Search Documents

The Mineral Industry of Canada in 1951 Continuance of the remarkable, successive increases in the value -of Canada's mineral production, chief basis of the nation's post-war expansion, was one of the highlights of Canadian development in 1951, when, according to the preliminary estimate is-sued by the Dominion Bureau of Statistics and reported in the BULLETIN for February, 1952, mineral output for the year reached a new high of $1,228 millions. This marked an increase of 17.5 percent over the previous year, which was the first in which the billion dollar mark had been reached, and an increase of 143.7 per cent over 1946, when production was valued at approximately $503 millions. While higher prices for the principal base metals accounted for a large part of the 1951 increase, quantity gains were made by copper, nickel, zinc, asbestos. lead, cement, and strikingly important. by petroleum, the value of which exceeded for the first time that of coal production. Gold was an exception to the general trend, being lower in both quantity and value than in 1950. For the first time nickel .came within $9 millions of surpassing-gold as the leading mineral product. Metals and Fuels The value of all metals, estimated at $733 millions, was 18.7 per cent more than in the previous year. Nickel advanced 11 per cent in volume and 34 per cent in value. Copper was up 2.4 per cent in quantity and 21 per cent in value, zinc rose 6.6 per cent in quantity and 35 per cent in value, and although the volume of lead produced was lower by 8 per cent, its value increased by 17 per cent. The tonnage of iron ore was 31 per cent higher than in 1950.

Jan 1, 1952

By K. Chattopadhyay

Fluid flows in metallurgical reactors play a vital role on liquid metal cleanliness for both ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy. Thus, it is absolutely critical to understand different fluid flow mechanisms, and the use of computational methods to model the complex non-isothermal, turbulent, single- and multiphase-flows, has to be appreciated. The present case study emphasizes on controlling the flow of liquid steel in a tundish and enhancing liquid metal cleanliness. CFD modeling was used to build a robust mathematical model, and effects of flow control furniture and non-isothermal conditions were analyzed. The mathematical model was validated against water model experiments. Parameters that were conducive for inclusion removal were identified and implemented in the plant. Some flow control devices could increase inclusion removal to a great extent compared to the existing configurations. In cases, where a hot ladle was poured into a relatively cooler tundish, inclusion removal was better, whereas results were catastrophic in cases where colder liquid was poured from ladle to the tundish. Similar techniques can be applied for other liquid metals including light metals and non-ferrous metals.

Jan 1, 2015

By D. Yuan, L. Yan, M. J. Collins, P. Kalanchey, I. M. Masters

ABSTRACT Pressure oxidation tests have been conducted by Sherritt for a refractory gold-silver project in China. The feed contained 39 g/t Au and 970 g/t Ag; the major gold-bearing minerals were pyrite and arsenopyrite. Because the feed contained a significant amount of silver, which can be refractory to cyanide leaching after pressure oxidation due to the formation of argentojarosite, the test program included investigation of methods to enhance silver recovery. The “lime boil” process proved successful and was incorporated into the flowsheet. Gold extraction from the lime boil product solids was 95–98%; silver extraction was up to 94%.

Jan 1, 2013

By Stéphane Robert

This document presents estimates of future "total cash cost per ounce" and "minesite cost per tonne" that are not recognized measures under United States generally accepted accounting principles ("US GAAP"). This data may not be comparable to data presented by other gold producers. These future estimates are based upon the total cash costs per ounce and minesite costs per tonne that the Company expects to incur to mine gold at the applicable projects and do not include production costs attributable to accretion expense and other asset retirement costs, which will vary over time as each project is developed and mined. It is therefore not practicable to reconcile these forward-looking non-GAAP financial measures to the most comparable GAAP measure. A reconciliation of the Company's total cash cost per ounce and minesite cost per tonne to the most comparable financial measures calculated and presented in accordance with US GAAP for the Company's historical results of operations is set forth in the notes to the financial statements included in the Company's Annual Information Form and Annual Report on Form 20-F, for the year ended December 31, 2009, as well as the Company's other filings with the Canadian Securities Administrators and the SEC.

