Blogs

Mining technology firm creates new system to process platinum

The mineral processing plant manufacturer Appropriate Process Technologies (APT) is currently changing its strategy to target platinum miners, in Zimbabwe. The company is designing a new modular platinum gravity recovery system that can be used to process primary ores. The firm’s chief executive, Kevin Peacocke, said in a statement that: We are focusing more on designing and incorporating modular platinum group metal specific

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Calculate Recoveries with 2 or 3 Product Formulas

Here is the formula you need to calculate Metal Recoveries using Assays only.  You have two products/concentrates.  This will save you time in your metallurgy accounting calculations.  Some call the same formula the two (2) product other the three (3) product formula. Frequently, a concentrator will mill a complex ore requiring the production of two separate concentrates, each of which is

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Mineral Processing Calculators

Table of Contents911Metallurgist CalculatorsS.G. Math & ConversionCirculating LoadsMetallurgical Accounting | Formula for Calculating Metal Recovery  A Metallurgist needs certain toll mineral processing calculators or tools. 911Metallurgist Calculators Calculate the Flotation Cell & Conditioner Capacities/Volume Need in a Circuit S.G. Math & Conversion Calculate the Specific Gravity or Ores and Rocks How to convert a Pulp Density (%Solids) to SG Specific Gravity Circulating Loads

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Flotation Reagent Metering Pumps

I recently did a reagent plant trial and worked with a pretty nice flotation reagent metering pumps.  The pump is supplied by https://www.pmps.co.za This portable reagent supply unit is a mechanical diaphragm metering pump.  As see on https://www.pmps.co.za/obl-mechanical-diaphragm-dosing-pump They even had “Water Driven Pumps” Other pumps I never worked with include https://www.awe-ltd.co.uk/products/dosing_pumps_electronic.html and https://www.lutzjescoamerica.com/index.php?id=1645   Also https://www.911metallurgist.com/mibc-frother-pump

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10 Insane Russian mines

Table of Contents1. Yakutia Mir Mine2. Kupol Russian Arctic Mine3. Coal-pit “Podmoskovnaya”4. Kuzbass Leninsk Coal Mine5. Lenin Mine6. Lake Baikal Deposits7. Sukhoi Log Gold Mine8. Kuznetsk Coal Mine9.  Kraznokamensk Mine10. Kolyma Mines Russia’s size and geographic conditions lead to the existence of many amazing mineral deposits that make the nation a hub for mining activities. Some of the world’s most incredible

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Do I Need Bigger and Larger SAG Mill Balls

How do you know if a larger SAG ball will increase your tonnage and how to select it?  When is it time to change to a larger Ball in your SAG Mill? It’s difficult to generalize on SAG mill ball size selection as it depends on a number of factors: Ore properties Level of impact breakage in the mill (speed,

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AngloGold Ashanti tested new gold mining technology

The big mining company AngloGold Ashanti is testing a new technology, created to substantially increase South Africa’s gold reserves. The firm is betting on autonomous deep level mining to protect its workers and increase production and revenue. Miners cannot go deeper than five kilometers into mines due to safety risks. Although AngloGold’s deepest mine – the Mponeng deposit – is “only”

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Abandoned Mines -TOP 14

What happens to the big or even smalls mines we now see providing tonnes and tonnes of ore when their precious metals end? The workers leave and the sites stay abandoned for decades. Here’s a collection of some amazing inactive and abandoned mines. 1. Organ Mountains Located in New Mexico (USA), this huge mine was established as a mining camp before the American

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Atlas Copco and Rio Tinto innovate surface drilling

The surface mining industry has just overcome a new milestone: a surface production drill completed a computer-generated drill pattern without human interaction for the first time ever. The Atlas Copco D65 crawler-mounted and articulated drill – developed by Atlas Copco Australia after a partnership with Rio Tinto – levelled, drilled and moved between rows as directed by computer-generated instructions. The researchers started working on

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BHP spends $1.5 millions to increase security

Looking to improve the safety levels at its mining sites, BHP is installing the innovative Driver State System with breakthrough eye-tracking technology, developed by the company Seeing Machines, in 110 trucks. The big mining firm decided to invest $1.5 millions in the technology after a positive trial  that involved 17 trucks at Mining Area C and Eastern Ridge, in the Pilbara area (Australia).

