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By Shuangchun Yang, Le Tong, Ronggui Fan, Cunlei Li

Acid mine drainage (AMD) is difficult to treat due to its physicochemical characteristics, such as high pH and high heavy metal concentrations, so it causes great harm to the environment and human health. If acid mine drainage is discharged arbitrarily without treatment, it will lead to a series of environmental problems and cause long-term environmental pollution. In this paper, the source and hazards of acid mine drainage are introduced in detail. And the principle, the mechanism, the application, and basic information of the current primary technology of the treatment for acid mine drainage are comprehensively introduced and summarized. The summarized treatment technologies for acid mine drainage mainly include neutralization, sulfidization, constructed wetland method, adsorption method, microbiological method, ion exchange method, membrane technology, and microbial fuel cell technology. Also, the primary technology of treatment for acid mine drainage is systematically compared and evaluated. Moreover, some suggestions on the development direction of water treatment technology in the future are put forward. This paper provides a scientific reference for scientific and technical works to treat acid mine drainage.

Sep 4, 2020

By Ranajit Kumar Sahoo, Shatrughan Soren, Surendra Kumar Biswal, Soumya Sahoo, Sachida Nanda Sahu

The presence of appreciable quantity of clay mineral in Indian hematite ore needs an attrition technique using screw scrubber in the beneficiation circuit to remove the ultrafine clays and avoid downstream operational problems. Spectroscopic analysis revealed that iron ore samples obtained from the Barbil region of Odisha contain a high amount of silica and alumina in the form of clay minerals (e.g., kaolinite) contributed as a loss on ignition (LOI) in the iron-making process. Iron ore fines of below 10 mm size were subjected to a laboratory-scale screw scrubber, and the effectiveness of scrubbing as well as the pelletization of the scrubbed product was investigated. The screw scrubber in the beneficiation circuit helps to remove the clay minerals, causes an increase in iron values from 63.65% Fe(T) to 66.18%Fe(T), with improved physical (CCS of 325 kg/pellet) and metallurgical (RDI of 2.24%) pellet properties.

Aug 31, 2020

By SANDEEP KUMAR JENA

This review work reports the recovery of potassiumfromdifferent rocks and mineral sources. The global demand for potassiumis rising consistently due to the growth of agricultural production. A major portion of the world potassium production is consumed in making of fertiliser; however, other uses include those in pharmaceutical, glass, ceramic, food and detergent industries. The availability of soluble potash minerals (sylvite, kainite and carnallite) in different countries like Canada, USA, Israel and Russia makes them as major potash producers, whereas agricultural-based countries like Liberia, Somalia, Central African Republic, Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia including India meet their potassium requirement through import only. On the contrary, the availability of huge potassium-bearing rocks/minerals (like nepheline syenite, feldspar, mica, glauconitic sandstone) in these countries containing around 4–17% K2O would be a prospective for commercial production of potassium. The potassium recovery from minerals/rocks is very complicated due to the uniform distribution of potassium throughout the crystal structure. Different physico-chemical separation methods like bioleaching, chemical leaching, flotation and roast leaching have been discussed for the successful recovery of potash values from these rocks/minerals. However, the recovery of potassium from hugely available seawater using the chemical precipitation, solvent extraction,membrane separation and ionic exchangemethods is not cost-effective due to the low concentration of potassium.

Aug 31, 2020

By Chunbao Sun, Qi Liu, Chao Wang

Entrainment is a process by which fine and ultrafine particles are transferred to the flotation froth from the top of the flotation pulp, and eventually discharge to the concentrate product, evenwhen they are not attached to gas bubbles. Therefore, entrainment can be considered as a two-step process, one at the upper layer of the pulp to the flotation froth, and the other from froth to the concentrate. Entrainment is inevitable for both hydrophobic and hydrophilic minerals and is one of the significant factors affecting concentrate grade. This paper provides a comprehensive review of the entrainment mechanisms and entrainment models, as well as a summary of the main factors affecting entrainment and the techniques thatmay be used to lower or eliminate entrainment. Based on the review, we point out that selective aggregation of fine and ultrafine gangue minerals using appropriate process aids (polymeric depressants, inorganic salts, etc.) to increase their particle sizes appears to be a convenient and economical method. Directions of further research along this line are discussed.

