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By Creasey JW, Rixon KL

Underground mining in the Bowen Seam has shown that the majority of outbursts have co- incided with faults, igneous dykes and sills, stone roof rolls or some combination of these. The coal measures are deformed principally by N- S trending, easterly dipping thrusts presumed to he associated with the major, reverse Collins- ville Fault. The old Collinsville State Mine records suggest that thrusts and strike-slip faults have been common sites of outbursts. In contrast, normal faults have not been outburst- prone. Detailed geological mapping in Bowen No. 2 Colliery 53 east and west panels has been carried out in the hanging wall of a thrust zone of 6.1 m throw. The associated sheared coal has been defined and several fracture sets delin- eated. Sheared coal can be observed up to 170 m from this thrust zone, but this is dependent on the vitrinite content of the upper seam section worked. Fvidence indicates that outbursts have crnrroJ only in extremely sheared coal. Curious spherical- to cylindrical-shaped c,,.31 ohjects ("apples" and "rods") are related to the deformation in the vicinity of the thrust zone. The frequency of rods rises from 0 at 31)0 m, to I per metre at 150 m, and to 2.5-8.5 per metro at 10 m from the -

Jan 1, 1980

Carbon sequestration in planted forests provides an immediately available, low cost option to address the greenhouse impacts of coal mining and coal utilisation in a carbon constrained world. In addition, planted forests also offer the opportunity to address other environmental issues, particularly salinity and loss of biodiversity. Given salinity is characteristically associated with agriculture in the 500 to 700 mm rainfall belt, then where such forests can also produce commercial timber products, they offer the additional opportunity to establish new, diversified rural employment in both timber growing and processing. In the majority of Australian catchments affected by salinity, where rainfall is generally less than the 700 mm limit to conventional forestry, and where groundwater reserves are often saline, the objective of achieving economically viable forestry production presents a significant challenge. In 1996, Saltgrow commenced a collaborative breeding program to combine the salt and stress tolerance of E camaldulensis, with the growth rate, stem form and wood properties of the commercial species, E grandis and E globules. This program aimed to produce trees with the potential for commercial rehabilitation of saline landscapes. Results covering a range of site conditions from SaltgrowÆs network of over 100 trials around Australia are presented. The opportunity for commercial plantations integrated with agriculture in low to medium rainfall areas to address salinity and sustainability will be discussed. In addition, the significant potential for partnerships between land-rich, cash-poor farmers, catchment management authorities seeking to invest in public good projects that enhance environmental sustainability, and major carbon producing industries with either mandated or voluntary requirements to curtail net emissions will also be discussed.

Jan 1, 2005

By C A. Heinrich, J L. Walshe, V J. Wall

The Porgera Gold Mine, located in the highlands of Papua New Guinea, has produced over 5 million ounces of Au, since its opening in late 1990. The deposit is located within Upper Cretaceous Papuan Platform sediments approximately 25 km south of the Lagaip Fault, and is spatially and temporally associated with the 6 Ma alkaline Porgera Intrusive Complex.

Jan 1, 1995

A search for the keyword nano reveals that it has not made a significant entry into the mineral processing research literature. In contrast, the terms micelle, colloid, interface, and monolayer are well established there. By considering nanoscience as colloid and interface science at the nanoscale, it is claimed that several previous and current investigations in the broad field of mineral processing fall under the umbrella of nanoscience. Several examples from hydrometallurgical processing systems (invisible gold and activated carbon in gold extraction; monolayers, reverse micelles, and microemulsions in solvent extraction; nanobiofilms and nanoparticles in biohydrometallurgy) are highlighted in support of this view.

Sep 13, 2010

By K B. Quast

Changes in feed size distribution can have significant effects in rod mill grinding. The product sizing resulting from wet batch milling of a tin ore showed little influence on fines production after truncating the feed at either the coarse or fine end. The addition of fine material caused a less amount of fines to be produced and a possible increase in grinding at coarse sizes, although this is complicated by the changing feed size distribution. The changes in feed size distribution caused no tendency for preferential grinding of the cassiterite.

Jan 1, 1998

By S C. Dominy

Grade control programs aim to deliver economic tonnes to the mill via accurate definition of ore and waste. The foundation of a successful program is high quality sampling supported by geology and a suitable data management and modelling system. Underground sampling methods include chip, channel and panel samples; grab/muck pile samples; and drill-based samples. Grade control strategy is related to mining method and orebody type. Sampling protocols must be designed to suit the style of mineralisation in question. Holistic studies focussing on ore mineralogy and gold particle deportment, size and distribution are required for sample collection and preparation protocol optimisation through ‘Theory of Sampling’ application. Where possible, such programs should be undertaken early in the life of a project. Appropriate assaying procedures are also required. Program implementation will require suitably skilled individuals to train and mentor staff, with ongoing Quality Assurance/Quality Control (QA/QC) monitoring and review will allow protocols and staff to be updated as required.

