MINE LIFE CYCLE, DOWNSTREAM PROCESSING, AND SUSTAINABILITY STAGE 1 - Exploration and Assessment STAGE 2 - Construction STAGE 3 - Operation STAGE 4 - Closure
MINE LIFE CYCLE, DOWNSTREAM PROCESSING, AND SUSTAINABILITY STAGE 1 - Exploration and Assessment (1-10 years) Exploration - Geophysics Exploration - Drilling (1/10) Geology - Analytical and Mineralogical Assessment Economic Feasibility Assessment (1/10) Orebody Modeling (1/10) Mine Planning and Metallurgical Testwork
3-D Orebody Model for Mine Planning INCO's Research Mine at Sudbury, Ontario
Underground LHD Campbell Mine, Ontario
Remote-LHD Olympic Dam Mine, Australia
Mine Life Cycle (continued) STAGE 2 - Construction( 0.5-2 years ) Mine Shaft-sinking & tunnel/stope development (U/G) Adit & tunnel/stope development (mountain-top) Top soil removal, key-cut, haul road development (Open-Pit) Plant Site Preparation, Foundations, Construction of buildings Procurement and Installation of Equipment Waste and Tailing Disposal Site Selection and Preparation Construction of Initial Coffer Dam for tailing disposal
Open Pit Mine Bingham Canyon Mine
Open Pit Mining Shovel Loading - Porgera Mine, Papua New Guinea
Strip Mining Coal Mine Shovel-Truck Operation
200 T Haulage Truck
Open Pits are Colorful Florida Phosphate Mining
Diamond Pipe Deposit
Ekati Diamond Mine Kimberlite Pipe Deposit
What its all about at Ekati! Diamonds are forever!
Polar Diamond Certificate
Ekati's Polar Diamond
Mill Complex Bingham Canyon Mill
Secondary Crushing Plant
Grinding Mills Bingham Canyon Grinding Mills
Grinding Mills
Mill Control Room Carlin Mine, Nevada
Separation Circuit
Mine Life Cycle (continued) STAGE 3 - Operation ( 3 - 400 years ) Mine Blast, Load, Haul, Dump Transport (hoist, convey, truck, rail), Stockpile Safely Store Waste (on site or in-mine) Mill Crush, Grind (comminution) Physical Separation (maybe chemical) (beneficiation) Thicken and Filter (dewater) Safely Store Tailing
Mine Life Cycle (continued) STAGE 3 - Operation ( 3 - 400 years ) Waste Disposal Dump Contour, Spread top soil Hydro-seed and plan for final drainage Tailing Disposal Plan for Lifts as Tailing Dam builds Control Water Levels Recover water for recycle Revegetate dam walls
Revegetation Hydro-Seeding a Waste Dump
Tailing Dam Reclamation
Mine Life Cycle (continued) STAGE 4 - Closure( 1 - 20 years ) Mine Flood Pit Seal Underground workings Long-term Acid Rock Drainage plan for waste dumps Mill Salvage Equipment Raze Buildings Contour and reseed site Long-term ARD plan for tailing dam
Mine/Mill Complex Musslewhite Mine, Ontario
Downstream Processing Mine/mill complex produces ore or concentrate or unrefined metal/product product transported by airplane, rail, truck or ship to smelter or refinery if leaching is used at mine/mill, unrefined metal or final product is produced Smelting pyrometallurgical processing (multi-stage) roasting to partially remove/control sulfur content melting to separate oxides from sulfides (flux and slag) oxidation to remove sulfur and iron need SO2 control and slag disposal system
Downstream Processing Leaching hydrometallurgical processing vat leach, agitation leach, heap leach, in-situ leach Pressure Oxidation or Biological Leaching solid/liquid separation or ion adsorption process solution purification (solvent extraction/ion exchange) need residue disposal method (dewatering/storage) Refining electrometallurgical processing electrowinning to recover metals from solution electrorefining to purify unrefined metal treatment of slime deposits for PMs recovery
Downstream Processing Copper Typical Mine/Mill Treatment
Downstream Processing Copper Oxide copper treatment
Heap Leach Operation Installing a Plastic Membrane Liner
Zaldivar Copper Heap Leach
Downstream Processing Complex Copper Sulfide ore Multiple-product Circuit
Downstream Processing Copper copper/molybdenum ore
Downstream Processing Copper Mixed Sulfide/Oxide Treatment
Downstream Processing Copper/Gold ore Typical Mine/Mill Treatment
Downstream Processing Gold processing options
Downstream Processing Copper LPF Processing
Downstream Processing Copper Processing Refractory Copper Ores
Downstream Processing Copper/Lead/Zinc processing
Downstream Processing Nickel Typical Mine/Mill Treatment
Downstream Processing Nickel Matte Separation processing
Chuquicamata Mine/Mill/Smelter
Copper Anode Casting Wheel
Downstream Processing Bauxite Al2O3 production
Downstream Processing Phosphate ore processing
Downstream Processing Uranium Ore processing
Copper-Uranium Ore Olympic Dam Mine, Australia
Downstream Processing Coal processing
Downstream Processing Coal processing
Downstream Processing Coal processing
Downstream Processing Coal processing
Downstream Processing Coal processing
Sustainability Important Factors Technical Economic Social/Political Environmental Past mining activities focussed on only the first two The latter two have now become equally, if not more important
Gold Flakes
Gold Panning
Gold Flakes
Grinding and Cyanide Leaching Musslewhite Mine, Ontario
Smelting Gold Campbell Mine, Ontario
Pouring Slag Musslewhite Mine, Ontario
Pouring Gold Bullion Bars
What its all about! Gold Bullion
Samarco Iron Ore Flowsheet
Samarco Iron Ore Concentrator
Samarco Iron Ore Pipeline
Iron Ore Pellets Malmberget, Norway
Sustainability A Mine must plan for closure before it starts up A mining company must always consider local communities in all parts of the world As an industry, we must find ways to enhance our image and to influence government decision-making Future methods must reduce the footprint of mining no more open pits waste returned to the mine processing at the face robotics and remote-mining systems
Sustainability Social/Political Issues Land Use Government policies The Influence of Activism Environmental concerns Aboriginal peoples and treaties Need for jobs and a diversified economy In BC, the Tatsenshini/Windy Craggy decision has had important long-term impact on Mining Similarly, the Delgamuk decision and Nishka Treaty are important to the future of BC's mining industry
Sustainability The BC Mining Industry must encourage its members to institute vertical integration policies We need to invest in much more value-added processing (i.e. smelting and refining in BC) Downstream manufacturing industries must be encouraged to develop in BC This will provide the necessary systems to begin significant recycling of metals and other materials in the Pacific North-West