CIM Magazine March/April 2007 by CIM-ICM Publications

February/février March/April • mars/avril 2006 2007

Copper Age Globalat agrowth frenzy

The Publications Mail No. 40062547

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Concentrating on Mining …Proving our worth

It’s All About Adding True Value. No two ores, no two mines, and no two minerals processing plants are identical. Which is why our extensive experience and industry-wide know-how are so valuable to our customers – to ensure that they get the recovery rates and concentrate quality they expect, the throughput and the availability they want. So if size reduction, enrichment, upgrading, and materials handling are all central to your needs then Metso can provide the solutions you need to lower operational risks and operating costs. Adding value with expert industry know-how and innovative thinking is Metso’s true value to you. www.metsominerals.com

ADDRESS METSO MINERALS - MINING, 240 ARCH STREET, YORK, PA 17403 USA

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Editor-in-chief Heather Ednie hednie@cim.org Assistant Editor Andrea Nichiporuk anichiporuk@cim.org Technical Editor Joan Tomiuk Publisher CIM

Crash course on copper he global copper industry is massive, and growing. New technologies have improved the process of producing copper, resulting in healthier bottom lines and less environmental impact. This issue of CIM Magazine includes a feature section on copper, demonstrating the robustness of the industry, and highlighting the global activity driving the copper market. The Metallurgical Society of CIM is providing the opportunity to ensure you are on top of the copper industry today, as it will be hosting Cu2007 as part of the Conference of Metallurgists (COM2007) this August. This international conference is a truly global event and, considering the great energy of the copper business today, promises to be a terrific experience. A tremendous amount of knowledge will be packed into the technical program. Couple that with the international crowd that will flock to Toronto for the conference, offering a terrific opportunity to build your network, and I know I, for one, plan to be there. More information is available at www.Cu2007.org. Phillip Mackey, Xstrata Process Support, has been instrumental in pulling together this issue. His article, The changing landscape of copper in 2007, on page 35 is a tremendous guide to the copper industry today. As well, Pascal Coursol, also of Xstrata, has invested much effort to bring authors and technical papers together to amplify the copper focus. Special thanks go to these two individuals for the extensive time they’ve committed to build this issue of the magazine. As we ramp up to the CIM Conference and Exhibition only a few weeks away, excitement is building about the new energy at CIM, and the opportunities we will welcome going forward. CIM belongs to its members, such as Phil and Pascal—so don’t hesitate to help build its plans for the future. Contact your society or branch chair, or any one of us here in the CIM office today!

See you soon at the Montreal conference, Heather Ednie Editor-in-chief

Published 8 times a year by CIM 855 - 3400 de Maisonneuve Blvd. West Montreal, QC, H3Z 3B8 Tel.: (514) 939-2710; Fax: (514) 939-2714 www.cim.org; Email: magazine@cim.org Subscriptions: Included in CIM membership ($140.00); Non-members (Canada), $171.20/yr (GST included; Quebec residents add $12.84 PST; NB, NF and NS residents add $24.00 HST); U.S. and other countries, US$180.00/yr; Single copies, $25.00. Advertising Sales: Dovetail Communications Inc. 30 East Beaver Creek Rd., Ste. 202 Richmond Hill, Ontario L4B 1J2 Tel.: (905) 886-6640; Fax: (905) 886-6615 www.dvtail.com <http://www.dvtail.com> Account Managers: (905) 886-6641 Joe Crofts jcrofts@dvtail.com ext. 310 Janet Jeffery jjeffery@dvtail.com ext. 329 Randy Grunfeld rgrunfeld@dvtail.com ext. 315

This month’s cover Cathode production at Tintaya open pit mine in Peru. Photo courtesy of Xstrata Copper. Layout and design by Clò Communications. Copyright©2007. All rights reserved. ISSN 1718-4177. Publications Mail No. 09786. Postage paid at CPA Saint-Laurent, QC. Dépôt légal: Bibliothèque nationale du Québec. The Institute, as a body, is not responsible for statements made or opinions advanced either in articles or in any discussion appearing in its publications.