Aug 22, 2011

Prediction of fragmentation by blasting is most commonly based on theassumption that a single distribution of pre-existing discontinuities is present within a blasted rock volume and that the underlying mechanism of failure is tensile failure. It is assumed that the tensile stress field created by a blast initiates and extends radial cracks around the blastholes. Interaction between radial cracks from different blastholes and the free surface creates rock fragments. In reality, fragmentation of the rock occurs due to two mechanisms.One is related to the compressive-shear failure of the rock (mainly rock matrix) close to the blastholes, while the second mechanism is the previously mentioned tensile failure of the rock mass. The secondmechanism of failure occurs in the form of extension of the larger cracks in the region beyond the crushed rock, and this type of fragmentation occurs after the crushing phase. In the case of hard rock or blasting where the extent of crushing is minimal, the currently used prediction methods give a reasonably good result. However, there are many blasting conditions where the amount of rock crushing is significant. In the case where fragmentation of the given rock volume occurs dueto two different mechanisms, modeling of the rock fragmentation with a single distribution function is not appropriate. To model the fragment size distribution generated by two different mechanisms, it is necessary to use a two-component fragment size distribution function and a scaling parameter that will determine the proportion of the fragmented volume created by each mechanism. The purpose of this paper is to present results of blast fragmentation modeling based on two mechanisms of failure. The two-component model (TCM) utilises experimentally determined parameters from small scale blasting and parameters of the Kuz-Ram model, for more accurate prediction of the complete rock fragment size distribution curve. The methodology is such that it is possible to predict complete fragment size distribution, including fines, of ROM product for a future mine, at the feasibility phase of mine design.

Jan 1, 1999

By J Young, S Yu, P Moyo, M Powell, A Musunuri, B Bonfils, S Kanchibotla, P Yaroshak, V Jokovic

The appropriate design of liners continues to be an issue on many mills worldwide. Loss of milling capacity especially at liner change, uneven wear lives along the mill, substantial scrap on worn liners, excess mill down-time, undesirably short and unreliable wear lives are all common issues. This paper presents a designed approach to liner optimisation that follows a logical path of initial design and step-wise improvements based on liner wear monitoring. The target is to have a good liner design from start-up, then tune the profiles, heights and thicknesses based on wear monitoring. This is conducted as a team of liner specialist, site personnel and liner supplier. The application to the Pustynnoye SAG mill of JSC Altynalmas in Kazakhstan is presented. The increase in liner life by around 50% along with increased mill throughput of over 20% illustrate the huge benefit of the cooperative triumvirate approach through the gains that can be made in productivity and reduced liner costs.CITATION:Powell, M, Kanchibotla, S, Jokovic, V, Hilden, M, Bonfils, B, Musunuri, A, Moyo, P, Yu, S, Young, J, Yaroshak, P, Yalcin, E and Gorain, B, 2018. Advanced mine to mill application at the Barrick Cortez mine, in Proceedings 14th AusIMM Mill Operators' Conference 2018, pp 177–196 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Aug 29, 2018

By A G McLean

This paper will first discuss the fundamental requirements for reliable discharge of backfill by gravity alone at high per cent solids. This discussion will include brief mention of the underlying principles of saturated solids flow contrasted to that of stirred tank or dilute discharge systems. Here the need to possess full knowledge of the flow properties of the stored material will be highlighted. In regard to attainment of reliable discharge it will he revealed flow from a backfill silo will only occur provided: ò the flowing material in the converging channel is yielding throughout; ò slip is occurring along the walls; ò an arched stress field is present in the vicinity of the outlet; ò the flowing backfill must be dilating to flow in response to the dilating stress field; ò sufficient dilation water is injected, in the hopper, to eliminate the formation of adverse interstitial pressure gradients; ò sufficient dilution water is injected, downstream from the hopper outlet, to generate a pumpable slurry of maximum per cent solids; ò the silo level must be sufficient to prevent the pump suction forming a rathole; ò the system must be configured and operated to generate stable discharge density; and ò the system must be configured and operated to minimise damage to the pump liners. In addition proper account must be made of the silo overflow weir and settling capacity to match plant throughput. Here opportunity will be taken to highlight the complexity of this multi-phase flow situation as well as the general yet paramount requirements for reliable solids flow. It will be shown that by proper attention to the multi-phase considerations gravity discharge of slurries as a consolidated bed with minimal water content is possible. Such high solids discharge results in greatly reduced demand for process water. In addition pumping costs are reduced as is the delay time associated with the mine drainage operation. Confirmation of successful applications will be highlighted by reference to several recent case studies. In the concluding phase mention will be made of the key yet very simple and effective operation techniques which enhance reliable Discharge.

