Advances in Applied Strategic Mine Planning addresses core aspects of the sustainable, responsible, and optimal development and utilization of Earth’s mineral resources.

It presents both state-of-the art methods and major applications in the global mineral resources industry and includes contributions from international experts in the field.

This collection of papers on topics in the field of strategic mine planning discusses orebody modeling, mine-planning optimization and the optimization of mining complexes. Elaborating on the state of the art in the field, it describes the latest technologies and related research as well as the applications of a range of related technologies in diverse industrial contexts.

Born in 1939 in Taiwan, Syd Peng was one of seven children of a poor but hardworking farmer and his wife. Syd began life in a ramshackle house with a leaky roof, carrying water for his family from a nearby well.

But Syd worked and studied hard, in Taiwan and then in America, and—thanks to his intelligence and strong work ethic—built a life as an engineer, researcher, teacher, author, and founder of the acclaimed International Conference on Ground Control in Mining.

After school and technical college in Taiwan, followed by military service with the Chinese Army, Syd got his first real job—in a coal mine. There he was exposed to the extremely unsafe mining practices of the time. “I began to fear for my life whenever I entered the mines,” he writes.

Thus, he found his lifelong passion to make coal mining—an industry upon which the world continues to depend for much of its energy needs—safer for those who go underground. He became an international expert in ground control for mining, longwall mining, and mine subsidence, helping to create safer conditions for miners and higher productivity for the industry.

APCOM 2015: Your key to effective decision making and staying current with the rapidly evolving minerals industry. The symposium series on the Application of Computers and Operations Research in the Mineral Industry (APCOM) was initiated by The University of Arizona in 1961. Since then APCOM has become an international forum for presentation, discussion, and criticism of the state-of-the-art and emerging technologies in the fields of computer and operations research applications applied to the broad minerals industry.

With 113 peer-reviewed papers from all mineral industry sectors—industry, academia, and government agencies—the 37th APCOM proceedings holds the latest wisdom and the most current best practices to incorporate computer technology into mining operations and mining public relations.

The mining operations topics cover sophisticated new engineering techniques to identify better mineral deposits and extract them more efficiently in a safer, better-managed mine using the latest tools in geometallurgy, geostatistics, mine design, production planning, 2D and 3D modeling, simulations, mine automation, rock mechanics, mineral processing and unconventional energy resources.

Mining public relations topics, broadly defined, cover not just publicity and outreach but regulatory compliance—winning over neighbors, environmental activists, and other stakeholders—and designing interfaces and training tools using virtual reality and other cutting-edge applications.

Applied Mining Geology provides a detailed overview of the operational principles of modern mining geology. It includes comprehensive descriptions of mining geology techniques, including conventional methods and new approaches.

The book presents a comprehensive summary of mining geology procedures from data collection, quality assurance to their utilization in resource/reserve models, and implementation in mine production plans, which can be used as guidelines by mining industry specialists. A good mix of theory and practice is covered and will be of interest to a wide range of experienced geologists, specialists, students, lecturers, and researchers. Applications of the methods are explained using case studies and are facilitated by the computer scripts added to the book as electronic supplementary material.

This book was selected by Choice magazine as an Outstanding Academic Title for 2017.

Basics of Metal Mining Influenced Water is a must-read for planners, regulators, consultants, land managers, students, researchers, or others concerned about the environmentally sound management of metal mine wastes and drainage quality.

The first of a series of six handbooks on technologies for managing metal mine and metallurgical process draining, this book offers a unique, comprehensive perspective on the subject. Unlike other texts that focus primarily on acid drainage from coal mines, the authors examine both acidic and neutral pH waters that can be hazardous to the environment.

Planning a new mine in today’s increasingly contentious regulatory and political environment demands a different philosophy. Basics of Metal Mining Influenced Water takes an innovative, holistic approach by considering all aspects of the mine life cycle, including closure.

Written by a team of experts from state and federal governments, academia, and the mining industry, Basics of Metal Mining Influenced Water also discusses the major physical and chemical relationships between mining, climate, environment, and mine waste drainage quality.

The authors have included an extensive glossary defining hundreds of technical terms for easier reading and understanding.