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Ancient Israeli copper mines belonged to King Solomon

Copper mines that scientists thought belonged to the Egyptians in the 13th century were actually originated three centuries later, during the reign of the legendary King Solomon. The finding was disclosed by Dr. Erez Ben-Yosef, from the Tel Aviv University’s Jacob M. Alkow Department of Archaeology and Near Eastern Cultures, who is coordinating an archaeological excavation at the location. The evidence gathered from

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Authorities are fighting to lift iron mining ban in India

The Indian ministry of mines wants the government to lift the ban on iron ore mining in the country’s key states, including Goa and Karnataka. The exportation of this valuable substance, mainly used to produce steel, has dropped more than 70 percent over the past years, recently revealed the Business Standard. The Supreme Court will receive an affidavit filed by

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Refractory Gold Processes

Gold can be leached and extracted/recovered in several ways.  Even if you gold is “refractory” in pyrite or arsenopyrite, you can still get much value from your ore/rock depending on the economics of capital and operating cost. The cheapest and fastest option is to simply grind and CIL the whole thing according the the process flowsheet here shown. The next

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What Can an XRF Analyze

No sure what a portable XRF can analyze, do, detect, assay and read?  Here is the list of the the Olympus Innov-X Systems Delta can do. A Delta Premium can do everything if you have the right calibrations loaded onto it. Attached is a Delta Product Descriptions that will act like a menu of sorts. Scrolling down will show you what calibrations

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Why are Chile and the world going back to underground mining?

The world of mining is going back to where it all begun: underground. According to the experts, the need to preserve the environment and the birth of new technologies are causing big companies to move back to underground mining. The trend is quite notorious in Chile, but is quickly spreading to other countries. Juan Carlos Guajardo, head of the Centre

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Philippines launches project against the dangerous use of mercury in small-scalle mining

The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (Unido) teamed up with the Philippine government to fight for the elimination of mercury use in artisanal and small-scale mining in the country. The project is entitled “Improve the Health and Environment of Artisanal and Small-scale Gold Mining [ASGM] Communities in the Philippines by Reducing Mercury Emission”. The main goal is to establish a formal

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Niton XRF Calibration Factors

On the Niton XRF, calibration factors are used to adjust for consistently high or consistently low readings from the XRF analyzer. They are calculated by graphing the data points created by plotting the percentage of each element as indicated by standard samples, against the percentage of each element as reported by the XRF analyzer. Then the linear regression function is

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Activox Process for Refractory Gold

It was a proprietary and licensed process. Is essentially low temperature/low pressure oxidation.   I think patent may have expired, which is why I refer to it as low temp/low pressure rather than Activox.  It was developed for Nickel extraction but can also be applied to refractory gold extraction.

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Rosia Montana project approved after 14 years of negotiations

After 14 long years of debate and negotiations, the Romanian ruling Social Democratic Party has approved a proposal for a legislation that will allow the Canadian mining company Gabriel Resources to proceed with the Rosia Montana mine project. The parliament will vote the new bill in September. That being said, Romania is preparing itself to become the co-owner of Europe’s largest

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Gold Price Sensitive Gold Mining Stocks

Here I try to explain or list gold mining stocks than are and others that are not sensitive to gold prices going up or down. Not Sure Where Gold is Going … Higher or Lower from Here? — What to Own Under Both Scenarios:  A snapshot of our gold producer coverage universe shows that some companies have much larger trading

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High zinc levels are poisoning the New River

The historic New River, which flows through central Appalachia – across North Carolina and West Virginia, in Virginia (USA) -, is showing signs of high levels of zinc that is poisoning the water and polluting the nearby land. New evidence has arisen, but the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is not acting to solve the problem. This watercourse, one of the most

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How will NASA mine an asteroid: step by step pictures

Table of ContentsStep 1Step 2Step 3Step 4 If you think that mining an asteroid is something that won’t happen for several decades, you’re probably wrong. NASA is betting so much in this possibility that they just released a small guide that explains how the process will happen. The agency recently released some new photos and even a video animation depicting its

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Canadian company uses satellite to monitor mining site

Did you know it’s already possible to monitor and measure mining sites from space? That’s right. Thanks to the advances in imaging satellites and data processing technology, the industry has evolved into a point where it can successfully monitor mines from thousands of miles away. Recently, the president and founder of the Canadian company PhotoSat wrote an article about this issue, which was

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People arrested during protest against iron mine

The indigenous Sami population has been trying to preserve their way of life and culture by protesting against the creation of an iron mine in northern Sweden. The project belongs to the British company Beowulf Mines. The police was called last Wednesday (21) to end a blockade of around 50 people, among locals and Sami. Eight people were detained for crimes varying

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