Jan 1, 1998

By A Sturgess, P McKenna, P D. Erskine, D Doley, V C. Glenn

For more than four decades, rehabilitated lands in the Bowen Basin have been planted with buffel grass (Cenchrus Ciliaris), which is often used to provide rapid, stabilising and erosion reducing cover to reshaped landforms (Erskine and Fletcher, 2013; Harwood, Hacker and Mott, 1999; Grigg, Shelton and Mullen, 2000; Naidu et al, 1997). Historically introduced to Central Queensland and encouraged by pastoralists in the early 1900s (Humphreys, 1967), the species has been extensively used by mine managers in seeding mixes (Coaldrake and Russell, 1970; Edye, 1975), and the invasive nature of the grass has led to the monodominance in rehabilitated areas of semi-arid Central Queensland. With 40 open cut coalmines in Central Queensland (Department of Natural Resources and Mines, 2015), a considerable amount of land is either disturbed mine footprint (156 200 ha) or rehabilitated (29 200 ha) (Dale, 2015), and the bulk of rehabilitation consists of relatively young (<30-year-old) developing ecosystems, with demonstrated biomass fuel loads up to 20 t/ha (Grigg, Shelton and Mullen, 2000).Uncontrolled fire poses a significant risk to rehabilitated landforms that are located in close proximity to mining infrastructure, neighbouring communities, open pits with exposed flammable coal seams and flammable stockpiled coal resource. Mine lease holders in Queensland have the added responsibility of managing and protecting any endangered regional ecosystem communities, and flora and fauna listed federally under the Environment Protection Biodiversity and Conservation Act 1999 or the State Vegetation Management Act 1999; as well as, any culturally significant sites such as scar trees or middens that are found on-site. Additionally, uncontrolled fire in rehabilitated landscapes poses a significant risk to mine site closure goals, with the potential to create altered states and stalled ecological trajectories (Grant, 2006). CITATION:McKenna, P, Glenn, V, Erskine, P D, Doley, D and Sturgess, A, 2016. Fire behaviour in buffel grass dominated mine site rehabilitation in Central Queensland, Australia, in Proceedings Life-of-Mine 2016 Conference , pp 158–162 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Jun 28, 2016

By E Bouchard March, F Lavoie, B Legare, K Bourassa

Quebec Iron Ore (QIO), a subsidiary of Champion Iron Limited (Champion), completed the restart of the Bloom Lake iron ore mine located in the heart of the Labrador Trough region of Northern Quebec, Canada in February 2018. Prior to its restart, the concentrator flow sheet underwent major upgrades which brought the iron recovery to the highest of all Labrador Trough operations. After two profitable years of production, QIO, supported by Soutex, started to look at technologies to improve its current performance and integrate into its expansion project flow sheet. From the lessons learned while optimising Phase 1, the addition of a scavenger-cleaner processing stage was identified as an improvement opportunity to increase recovery, produce a higher-grade product, and further improve the stability of concentrate quality. In 2019, the NI-43101 feasibility study for the Phase 2 expansion, aiming to double the production of high-grade iron ore concentrate, was published. Based on the metallurgical test work, the hydraulic classifier was selected to perform the scavenger-cleaning duty for its well-established performance and known behaviour at the cleaning step in the Phase 1 plant. To validate laboratory results, a pilot scavenger-cleaning hydraulic classifier was installed in Phase 1. Although the hydraulic classifier was selected for the feasibility study, metallurgical test work performed with the REFLUX® classifier showed interesting potential. It was thus decided to also install a pilot RC300 Reflux classifier at the scavenger-cleaning stage in Phase 1. Despite their apparent great similarities, the metallurgical performance was significantly different, and many dozens of sampling campaigns highlighted the different performance of both pieces of equipment considering the feed material particle size. This article presents the pilot plant results in terms of recovery, selectivity and stability for both the Reflux classifier and the hydraulic classifier operated in a scavenger-cleaner stage at the Bloom Lake iron ore concentrator.