May 1, 2011

By R. V. Kumar, F. Tailoka

In order to use ZnO laden dust as a possible desulphurization reagent, it is important to evaluate thermodynamics of the Zn-O-S system. At temperatures greater than 1450 K, there is an uncertainty in the thermodynamic data for the reaction of zinc with sulfur to form Zinc sulfide. In this work, the standard free energy has been determined using an electrochemical cell: Pt, Mo, MoO2/YSZ/ZnO, ZnS, S02, Pt., between 1198 and 1602 K. AG° varies from -145,880 to -88,100 J (± 2500) , with a phase change to ZnS (g) by sublimation occurring between 1450 and 1460 K. This is supported by thermogravimetric analysis which shows about 80% weight loss in ZnS from 1273 to 1473 K. Feasibility reactions were also performed and confirmed that ZnS (g) is formed when ZnO reacts with FeS (1473 to 1653 K) or with Fe-Csat-S(1473-1673 K). There is therefore potential for the utilization of ZnO laden waste as an additional or alternative reagent for desulfurisation.

Jan 1, 2004

By H. D. B. Wilson

"IntroductionRECENT ADVANCES in geo-chemistry and in •our knowledge •of crystal structure provide a key which enables us to create a systematic picture of the genesis of many ore deposits. This genetic scheme may be used with confidence in assessing certain types of orebodies and may be of some aid in actual exploration, since it affords a rational explanation of the dependence of the composition •of the ore minerals on that of the rock type in which they occur with which they -are •associated. For purposes of the present paper, .the elements chosen are •chromium, vanadium, iron, and titanium. The oxides of all these metals occur in deposits of similar or related type, and it is proposed to show that, for each, the composition of the •ore mineral is related to •the composition of the enclosing :rock, and that one of the principal factors controlling the composition of the ore is the ionic size of its constituent elements.Geochemical PrinciplesThe crystals of the rock-forming silicates and of the magmatic oxide minerals are essentially ionic types. This means that they are composed •of oppositely charged ions such as Mg²+ and 0²-, which are held together by electrostatic attraction. The ions of each element are spherical, with characteristic size known as the ionic radius. Crystals are built up by the packing of these spheres in the most stable arrangement compatible with the size and the size and valence of the ions• involved.Many of the principles governing the formation of ionic crystals are •simple ,and logical."

Jan 1, 1953

By B. R. Johnston, K. D. Streeter

"ABSTRACTCoal Mountain Operations is the newest of Fording Coal’s operations although it is the oldest in terms of its historical production. In October, 1994, Fording purchased the former Corbin Creek/Byron Creek Mine. The mine is located in southeastern British Columbia, approximately 150 air kilometers from Calgary, Alberta. It was first developed in 1905 and has gone through a variety of owners in its 90-year history.This paper will deal with the remobilization strategy and the mining plans for the operation which are being implemented to make this operation competitive in the world export coal market. IntroductionIn October 1994, following a due diligence process, Fording Coal Limited purchased Coal Mountain Operations from Corbin Creek Resources, an employee group which had previously owned the mine. The purchase awarded Fording Coal Limited with 100% of the assets, and control of all the coal leases at Coal Mountain.The mine is located in southeastern British Columbia, southeast of Sparwood at the hamlet of Corbin, (Fig. 1).Rehiring of laid-off employees started in November 1994, with mining activities also recommencing in November. The coal preparation plant was restarted in December with one shift, went to two shifts in January 1995, and had four-shift, full-time operation in April 1996."

Jan 1, 1997

By Yuanming Pan, Brett Rogers, Baoquan Hu, Gary Yeo, Christine Austman

The nature and distribution of radiation-induced defects (RIDs) in quartz from the Maw Zone, a yttrium- and rare-earth-element-enriched sandstone breccia complex exhibiting intense hydrothermal alteration, have been investigated by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy. EPR spectra show that detrital quartz in sandstone, from five diamond drill holes intersecting the Maw Zone and one above the crest of the so-called Quartzite Ridge, contain only background-level RIDs, indicating that Ubearing fluids were absent in this area. However, close to the sandstone-basement unconformity, in hole WR-194 immediately west of the Quartzite Ridge, the concentration of RIDs in detrital quartz is significantly above background but at least an order of magnitude lower than those at the Key Lake and McArthur River deposits. Widespread drusy quartz at the Maw Zone, which signifies intense hydrothermal alteration, is associated with hematite-, sulfide- and carbonate-bearing mineral assemblages, which exhibit complex crosscutting relationships. EPR spectra of drusy quartz in all three types of mineral assemblages are low in RIDs as well, supporting the EPR evidence that fluids at the Maw Zone did not carry significant U. These EPR results suggest that, in spite of intense hydrothermal alteration and favorable structural geology, the Maw Zone is unlikely to host any significant U mineralization. Moreover, this study shows that the EPR technique is potentially a useful exploration tool, capable of determining whether individual alteration zones in the Athabasca Basin were associated with U-bearing fluids or not.