Aug 31, 2020

By Brianna M. Eiter, Jennica L. Bellanca

Mineworkers face a challenging and dynamic work environment every workday. To maintain a safe workplace, mineworkers must be able to recognize worksite hazards while they perform their jobs. Though hazard recognition is a critical skill, recent research from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) indicates that mineworkers fail to identify a significant number of hazards. To further the understanding of mineworkers’ hazard recognition ability and to begin to address hazard recognition performance, NIOSH researchers analyzed data collected during a laboratory research study to determine the effect of individual mineworker factors including risk attitude, work experience, and safety training on hazard recognition accuracy. The results of this study show that mineworker risk attitude and safety-specific work experience affect hazard recognition performance while hazard-specific safety training does not. These results suggest that some of these individual factors can be overcome through experience and training. Potential strategies that can be used to address these factors are also discussed.

Aug 31, 2020

By André Xavier, Nancy Bahamonde

Este estudio de casos de los Comités de Monitoreo Ambiental Participativo (CMAP) de Juprog, Orcopampa y Mallay muestra la experiencia de trabajo en espacios de participación ciudadana destinados a atender la demanda de información y transparencia de las comunidades donde se desarrolla actividad minera. Se presentan aportes de buenas prácticas basadas en la vinculación de los comités con las entidades públicas encargadas de la mitigación de impactos, así como los desafíos que resta enfrentar: institucionalización, incorporación de políticas de género, capacitación permanente, formación continua de monitores, comunicación asertiva respecto de los resultados y registro de los mismos como una línea de base.

Aug 30, 2020

By Manuel Montañez

Nexa Resources está comprometida con el desarrollo de las comunidades campesinas del entorno de sus operaciones. En ese contexto se inserta el proyecto descrito en este artículo, el cual está orientado a mejorar la calidad de vida de las comunidades del área de influencia de unidad minera Atacocha (Pasco). El proyecto analizado incluye el fortalecimiento de habilidades y valores locales, el desarrollo de capacidades para acceder al mercado y una adecuada transferencia tecnológica y técnica para un manejo sostenible de los recursos pecuarios (vicuñas).

Aug 30, 2020

By Luis Palacios

Dentro de las actividades económicas primarias más representativas, la agricultura es la que mayor mano de obra emplea y la minería es la que más ingresos proporciona al Estado. Este artículo propone que ambas actividades —ubicadas en las regiones altoandinas— se complementen y unan esfuerzos para alcanzar un desarrollo sostenible y más igualitario, mejorando la situación del campesino en función del compromiso social minero. El artículo concluye con una propuesta de convenio de participación conjunta de la minería y el Estado para atender a la ampliación de la frontera agrícola en las regiones altoandinas.

Aug 30, 2020

By Alexandra Prevost, Rodrigo García

El artículo analiza cómo contribuye la actividad minera de Nexa Resources al desarrollo de sus comunidades aledañas, alentando la formación de empresas comunales para canalizar aquellas oportunidades de negocio que la empresa puede ofrecer. Entre otras cuestiones de interés, el texto detalla las expectativas y nivel de satisfacción de los comuneros con relación a las empresas comunales y a la empresa minera, tanto como las expectativas que tiene la minera respecto de las empresas comunales. Se identifican, asimismo, las principales dificultades que presenta este tipo de contratación, así como los efectos positivos obtenidos.

Aug 30, 2020

By Juan Carlos Zevallos

Ante un escenario incierto y de gran tensión como consecuencia de la pandemia del COVID-19, el sector minero peruano ha venido desarrollando tareas sociales fundamentales y comprometiendo grandes esfuerzos en ayuda económica, operativa y logística. Las acciones descritas en este artículo demuestran que en los últimos años las empresas mineras en el Perú han dado un salto importante en la dinámica de su relación con el entorno, la comunidad y el Estado, lo que ha facilitado coordinar aportes y establecer sinergias.

Aug 30, 2020

By Rosa Coronado

Este documento técnico muestra el estado de la economía circular — estrategia que fomenta el desarrollo productivo— en el sector industrial minero. Si bien la minería ya ha venido trabajando desde hace más de una década los principios en los que se basa la economía circular, puesto que así lo exige el sector y la normativa nacional ambiental; es momento de integrar acciones para alcanzar esta meta.

