Mining Technology News

New industry association to draw attention to clean technology innovation in mining

The Clean Mining Alliance (CMA), a Canadian a non-profit industry association based in Vancouver, BC, unveiled today its new association aimed at supporting and advocating technological advancements to make the mining industry cleaner and more environmentally responsible.

Thermo Fisher Scientific launches new Laser TX optical thickness gauge

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., the world leader in serving science, today launched the new Thermo Scientific Laser TX optical thickness gauge, the latest addition to its established line of online, non-contact thickness measurement and coating weight gauges.

Datasat's remote communications microsite for the mining sector

Mines are often located in very remote areas with indifferent, or no, access to modern communications systems which are taken for granted in most places nowadays. This new microsite details the options available.

Silver tailings: Profitable waste?

Tailings are materials produced from mining such as milled rock and effluents. In many cases, massive quantities of these materials, regarded as waste, are left from previous operations. Given the potential health and environmental risks associated with tailings, they could be viewed as problems or project deterrents, but then again, they could be viewed as a source of cash.

Codelco experimenting with 'biomining' in Chile

BBC News reports on new technology used for mining copper in Chile. Biosigma, a joint venture between Codelco and Nippon Metals and Mining, is experimenting with microbes that break down copper at higher recovery rates and reduce operating costs:

Patent granted in Australia for a method for leaching of a copper-containing ore

Alexander Mining has received notification from the Commissioner of Patents in Australia that its MetaLeach subsidiary has been granted a Standard Patent for a Method for Leaching of a Copper-containing Ore, patent number 2011200703 (this is derived from the Australian national phase entry from the corresponding PCT/AU2008/001027 application).

Outotec offers new partial roasting process to purify contaminated copper and gold concentrates

Outotec has developed a two-stage partial roasting process to remove impurities – such as arsenic, antimony and carbon – from copper and gold concentrates as a pre-treatment to actual extraction processes.

Major Processing Design Improvements Boost Recovery of Critical Rare Earths at Pele Mountain’s Eco Ridge Mine Project

Pele Mountain Resources Inc. (TSX Venture: GEM; OTCQX: GOLDF) (“Pele” or the “Company”) today announced that processing design improvements have resulted in sharply higher recoveries of critical rare earth oxides (“REO”), including neodymium, dysprosium and yttrium oxides, (Pele’s “Big 3 REO”) at its Eco Ridge Mine Rare Earths and Uranium Project (“Eco Ridge” or the “Project”) in Elliot Lake,Ontario.

Rio Tinto boosts driverless truck fleet for use in Pilbara

World #2 iron ore miner Rio Tinto has reached a deal with Komatsu to buy 150 driverless truck over the next four years.

The new trucks, which will start arriving in 2012, will be used in Rio Tinto's Pilbara iron ore mines in Western Australia and can be controlled from its Operations Centre in Perth more than 1500 km away.

Rio says the vehicles will increase productivity by hauling more material quicker. The Komatsu Autonomous Haulage System, a world first, has been tested in the Pilbara since December 2008.

The company currently operates a fleet of 203 standard haul trucks and 10 driverless vehicles.

Karara iron ore tailings partnership delivers multiple benefits

An innovative approach to design options for tailings thickening at Karara Iron Ore Project in Western Australia has resulted in lower overall cost, reduced thickener sizes and minimized site construction time as the project moves into production. The initial 8 Mt/y project – with Karara's known resources sufficient to support eventual production of +30 Mt/y for more than 30 years – is benefitting from a partnership between the Karara development team and Outotec staff extending from early process design stage to fabrication.

Scientists discover new flotation method using nanoparticles

Researchers have discovered a new way to separate gold, silver, copper and other valuable metals from ore using the flotation processing method, reports MEI Online.

Mega tailings dam in South Africa could get kyboshed

Fin24 is reporting that a huge tailings dam being built in Kuma township could get kyboshed due to opposition from environmental groups, pressure groups and demands from landowners.

The Kareerand tailings dam being built by First Uranium TSX:FIU, JSE:FUM 15km outside Stilfontein is a R400 million project motivated by a need to solve the ubiquitous dust cloud that currently envelops Kuma residents from 15 old tailings dams — relics from the Buffelsfontein and Hartbeesfontein gold mines — says Fin24, which describes the dam in some detail:

Anvil to commence copper production from SX-EW plant

Anvil Mining is scheduled to commence production of copper from its new Kinsevere Stage II Solvent Extraction Electrowinning (SX-EW) plant in the Democratic Republic of Congo in the current quarter.

