MDM Engineering has been awarded the EPCM implementation for the replacement of Foskor's D-Bank flotation plant at Phalaborwa, in the Limpopo province, South Africa. Founded in 1951, Foskor's Mining Division in Phalaborwa mines phosphate rock, from which Foskor's Acid Division in Richards Bay produces phosphoric acid and phosphate-based granular fertilisers for local and international markets. The open-pit mine in Phalaborwa has the capacity to produce 3 Mt/yof phosphate rock concentrate from 35 Mt/y of ore mined. Once crushed, milled, concentrated and dried, most of the phosphate rock concentrate is railed to Foskor's processing plant in Richards Bay, 800 km away on the KwaZulu-Natal coast.

Komatsu America has annnounced the introduction of the WA500-7 wheel loader. The WA500-7 is powered by a Komatsu SAA6D140E-6 engine with a net horsepower of 353 and is EPA Tier 4 interim and EU Stage 3B emission certified. Komatsu said it had "Qleveraged its leadership in technology and innovation - building on its proven Tier 3 engine platform - to design a more environmentally friendly engine that increases power while decreasing fuel consumption." This model is likely to form the basis of future development for the larger models up to the WA-1200.

The London Metal Exchange (LME), the non-ferrous metals market which offers futures and options contracts for many leading metals, made significant annual donations from 2009 to the Wits School of Mining Engineering with a view to assisting disadvantaged students. As a direct result, the 1st year student throughput at the School has increased significantly.

A specialist West Virginia equipment manufacturer has been quoted in an Associated Press report, saying that a new relationship with a Chinese mining company will "open up new markets and help make Chinese mines safer." Petitto Mine Equipment and China's Datong Coal Mine Group are due to sign a co-operation agreement on Friday, April 6th in Morgantown. Officials with the US-China Energy Centre at West Virginia University (WVU) introduced leaders of the two companies at a Coal Expo in China in 2008.

Anglo Coal has placed a R2.9-million order with Weir Minerals Africa for the supply of ten horizontal, single and double deck screens for installation at its coal handling processing plant in Mpumalanga Province, South Africa. Delivery is planned for April 2012. Anglo Coal is a longstanding Weir Minerals Africa customer and the screens will replace older units supplied by the company that are due for replacement owing to wear and tear, as well as competitor units.

Following an order placed by Bateman Engineered Technology (BET) in 2011, bulk materials handling company Weba Chute Systems has delivered three transfer chutes to Barrick's Chimiwungo Development Project (Chimiwungo is one of the two main Lumwana ore deposits along with Malundwe) in Zambia for installation in the raw materials handling section of the plant. Commissioning will take place at the end of the second quarter of 2012.

A new book which explores naturally occurring nanomaterials also sheds light on ‘invisible' gold particles and nanoparticles of iron oxides. Nature's Nanostructures edited by CSIRO scientists Dr Amanda Barnard and Dr Haibo Guo looks at how nature's own laboratory has been producing some of the world's most advanced nanomaterials for millions of years. We are now starting to see where these particles reside in the environment. In fact, research on gold nanoparticles is helping to explain how rich gold deposits could have formed in the first place.

The successor to the first fully mechanised cable-bolting rig from Sandvik, the well known Cabolt, the all-new DS421 benefits from the legacy of three decades of first-class cable bolters. Sandvik states: "Offering excellent safety, serviceability and efficiency - with a record of 13,000 metres of grouted cable bolts per month - the one man operated DS421 is a true boost for productivity."

UC RUSAL's development of a new red mud recycling prototype facility is included to the Russian Ministry of Education and Science's Russian Science and Technology Complex Priority Research and Development Areas 2007-2013 program. The Ministry will invest RUR150 million for the research and pilot launch of the project including RUR50 million in 2012 and RUR100 million in 2013. The main partners in the research project are the Institute of Metallurgy of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Ural Branch) and the National University of Science and Technology (MISIS). The decision on the financing was made at the meeting of the Technical council of the Russian Ministry of Education and Science. Once the R&D stage is completed, the company will begin the construction of a production unit at the Urals Aluminium Smelter (UAZ). Investment at this stage of the project will amount to RUR600 million. The facility is expected to launch in November 2014, with the capacity to treat up to 200,000 t/y of red mud. Viktor Mann, UC RUSAL's Technical Director, said: "Recycling of red mud is an issue faced throughout the world. We are grateful to the Russian Ministry of Education and Science for taking an active part in the solution of this problem. I am sure RUSAL in partnership with the best Russian scientists and on the base of the existing scientific research, will succeed in creating an environmentally clean alternative to red mud disposal areas, paving the way for the future exploitation of the red mud in the iron industry and construction with the simultaneous extraction of valuable rare-earth metals." Following the launch of this facility, UAZ will establish red mud recycling operations, creating a new production market and the potential to implement the technology in other RUSAL plants. Scientists estimate the market demand of red mud and its recycled products from Russian business could be more than 3 Mt/y. RUSAL believes there is wider application for this innovative recycling technology beyond UAZ and will look to roll it out at the Bogoslovsk aluminium smelter, the Nikolaev alumina refinery and RUSAL overseas alumina refineries in Ireland, Guinea, Australia and Jamaica.

Scanalyse provides laser scanning condition monitoring services for grinding mills and crushers. Its technology was originally developed at Curtin University and the company started operating commercially in 2007

In preparation for release of the Maptek VulcanTM 64-bit version, the company's Forge newsletter interviewed Vulcan Product Manager, Eric Gonzalez, about upgrades and features expected in the new software. It will be available April 10, 2012 and provides 64-bit and 32-bit versions. There are improved grade shells, solid modelling from polygons, ROM composited strat models and a stripping ratio tool for strat models, along with some 100 smaller upgrades.

New gas-power vehicle provides versatility for mines, surface and underground. Kubota says "the new gas-powered RTV400Ci utility vehicle that features the agility and reliability of a mid-sized utility vehicle, but is compact enough to fit in the bed of a full-size, long-bed pickup truck."