Nov 8, 2021

Anglo Coal Australia (ACA) takes a proactive position with regards to attracting and retaining employees at a graduate level. Currently, ACA has graduates in its program across all disciplines: Mining Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Commercial, Occupational Health and Safety, Environmental Engineering, Human Resources, Safety Engineering and Processing Engineering. The current program is three years in duration and involves two (generally) equal periods at different ACA mine sites or Brisbane Corporate Office. ACA takes an active role in promoting its status at the university level by maintaining a scholarship program. Six undergraduate scholarships are offered each year across all disciplines. Associated Vacation Employment is offered to each scholarship holder during the period of his or her university study. This commitment to education is regarded highly by future graduates. ACAÆs active role in sponsoring student bodies is also known and appreciated amongst the university population. ACAÆs graduate program has been a successful training program for future leaders of the coal mining industry. The company is committed to making the program more suited to the needs of the graduates across all disciplines and as a result the program is not stagnant but is constantly changing and evolving. Recently the æGraduate PassportÆ has been drafted with an aim to keep each graduateÆs needs in relation to experience and training firmly in focus for the duration of the three-year program. Appropriate training for each graduateÆs position is supported by the company; for instance, support through funding and time for a commercial graduateÆs CPA qualifications is provided.

Jan 1, 2005

By J Harris, P Kirsch, D Cliff, M Spinks, S Goater, D Sprott

Fires are a common and recurrent unwanted event in the operation of open pit mines. In most cases, the causes of events such as fires are already æknownÆ but are either overlooked or not fully addressed in planning. Ongoing rapid growth of the global mining industry is creating a scarcity of skilled personnel, and high turnover within operations. This contributes to loss of corporate memory in risk management activities. RISKGATE« is an online risk management system designed to support and assist in the analysis of priority unwanted events in Australian coal mining operations. Funded by the Australian Coal Association Research Program (ACARP), RISKGATE« is a knowledge management program that delivers best-practice controls for unwanted events and assists operations in staying abreast of emergent risks and threats. RISKGATE« content has been primarily developed from an association of industry experts, and enriched with input from additional academic and technological resources. In mining operations, RISKGATE« provides a continuum of knowledge and best practice for risk identification, assessment and management. RISKGATE« will assist companies in improving safety performance, operational efficiency, operating practice and training. Here we present the RISKGATE« prototype as developed in 2011 for Fires, with a case study presented for the initiating event Fires on Mobile Plant.CITATION:Harris, J, Sprott, D, Spinks, M, Cliff, D, Goater, S and Kirsch, P, 2012. RISKGATE« - A case study in application to fires on mobile plant, in Proceedings Eighth Open Pit OperatorsÆ Conference , pp 49-54 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Sep 18, 2012

By P S. Jaitawat, M Sarim, M P. Roy, P K. Singh, A Joshi

Mining is being carried out using the sublevel open stoping method at the Kayad underground mine. The mine will ultimately reach a depth of 390 m. Kayad village is only 100 m (horizontally) from the underground mining areas. As a result, blast-induced ground vibration is one of the major issues for the residents of the village. This paper deals with the process involved in optimising blast design parameters at the development face blast, slot raise blast and ring hole blast to control blast-induced vibration within safe limits while ensuring improved production, productivity and safety. In total, 1041 development face blasts, 110 slot raise blasts and 52 ring hole blasts were conducted, and 2612 vibration data were monitored in the village at different locations. Initially, electronic delay detonators were used, with an emphasis on controlling vibration in the surface structures. Subsequently, shock tube (Nonel) initiations were used as the blasting faces reached lower depths. A comparative study was also performed for both the initiation systems. The orebody width generally varied from 3.1 to 7 m, and ring hole designs were optimised accordingly. The number of holes in a ring was up to seven and the depth was up to 23 m, depending on the size/width of the orebody. The ring blasts were performed with 64–340 kg of emulsion cartridge explosive and detonated with explosive weight per delay of 10.92–17.16 kg. Extensive experiments were performed and blast-induced vibrations were controlled in the village. Deck blasting (ie up to four explosives decks) was used in a blasthole and the explosive charges were separated by delay detonators, which helped to control the vibration in the village. The actual detonation time of each deck was recorded by monitoring the in-hole velocity of detonation of the explosives, and the charging patterns were optimised accordingly to get the desired blast results.CITATION:Roy, M P, Singh, P K, Sarim, M, Jaitawat, P S and Joshi, A, 2015. Blast design and vibration control at Kayad lead-zinc underground mine, in Proceedings 11th International Symposium on Rock Fragmentation by Blasting, pp 533–544 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Aug 24, 2015