Jan 1, 2013

By R. J. Traill

Introduction Following the discovery of high-grade deposits of pitchblende in the Great Bear Lake area of the Northwest Territories by Mr. Gilbert LaBine in May, 1930, samples were submitted to the Mines Branch for examination and investigation as to suitable methods of treatment (1). The purpose of this paper is to present, briefly, the results of the investigative work conducted on the ores and an outline of the methods developed for the extraction of the radium content and recovery of the by-products. The paper is presented in two parts. Part I gives a review of the history of radium production and of the principal processes used in other countries. Part II describes the work and gives the results of the Mines Branch investigation. Part 1-Radium Production In Other Countries Historical Outline Uranium was discovered in 1789, and more than a century later Madame Curie, while studying the physical properties of this element, observed that the ore of uranium exhibited greater activity than the pure uranium com-pounds she had prepared and traced the cause to the presence of a new element which she named radium. Eventually, research proved radium to be a disintegration product of uranium, and always present in uranium ores.

Jan 1, 1933

By A. H. C. A. Zimmerman

WE have just heard what must be regarded as a thoughtful, constructive and somewhat painful analysis of the financial function of our industry. While thinking about this, it is interesting to reflect on the conditions which have stunted the growth of the financial side of our affairs. Mining must be regarded as a wealthy business. •while immeasurable grub takes and development budgets have been lost, there can be little argument that a productive ore-body nearly always produces the type of wealth that breeds some extravagance. I recognize that this statement can be attacked from many sides, but an historical comparison with a commercial enterprise involving similar investment will demonstrate what I mean. However, these old times are be-ginning to disappear for a variety of reasons. High amongst these are: ( l) Increased costs of exploration. (2) Remoteness of many new finds. (3) Fixed or declining metal prices (particularly when expressed in constant dollars). ( 4) Constant demands for higher wages.

Jan 1, 1962

By K. Maruyama, T. Nagasaka, R. d. Chairaksa-Fujimoto, T. Miki

Electric arc furnace dust or EAF dust is considered as a hazardous waste but contains a significant amount of economically attractive non-ferrous metals especially zinc as zinc ferrite (ZnFe2O4) and zincite (ZnO). The hydrometallurgical process is one alternative choice because it has the advantage of low energy consumption. The leaching of ZnO from the dust is very easy. However, the complex major zinc compound in EAF dust is ZnFe2O4, which is very stable and insoluble in alkaline or acidic media under delicate conditions, and causes the low zinc recovery yield by hydrometallurgical process. Moreover, halogens and heavy metals in the dust are also problematic. In order to develop a new effective EAF dust treatment process, the authors have proposed "CaO addition process" as pre-dust treatment to transform all of ZnFe2O4 in the EAF dust to ZnO and Ca2Fe2O5. In this study, the selective zinc leaching from the CaO treated EAF dust with NaOH and NH4Cl solutions was carried out. The effect of temperature, reaction time and solute concentration were systematically investigated. All of zinc in CaO treated EAF dust was successfully leached into both solutions.

Jan 1, 2014

By John M. Gordon

DURING and after 1949, various groups of British mining engineers came to the Dominion Coal Company, Limited, at Sydney, N .S., to see at first hand the Dosco MINER ( 1). These visits culminated in 1952 with the ordering of four Dosco Miners by the (British) National Coal Board on an experimental basis through their Experimental Expenditure Funds. Others are now on order. The first machine was delivered in February, 1953, and, after slight alterations to suit the different power supply, the machine was made ready to work. Due mainly to the size of the machine, new rules and regulations governing its operation had to be put into effect and it was not until April, 1954, that the machine was put underground. It started to produce in June of that year. The three others were delivered early in 1955. The authors were sent to England by the Dominion Coal Company to install and demonstrate these machines and to work with the Coal Board engineers to- further interest in the machines in the British coal fields .