Aug 30, 2020

By Aarón Morales

El autor de este artículo postula y desarrolla 12 principios, como códigos básicos que deben marcar la ruta de todo comportamiento empresarial. Su cuidado y mantenimiento constituye una de las principales responsabilidades de la alta dirección, requieren ser entendidos por todos en todos los niveles y no están sujetos a negociación, pues constituyen el sustento mismo de la empresa.

Aug 30, 2020

By María Quintana, Valerio Yachachin, Juan Rodríguez

Con el interés de evitar un inadecuado descarte de lámparas fluorescentes y favorecer su reciclaje y aprovechamiento, en este estudio técnico se analizó el contenido de tierras raras (REE, por sus siglas en inglés) presente en varias marcas de lámparas. Caracterizado el polvo fluorescente, se procedió a usar la lixiviación ácida multietapas como método de trabajo para el reciclaje, obteniendo como resultado relevante la extracción del itrio en su totalidad.

Aug 30, 2020

By Walter Casquino

El texto se enfoca en el mundo de los negocios para explicitar dos escenarios definidos en lo que se refiere a toma de decisiones: el sistema discrecional, orientado básicamente al cumplimiento de normas y reglamentos; y el sistema no discrecional, que centra toda decisión en la capacidad personal y en los valores morales individuales y comunitarios. Una ponderación adecuada de los estilos actuales de gestión coloca en lugar prioritario a los métodos no discrecionales, seguidos en segundo lugar por los procedimientos discrecionales cuantitativos. Ello configura una sociedad contenida en su potencial innovador productivo que, a juicio del autor, debería liberarse con una mayor aplicación de procedimientos discrecionales cualitativos.

Aug 30, 2020

By Juan Francisco Retamozo

Hoy es indispensable que los profesionales de ingeniería de minas se capaciten en gestión y habilidades blandas, para responder adecuadamente a los nuevos retos que plantea el mercado laboral. Como producto de su extensa práctica como ingeniero de minas y coach personal en el sector, el autor desarrolla en este artículo diversos aspectos de interés para aquellos profesionales interesados en acceder a posiciones de liderazgo.

Aug 30, 2020

By W. R. Reed, Y. Zheng

A recent study conducted by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) evaluated the roof bolter canopy air curtain (CAC) systemin a blowing face ventilation system, demonstrating its effectiveness and illustrating the CAC protection zones. This study evaluates the roof bolter machine CAC while operating in an exhausting face ventilation system. This study considers two similar locations to allow comparison with the previous blowing face ventilation (Zheng et al., Min Metal Explor 36(6):1115–1126, (2019)) study: (1) a roof bolter machine bolting the roof at 20 ft (6.1 m) from the face and (2) a roof bolting machine bolting at 4 ft (1.2 m) from the face. The environment introduces 6.0 mg/m3 of respirable dust to represent the roof boltingmachine operating downstreamof the continuous miner. However, the exhausting face ventilation uses an exhaust curtain with 9000 cfm (4.25 m3/s) of air. Two roof bolter machine working positions are simulated with the use of dual drill heads in the inward position for two inside bolts and in the outward position for two outside bolts. The influence of the CAC on airflows and dust dispersion is evaluated with the CAC operating at 250 cfm (0.12 m3/s) with dust reductions ranging from 39.5 to 82.8%. When the roof bolter machine operated close to the face, increasing CAC airflow was required for adequate protection since the dust reductions can be as low as 39.5%. Additional CAC airflows of 350 cfm(0.17 m3/s) and 450 cfm(0.21 m3/s) were evaluated and demonstrated that dust reductions increased to 59.7% (350 cfm) and 72.0% (450 cfm) for the worst location where the roof bolter operators located.

Aug 26, 2020

By D. Blackwell, W. R. Reed, G. Ross, S. Peters, M. Shahan

Dust collectors for roof bolting machines generally use a dry box to collect the roof bolting material. Recently, an underground mining operation converted a dry box dust collector to a wet box dust collector with a unique exception from MSHA for testing purposes.Water is routed to the roof bolter fromthe main water line of the continuous miner. The wet box utilizes a water spray to wet the incoming material. Testing was conducted comparing the two different collector types. Respirable dust concentrations surrounding the roof bolter with the different collection boxes were similar. The main difference in respirable dust concentrations occurred when cleaning the dust boxes. The average respirable dust concentration during cleaning of the wet box was 0.475 mg/ m3, and during the cleaning of the dry box, the average respirable dust concentration was 1.188 mg/m3, a 60% reduction in respirable dust concentration. The quartz content of the roofmaterialwas high, ranging from 28.9 to 52.7%during this study. The results from this study indicate that using the wet box as a collector reduced exposure to respirable dust up to 60% when cleaning the collector boxes.

