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Water quality standards for some of the substances likely to be discharged to natural waters by the mining industry are discussed. After briefly examining how uses of water can be affected by discharges, standards for suspended solids and turbidity, pH, and toxic materials are considered. Heavy metals are examined in some detail because of recent public concern regarding their discharge. Caution is given in connection with their analysis at the very low concentrations required for management of natural waters. Finally, the issues of what constitutes a water right concentration compliance breach, and the appropriateness of biological monitoring as a condition on a water right are raised.

Jan 1, 1986

Study on the Effects and Mechanics of Na2SO3 to Chalcopyrite and Galena

Sep 13, 2010

Upgrading of a Flow Sheet Selection PC Algorithm for Refractory Concentrates Treatment

Sep 13, 2010

When Haematite Explorations Pty. Ltd. began prospecting for petroleum in 1960, there was only ill-defined geological evidence on the land bordering Bass Strait to support the belief that petroleum lay trapped in sedimentary formations beneath its shallow waters.A reconnaissance of the area, made in 1961 by the airborne magnetometer method, covered the waters and islands of the Strait and overlapped the Victorian and Tasmanian coasts. The survey indicated the presence of the Bass Basin (which is completely water-covered), assisted in outlining the Otway and Gippsland Basins, and showed that each basin contains sedimentary rocks over 10,000 ft thick. Information on the regional geology and minor volcanic activity was also obtained.Marine seismic surveys carried out from 1962 to 1965 defined these basins more accurately and showed the nature and structure of the thick sedimentary sections.Correlation of the seismic data with onshore wells identified the sediments as Tertiary and Mesozoic. Subdivisions of the former in all basins and the latter in the Otway Basin were made. These Tertiary and Mesozoic rocks are not seriously deformed and they have good prospects of containing petroleum.Possible structural and stratigraphic traps, recognized from the seismic record sections by petroleum geologists, are being tested by offshore drilling which began in 1964.

Jan 1, 1966

Standard petrographic profiles for many Permian seams from New South Wales and Queensland have been drawn up. The standard profiles of seams of the same age and from one or more coalfields were used to compile an idealized or type seam sequence for those coals in which more than half the seam profiles were similar to one another. A marked similarity existed between at least 7 of the 10 type seam sequences formed.The configurations of the vitrite-plus-clarite contents of the plies of 95 per cent of the seams could be formed from different arrangements of 3 basic sequences. These were...

Jan 1, 1970

Solid. dense, air-cooled slag can fulfil most, if not all, the functions of natural stone for civil engineering purposes. The value of pumice, also, has long been appreciated, and processes for the manufacture of similar synthetic material for light-weight concretes and insulating fills have been developed in past years.Foamed slag is, in effect, blast furnace pumice and is often referred to on the European continent as metallurgical pumice. It is made by the treatment of molten blast furnace slags with a critical quantity of water during which process the slag cools and expands into a sponge-like mass. The connection between foamed slag and air-cooled slag is also considered and a basis for density control given.All blast furnace slag cannot be foamed to give a product which would comply with B.S.S.877; 1939 Foamed Blast Furnace Slag. A large proportion of the total output of molten slag lacks the necessary inherent properties. This investigation attempts to discover the conditions necessary for the production of foamed slag capable of meeting the British specification.EARLIER WORKIt was generally accepted (Parker, 1951; Gallai-Hatchard, 1955) that the spongy structure of foamed slag was caused mechanically by steam trapped in the slag when it was poured into water. It was assumed that slags which would not foam would not trap steam, because their viscosities and surface tensions were unsatisfactory, on account of temperature and/or composition. The earliest systematic investigation was made by Frisak (1923) who attempted to establish a limiting chemical composition for foamable slags. He decided that foamable slags covered most blast furnace slag compositions on the basis of silica, alumina, and lime, and further "that the replacement of lime by magnesia up to 15 per cent has no noteworthy effect on foamability, that moderate quantities of alkalis are not deleterious, that sulphur raises the foamability and that MnO is only deleterious in the presence of 1...