Printed in Canada

CIM Magazine n Vol. 2, Nº 2

Copper News 35 The changing landscape in copper in 2007 by P.J. Mackey 51 L’aspect changeant du cuivre en 2007 43 New copper concentrate and leaching facility at Morenci by H. Ednie 45 Growth and acceptance of the ISASMELTTM process by M.L. Bakker and P.S. Arthur 48 Rich heritage of copper production in Canada by P.J. Mackey 49 Chile maintains position as world leader in copper

50 News 9 10 12 13 16 18

Mineral flotation and patentable utility by J. Pivnicki New technology for smarter blasting by C. Hersey Student mine rescue training in Sudbury by L. Rudd Putting a stop to energy waste Training miners in Newfoundland by L. Rich Extracting geothermal heat from mines by H. Ednie

Columns 19 20 22 24 26 28 29 30 32 34 90

The Supply Side by J. Baird Mining Lore by A. Nichiporuk MAC Economic Commentary by P. Stothart Canadians Abroad by D.A. Shinkle Eye on Business by D.V. Tingey and R. Ezekiel Student Life by R.M.S. Toole Parlons-en par L. Gagnon Engineering Exchange by H. Weldon Standards by D.A. McCombe HR Outlook by R. Montpelier Voices from Industry by D. Rodier

Departments

CIM News 60 CIM welcomes new members 61 Canadian Mining and Metallurgical Foundation— Poised to promote education for industry 62 Investing in the leaders of tomorrow by A. Nichiporuk 62 Investir dans les futurs leaders 64 Lecturer Mueller found experience positive 66 La Section de Québec recoit un éminent conférencier 66 Wilson visits Quebec Branch 66 Hamilton Branch—Awash in steel? 67 La Section de Québec passe au vote 67 The votes are in 68 CIM Conference and Exhibition—The countdown is on!

History 72 The Basalt Controversy II (Part 16) by R.J. Cathro 75 Muslim Mining in the Iberian Peninsula (Part 1) by O. Puche Riart, L.F. Mazadiego Martinez, and P. Kindelán Echevarria

Technical Section 78 This month’s contents 79 Executive summaries 84 Exploration and Mining Geology Journal— Volume 15, Numbers 1 and 2 preview 85 Canadian Metallurgical Quarterly— Volume 46, Number 1 preview

Editor’s Message 4 President’s Observations/Mot du président 6 Letters to the Editor 8 Calendar 65 Bookshop 87 Professional Directory 88

25 28

March/April 2007

president’s observations mot du président Leading the transition from good to great There are many books on leadership available today, promising insight to successful navigation in our highly competitive environment. I have just finished reading an interesting one called Good to Great by Jim Collins, recommended to me by my son. The author, with his team of researchers, tried to identify why some companies transformed themselves from good to great and consistently out-performed their competitors in various industries. What they found was that the good-to-great companies had Level 5 leadership during the transition years. Level 5 refers to a five-level hierarchy of executive capabilities, with Level 5 being at the top. Good companies were often led by executives with Level 4 leadership traits. Level 5 executives are humble yet have great professional will. The difference with Level 4 executives is that they are, first and foremost, ambitious for the company and not themselves. Level 5 leaders set up their successors for even greater success when they depart, whereas companies directed by Level 4 leaders often fail in ensuring good succession. Their research found that Level 5 leaders are often modest, self-effaced, and understated, whereas two-

thirds of the comparator companies within mediocre or average-performing companies had enormous egos. Level 5 leaders are more like plow horses than show horses. They are resolved to do whatever it takes to make the company great, no matter how big or hard the decisions. Level 5 leaders have a tendency to attribute success to factors on which they have no control, and take the responsibility for things when they go poorly. Level 4 leaders do the opposite. One of the chapters that struck me was the one regarding people and vision. What the researchers found within the transformation process by good-to-great leaders was that they put a lot of attention in getting the right people on the bus, the wrong people off the bus, and then figured out where to drive it. This basically says that they first determined who (people), before what (vision, strategy, structure, tactics, etc.). The book also addresses other issues such as approach to technology, culture of the organization, defining your organization, and other strategic topics. I wanted to share some of their observations with you. We all have Level 5 leaders in our organizations. Ten of 11 goodto-great company leaders came from inside the organizations that were examined. They are there. We just have to know what to look for. François Pelletier President

