Blogs

Effect of Pulp Density on Gold Flotation Recovery

There are a host of other factors that could be discussed relative to their impact on the effectiveness of free gold flotation. One of the most consistent trends experienced over the years in gold flotation has been the need for carrying out flotations on ground ore pulps having relatively high percent solids loadings by weight. The data of Figure 5

Read More »

Cave Mining

In the previous topic, we considered methods of stope mining were the stopes were intended to stay open and collapse and collapse of the roof was not an intended outcome. In some situations however, it may be permissible or even desirable that the roof of the mine collapse to fill the stope as mining proceeds. These methods are called cave

Read More »

High Intensity Magnetic Separation Fundamentals

Table of ContentsSeparator DesignTypes of SeparatorsApplications of Roll Type SeparatorHigh Intensity Wet Magnetic Separation 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

Read More »

Underground Coal Mine Design Procedure

Table of ContentsInput StatementIntegration ProcedureBasic ProcedureEngineering AnalysisMining Methods 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

Read More »

Cone Crusher Design

Table of ContentsDesignDesign Features 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 in

Read More »

Recovery of Lead from Lead Blast Furnace Slags

Table of ContentsExperimentalResults and DiscussionCharacterization of Lead Blast Furnace SlagsLead and Zinc LeachingLead Solution PurificationPossible Process Flowsheet 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

Read More »

Biohydrometallurgy – Bacteria in Mineral Processing

Table of ContentsBiological Leaching of Sulfides Bulk Flotation ConcentratesMicrobial Coal DesulfurizationSpecial Biohydrometallurgical Applications 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,

Read More »

How to Save Power in Cement Grinding

Table of ContentsFLS-Koppern roller pressCOMBIDAN diaphragmSEPAX high efficiency separator 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

Read More »

Witwatersrand Gold Deposits

Here is some history of the Witwatersrand Gold Style Ore Deposits as they related to South Africa since the arrival of the Dutch and the southernmost tip of the continent in 1652. The Dutch set up a small fort where Cape Town stands today and started Market Gardens as a place that the Dutch East India Company ships to shelter

Read More »

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 system that are due to

Read More »

Physical and Chemical Treatment of Boron Ores

Table of ContentsTincalKerniteNatural BrinesDatoliteUlexiteUnited StatesTurkeyUpdate of Research on Colemanite Beneficiation 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,

Read More »

Uranium Geology

I’ll start with a general discussion of uranium its uses, production, resources and the main uranium ore minerals. Then I want to focus the bulk of the course on the types of Uranium Ore deposits, discussing as I go along how those deposit types are formed and how we go about exploring for them. Then I’ll course briefly about how

Read More »

Ferrosilicon Suspension in Dense Medium Separation Process

Table of ContentsSurface Chemistry of Atomised ParticlesParticle MicroelectrophoresisSurface AnalysisInterpretation of the Isoelectric PointRheological Measurements at ‘Constant’ Zeta-PotentialSedimentation Measurements at ‘Constant’ Zeta PotentialUse of Indicator ElectrodesErosion/Corrosion and Suspension Stability in a Contaminated Medium 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

Read More »

Tailings Pond Seepage Control

Table of ContentsPhysical ConditionsSeepage AnalysesPollution Control Alternatives During operation of tailings impoundments, water is lost through decanting, evaporation and seepage. Techniques have been developed to regulate or control each of these components. Collectively implemented, these techniques form the basis of tailings impoundment management. Regulation of the rate and level of decanting influences the size of a free water pond, and,

Read More »

Agglomerating Gold Ores

The Haile Gold Mine was the largest gold producer east of the Mississippi River prior to 1942. It is currently the only producing gold mine in the Southeastern United States. Current development involves the mining and heap leaching of some 1000 TPD. Carbon is employed as a recovery medium. Due to its clayey nature and excessive fines in the oxide

Read More »

Coal Bioleaching

Table of ContentsBacteriaSubstrateShake Flask Experiments A new approach is emerging that deals with desulfurization of coals by bio-mediated reactions. Desulfurization of coal involves oxidation of pyrite and elemental sulfur inclusions by the bacteria The organisms, ferrooxidans and thiooxidans, were the most frequently cited to be associated with the formation of acid in coal mine drainage and sediments as well as in

Read More »

How to Pan Gold

I told you I wanted to do a panning video. So what you’re going to do is, I’m going to break this down a little bit differently. I’m not going to get real scientific on this; I’m just going to put it in plain terminology. Now unfortunately we are probably going to listen to gunshots down the road because its

Read More »

Zinc Box Gold Precipitation

The simplest precipitation equipment for a small mine is what is known as a zinc-box (Fig. 150). This consists of a long, narrow, sloping, wood or painted sheet-iron box divided into wide compartments or cells which are separated by baffle-boards and narrow compartments. The bottom of the box slopes to one side to facilitate the clean-up through plug-holes which discharge

Read More »

Mercury Amalgamation

Table of ContentsBest amalgamation will be obtained when:Examples of AmalgamationCleaning and Retorting AmalgamFinal Cleaning of Copper PlatesSickening or Flouring and Reviving Mercury Mercury or quicksilver fed into stamp mortar-boxes and riffles or applied to copper plates has been for ages the method of catching free gold. Many millions of ounces of gold have been saved thereby, and the mercury has

Read More »

Mining Tailings Pumps

The disposal of mill residues or tailings costs 2 to 6 cents pel ton, however carefully it is done. Residues may be moist sand which can be conveyed by belt or trucked to a dump, moist solid slime which can be handled somewhat similarly, or pulp which can be pumped to a suitable place. The handling of sand and slime

Read More »

Magnetic Black Sand Separator

During the past 50 years or more there has been a great waste of money, energy, and time in devising, building, and trying many machines to recover gold and platinum, also gemstones, from black sand. Volumes have been written on the subject, and many inquiries have been made by prospectors and others who thought that although they could not save

Read More »

Cyanidation

Table of ContentsCyanideHow to Test Solutions of Cyanide As coarse gold is not dissolved by cyanide, it must be removed from an ore by one of the methods already described. Weak solutions of sodium cyanide (or potassium cyanide, seldom used) will dissolve the fine, untarnished gold and silver in ores and tailings, provided the latter have been ground fine enough

Read More »

Cheap Sluice Mat – Corduroy

Details of the use of corduroy are given in the section covering gold and silver, but there is no reason why this material should not be used by the small miner in the concentration of any sulphide ore—silver, mercury, copper, lead, antimony, and sphalerite, for example. Corduroy forms part of the concentrating equipment of the platinum ores of Transvaal, South

Read More »