Jan 1, 1963

Precision surface mining is increasingly occupying a significant role in open pit mining. Improvements in technology now allow continuous surface mining of material well above 140 MPa (20 300 psi) efficiently and cost effectively when compared to drilling and blasting/primary crushing methods. These include the elimination of the use explosives and primary crushing, the ability to precisely extract the ore from the waste, or separate ores of varying chemistry and mine thin seams and non-homogenous orebodies cost effectively. In addition, precision surface mining extends the useful life of a mine by extending the mine boundaries. It can expand production capacity in existing mines and is particularly cost effective in greenfield start-up mines. Precision mining techniques result in higher percentage recoveries. This paper reviews several of these techniques for the Terrain Leveler« surface excavation machine (SEM), and shows their impact. Vermeer's current approach to precision surface mining is utilisation of the T1255 Terrain Leveler SEM. Several units have been proven in round-the-clock, seven day operations throughout the world. Among other innovations are design simplicity, stability, maneuverability, rear-mounted tilting drum and top-down cutting. The impact of these items are discussed in more detail in the paper. After a detailed analysis of the importance of machine availability on overall mine performance, Vermeer has extended its equipment line to include a direct-drive option for its T1255 Terrain Leveler SEM. In addition, improvements in dust suppression are presented. While the T1255 Terrain Leveler SEM is of optimum size and cost in small and medium sized mines, Vermeer has recognised that larger mines require larger machines with increased capacities. Vermeer will prototype the T1655 Terrain Leveler SEM later this year. Specifications of this machine and up-to-date preliminary results are presented. A discussion of the role of each machine size and driving mechanisms are included. Finally, the next stage in Vermeer's providing solutions to the surface mining community will be described - a continuous loader. The impact on current mine planning is presented using a detailed computer program developed for studying the impact of loading techniques and higher production rates on mine plan optimisation.

Dec 6, 2010

High Pressure Grinding Rolls Scale-Up and Experiences

Sep 13, 2010

The Canada Centre for Remote Sensing (CCRS) has developed an airborne sensor, the SWIR Full Spectrum Imager (SFSI) which detects in the short wave infrared range of the solar spectrum from 1220 to 2420 nm. In June of 1995, a demonstration flight was undertaken in the state of Nevada with the support of the companies listed above. The focus of the flight was to collect image data over well known mineral deposits with the objective of evaluating the applicability of this sensor to alteration mineral mapping. Some of the Nevada sites chosen include Cuprite and Goldfield, volcanic hosted acid sulfate systems; Yerington, a structurally complex porphyry copper deposit; and Virginia City, a quartz-sericite-pyrite vein system with advanced argillic pods. Ground spectral data was collected with the PIMA-II spectrometer. Solar reflectance calibration was done by Desert Research Institute personnel at Virginia City and Cuprite. This paper will discuss the configuration of the sensor and present image and ground data for Goldfield and Virginia City.

Jan 1, 1995

Energy Dissipation in Long-Distance Slurry Pipelines

Sep 13, 2010

In general, the metallurgical industry has so far been slower than the chemical industry to adopt ion exchange materials for industrial processes. The atomic energy industry presents a marked exception to this general situation, and the literature shows a rapidly increasing use of ion exchange techniques for the recovery of atomic energy metals on scales ranging from the ultra micro up to that of the largest mining operations. In many cases, the processes used would be equally applicable to more common metals and it is hoped that this review will be of interest to metallurgists outside the specialised atomic energy field. The review is intended to describe developments of ion exchange processes made during the last three years. Earlier studies have been summarised by Kunin and Preuss (1956) and Roland (1957). In order to restrict the number of references discussed, purely analytical procedures have been omitted and only those processes which have been conducted on a reasonably large scale or which, from their nature, areclearly capable of being upscaled, have been considered. The paper is divided into five main sections concerning respectively:Water treatment and effluent disposal.Metal recovery and purification.New ion exchange materials.New ion exchange equipment.Membrane cells.WATER TREATMENT AND EFFLUENT DISPOSALA high proportion of atomic reactors, and particularly those of American design, are cooled by water which is...