De bon à excellent De nos jours, il est facile de trouver de nombreux livres sur le leadership; ils promettent un moyen de naviguer avec succès dans notre environnement hautement compétitif. Je viens tout juste d’en lire un très intéressant recommandé par mon fils «De la performance à l’excellence» par Jim Collins. De concert avec son équipe de chercheurs, l’auteur essaie d’identifier pourquoi, dans diverses industries, certaines compagnies se transformaient de bonnes à excellentes et avaient constamment un rendement supérieur à leurs compétiteurs. Il appert que, durant les années de transition, les compagnies cotées bonnes à excellentes avaient des chefs de niveau 5, lequel correspond au plus haut niveau d’une hiérarchie de compétence exécutive. Les bonnes compagnies sont souvent gérées par un exécutif possédant les caractéristiques de leadership de niveau 4. Les exécutifs de niveau 5 sont humbles mais ils ont une grande volonté professionnelle. La différence avec un exécutif de niveau 4 est que leur ambition est tout d’abord dirigée vers la compagnie et non vers eux-mêmes. À leur départ, les chefs de niveau 5 préparent leur successeur pour des réussites encore plus grandes alors que les compagnies dirigées par des chefs de niveau 4 ont souvent des difficultés à assurer une bonne succession. Selon les chercheurs, les chefs de niveau 5 sont souvent modestes et effacés ou ils se sous-estiment alors que les deux tiers des compagnies comparables à rendement moyen ou médiocre avaient des chefs à l’ego enflé. Les chefs de

niveau 5 agissent plus comme des chevaux de trait que des chevaux de parade. Ils sont déterminés à faire tout ce qu’il faut pour amener la compagnie à un niveau d’excellence, peu importe la taille ou la difficulté des décisions. Les chefs de niveau 5 ont tendance à attribuer le succès à des facteurs sur lesquels ils n’ont aucun contrôle et à prendre la responsabilité lorsque les choses vont moins bien. Les chefs de niveau 4 font tout le contraire. L’un des chapitres qui m’a frappé était celui concernant les gens et la vision. Les chercheurs ont découvert que, lors du processus de transformation, les chefs bons à excellents prêtaient une attention particulière pour attirer les bonnes personnes et se départir des moins bonnes et ils déterminaient ensuite le chemin à parcourir. Cela signifie en fait qu’ils établissent en premier le qui (les gens) avant de déterminer le quoi (la vision, la stratégie, la structure, les tactiques…). Le livre aborde aussi d’autres questions telles que l’approche à la technologie, la culture de l’organisation, la définition de l’organisation ainsi que d’autres sujets stratégiques. Je voulais partager quelques observations des chercheurs avec vous. Nous avons tous des chefs de niveau 5 dans nos organisations. Dix sur onze chefs d’entreprises cotées bonnes à excellentes provenaient de l’intérieur même de l’organisation. Ils sont déjà là. Il faut simplement savoir quoi rechercher. François Pelletier Président

CIM Magazine n Vol. 2, N° 2

EXPLORING NEW WAYS TO SERVE OUR CLIENTS Fasken Martineau is continually exploring new ways to deliver outstanding legal solutions to its clients in Canada and abroad. In combining our capabilities with UK-based Stringer Saul, this strengthens our commitment to going global for our clients, with unrivalled expertise and service in Mining. Explore a new world of opportunity with Fasken Martineau. Beyond results.

