An International Patent Application has been filed for the revolutionary new hydrometallurgical process developed for TNG’s 100%-owned Mount Peake iron-vanadium project in the Northern Territory, Australia. The newly-named TIVANTM Process was jointly developed last year in conjunction with TNG’s metallurgical consultants, Mineral Engineering Technical Services (METS). For the first time using hydrometallurgy, the TIVAN process has successfully extracted commercial grades of vanadium, titanium and iron from the Mount Peake deposit, which is hosted by a similar rock type (magnetite-gabbro) to that which hosts most known vanadium deposits worldwide.

Metso will supply crushing equipment to Fortescue Metals Group in Australia. The delivery will be completed by May 2012. The value of the order is approximately EUR34 million. The order comprises 13 units of MP1000 secondary cone crushers. Three units will be delivered to Fortescue’s Christmas Creek iron ore site, and another ten units will go to the Solomon iron ore mine site. Both sites are located in the Pilbara region in Western Australia. The crushers will be supplied to the sites in pre-assembled, modularised form. Metso will also be providing installation and commissioning assistance of all units.

Rio Tinto is testing new techniques for underground drifting, mineral exploration and improved recovery of ore in its latest push to develop competitive advantage through its Mine of the FutureTM program. Launched in 2008, the program, covered extensively in articles in International Mining, introduces next-generation technologies for mining operations to reduce costs, increase efficiency and improve health, safety and environmental performance.

The credibility of the coal royalties estimates in next week’s state Budget will rest on the Queensland Government’s resolve to do more to allow the removal of flood waters from Queensland coal mines, according to the state’s main minerals and energy industry group.

Adding just one year to the life of Australia’s iron ore industry could earn the nation a bonus A$56 billion according to an article published in the June 2011 issue of CSIRO’s Process magazine. The article highlights how a team of CSIRO scientists has stepped up to the challenge of adding years to the commercial lifespans of known ore resources and converting once uneconomic deposits into viable mines.

The first of Sandvik’s revolutionary new DPi Series surface top hammer drill rigs - the biggest top hammer of its kind in Africa - has been commissioned at Independent Quarries in East London, South Africa and two more are on order. The intelligent self-propelled, self-contained crawler has been introduced to meet the rigorous demands of production drilling, quarry and mine development, pre-splitting and dewatering. There are already 15 DPi rigs operating in other parts of the world.“The new DPi Series reflects 20 years of experience in quarrying and open pit mining in the hole range of 76 to 152 mm, drilling deeper holes more accurately than ever before,” Cornel Burger, Sandvik’s General Manager Operations & Construction, says. The machine’s 33 kW rock drill is now the biggest available on the market.

Construction activities have reached peak intensity on the 34-month Maxi Heap Leach Pad project for French nuclear company AREVA at its Trekkopje uranium mine in Namibia, which will feature in IM’s July issue. The Trekkopje JV, comprising Concor Roads & Earthworks as lead partner, together with Grinaker-LTA and Basil Read, reports that it has been consistently achieving its present productivity targets on what is a complicated project that requires precision planning and programme scheduling.

Metso will supply minerals processing equipment and services to Russian Copper Co ZAO (RMK) for its copper operation in Chelyabinskya region in southwest Russia.

Commissioning and start-up of Canada’s first gearless mill drive (GMD) system has been completed at Osisko Mining Corp’s Malarctic project and will increase production capacity at the mine. The system was commissioned by ABB, a leading power and automation technology group. Image of the Malarctic mine by Osisko Mining

Australian rare earths company Arafura Resources has successfully completed the hydrochloric acid regeneration program, a key part of its wider, previously reported technology program. The process involves taking calcium chloride residues from the phosphate circuit and re-acting them with sulphuric acid to produce re-useable hydrochloric acid, a key raw material in Arafura’s pre-leach circuit, and calcium sulphate (gypsum), a potential saleable product into various end applications.

Caterpillar and Bucyrus International have received notification from the US Department of Justice (DOJ) that it has closed its investigation into Caterpillar’s planned acquisition of Bucyrus. The DOJ action, in addition to the expiration of the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act waiting period, concludes the antitrust review process in the US. The clearance by the DOJ will allow the acquisition, valued at approximately $8.6 billion (including net debt), to proceed as soon as all other conditions to closing have been satisfied. The transaction is expected to close in mid-2011. The implifications of this acquisition were considered in detail in IM, December 2010.

The ITRI reports that the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) government has withdrawn its troops from the Bisie mine, which has until recently been the largest tin mining operation in the country. The Wall Street Journal reported that military units have been withdrawing from the mine over the past six weeks to allow the North Kivu provincial mining department to assume control of the mine.