Jan 1, 1961

By Turner WG, Short RR

Obviously, the paramount advantages of contract mining have been recognised by mine developers throughout Australia, as evidenced by surface gold mining operations of significant output almost exclusively being performed under contract. These paramount advantages of using an experienced professionally managed contractor result from the mine developer being freed from financing the required relatively large capital expenditure at current relatively high interest rates or in a capital scarce stock market, and from the need to recruit and sustain a large operating work force in a competitive labour market.

Jan 1, 1990

In addressing the need for non-degree tertiary training, let us examine some recent reviews of engineering and geoscience education. The Finniston Report (1) criticised the formation of engineers in the UK and stated that this was largely due to the narrow British conception of engineering as a branch of applied science which militates against an effective marriage between theory and application. It also criticised the system for not giving students sufficient grounding in the synthesis of technical, human and financial considerations within their undergraduate courses. As we all know, this report has led to the restructuring of engineering education in the UK. More recently, a Review of the Discipline of Engineering was carried out in Australia by a committee chaired by Professor Sir Bruce Williams (2). The report stated that: Australia has a fairly good system of engineering education that should be made better. more should be done to develop the communication skills of both staff and students. more attention should be paid to changes in engineering practice and the human element in technology. there is a serious shortage of state of the art equipment in most engineering schools. female enrolments in engineering courses should be increased from the current level of about 7% to 20% by 1997. employers should develop a better understanding of the need for continuing education. staff in engineering schools should develop closer relations with employers of engineers. higher education institutions with engineering schools should give financial and other inducements to staff to increase the proportion of study leave or professional development leave spent working as engineers in the business sector. there is considerable room for improvements in the teaching process and in the development of evaluation schemes for assessing the teaching contributions of staff. In its recent report to the Council of the Institution of Engineers, Australia, the Task Force on Engineering Education(3) makes the following points: managerial, entrepreneurial, professional and interpersonal skills should be introduced and integrated into the undergraduate courses but studied in depth as part of continuing education. the continuing education policy of the Institution should be promoted and strengthened with all engineers required to pursue continuing education. the Institution should develop a comprehensive guide to continuing education available from universities, colleges and other public and private sector organisations.

Jan 1, 1989

A predicted increase in aluminium production and the possibility of a diminishing supply of petroleum coke for anode electrodes in alumina reduction cells makes it desirable to find alternative electrode materials. Browncoal char, with a lower ash content and with an elemental purity similar to petroleum coke, was produced by leaching in hydrochloric acid, washing with water, and charring at 1,150°C. The cost of processing is estimated tobe competitive with petroleum coke.Without further processing the bulk density and real density were undesirably low, but by briquetting the coal before charring and crushing, the bulk density was improved to 92 per cent of the petroleum coke value andthe particle density was improved to 92 per cent of the density of petroleum coke by water displacement or 75 per cent by mercury displacement.Pre-baked electrodes were prepared from the char alone, mixtures of petroleum coke and char, and from petroleum coke alone, all bonded with coal tar pitch.The electrodes were tested for the usual physical properties and were evaluated for performance in a laboratory size alumina reduction cell.Electrodes based on brown coal char alone were found to be inferior in physical properties and performance, but mixtures of the char and petroleum coke, despite poorer density, electrical resistivity, and carbon consumptionon a theoretical basis, in performance tests gave up to 17 per cent better carbon consumption per weight of aluminium produced and 21 per cent better electrical current efficiency than the electrodes based on petroleum,coke alone.It is suggested that larger scale tests are warranted.