Outotec to deliver concentrator technology for Codelco in Chile

Outotec has signed a contract with Chilean Codelco, the leading copper producer in the world, for the design and delivery of concentrator technology to Codelco's new Mina Ministro Hales mine in northern Chile.

Banro Corp's Twangiza Phase 1 gold mine plant entering cold commissioning

Banro Corporation reports that construction of its wholly-owned Twangiza Phase 1 gold project in South Kivu Province, DRC, is proceeding on schedule with gold production expected to begin in Q4 2011.

Challenges for mining pumps

Mining pumps not only have to pump the liquids of varying quality and quantity, but also have to meet the expectations of investors. The life and performance of mining pumps will have the direct effect on the profitability of the company.

Rio Tinto signs MOU with Jindal Steel and Power on advancing HIsmelt technology

Rio Tinto has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Jindal Steel and Power Limited (JSPL) to take the next step in global commercialisation of the HIsmelt technology to be used in a fully integrated steel making facility.

Peabody Energy and Yanzhou Coal Mining Co. enter into technology agreement to increase coal recovery from North Goonyella Mine

Peabody Energy (NYSE: BTU) today announced a new licensing agreement with Yanzhou Coal Mining Company for the installation of its Longwall Top Coal Caving (LTCC) technology to enhance recovery of metallurgical coal at Peabody's North Goonyella Mine in the Bowen Basin, Queensland, Australia. Yanzhou is a subsidiary of Yankuang Group Co. Ltd.

Rio Tinto inks deal with Indian giant Jindal for new steel-making technology

Green Car Congress reports Rio Tinto has signed a deal with with the India's Jindal Steel and Power, part of the $15 billion Jindal group, to develop and commercialize the HIsmelt direct smelting technology. The existing plant in Australia, shuttered by Rio Tinto in 2009 because of depressed pig iron prices, will be relocated to India.

HIsmelt, short for high-intensity smelting, is the first commercial direct smelting process for making iron straight from ore. The technology smelts iron ore fines directly using non-coking coals, and provides environmental benefits over traditional ironmaking as it removes the need for coke ovens and sinter plants.

IM’s inaugural In-Pit Crushing and Conveying event continues to gather great interest

With attendance now approaching 100 representing 11 different countries at the last count, the industry’s first ever dedicated IPCC conference in Belo Horizonte, Brazil from 21-23 September continues to garner interest in the industry where it really matters.

Proving technology to convert low-rank coals into liquid hydrocarbons

Regal Resources, via its 50% owned entity UCTL Pty, has retained Stanford University in California, one of the world’s leading research universities, to conduct Phase Two Proof of Concept Testing of its UCTL technology.

International Mining Research Centre created in Santiago

The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), the University of Chile, and the Chile International Centre of Excellence in Mining and Minerals Processing have created a new mining research centre based in Santiago, Chile, reports Australian Mining.

Great Western Minerals to build rare earth separation plant in South Africa

Great Western Minerals Group (“GWMG”) is pleased to announce that it has contracted DRA Mineral Projects (Pty) Ltd. (“DRA”) of South Africa, a company with a strong track record of utilizing world class standards, for the detailed design of the Steenkampskraal processing plant.

DRA is a multi-disciplinary, multi-national organization that specializes in the mining, infrastructure and mineral processing industries. As one of the largest project management enterprises in Africa, the South African-founded group of companies has constructed plants on five continents.

Acid mine drainage has ‘quietened down’ but still poses a threat to companies’ coffers, says risk manager

Risk management and insurance broking firm Aon South Africa principal broker Russell Davis warns mining companies that, although the threat of acid mine drainage (AMD) has quietened down, it still has not gone away and the implications of this threat could have a significant impact on the responsible companies’ coffers.

First Point Minerals is making rapid headway in Canada with its work on naturally occurring nickel-iron alloys

What, pray, is a nickel-iron alloy ore? That’s a question that holds no mystery to the management and shareholders of First Point Minerals, which has just identified its first drill-ready nickel-iron alloy target on the Klow project in central British Columbia.