Beneficiation of Phosphate Ore examines various methods for processing phosphate rock, an important mineral commodity used in the production of phosphoric acid. The majority of phosphoric acid is produced by the wet process, in which phosphate rock is reacted with sulfuric acid to produce phosphoric acid and gypsum (calcium sulfate dihydrate). This wet process demands a phosphate rock feed that meets certain specifications to produce phosphoric acid efficiently and economically. Beneficiation of Phosphate Ore thoroughly explains the methods used in beneficiation of different types of phosphate ores for use in the wet process. The mineralogical properties of the two major types of phosphate deposits, sedimentary and igneous, are described along with the processing methods. The benefits and disadvantages of each process are discussed in detail.

CONTENTS: 

• Sources of Phosphate Rock
• Beneficiation of Siliceous Sedimentary Phosphate Ores
• Beneficiation of High-MgO Sedimentary Phosphate Ores
• Beneficiation of Igneous Phosphate Ores

• Recovery of rare earths from phosphate
• Uranium recovery from phosphoric acid
• Recovery of magnesium from high-dolomite phosphate rock
• Phosphoric acid purification via byproducts production

This compilation from the 2018 Beneficiation of Phosphates Conference includes insights from dozens of internationally respected experts on key breakthroughs that will shape the industry in the years ahead. Learn from the best and the brightest in the industry.

The book reflects on the recent impetus for reviewed research in the recovery of rare earth elements from secondary resources. Recovery of rare earth elements from phosphate processing has been one of the important projects of the Critical Materials Institute (CMI). This compilation highlights some of the findings of the CMI phosphate project.

Learn how competition in the flotation reagent market has stimulated innovative reagent development work. As a result, new reagents have been formulated and targeted at dolomite flotation, calcite flotation, more selective phosphate flotation, and even flotation in seawater.

The Florida phosphate industry is seeing improvements in the processing of high dolomite reserves. Recent encouraging developments include new reagents that can float dolomite without using phosphoric acid as a phosphate depressant, reducing MgO content in the “Crago” flotation concentrate thus allowing blending of some high-dolomite pebbles in the final product, and innovative gravity separation.

Topics include:

• Sustainability and the Environment
• Comprehensive Extraction and Smart Chemistry
• Flotation Fundamentals and Reagents
• Advances in Processing Technology and Equipment

With recent reductions in U.S. coal production, it is important for coal preparation engineers and practitioners to be aware of advances in technology to improve plant efficiency and productivity in cost-effective ways.

Challenges and Opportunities in Coal Preparation provides both a domestic and international perspective on these new technologies and includes papers from industry leaders in the United States, as well as Australia and South Africa.

Opportunities for overall plant efficiency improvements and new technologies that address many aspects of the coal preparation value chain—from pre-sorting to coarse and fine coal cleaning to dewatering—are presented.

Read the latest thinking from industry experts in this handy reference that will assist current and future plant engineers and designers in achieving higher efficiency and productivity.

Coal mining and preparation have had a long history in the United States and the world, serving as the engine of growth for many industries. Today, new sources of energy, increased environmental awareness and more stringent regulations from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and other organizations are changing the way coal is found, extracted and used. As a result, fine coal cleaning, dewatering and refuse disposal are now at a major crossroads.

The increased level of fines, and near-density material in the inferior seams being mined today, necessitates the development of more efficient fine coal cleaning devices. This in turn requires improvements in traditional dewatering techniques to address the need for acceptable moisture levels in plant products. Moreover, the larger volume of fine refuse being generated, coupled with harsher disposal regulations, require upgraded treatment options.

This book is a compilation of information presented at the 2012 Fine Coal Symposium, sponsored by the Coal Preparation Society of America, the Pittsburgh Section of the Society of Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration Inc. and the Pittsburgh Coal Mining Institute of America. Provided by international coal companies, major research organizations, technology developers and industry leaders, the information includes both general knowledge and in-depth discussion on the current challenges facing the industry, techniques for designing more efficient plants and new cleaning and dewatering technologies.

The book is a practical yet cutting-edge resource for plant designers, engineers and other practitioners, and for university students and faculty.

CONTENTS:

• Perspective on Coal Fines
• Technology Developments and Plant Installations
• Beneficiation Technologies
• Moisture Reduction and Special Topics