Jan 1, 1956

By F. A. Forward

Introduction The main line of ascent in the development of the nickel industry may be traced back through the International Nickel Company of Canada, Limited, to its earliest antecedents, the Canadian Copper Company and the Orford Copper Company. Mining geology is but one aspect of the overall development of this organization, and the stress it has placed on geology grew according to the need. In the early days, intensive geology was not required because ore supply was not one of the main problems of this or any of the pioneer companies. The difficulty then was to find economic methods for reducing the ores to nickel and copper, and markets for absorbing nickel in the face of a limited demand from consumers heavily prejudiced in favour of the New Caledonia product. "Very early in the history of the region it was patent to everyone that to share in the full benefits of the industry the same individuals or company must control the whole of the operation necessary to manufacture the finished product' (1, p. 45). These conditions were fulfilled for the International Nickel Company in 1902 when the Canadian Copper Company (incorporated 1886), with its ample ore supply, took the initiative to merge its interests with those of the Orford Copper (Refining) Company (incorporated 1887) to form the new company which, with reorganizational changes, emerged as the producer of the overwhelming bulk of the world's nickel. The Mond Nickel Company, Limited, entered the field in 1899 with a refining process, and over a period of years acquired ore through purchase of mining properties. This Company operated successfully and independently until 1929 when its assets were joined with those of the International Nickel Company in order to permit the most economic exploitation of the Frood-Stobie orebody in which both Companies were interested.

Jan 1, 1948

By Robert L. Tremblay

Dans le but de voir si une région comme la Gaspésie, qui a subi la derniere glaciation , se prête avantageusement à la méthode de prospection alluvionnaire, environ 800 concentrés de minéraux lourds furent prélevés dans les districts électoraux de Matane et de Gaspé-Nord. Les différentes phases minérales présentes dans les concentrés ont été examinées à la loupe binoculaire. Afin de mieux valoriser ce type d'inforrnat ion, nous avons été arnenés à expérimenter et à mettre en oeuvre des techniques multivariables adaptées au traltement d'une information semi-quantitative en utilisant le principe d'un codage logique préalable. La structuration des résultats de la Gaspésie a conduit à l'élaboration de cartes de synthèse qui constituent un support nécessaire à l'interprétatlon des répartitions plus ponctuelles des minéraux "utiles" sur le plan de la recherche minière.

Jan 1, 1978

By D. C. Sharpstone

THE Polaris-Taku mine is a new gold property, situated in the far north-west corner of British Columbia. Production was started in November, 1937, at the rate of 150 tons a day, and recently has been increased to 200 tons. The property, which promises to become one of British Columbia's important gold mines, was developed and brought into production in twenty-nine months after work was started on it as a virtual prospect in June, 1935, by Edward C. Congdon and associates. Inaccessibility, extraordinarily complicated geological problems, and difficult metallurgy retarded development of the property before acquisition by the present interests, an::l, in fact, discouraged two companies that had spent substantial sums upon it from continuing development. This paper is concerned with reviewing the development of the property and describing the principal features of the geology, the mining and metallurgical practices, and the equipment employed. Acknowledgments The writer is indebted to Mr. Edward C. Congdon, President of the Polaris-Taku Mining Company, and to various members of the mine staff for their assistance in assembling the data for this paper. Special thanks are due to Mr. George G. Griswold, Jr., of Butte, Montana, who generously and painstakingly prepared the section dealing with milling and power. Microscopic studies of ores were made by Professors Frank Grout an::l G. M. Schwartz, of the University of Minnesota, and by Mr. Griswold.

Jan 1, 1938

By Peter Silveston, Earl Shannon

Process-oriented experiments on the use of coal as an adsorbent for certain soluble components of sewage are described. The capacity of Canadian coals for these components was less than 0.1 per cent by weight for the highest concentration at which these components could be expected to be found in domestic sewage. This is much less than values reported in the past. A pronounced selectivity between components was observed. Experiments on bacteria removal in beds of coal, regeneration of spent coal to restore adsorption capacity and COD contributions of coal are reported in the paper. The simple application of coal as an adsorbent does not seem promising.