Jan 1, 1971

By P N. Holtham

As part of a long-term study of titanium minerals processing being undertaken by the Julius Kruttschnitt Mineral Research Centre (JKMRC), techniques have been developed to measure the electrical properties of the various minerals. The measured values will be used to model the behaviour of the various minerals in high-tension roll and electrostatic plate separators. The resistivities of ilmenite, rutile and zircon from a number of Australian producers have been measured by applying a DC voltage across a test sample and measuring the resulting very small current flow. By appropriate design of the measurement cell and attention to the experimental procedure, reproducible resistivity values have been obtained, ranging from 106Ωm for ilmenite to 1013Ωm for zircon. However, the conditions of measurement are radically different from those under which electrical separation takes place. It is not certain that the measured values reflect the resistivities seen under high-tension separation, during which the particles are subject to a high intensity corona field. Consequently, an alternative technique for measurement of resistivity under conditions of corona bombardment has been developed. It is based on the experimental procedure of Castle and Yelle (1979) used to measure the resistivity of fly ash under the conditions occurring in electrostatic precipitators. This paper describes the development of the segmented ground plane measurement surface and a high-voltage switched resistor network which comprises the in situ resistivity apparatus. Results are presented comparing the measurements made under corona bombardment with those made using the DC measurement cell. The equipment has also been used to study the current distribution from a corona wire, as a function of high-tension voltage and wire-to-plane spacing.

Jan 1, 2001

Spectroelectrochemical Investigation of Hydroxamate Reagents on Copper Oxide Minerals

Sep 13, 2010

Wastewaters from Mining Projects both gold mining and coal mining generally have minerals in solution or very fine material which does not settle out quickly. These waters in the past have been discharged into the nearest water course and caused extensive pollution.

Jan 1, 1986

By Brown A

An experimental evaluation of a selective agglomeration process in which an agglomerated coal rich phase was produced as a result of mixing light oil to various raw coal slurries is described. The beneficiation achieved by this method is compared to that obtained bv conventional froth flotation. The results suggest' that oil agglomeration is a more selective process than froth flotation and is less sensitive to variations in feed pulp density. Selective agglomeration has the additional advantage of producing a low moisture content product. The effect of replacing flotation filter cake with an equivalent amount of selectively agglomerated product in coke-making was studied with the aid of a pilot-scale coke oven. The results suggest that the principal effect of such a measure is to increase the bulk density of the charge.

Jan 1, 1977

Gold was determined directly in eight different mill cyanide solutions, by atomic absorption spectroscopy in an acetylene-air flame. Some of the mill solutions were diluted with water to bring them into the most sensitive absorption region (5-50 p.p.m. Au) whereas those solutions with very low gold content «2 p.p.m.) were concentrated by evaporation.Calcium was complexed with ethylene diamine tetra-acetic acid (EDTA) to avoid the undesirable effect of a precipitate on atomization.When added to standard gold solutions, EDTA had no effect on absorption, nor did any of the impurities common in mill cyanide solutions.Known amounts of gold, ranging from 2 to 30 p.p.m., were added to mill solution'aliquots and recovered to within 100 ± 2·5 per cent. For duplicate determinations under normal worKing conditions, standard deviation was 1·32 p.p.m.Excellent agreement was found between atomic absorption gold values and accurate fire assay values.INTRODUCTIONAtomic absorption spectroscopy has been shown to offer a rapid and accurate method for the determination of trace amounts of a number of metal ions. In the field of primary metallurgy atomic adsorption has been used for routine determinations of lead, copper, silver, zinc, cadmium and iron in a variety of raw materials and intermediate products.The scope of atomic absorption spectroscopy was reviewed recently by Willis (1963).The noble metals silver, gold, platinum, rhodium and palladium were determined by atomic absorption from chloride solutions by Lockyer ·and Hames (1959). In their determination of gold down to 1 p.p.m., they found no interference from the noble metals, nor from considerable excess...

Jan 1, 1964

By Giannini M

Of the optimization techniques proposed in determining the optimum open pit limits, dynamic programming and graph theory have proved most successful. However, publications on these two methods lack a certain amount of rigour and clarity in exposition. Certain ideas in the methods have been clarified and additional features introduced in order to make them more sensitive to practical applications. A case study in the form of an application of these ideas on data from a producing mine is presented and discussed.

Jan 1, 1986