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letters

Safety remains a priority

Giving students support

Dear Heather, I have both a positive comment and a negative comment on the Dec06/Jan07 issue of CIM Magazine. They actually ended up related to each other. On the positive note, I thought the President’s Observations was an excellent article, focussing on the real importance of effective safety programs. On the negative side, my first impression on looking at the cover was related to safety. I certainly would not want one of our employees leaping from rock to rock! I really think that everything in the magazine should set a good example with respect to safe and environmentally friendly operating practices. This cover photo certainly did not, and was clearly inconsistent with the very real and touching message from the president.

CIM Executives, I was awarded the $2,000 CIM scholarship for a first year graduate student in Vancouver. Due to illness I was unable to attend the student night dinner to accept the award and so I could not express my gratitude in person. However I would like to say thank you for your continued support. I won a CIM Hydrometallurgy book award as an undergrad in 2005, and now this. Thank you very much for this—your support for other students and me means a lot. I hope I can make the organization proud with my work and future career.

Thank you for your time, Cam McIntyre

All the best, Patrick Littlejohn UBC Materials Engineering Hydrometallurgy Group

Errata • The February 2007 issue of CIM Magazine should have been Vol. 2, No. 1. We apologize for any inconvenience. • Apologies to Fady Haddad, author of the Student Life column for the Dec 2005/Jan 2006 issue. We accidently listed another person as author in the Table of Contents.

To agree or not agree… Something in this issue strike a chord with you? Whether to agree with information we’ve printed, or disagree entirely, share your thoughts with CIM. Send your comments to editor@cim.org 8

CIM Magazine n Vol. 2, Nº 2

news

Mineral flotation and patentable utility by John Pivnicki, patent agent-in-training, Ogilvy Renault Mineral flotation is a commonly used method to separate a mineral from a gangue material and produce a mineral concentrate. The mineral feed to a flotation device is ground quite finely, and is usually treated with flotation reagents, which improve the mineral separation process. In 1925, this method of mineral flotation with reagent assistance was in its infancy and Mineral Separation North America Corporation was issued Canadian Patent CA 247,5761 (the ’576 patent) entitled “Froth Flotation Concentration of Ores.” Mineral Separation subsequently licenced their patent to many of the biggest mining companies of the day, including International Nickel Co. and Hudson Bay Mining & Smelting.2 However, several other Canadian mining companies, including Noranda Mines, refused to take out licences. Mineral Separation sued Noranda Mines for infringement of their patent. In their defence, Noranda Mines contended that the patent was invalid, and therefore, could not be infringed. This landmark case, which was first heard in 1947, was appealed all the

way to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council of the House of Lords in 1952, which was the highest Canadian judicial body at the time. The ’576 patent described a flotation process where “xanthates” or “sulphur derivatives of carbonic acid” were used to “greatly increase the efficiency of the froth-flotation process.” The claims of the patent (i.e. the portion of the patent that defines the legal boundaries of the invention protected by the patent) were directed to “a process for concentrating ores” and an “improvement in the concentration of minerals by flotation” using the described xanthates. The claims of the ’576 patent covered the use of all types of xanthates as the flotation reagent, and therefore included cellulose xanthates that were known to hinder, and not enhance, mineral flotation and thus did not do what was promised by the patent. The Judicial Committee of the House of Lords ruled that the claims of the ‘576 patent were invalid, because they were not operable and did not make good their promise to improve flotation of minerals when cellulose xanthates were used. In Canada, the three main requirements for patent validity are: novelty, non-obviousness, and utility. These three requirements are the principal foundations on which patent validity is built; the lack of any one of these requirements will invalidate the patent. For a patent to have utility, it must be operable. The description must be sufficiently detailed and must “cor-

rectly and fully describe the invention”3 such that it allows a skilled person to use the invention. The subject matter of a patent lacks utility if the invention either does not work at all or the description promises something that the invention does not do. n

Giving back Making Xmas a little easier for some IOC employees raised $9,930 in December for the Ministerial Association 2006 Christmas Appeal. The company matched employee donations, bringing the grand total to $19,860. The money raised went to make Christmas a little brighter for families in the Labrador West area.

