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Mineral formations, accumulated during technogenic activities greatly influence an economic and ecological situation in the Kola North. On the one hand, the dumps from extraction of mineral resources, tailing ponds of beneficating plants, ash dumps, wastes of metallurgical and mechanical engineering productions destroy the regionÆs environment and require taking certain measures and costs to bury or protect from weathering, oxidation, etc. On the other hand, technogenic mineral formations contain a lot of valuable scarce components. The amount of solid wastes increases annually, causing damage to ecology and economy. Researches conducted in recent years showed a possibility and economic expediency of comprehensive processing of wastes from different enterprises in Murmansk region and their use for production of new competitive commodity output, possessing high consumer properties. Thus, involving mineral wastes from Khibiny apatite deposits into hydrometallurgical industrial processing provides the basis for setting up a large beneficating-metallurgical complex. In this case ores and wastes from other deposits on the Kola Peninsula, containing titanium, rare, rare-earth and other valuable elements, may be involved into processing. Establishing such a complex will allow to organise a deep processing of natural resources, utilise some production wastes, improve ecological security and supply production with competitive output. Expanding the complex implies not only involving new mineral raw material into processing, but mainly deepening raw material processing, maximum utilisation of local natural resources and obtaining a wider variety of prime products.

Jan 1, 2002

By Tomohide Takeyama, Yuki Yoshida, Masaki Kitazume

"Abstract A series of centrifuge model tests was conducted to investigate the failure pattern and stability of cement treated clay ground having an unsupported vertical slope. The model ground was subjected to monotonically increasing centrifugal acceleration until it failed due to the enhanced self-weight. The test results were compared with the numerical analyses in which the treated soil was simulated by the Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) method. In the simulation, the Dracker- Prager model is employed as the constitutive model. In order to simulate the brittle behavior of the cement treated soil, it is assumed that the unconfined strength is gradually reduced to a certain value which corresponds to the residual strength due to accumulated plastic strain. It was found that the simulation by using SPH method can express the brittle failure observed in the centrifuge model tests.IntroductionBecause of economical and environmental concerns it has become more difficult in recent years to obtain enough soil to construct reclaimed land for airports, electric power plants, manufacture plants and so on. On the other hand, it has become difficult to find and construct disposal sites for waste subsoil or dredged soil. These circumstances have encourage geotechnical engineers at present to use these poor quality materials as filling materials more than they were used one or two decades ago. Several soil admixture methods have been developed to improve their properties and to manufacture high quality fill materials.The deformation and strength characteristics of cement treated soils have been investigated in Japan, which have revealed that the treated soil is characterized by a brittle behavior with quite high compressive strength and quite small strain at failure, and the treated soil with relatively high strength shows tensile failure instead of shear failure. Regarding to evaluate the stability of structures adjacent to or buried in the treated ground, Kitazume (1998) and Kitazume et al. (2003) investigated the earth pressure of cement treated ground by the centrifuge model tests. And they emphasized that the failure pattern of the cement treated ground was much different from that of ordinary ground. After the Hyogoken- Nambu earthquake in 1995, many design codes for the seismic stability were revised in Japan, so that seismic stability must be evaluated more precisely. The dynamic earth pressure of ordinary grounds is usually calculated by a pseudo-static limit equilibrium method based on the Mononobe- Okabe’s method (Okabe, 1924; Mononobe and Matsuo, 1929). This calculation method is also applied to the cement treated ground, although its applicability has not been thoroughly clarified."

Jan 1, 2014

By Howard Evans

Moderate but substantive gains were recorded in 1972 in the minerals processing industry. In the area of mill design, a number of large plants under construction during the past two to three years were tuned up and went into production. The application of operating controls has also made some significant strides. Progress here has been made in the areas of on-stream particle size analysis, on-stream x-ray analysis, slurry transportation, tripper control, flotation reagent control and digital control of grinding circuits. The major contributions to improved equipment are coming from smaller specialized equipment makers.

