Topic 1: Types of ore Bodies and Mine Processes

Extraction
Open Pit Strip Mining Underground

Crushing
Initial Autogenous Circuit

Beneficiation
Physical Chemical Electrochemical

Smelting

Types of Ore
Massive: base metal Cu, Ni, Zn Disseminated: gold, Diamonds
INCO Thompson Ni ore

Snow Lake 0.16 oz Au / tonne

Ekati, NWT, Diamonds

Bissett Au

Bedded Ore bodies

Potash, Saskatchewan
Syncrude, Oil sands, Fort McMurray

Black Thunder Coal Mine Wyoming, USA

Extraction process depend on shape, position and value of ore body

Open Pit Strip Mining Underground Mine Dissolution: potash, uranium, In situ mobilization: oil shale Heap Leach
What are the major environmental issues related to each form of extraction?

Open Pit

Bingham Canyon Cu Mine

Ekati Diamond Mine Note: The amount of waste rock to be removed to provide reasonable gradient for trucks. Only efficient for large ore bodies close to the surface Can be useful for dumping mine waste at closure

Strip Mining

Very efficient for high level flat lying ore bodies. Overburden and top soil can be replaced minimizing environmental damage

Underground

Dissolution: potash, uranium In situ mobilization: sulfur, oil shale

NaCl or KCl dissolved in water

Acid in situ leach of metallic ore

Hot water or steam used to mobilize sulfur or oil

Heap Leach

Landusky, Montana, CN Heap Leach Gold Mine 1979-1996

Crushing
Ore bearing and non ore-bearing rock will be separated as soon as possible What happens to non-ore-bearing rock? Ore-bearing rock will be crushed to the size necessary to liberate the required mineral Heap leach requires only very coarse crushing Much finer crushing for gold and PGE as they are enclosed within other mineral grains Initial crushing underground In mill, crushing in autogenous circuit with feedback of large particles Final crushing in rod or ball mills

Beneficiation (Extraction of metal from rock/mineral)

Physical techniques
Gravity
Gold from quartz Diamonds Tantalum

Flotation
Sulphides from silicates Cu and Ni sulphides NaCl from KCl

Chemical Techniques Smelting Electrochemical Refining of pure metal

CN leaching Roaster oxidizes sulphide to SO2

Consider the waste generated at each stage

Gravity Separation
Whiffle table

Separator

Fine grained waste goes to tailings pond. What does it contain?

Flotation Cells

Ore becomes attached to air bubbles, float, and are collected. Gangue sinks to the bottom of the flotation cells and piped to tailings pond Chemicals added include: Frothers: pine oils & alcohols promote the formation and stability of bubbles. Collectors promote adherence of air bubbles to the mineral. Conditioners: make the surface of the mineral particle either more or less susceptible to concentration. Activators e.g. copper sulfate, lead nitrate, lead acetate Depressants e.g. sodium cyanide, zinc sulfate

Chemical Separation
Cyanide leaching for gold
at pH 11 gold retrieved by Merrill Crowe (precipitation on zinc dust) or Carbon in Pulp (CIP) process

Roaster oxidizes sulphide to SO2

Releases metal for refining and SO2 to the atmosphere unless scrubbers are in place

Smelting

Separates remaining silicates from metals Slag (molten silicates) pored off Metal pores into bars or sent for final electochemical refining