An area to the northeast of Alice Springs has the potential to emerge as the Northern Territory's newest nickel, copper and gold province, according to an explorer active in the province.

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.

The last century has witnessed acceleration in Industrial output like never before. This acceleration and development in almost every sphere of life is largely attributed to one technology - Information Technology (IT).

Banro’s Twangiza gold mine (IM, February 2008, pp8-26) is on schedule to pour gold in Q4 2011 and ramp up to full production of around 10,000 oz/month early in 2012.

WA Mines Minister, Norman Moore, told the Paydirt 2011 Australian Nickel Conference, last week that "the federal government's proposed Mineral Resource Rent Tax (M-R-R-T), and the carbon tax are challenges this government and industry are facing. The M-R-R-T is expected to apply from July 1 next year, applying a rate of 30% to all iron ore and coal projects. "The state government's position on this new tax is clear. ...we oppose it and believe it will threaten the WA resource industry's ability to compete in the global market place. ...the same sentiment applies to the proposed carbon tax. The WA resources sector is energy intensive and operates in a competitive world market. "....competing with nations which don't have a carbon price can only adversly affect our competitiveness. "...currently the federal government does not recognise the emergency of Africa, South America and Central Asia as attractive destinations for resources investment. "....the state government will continue to argue against the implementation of these taxes in negotiations with the federal government.

Save accidents and training costs. Using simulators can create training and refresher course applications, serious situation exercises that allow operators to build skills in a practical and cost effective way, and, can also prove process designs. John Chadwick discovers this and more in this month's 'Spotlight Feature Article', from the October 2011 issue of the monthly global mining management magazine, International Mining.

The Thiess Sedgman Joint Venture (TSJV) has been awarded a A$85 million contract to design, procure, construct and commission a Coal Handling and Preparation Plant (CHPP) at the Codrilla coal mine on behalf of Macarthur Coal (C&M Management), the manager of the Coppabella Moorvale Joint Venture (CMJV).

NMA's MINExpo INTERNATIONAL® begins September 24, 2012, in Las Vegas, Nevada. The world's largest mining exhibition is less than a year away - and it will be the largest ever. A multi-year boom in global mining is fueling record exhibitor participation in MINExpo 2012, the premier exhibition of mining equipment, technology and services sponsored every four years by the National Mining Association (NMA). Powerful global demand for metals and coal has prompted equipment manufacturers and service companies to exceed the exhibitor space of the prior show in 2008. With current sales exceeding 710,000 square feet, MINExpo 2012 is already 18% larger than the 2008 exposition. It is expected to attract more than 1,400 exhibitors and thousands of visitors from the US and around the world, making it the largest show of its kind. "This is a must-attend event for mining professionals from around the world as mining is riding the crest of strong demand for minerals, metals, and coal and for the latest in equipment needed to mine them," said Hal Quinn, NMA President and CEO. Michael W. Sutherlin, President and CEO of Joy Global, and MINExpo Chairman, says "MINExpo gives us the opportunity every four years to bring together all aspects of the mining industry - people, products and services - in one huge demonstration of safety, technology and efficiency." Registration and housing for MINExpo 2012 will open in January 2012.

Steel company SSAB says it is experiencing "rapidly growing interest in the business concept ‘Hardox In My Body'. In addition to delivery of high strength steel, the concept includes providing customers with technology and marketing support. In return, customers must complete SSAB's certification process." When SSAB launched the program, customers gave it a warm reception. The Hardox name was well established as one of the strongest and most sought-after abrasion-resistant steels.Now, ten years later, the concept is meeting rapidly growing interest all over the world and adding new markets. "Customers have recognised the benefits of being able to use the Hardox brand in their marketing while also gaining access to our knowledge of materials," says Mats Sjöström, Project Manager and responsible for Marketing Communications for Hardox in markets such as Turkey, where truck body manufacturer Özdesan is the latest to benefit from the business concept in its operations. "It's important because we give customers the right to use Hardox In My Body in their own marketing and it becomes something of a seal of quality for the end product," says Sjöström. "That's why everyone must complete the certification process to gain access to the concept." Underlying the strong interest is an abrasion-resistant steel that opens the door to stronger and lighter designs. "Usually, the weight can be cut by at least 1.5 t in this type of structure if you make it in Hardox," says Robert Lind, Area Technical Manager for Turkey at SSAB. "The Hardox properties quite simply open a number of opportunities to optimise design. And the end result is a stronger and more durable product with better operating economy. "For buyers of truck bodies and other parts where wear is high, Hardox is a quality guarantee for which they are prepared to pay extra," says Lind. "Our concept contributes to the business success of our customers in many ways, through better and more efficient products, and through access to a strong brand."

Minerals Down Under is developing robust, industry-proven technologies that address major online measurement challenges in the mining and processing of commodities including alumina, coal, copper, gold, iron ore, platinum and uranium. These technologies underpin the process optimisation needed for ‘precision processing'. Radio frequency researchers through CSIRO's Minerals Down Under Flagship have built sensors capable of electronically 'eavesdropping' on bulk ore deposits to detect the crystalline structure of valuable minerals. The sensors work in real-time and are designed for deployment onsite at mines and processing plants where they can deliver measurements that allow improved control of processing. Dr David Miljak, who is heading up the project, says the technology under development is related to medical MRI - the non-invasive ‘magnetic resonance imaging' technology used to image the body. Unlike MRI, however, the CSIRO sensors do not require a powerful magnetic field, eliminating the requirement for huge magnets. ‘With some crystalline structures we can get a response without a magnetic field," he says. "We use radio waves at specific frequencies that penetrate deep into rock. Advanced radio receivers are used to listen for faint electronic ‘blips' that allow us to obtain accurate information about the mineral mix," Miljak says. There are both economic and environmental benefits associated with adopting this real-time sensing technology in the minerals industry. CSIRO researchers have recently demonstrated the measurement of selected copper minerals in bulk ore samples. The initial results hold promise for online copper mineralogy measurement at various stages of production, from mine to flotation, and will aid in process optimisation. "For example, if mining could get mineral and textural parameters before the ore goes to stockpile, that would be quite transformational for the industry," he says. "It would allow for greater mining efficiency while providing opportunity for precise control of processing," Miljak says. "There are many potentially exciting applications out there for this technology, so we are at this interesting R&D stage where we have the potential to ramp up the technology for particular mineral measurement applications." CSIRO has engaged with several mining companies to develop specific online analysers for measurement of copper mineralogy in bulk ore.

During the Exposibram mining show in Belo Horizonte, IM Editor Paul Moore took the opportunity to visit the special Chinese pavilion, where one of the exhibitors is Xiangtan Electric Manufacturing Group (XEMC), the leading China-based manufacturer of large electric drive mine trucks. IM and XEMC have corresponded in the past but this was the first [...]

Ukraine-based Velta LLC has placed an order with Multotec for the supply of NHM and SC20 spiral concentrators to process minerals from an operation in the Birzulovo ilmenite deposit in South Ukraine. Delivery is scheduled for the end of October 2011 and Multotec engineers, together with representatives from Multotec’s local distributor, DIN, will be deployed [...]