Jan 2, 1973

By R Crookes

Mine to Mill optimisation is not a recently developed concept. It is one which is finally gaining greater acceptance in the Australian Mining Industry, possibly as a consequence of the downturn in markets and certainly made possible by the development of tools and techniques to measure and predict performance of mining equipment and milling plants. Fragment size after blasting has a major bearing on the performance of all aspects of mining and a major influence on the economics of the mine and mill. The process to optimise fragmentation consists of identifying the key factors, measuring their sensitivity through a modelling and trialing program and conducting economic evaluations on the changes on both the mine and mill. Management of the Ernest Henry copper-gold mine in NorthernQueensland, Australia, has espoused the Mine-to-Mill concept and isactively pursuing excellence in blasting to drive down the total cost of mining. Ernest Henry has extremely hard, wet and heavily jointed geological conditions, and had high powder factors and a large percentage of oversize material reporting to the crusher or ROMstockpile. A blasting improvement program was undertaken betweenErnest Henry Mining, Thiess Contractors and Orica Explosives tooptimise the ore size distribution, particularly the oversize component, as a step to reducing production costs. Measures of success included bringing the rock breaker back from double shifts to part-time operation and increasing direct dumping into the crusher from 70 per cent to 92 per cent. Tools and technologies to predict and measure the performance ofindividual blasts are needed before it is possible to optimisefragmentation or the downstream processes. These include suchspecialised Orica Explosives tools as SABREX, POWERSIEVE, andPOWERLINE and commercially available drill monitors. As importantare the more common still and video camera, borehole loggers,measuring tapes, surveying equipment such as face profilers, and ahigh-speed camera if possible. There are many tools which can be applied however it is rarely necessary or possible to use all of them due to time constraints and a point of diminishing returns. The critical point is knowing what the true parameters of the blast were compared to design - only then can the predictive tools be effectively utilised. Stage one of the program has seen gradual improvement as theunderstanding grew and practices have been implemented resulting inreduced bridging in the crusher, geological mapping with respective blast designs and the oversize component under control. This paper is about a process approach which links tools and technology to understand the fragmentation drivers and then to optimising the size distribution.The continuous improvement program continues...

Jan 1, 2000

By 12670

The Cigar Lake project will develop the world’s second largest high-grade uranium deposit. The Cigar Lake Phase 1 orebody contains approximately 226 million pounds U3O8 at an average grade of 20.7% U3O8. The mine, to be operated by Cameco Corporation, will use a unique water jet boring mining method to cut previously frozen ore. A distinctive ore handling design is required to handle the highgrade ore slurry exiting the mining machines. The ore will be crushed and ground underground, with the ore slurry then pumped to surface. Loaded into purpose-designed containers on tractor-trailer units, the ore slurry will be trucked to Cogema Resources Incorporated’s McClean Lake mill. McClean Lake will leach all of the ore. Forty-three percent of the resulting uranium solution will remain at McClean Lake for processing into yellowcake. The other 57% of the uranium solution will be shipped to Cameco’s Rabbit Lake mill for processing into yellowcake there. Detailed design for the Cigar Lake project is now underway. Barring regulatory or market delays, production could start up as soon as early 2006.

Jan 1, 2004

By Gilberto Nunez, Ron Eastman, Hector Parra

The prediction of blasting outputs has proven to be a sound engineering tool to provide a guideline for design improvement. It has also been demonstrated to be extremely useful in critical situations when production can be compromised and there is no chance for error.

Jan 1, 2015

By Norman A. Jull

"Factors which affect the separation achieved in a hydrocyclone are discussed and illustrated with graphs of some mathematical relationships.Definitions of separation and sharpness include comment on use of elutriation devices.A plea is made for better evaluation of field data prior to their reporting or use in calculations. Methods of evaluation are suggested, with samples of the relevant calculations.An example of the effect of percent solids errors is given, with computer printout and plotted corrected recoveries.INTRODUCTIONThe range of interest in cyclones runs from a simple demand for classification results to a detailed study of published equations defining cyclone characteristics. Probably this group covers as broad a range and, in an attempt to offer something for everyone, I will begin with general operating comments, then move on to more analytical topics. Ideally, an author would compose his paper after the discussion period, when he would have a better idea of the areas of special interest to his audience.Sor'1e of you may share our incurable fascination with classification, especially as performed in cyclones. It is amazing that such a simple device could be in use for more than 20 years and retain as much mystery as it does. Substantial parts of the mystery have been solved but some remains, to keep up our curiosity. There is at least one valid reason: the unusual compactness of this device, which makes internal observation very difficult. What other unit can you think of which performs such a complex separation between particle sizes, shapes and specific gravities at such high capacity? Retention time in a cyclone is typically 3 seconds!Mutual Agreement - In a cyclone, every parameter of geometry and of operation interacts with every other. In an orderly discussion of individual parameters it would be necessary to repeat, in every section, 11 if all other factors are equal"". Could we agree now, for our mutual convenience, that that phrase is clearly understood between us during the remainder of this paper?"