By B L. Sainsbury, M F. Lee, A Penney

For most practical rock engineering purposes, stress versus strength conditions around underground openings for which rock masses fail and their various modes of failure, are reasonably well-understood and predictable. Some rock masses and particular rock types fail slowly and relatively quietly. However, others can fail rapidly, violently and maybe with the ejection of significant broken rock. In some countries and in some mines, the latter style of violent fracturing and failure of the rock mass is referred to as ‘strain bursting’. It can be alarming and extremely hazardous to nearby miners and machines. For such situations, the design and installation of appropriate ground support, to provide a safe work place, can be challenging. At any particular mine site, it’s often generally understood which local rock masses (rock types) are prone to strain bursting. Competent and strong siliceous rocks and some massive sulphides are often the main offenders. While some neighbouring, equally-competent and strong rocks might also fail, they do so more quietly and without ejection. To understand this contrast, a better understanding of the fracturing process is required other than simple and standard strength versus stress considerations. Suites of standard intact rock properties from numerous Australian mines have been used to define and help understand different high-stress failure styles for component intact rock; especially those prone to violent fracturing (strain bursting). Simple considerations of micro-fracturing (defects in the intact material), plus the available energy at failure versus the energy consumed during fracturing, distinguishes between over-stressed and competent rock types that fracture violently and those that don’t. CITATION:Lee, M F, Penney, A and Sainsbury, B L, 2018. Proneness of competent over-stressed intact rock to violent fracturing, in Proceedings The Fourth Australasian Ground Control in Mining Conference (AusRock), pp 170–184 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Nov 30, 2018

By K Rozlapa, P Waters, H Middlemis

A major challenge for closure planning at mining operations below the water table is evaporation from final void pit lakes and concentration of salts, which can impact on downstream groundwater (and surface water) flows and quality. Where such impacts are deemed unacceptable, the closure approach that is often adopted is to infill the final voids with waste rock to above the pre-mining water table to prevent the development of a pit lake and subsequent evaporative losses. BHP Billiton Iron OreÆs Marillana Creek (Yandi) mining operations face these issues. The orebody is a channel iron deposit that forms the major aquifer in the region, which will be completely mined as a series of elongated open pits over tens of kilometres. The major constraint on mine closure planning was the stripping ratio of less than one, which means that there is insufficient waste rock to infill all areas to the pre-mining water table. Hydrogeological investigations and groundwater modelling indicated that standard mine closure approaches would result in pit void lakes becoming saline sinks unless the residual void geometry was optimised to minimise evaporation and maximise throughflow. The solution developed is a cost-effective long-term mine plan that meets all mine closure objectives, and involved:the selective infilling of all pits, largely using run-of-mine waste dumping with limited re-handling; the diversion of the major part of up-catchment creek flows around the mining operations to allow mining of the resource under Marillana Creek crossings, which in turn restricted overall aquifer recharge and reduced the elevation of the long-term water table; the diversion of some minor creek tributary flows into specific locations within the mine path to induce hydraulic gradients to maintain groundwater throughflow and water quality; and close integration of mine plan optimisation (mining and waste dumping schedules) with groundwater modelling scenarios to achieve acceptable environmental outcomes. This approach is designed to result in no reduction in downstream surface water flows or quality, maintenance of adequate downstream groundwater throughflow to support groundwater dependent ecosystems, and no reduction in the beneficial use status of the downstream groundwater resource.

Jan 1, 2006

By P Thompson, B W. Atkinson

Water treatment is not æcore businessÆ for mining companies.Just as mineral ores and coals are unique, each requiring detailed characterisation and pilot-testing to determine their optimum beneficiation route, so too are mine waters, each requiring careful assessment to determine the most appropriate treatment. There are many cases of æregret capitalÆ expenditure, whereby mines have installed off-the-shelf equipment only to find it inadequate for their purposes or grossly expensive and labour intensive to operate.Water may be required for potable purposes, ore processing, dust control and/or irrigation. A major driver will frequently be environmental constraints for off-site discharge. Mine water projects can become very complex, and detailed models need to be prepared and optimised to properly consider the raw water sources, the on-site storages, the on-site uses and the off-site discharges, as well as handling the residuals (by-products) of water treatment. By-products may be in the form of concentrated backwash streams or streams of elevated salt content. Careful management of the by-products is required to avoid recontamination of the source water.Regulators often drive mine owners toward reverse osmosis (RO) so that their discharges can be considered as æzero dischargeÆ in terms of potential pollutants. Such decisions need to be based on site-specific information rather than any form of æblanketÆ requirement. An analogy is that many humans like to consume mineral water rather than ænormalÆ tap water. Receiving environments also accommodate or even prefer their æmineralsÆ and so RO is neither warranted nor sustainable in many cases.This paper presents two case studies for operating mine sites, both of which have a significant excess of water requiring environmental discharge. The examples demonstrate a sensible balance between treatment type, environmental constraints, process implementation and residuals management. LIMN« æthe flow sheet processorÆ was used to model one of the case studies due to the complexity of the water system on that site.CITATION:Atkinson, B W and Thompson, P, 2013. Mine water - optimising for site and environment, in Proceedings Water in Mining 2013 , pp 9-14 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Nov 26, 2013