Jan 1, 1970

By Jonathan Ruiz Lizardo, Met-Chem Canada Inc., Flavio Ccuno, Constante Umipig, Ewald Pengel, José Ruiz

"Cerro de Maimón is located in the Dominican Republic on the island of Hispaniola approximately 75 kilometers northwest of the capital city, Santo Domingo. The processing facility consisted of two separate processing plants for oxide and sulphide ores. The oxide plant processed oxide ore bearing gold and silver ore using cyanide leaching and Merrill Crowe processes, while the sulphide plant produced a copper concentrate using conventional flotation. Cormidom is a commendatory example how mineral processing facilities can co-exist in balance with the environment. In 2014, natural occurring copper oxide contamination with finer grained copper-zinc sulphide mineralisation was expected to dominate the sulphide ore body. In anticipation Cormidom contacted the original plant designer Met-Chem to assist in overcoming this challenge. Test work indicated that increased flotation time and subsequent very fine grinding were required. Met-Chem provided the detailed engineering and Cormidom proceeded with the expansion project internally. Currently Cormidom has processed the sulphide ore successfully by implementing flotation modifications. This paper describes the history of Cormidom, test work on the “new” ore body, modification in process design in the Cu-Zn sulphide flotation circuit, construction and implementation.INTRODUCTIONCorporación Minera Dominicana (CORMIDOM) was a wholly owned subsidiary of GlobeStar Mining Corporation (a Canadian based minerals exploration company) with extensive exploration of base and precious metals in the Dominican Republic. In 2007-2008 CORMIDOM constructed the Cerro de Maimom project. The company was subsequently sold and purchased by Perilya Limited from Australia in 2013. Cerro de Maimón is located in the Dominican Republic on the island of Hispaniola approximately 75 kilometers northwest of the capital city, Santo Domingo. It is near the town of Maimón in Monsenor, Nouel Province (see Figure 1)."

Jan 1, 2016

By F. Nava-Alonso, A. Uribe-Salas, C. Rodriguez-Rodriguez

Ozone has been proposed to pretreat refractory ores before the cyanidation process for precious metals extraction. As pyrargyrite is one of the silver species most common in Mexican refractory ores, the ozonization of this silver sulfide was studied. The effect of pH and ozone concentration on silver dissolution was evaluated by means of a factorial experimental design. Two levels of sulfuric acid concentration and ozone in gas concentration were evaluated: 0.18 and 0.72 mol/L of acid and 0.054 and 0.077 gO3/L, respectively. The highest silver dissolution was obtained when using the higher acid and ozone concentration.

Jan 1, 2011

By M. Yamine, R. J. Ring, D. J. Waters

"An experimental program has been carried out by the Australian Atomic Energy Commission to compare the effectiveness of Caro's acid as an alternative oxidant to pyrolusite in the leaching of uranium ores from the Alligator Rivers region of northern Australia. Batch leaching tests on Ranger, Nabarlek, Koongarra and Jabiluka ores showed that uranium extraction was unaffected by choice of oxidant, but that Caro's acid reduced acid requirements by 15 - 25%. Lime requirements for neutralization of tailings liquors were reduced by 20 - 30%.The batch studies were extended to a four-stage continuous leaching circuit with a capacity of 400 gore h-I. Comparative leaching tests confirmed the reagent savings obtained in the batch tests. Following these encouraging laboratory results, lnterox Chemicals Pty Ltd carried out plant trials using Caro's acid. Reagent savings in the mill were similar to, or better than, those obtained in laboratory test work. The trials also established that Caro's acid has a number of operational advantages over pyrolusite.IntroductionUranium is most commonly extracted from its ores by leaching in sulphuric acid. Simple hexavalent uranium oxides and compounds are readily soluble but uranium in the tetravalent form is insoluble and must be oxidized for dissolution to occur. The most commonly used oxidants have been sodium chlorate and manganese dioxide. They act indirectly by maintaining iron as the ferric ion which oxidizes uranium by a surface electro- chemical reaction. An Fe3+ concentration of about 1 - 2 g L-I is usually considered adequate for the effective dissolution of uraninite(1)."

Jan 1, 1984

By L. S. Rivett, U. M. Oko

The Strathcona mine, with a large new underground operation and concentrator, was recently brought into\ production by Falconbridge Nickel Mines Ltd. The tailings disposal and water utilization problems at Strathcona are described in this paper, with sections devoted to the Moose Lake watershed system, tailing impounds, the construction of dams and the operation of the Moose Lake neutralization plant for the elimination of acidity, including the equipment used.

Jan 1, 1971