Jan 1, 1972

By A. Golshani, M. Oda, K. Suzuki, T. Takemura

Anisotropic behaviours of OhshimaOshima granite were investigated by carrying out uniaxial compression tests, together with observations of microcracks under an optical microscope. The elastic modulus tensor of Oshima granite at 10 per cent strength,E10, were calculated using theoretically formulation of elastic modulus tensor in terms of the second-rank crack tensor for pre-existing open microcracks. Furthermore, with the assumption of orthorhombic elasticity, the nine moduli of Oshima granite E10were determined by uniaxial compression test. Twenty-onemoduli of samples, calculated without assuming any symmetry, also showed orthorhombic features. Direction of the symmetry axes agreed well with the orientation of preexisting cracks. Comparison of crack tensor-based formulation results with the experimentally determined one show that the anisotropy of elasticity of Oshima granite is caused by pre-existing open microcracks, not by pre-existing healed microcracks and also crack tensor formulation can be used, as a first-order approximation at least, to describe the anisotropy of Oshima granite induced by pre-existing open microcracks. ZUSAMMENFASSUNG: Das anisotrope Verhalten des Oshima-Granits wurde mit Hilfe voneinachsigen Kompressionstests und durch die Betrachtung von Mikrorissen unter einem optischenLichtmikroskop untersucht. Das Elastizitätsmodul von Oshima-Granit bei 10 Prozent Kraft E10wurde berechnet, indem man die Formulierung des Elastizitätsmodultensors, ausgedrückt alsRisstensor zweiter Ordnung theoretisch auf bereits existierende Mikrorisse angewandt hat.Außerdem wurden die neun Module des Oshima-Granits unter der Annahme orthorhombischerElastizität E10mit einem einachsigen Kompressionstest bestimmt. Einundzwanzig Stichproben,die ohne die Annahme irgendeiner Symmetrie genommen wurden, zeigten ebenfallsorthorhombische Merkmale. Die Richtung der Symmetrieachsen stimmte mit der Orientierungbereits vorhandener Risse überein. Der Vergleich der Ergebnisse der auf dem Risstensorbasierenden Formulierung mit der experimentell bestimmten Formulierung zeigt, dass dieAnisotropie der Elastizität von Oshima-Granit von bereits vorhandenen offenen Mikrorissenverursacht wird, und nicht von vorhandenen vernarbten Mikrorissen, und dass dieRisstensorformulierung auch zumindest für eine Annäherung erster Ordnung benutzt werdenkann, um die durch vorhandene offene Mikrorisse induzierte Anisotropie des Oshima-Granits zubeschreiben. RESUME: Les comportements anisotropes du granit d’Oshima ont été étudiés en réalisant destests de compression simple, et en observant les microfissures au microscope optique. Le tenseurdu module d’élasticité du granit d’Oshima sous une résistance de 10 pourcents, E10, a été calculéen se servant de la formule théorique du tenseur de module d’élasticité basé sur le tenseur defissures de second ordre des microfissures ouvertes préexistantes. En outre, sur base del’hypothèse de l’élasticité orthorhombique, les neuf modules du granit d’Oshima ont étédéterminés par des tests de compression simple. Vingt et un modules d’échantillons, calculés endehors de toute hypothèse de symétrie, ont aussi montré des caractéristiques orthorhombiques. Ladirection des axes de symétrie correspondait bien à l’orientation des fissures préexistantes. Lacomparaison des résultats de la formule basée sur le tenseur de fissures avec les résultatsdéterminés expérimentalement montrent que l’anisotropie de l’élasticité du granit d’Oshimaprovient des microfissures ouvertes préexistantes, et non de microfissures préexistantes referméeset que la formule du tenseur de fissures peut servir, au moins comme première approximation, àdécrire l’anisotropie du granit d’Oshima marqué par des microfissures ouvertes préexistantes.

Jan 1, 2003

By Don Phelps, John Hawley, David P. Field

In recent years observational techniques of tunneling have become increasingly popular methods to facilitate complex underground infrastructure projects. The traditional design and construction management practices developed in Europe have been adapted for application in North America to suit a more restrictive management and legal culture. This paper will discuss three recent projects, the San Diego Mission Valley East Extension, Washington Dulles International Airport People Mover, and the Seattle Beacon Hill Station and Tunnels, with the objective of identifying the challenges of applying observational tunneling methods to established contractual practices in North America.