By N Van Buc, E Coroiu

The rapid socio-economic growth of Hanoi City coincides with a corresponding growth of the transport demand. Today, the transport in Hanoi is completely dependent on private modes of transport. Because of the lack of an efficient public transport system and the expected rapid increase in traffic volumes, the movement of people and goods in the urban areas of Hanoi will cause congestion in the present city transport network. The solution of the construction of new roads, or the widening of the existing streets, is very expensive in urban areas and usually causes many social problems due to the resettlement of people. From the point of view of the number of inhabitants, Hanoi City is now over one million. Above this number the international experience shows that the public transportation must be a mass transport system with large capacity, commercial speed and also independent as much as possible from the street network. According to the Hanoi Master Plan for 2020, the Hanoi urban population will be over 3.5 million persons. Also, in the next 15 years, the distances between centre-destination points will be doubled by comparison to 1995.

Jan 1, 1999

By H Thanasekaran, M J. Mankosa, J N. Kohmuench, G H. Luttrell

"Fluidised-bed flotation has been demonstrated over the last 16 years as an effective method for improving the flotation recovery of coarse particles. This technology has been successfully deployed into the industrial mineral sector with multiple installations within phosphate beneficiation plants and potash mills. Due to the minimal mineral surface expression required when utilising this technology, more recent studies have centred on the applicability of using this HydroFloat™ technology for the recovery of coarse sulfides and base metals. Multiple approaches have been investigated to determine the best means for implementing this novel coarse particle flotation system into both existing and new plant circuitry. These include the treatment of tailings to recover values that have been lost using conventional technologies and also the direct treatment of a coarse feed, either within the grinding circuit or by use of a separate split-feed flotation approach. Recent applications of the technology will be presented along with data generated from several test campaigns and ongoing research investigations. The benefits of properly applying this technology, such as reduced power consumption and increased mill capacity will be discussed.Citation:Kohmuench, J N, Thanasekaran, H, Mankosa, M J and Luttrell, G H, 2016. The Impact of Fluidised-bed Flotation for Treating Coarse Sulfides, in Proceedings 13th AusIMM Mill Operators’ Conference 2016, pp 105–112 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne)."

Oct 10, 2016

By L H. G McClean

Environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors have always been important to the minerals industry and is now considered one of our most important opportunities (and risks). Getting it right from the beginning is critical for the minerals industry, and that starts with mineral exploration. Exploration, or the process of investigation of an economic mineral deposit, is generally low impact and short-term. Exploration operations vary in size and scale and often shift priority, focus and location relatively quickly. Australia is a highly regulated jurisdiction with different regulatory systems and requirements in every state and territory. Most mineral exploration is undertaken by junior exploration companies or ‘explorers’. Exploration companies are lean operations with limited staffing and resources, traditionally with no income apart from funds raised or work through partnerships. Funds are tight and administrative investment is minimised so that investment into activity on the ground is maximised. All these variables mean that understanding and implementation of ESG frameworks for an exploration company can be challenging. ESG is a fast-moving sector with currently multiple frameworks and reporting standards. Interest from community and government stakeholders as well as investors and off-take partners has been growing, with mandatory reporting soon to be implemented. The upcoming changes to the JORC Code will ensure that ESG considerations will be a key component of all public reporting. Resources have been developed to support explorers implement, manage and report on ESG considerations. Due to their scale, agility and direct importance of land access and social licence, many explorers are not the ‘cowboys’ (or ‘cowpersons’) of the industry, but industry leaders in ESG. Strong interest and leadership have led to innovative practices and strongly embedded vertical frameworks that directly contribute to social licence to operate.

Sep 1, 2024