulator is to reproduce forces and displacements of a section of a mine roof in contact with one or more supports. This report is an account of the design process that resulted in the final configuration of the Simulator presented here. It includes discussions of engineering considerations that led to major changes in important details of the Simulator. These changes, however, did not substantially alter the basic design originally proposed, except for the elimination of certain originally-specified features that were adjudged as insufficiently cost-effective by both the Bureau of Mines and the design agent at an intermediate stage of the design.

Jan 1, 1974

By J L. Mauk

The Martha epithermal Au-Ag deposit contains multiple generations of quartz veins with a range of textures. We examined: +&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; vein textures, +&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; crosscutting vein relationships, and +&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; the paragenetic sequence within the pit walls as well as a wide range of hand specimens. Samples include host rock, breccia, and veins, but these groups are not distinct; instead, they form a continuum. &nbsp; Veins at Martha mine show a wide range of textures on a local scale; these textures also change significantly over both the lateral and vertical extent of the pit. Common textures include crustiform bands, comb quartz, colloform bands, platy quartz, massive quartz, drusy quartz, sedimentary textures and brecciation. &nbsp; Vein grades relate to textures. Many textures, including crustiform, platy, cherty, and sedimentary textures display predominantly low grades, but some textures are linked with high grades, such as ginguro, massive and comb quartz where they are associated with visible base metal sulphides and/or electrum. Host rocks and most breccias are low grade, as most samples contain &lt;2 ppm Au.

Jan 1, 2006

By J Shandro

This paper stems from recent multidisciplinary research between mining engineering and health researchers at the University of British Columbia and the University of Victoria, Canada. It considers the implications of a future state of sustainable mining development that places more emphasis on consideration of mine community health and sustainability within the definition of mine planning best practice. It reviews recently completed research studies on mining and other resource communities in British Columbia, Canada and a process undertaken by the research team to share research findings. It then examines the outcomes of this knowledge sharing process placing emphasis on the development of a more collaborative and enhanced mine planning process that integrates community- level indicators of health and sustainability to more effectively address mine impact-benefits. The paper concludes by discussing current initiatives that aim to benefit the mining industry, communities, and governments as they plan future mineral development projects.

Nov 22, 2011

By N. Melnyk, H W. Habgood

The conventional low temperature process for extracting' helium from natural gas involves liquefying the whole gas stream in order to remove the relatively small fraction of helium. A process based on the selective diffusion of helium through a semi-permeable barrier is, in principle, more economical and flexible, particularly for the treatment of small re-serves and low concentrations. The well-known permeability of glass to helium offers the possibility of such a diffusion process and McAfee of the Bell telephone Laboratories showed in 1958 that practical separations could be achieved by passing natural gas over bundles of fine capillary glass tubing. Developmental studies have been carried out involving larger units and more extended field tests than those of McAfee. Fine capillary tubing of Pyrex glass 0.0035 in. diameter was prepared by drawing ordinary 6 mm. laboratory tubing in a furnace. Extraction units were pre-pared containing about 10,000 such tubes, 4 ft. long and cemented inside

Jan 1, 1961