Jan 1, 2005

Fine Gravity Separation in the Reflux Classifier, Exploiting a High Shear Rate, Laminar Flow Mechanism The Reflux Classifier is used in the gravity separation of particles over a broad range of particle sizes. The device consists of a fluidised bed zone, with a system of parallel inclined channels above. The inclined channels provide a significant hydraulic advantage over conventional fluidised beds via the so-called Boycott Effect (Boycott, 1920). This paper describes a new advance in fine gravity separation based on the high shear rate and laminar flow profile that arises when closely spaced inclined channels are deployed. As reported recently (Galvin et al, 2009a), a powerful density based separation mechanism develops from this arrangement, suppressing the effects of particle size. In this paper we focus on two areas, firstly the application of the separator in the laboratory for batch fractionation of particles of varying size and density to determine the grade recovery curve and hence the liberation, and secondly the step change in separation performance achieved on a continuous steady state basis when closely spaced inclined channels are used. The variation in the separation density with particle size decreases significantly, and the Ecarte Probable Error (Ep) remains at low levels over a broad size range.

Sep 13, 2010

By D Rubery, C Croker

The Boddington Gold Mine (BGM) is located 120 km south east of Perth, Western Australia. The operation is managed by Worsley Alumina Pty Ltd and mined by contractor Henry Walker Eltin (HWE). The mine has been operating since 1987 with ore extracted from a series of pits along strike. Ore is contained within the basement rock, which is overlain by a cap rock layer and transition zone. Cap rock and basement zones require blasting.As the mine neared completion, a high-grade deposit was discovered within 50 m of an existing Western Power substation and 100 m from the processing mill. The substation provides power to the Boddington area and is a back-up power supply to the city of Perth. Due to the delicate nature of the transformers located at the power station, overhead power lines and the mill, blasting in the area was considered very high risk. As such blasting needed to be controlled for flyrock, airblast and most importantly peak vibration and frequency limits which had the potential to damage the transformers.The mine was due for closure in March 2001. The decision to mine the pit was based on its high grade, ability to be blended with lowering grades from other pits and changing of the processing technique with the expansion. This decision extended the life for a further six months.Due to the high potential risks a detailed risk assessment was conducted by Orica, Worsley and Henry Walker Eltin. The completed assessment and the major design parameters were presented to Western Power for approval. The ability to reduce the blasting risk was focused on limiting of vibration through controlling maximum charge initiated per delay, blast timing and firing direction, and other innovative control measures. OricaÆs SHOTPlan« and Sabrex« computer modelling packages were used to predict the outcome of blasts.The success of this project has opened the doors for other high risk blasting projects, which otherwise may be left unmined.

Jan 1, 2002

By L. Jeffrey

The Waterberg Coalfield has vast potential to become a significantmining and industrial centre in South Africa. Its future developmenthinges on a number of critical decisions that must be made jointly by government, power utilities and industry, and on some technical and economic challenges that must initially be overcome. Sufficient water is the primary key to enabling exploitation, together with an adequate market for the large volumes of low-grade coal. As the most likely consumer of this coal will be either a power station or a petrochemical complex, the need for additional energy will be a driving force in the development of this coalfield. Conventional mining methods can exploit the shallow coal resources in both the Grootegeluk and the Vryheid formations, but alternative technologies such as coalbed methane extraction and underground coal gasification are the only currently known technologies that may be able to exploit the deep Grootegeluk Formation resources. However, extensive research is still required into these procedures, particularly with respect to the Waterberg coals. Transport infrastructure to the region is currently not sufficiently well developed to support large-scale exploitation of the region?s coal resources. In particular, the railway line would have to be extensively upgraded to allow the increased export of coal. Alternative transport methods such as pipelines would also have to be pursued to serve a large Sasol-type petrochemical complex or coal gas extraction. The road network would also require improvement, as only the roads between the main commercial centres are currently tarred. Dr Con Fauconnier, Kumba CEO, concluded his presentation to the Investing in African Mining Conference 2004 with the words: Again, it?s all about infrastructure? when it?s there, it enables the development of bulk mining projects which attract the resultant economic benefits for the region and country as a whole. These words aptly sum up one of the stumbling blocks to the future development of the Waterberg Coalfield.

