Cobalt Mineralization – Mississippi Valley Type Rocks
Cobalt-sulfide mineralization can be found in potentially economic quantities where permeable, basal Cambrian formations “pinchout” against Precambrian paleotopographic highs. These environments are common around the Saint Francois Mountains of southeastern Missouri and they share many similarities with the geologic environments of Zambia and Zaire in South Africa. Exploration Philosophy Exploring for cobalt-bearing minerals in southern […]
High Intensity Magnetic Separation Fundamentals
The process of magnetic separation is based on the differences among magnetic susceptibilities of various mineral species. Performed either wet or dry, the separation has application in both the recovery and concentration of value minerals, and in removing deleterious mineral constituents from a product stream. There are two major categories to be considered when addressing […]
Underground Coal Mine Design Procedure
A systematic, comprehensive, balanced approach is presented for underground coal mine design, capable of being standardized and generalized. This approach epitomizes professionalism and must preceed the physical product. Design involves a varied senior staff and requires extensive selective input data. Engineering follows a total systems approach, operating in and for a constricting geologic setting, heavily […]
Cone Crusher Design
When the Symons brothers invented the cone crusher over 60 years ago, they employed the principle wherein the length of the crushing stroke was related to the free fall of material by gravity. This permitted the material being crushed to fall vertically in the crushing chamber; and in effect caused the particles to be crushed […]
Recovery of Lead from Lead Blast Furnace Slags
The analytical procedure for determining the potential for a lead containing waste to be classified as a hazardous solid material was the E.P. toxic character test, which used an acetic acid extraction procedure. If the leach liquor from that test contained more than 5 mg Pb/l then the waste was classified as a hazardous waste. […]
Biohydrometallurgy – Bacteria in Mineral Processing
Much research has been carried out on biohydrometallurgy over these last 25 years and is still being actively conducted all over the world. The interdisciplinary nature of this young branch of science and technology is reflected by the variety of experts involved: microbiologists, mining engineers, hydrometallurgists, physico-chemists, mineralogists, solid-state physicists and bio-chemists. This intensive research […]
How to Save Power in Cement Grinding
For grinding Portland Cement, the power consumption accounts for some 35% of the total consumption of electrical energy for producing cement, counting right from the quarry to the packing plant. It is therefore for very good reason that great efforts during the past years have been put into making cement grinding more efficient, thereby saving […]
Leach Pad Liner Stability on Slopes
The stability of a liner system is influenced by many factors which can be compiled into four basic groups. They are: the liner system components and physical characteristics; the geometry and slope of the liner system; the loading conditions on the liner system; and the foundation conditions under the liner system. Failures in the liner […]
Physical and Chemical Treatment of Boron Ores
A background on the history of boron is useful for those not familiar with the industry. More than 4,000 years ago, goldsmiths may have found the first commercial use for borax as a flux in making jewelry. Boron is found commercially in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, China, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Peru, Russia, Turkey, and the United […]
Ferrosilicon in Dense Medium Separation
Aqueous polydisperse suspensions of angular (milled) or spherical (atomised) ferrosilicon alloy powders are widely used in mineral, aggregate and scrap separation processes as a dense medium. Table I shows the typical range of Dense Media Separation water analyses (analysing the supernatant after allowing the ferrosilicon solids to settle) taken from three diamondiferous-kimberlite circuits, from which it […]