A coal-drying technology that will extract more energy from high moisture coal at less cost and simultaneously reduce potentially harmful emissions is ready for commercial use after successful testing at a Minnesota electric utility. The DryFiningTM technology - developed with funding from the first round of the US Department of Energy’s Clean Coal Power Initiative [...]

March 16 saw the centenary of the discovery of a rich copper ore deposit in Outokumpu in the eastern part of Finland. This discovery led to the establishment of Outokumpu Oy and a booming mining industry in Finland. Over the years, Outokumpu has experienced a major transformation, evolving from a mining and multi-metal company to one [...]

Bucyrus has delivered five CL10C compact loaders to China Shenhua Energy Co for operation in the longwall mines managed by Shenhua Shenfu-Dongsheng Coal Co. The 10 t capacity loaders are the first electronically controlled diesel vehicles supplied to the Chinese underground coal mining industry. They are designed to raise loads to a height of 1 [...]

The Kumtor gold mine in the Kyrgz Republic has implemented Modular Mining’s IntelliMine® suite of products into its operation. The installation includes the DISPATCH® mine management system, the MasterLink® wireless network, the PowerViewTM reporting software suite, as well as interfacing with the VIMS® system on Caterpillar haul trucks. All of these were selected to assist [...]

Yukon-Nevada Gold achieved positive results with recent stack tests at its wholly owned subsidiary Queenstake Resources’ Jerritt Canyon gold mine, near Elko, Nevada. The developing mercury recovery and control technology there has produced positive results. Six stack tests, conducted by an independent contractor, all showed mercury levels at approximately 50% and SO2 levels of less than 2% of the [...]

The April issue of IM includes the penultimate article on PT Freeport Indonesia (PTFI) and looks at oreflow to the concentrator and overburden handling. Obviously an operation of this size employs hundreds of kilometres of conveyor belt. Cleaning those belts properly is vitally important and relies on Martin Engineering belt cleaners.

Avalon Rare Metals received the 2010 Environmental & Social Responsibility Award at the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) convention in Toronto last week for its community engagement efforts during the exploration of its Nechalacho rare earth elements deposit in Thor Lake, Northwest Territories. This included encouraging skills training and employment opportunities for aboriginal [...]

Verderflex has recently exported 30 of its VF hose pumps to a cobalt operation in Morocco for transfer of sulphuric acid and ammonia solutions from storage and dilution tanks to reactors and baths, with the solutions then employed in electrolysis. These pumps, manufactured in the UK, aim to reduce downtime, minimise maintenance costs and ensure [...]

Australia has “lost the plot” in its backing for greenfields minerals exploration and is continuing to slip in world rankings on support for discovering new mineable deposits. At risk the sector has been warned, is the survival of at least 25% of Australia’s junior explorers. Addressing the second day in Perth today of the Paydirt [...]

This Edumine course will be held March 22-23 in Vancouver, Canada. It will augment the technical skills of the participants with regard to all facets of cyanide in its relationship to the environment, humans, and mining. At the same time the courses will provide a knowledge base of sufficient depth to aid those at either [...]

Macquarie Commodities reports that Japan’s Komatsu, which has a 35% share of the world’s mining equipment market, expects global sales to rise by 10% to near-record levels in FY2010/11, driven by strong demand for commodities. In China, sales are expected to see even stronger growth of 40-50%. Komatsu also reports a progressive trend toward more [...]

A paper at the SME Annual Meeting at the beginning of the month considers the feasibility study for the Grasberg block cave mine (IM, March 2010), finalised in May 2008, that indicated a production capacity of 160,000 t/d. A rail haulage system was an integral part of the mine design. This paper describes the simulation [...]