Jan 1, 2005

By J. Piper

Markets and Production Beryllium (Be), an extremely light metal, is used in many specialty applications. It the lightest element in Group 2A of the periodic table, with a specific gravity of 1.85 gm/cc, and a high melting point of 12850C (Calvert, 2004). The functional properties of beryllium are stiffness, strength, dimensional stability, resistance to corrosion from acids, and electrical and thermal conductivity. The ability to reflect neutrons and transmit x-rays, makes beryllium irreplaceable in uses such as precision optical components, inertial guidance systems, and in nuclear reactors (Anon, 1993). Beryllium is used in Cu alloys to strengthen and reduce corrosion in copper wire, and in lightweight oxide ceramics that are used as heat sinks, and as electrical insulators. The market revenue of beryllium can be broken down into the seven major groups below, and are plotted on the pie chart in Figure 1 (Anon, 2005). 1.) Telecommunications & Computer 2.) Magnetic & Optical Data Storage 3.) Aerospace and Defense 4.) Automotive Electronics 5.) Industrial Components 6.) Appliance, and 7.) Other.

Jan 1, 2007

By J. Lehmann, H. Gaye

A brief review of Computational Thermodynamics software concerning the modeling and prediction of reactions involving metals, slags and fluxes is presented. Their application for various steelmaking treatments is discussed. Examples concern phosphorus removal in BOF and EAF, ladle steel desulfurization, and specific treatments for inclusions control in semi-killed or Al-killed carbon and stainless steels.

By P Meehan, R McAree, Z Guan

Equipment maintenance is 30 - 50 per cent of the operating costs for a typical mining company. While this is substantial, its importance is beyond its significance as a cost heading. Modern mining requires large amounts of investment in capital infrastructure and equipment to produce a product sold at a low unit cost. To stay competitive, such a business has to focus on full realisation of its capital investment, ie sustained production at high levels. Maintenance plays an essential role in achieving this goal. Mining companies typically use a mix of breakdown or corrective maintenance, planned maintenance, and some condition-based maintenance. The share of breakdown maintenance has been coming down through more effective planned maintenance and better condition monitoring tools. Planned or preventive maintenance (PM) is playing an increasingly important role in todayÆs mining maintenance. This is the suite of inspection and repair/replacement actions performed at scheduled time intervals as part of a preplanned activity. The activities are scheduled well in advance and, usually, the current wear-state of the machine is irrelevant. For example, the replacement of a major gear may have been planned 18 months in advance; replacement is carried out when the time comes regardless of the actual condition of the gear. The PM costs are significant and include direct cost of parts and labour as well as the opportunity cost of lost production while the machine is under maintenance. It is important to identify the optimum PM effort because over-maintenance should be avoided as much as under-maintenance. A new concept called severity-based maintenance is introduced in this paper. We have seen that measuring equipment ageing in mining merely by counting the engine hours is a very imprecise way of planning and scheduling maintenance because the damage accumulated in one hour varies enormously from operator to operator and with changing pit conditions. We recommend continuous monitoring of duty on all major equipment. This is feasible without having to fit out the machine with an army of sensors because most of the physical sensors required by dutymeters are already installed and maintained as part of the existing performance monitors. While the investment is modest, the potential benefits are huge and can be grouped under three headings:Immediate benefits will come from providing operators with direct feedback on the effect of their behaviour on machine health and training them to use this feedback to correct their operating style. The equipment can operate closer to the limits of capacity, producing more without unduly sacrificing the availability by monitoring and controlling the severity of the operation, ie the duty on the machine. Longer term benefits accrue from establishing correlations between actual time to failure data and measured equipment duty and using these correlations to optimise maintenance effort as well as planning new equipment purchases and warranty conditions.

Jan 1, 2002

By N. Shariatmadari

Two dry docks are currently under construction on the northern banks of the Persian Gulf by Iran Shipyard and Offshore Industries Co. (ISOICO). The construction of these dry docks forms a huge civil offshore project. The foundation system include more than 6500 large diameter (40-48 inch) spiral pipe piles with embedded depth varying from 18 to 25 meters. Extensive geotechnical subsurface investigations were carried out in the project site in order to provide enough information and proper perspective on the underlying soil layers. The results of geotechnical investigation indicated that a 20 m thick dense silty sand layer exist which can be considered as the main bearing stratum. Due to short clear distance between the piles (less than 3 m) refusal occurred for some piles, accordingly led to actual length less than their design length. To verify and in-situ evaluation of piles capacity, static and dynamic full scale loading tests programme were performed. The data from 40 static compression and tension and also 50 dynamic tests with PDA were interpreted and analyzed by current approaches and CAPWAP software. The results of analysis demonstrated that the safety factor of bearing capacity of piles must be increased to reach a safety factor of about 1.8. To achieve this purpose the interaction of combined piled-raft system has been realized.