Aug 26, 2020

By Atta Ur Rehman, Kwame Awuah-Offei

This work evaluated the effect of bucket orientation and operating parameters on resistive forces and penetration for rubber tire loaders. The work used a 1:16 scale LHD model to test a rubber tire loader (RTL) bucket operating at different levels of tractive effort, speed, digging height, and rake angles in a full factorial design experiment. The work repeated the test on two different muck piles with different particle sizes and used generalized regression modeling to test the association of rake angle, tractive effort, speed, and digging height on penetration and resistive forces for RTL buckets. The results show that speed and tractive effort are more important in explaining RTL penetration and resistive forces than height above the floor and rake angle. Speed, tractive effort, and height above the floor are positively correlated to bucket penetration, whereas the rake angle is negatively correlated to penetration. Similarly, speed, tractive effort, rake angle, and height above the floor are all positively correlated to resistive forces incurred during initial penetration. The observation that the combined effect of speed and tractive effort is negatively correlated to penetration and resistive forces is a novel contribution that enhances our understanding of RTL loading. The results also show that the effect of speed, tractive effort, and height above the floor all change with changes in particle sizes. This work adds to the literature on the effect of rake angle, height above the floor, tractive effort, and speed on penetration and resistive forces for rubber tire loaders.

Aug 24, 2020

By Jürgen F. Brune, SAMUEL A. LOLON, ADITYA JUGANDA, Gregory E. Bogin Jr

Historically, there have been many occurrences ofmine fires and explosions recorded in the United States and other countries that have demonstrated the existence of explosivemethane–airmixtures, herein referred to as explosive gas zones (EGZs). The risk of mine explosions can increase if the EGZs migrate out from the gob into the surrounding mine entries. Fluctuating barometric pressure is the common cause for EGZs outflowing or outgassing from the gob. Numerical analysis using a 3D computational fluid dynamics method was developed to fully understand the outgassing phenomenon. A number of simulations using various magnitudes and periods of barometric pressure changes indicated that the EGZ outgassing potentially occurs due to lags in pressure, which are strongly influenced by mine conditions and ventilation systems. An early warning system with a real-time pressure monitoring and the application of gob ventilation boreholes are recommended to detect and mitigate explosion hazards from gob outgassing.

Aug 24, 2020

By S. K. Pan, R. Venugopal, L. A. Kumaraswamidhas, Rakesh Prasad, Chandan Pandey

Cold compressive strength (CCS) and apparent porosity (AP) of pellets are essential properties regarding the burden of blast furnaces. The optimal required values for industries are 2.5 KN CCS and 21% AP. Blaine fineness and firing temperature are the decisive parameters analyzed here. During firing, microstructure phases such as silicate, hematite, and pore are formed. The phase’s grain density during induration influences the pellet’s CCS and AP. The influence of the factors over the response is evaluated by I-optimal (response surface methodology) design. Blaine fineness, firing temperature, pore phase grain density (PPGD), silicate phase grain density (SPGD), and hematite phase grain density (HPGD) affect the CCS and AP of pellets. The RSM-I-optimal predicted responses with a coefficient of determination (R2) of 0.89 for CCS and 0.91 for AP of iron ore pellets. Optimal conditions were Blaine no. = 1668 cm2/g, 1250 °C firing temperature, PPGD value 90 no/mm2, SPGD value 250 no/ mm2, and HPGD value 490 no/mm2, with 4.5 KN CCS 27%. The induration processes were investigated through statistical design of experiments for process optimization. Statistical analysis indicated the direct and interactive influence over CCS and AP. In this study, RSM-I-optimal modeling is used for iron ore pellets processing. The I-optimal prediction could be applied to make the process economical because information is obtained through fewer experiments.

Aug 18, 2020