Jan 1, 2007

By F. W. SUTTER

IN order to have ore available on the completion of the beneficiation plant at Clifton and to provide for continuous production while underground development was carried out, it was decided to develop an open-pit through the crest of a long hill in which the ore outcropped, using 40-ft. vertical benches.

Jan 1, 1943

By M. Schafer

The 20 foot diameter cast-in-place tunnel lining for Phase 3 of the Mill Creek Tunnel (MCT-3) has been completed. This paper will summarize aspects of liner design and address the construction approach in placing the liner in areas of tunnel that experienced crown overbreak. Tunnel lining production rates, installation procedures and form buoyancies experienced during concrete placement will also be presented.

Jan 1, 2008

By L. Alan Weakly

Global warming is a political reality in the United States today. The actual impact of the continued utilization of fossil fuels is not known and is open to debate. However, the growing concern about the continued use of these fuels is problematic. There are technologies available to us today that would permit America to meet its future energy demand and not contribute to global warming. The inconvenient reality is that fossil fuels cannot completely be replaced with energy conservation and the use of wind, solar, hydroelectric, geothermal and nuclear energy. The connection between the greenhouse effect and global climate change was first identified by physicist John Tyndall in the 1860s. To prove the greenhouse hypothesis, Roger Revelle and his research team started measuring carbon dioxide concentrations in the earth?s atmosphere in the early 1960s (Becker, 2007). With the rising concern about global warming, scientists throughout the world have been obtaining surface and air temperature data. Scientists have also been comparing CO2 concentrations found in glaciers throughout the world with theorized annual temperatures. Data for both dates back 1,000 years. Armed with this data, many nations of the world and the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) have concluded that climate change is a reality. The IPCC also concluded that this climate change is the result of mankind?s consumption of fossil fuels and that catastrophic consequences will occur on a

Jan 1, 2008

By J. E. Nesset, J. A. Finch, Rosenblum. F., S. Somot

"In a previous presentation at the CMP, evidence was shown for the formation of hydrogen sulphide (H2S) in self-heating experiments on pyrrhotite-rich samples (Somot and Finch, 2006). Oxidation of H2S is strongly exothermic leading to the proposition that H2S is playing a key role in the self-heating process. Subsequently, tests in two weathering apparatus (I and II) were run under varying oxygen levels to further examine conditions leading to self-heating. To characterise their resulting self-heating capacity the samples from the weathering tests were subjected to a modified Stage B test using the self-heating apparatus developed by Rosenblum and co-workers (Rosenblum and Spira, 1995; Rosenblum et al., 2001). Results showed highest self-heating after weathering occurs under low oxygen conditions, supporting the H2S hypothesis. It was observed that highest heating rates are not directly related to highest weight gains of samples.INTRODUCTION“Sulphides” refer to several types of minerals containing sulphur in its lowest oxidation state of - 2. Self-heating is the spontaneous heating of a material without external heat input. It is well established that some sulphides will self-heat on exposure to moisture and oxygen (Farnsworth, 1977; Good, 1977; Rosenblum et al., 2001; Wu and Li, 2005). This process is highly exothermic and if the heat generated is not dissipated, combustion may occur when the temperature reaches the ignition point of the sulphide (typically 350-400 °C). The hazards of sulphide self-heating range from handling hot material, to sulphur dioxide release, to fires. The literature documents self-heating incidents underground, on ships and trucks transporting sulphide concentrates, and in mine waste (tailing) disposal areas (Stachulak, 1990; Lukaszewski, 1969; Headley et al., 1977). Lukaszewski (1969), Farnsworth (1977), and Good (1977) note that sulphide minerals can act as fuel to promote underground mine fires. Based on such findings, sulphide minerals could become classified as hazardous materials, making transport of concentrates and storage of mine waste subject to stricter and more costly regulation. The problem is one the industry is keen to avoid."

Jan 1, 2009