The fight against homelessness In Calagry, there has been a 32 per cent increase from 2004 in individuals who are homeless. As a result, Calgary corporate, government, and community leaders have joined together to create the Calgary Committee to End Homelessness. The committee’s tenyear plan is slated to be revealed by mid-2008. Members of the committee include, among others: Steve Snyder, CEO, TransAlta; Rick George, CEO, Suncor Energy; and Tim Hearn, CEO, Imperial Oil.

Breaking their own record 1

The CA 247,576 patent is available online at Canadian Intellectual Property Office: http://patents1.ic.gc.ca/intro-e.html

Mineral Separations North American Corp. v. Noranda Mines Ltd. [ (1947 (Ex. Ct.), 12 C.P.R.; (S.C.C) 12 C.P.R. 99; 1952 (P.C.) 15 C.P.R. 133].

The Patent Act ( R.S., 1985, c. P-4 ), Section 27(3)(a), available at CIPO: http://laws.justice.gc.ca/en/P-4/text.html

March/April 2007

Over 900 charities and non-profit groups benefited from Suncor Energy donations in 2006, which totaled a whopping $11.2 million. Suncor and Suncor Energy Foundation focused primarily on community projects, educational programs, and environmental initiatives. 9

news New technology for smarter blasting by Carolyn Hersey If someone were to offer you fifty dollars for every one dollar you invested, would you commit? If you’re like any other human on the planet with a pulse, you probably wouldn’t think twice about it. A new electronic blast movement monitor, mutually developed by the Julius Kruttschnitt Mineral Research Centre (JKMRC) and Blast Movement Technologies (BMT), revolves around exactly that concept—invest a little, gain a lot. Currently, most mines are using a range of techniques to measure muck pile movement, from sand bags and poly-pipe to electronic sensors. The possibilities are endless, but the results never quite as good as they could be. Ore loss and dilution due to insufficient techniques can add up to tens of millions of dollars lost per mine per year.

For example (with an ore block 50 metres wide and a flitch five metres high), missing the ore boundary by just one metre can result in up to AUS$100,000 of lost gold. According to Darren Thornton, senior research officer

at the JKMRC in Indooroopilly, Australia, this new technology could save the industry an extra five to ten per cent, a considerable amount for a small investment price. Research on the Blast Movement Monitors (referred to as JKBMMs) began back in 2003, and they have since been used in several mines with results generating much interest among intrigued mining companies around the world. The JKBMMs are used to accurately measure ore movement, in turn decreasing ore loss and dilution, and thereby increasing profits and revenue. The technology is really quite simple. The JKBMM is a directional transmitter encased in a protective shell (typically the size of a softball) and has about eight hours of battery life immediately after having been assembled. These transmitters are then placed in separate drill holes (which are selected according to desired blast outcome) prior to blasting. After the blast, a directional CIM Magazine n Vol. 2, Nº 2

news receiver, much like a metal detector, is used to detect the signal produced by each transmitter. The horizontal location of the JKBMM is recorded and its depth is determined by the strength of the signal. Once all of the JKBMMs and their respectful positions have been accounted for, calculations are made to determine the three-dimensional movement vectors of the transmitters. With the help of these blast movement monitors, the movement vectors for each JKBMM can be available in less than an hour (for approximately 12 JKBMMs), saving time and money normally spent on trying to recover traditional visual markers. Paul Adams, who works for Porcupine Joint Venture in northern Ontario, has been using the system since last January and can’t imagine how in the world they ever got along without it. Before the JKBMMs came along, workers were forced to dig through muck piles before even knowing the movement of the ore. Waste was being shipped off to the concentrator, while ore (mistaken for waste) was being hauled off to the waste dumps. Translation: loss of revenue, unhappy concentrator, and reduction of profit. Also, traditional markers, such a shovels or poly-pipe, were difficult to recover, if at all, and the time spent finding them resulted in movement information that was too late to be useful. Since implementing the technology, Adams stated that they can now predict ore movement much more accurately, both dilution and ore loss have decreased significantly, and profits are up. One blast test performed at Porcupine using the JKBMMs already revealed enthusiastic results; dilution had decreased by approximately 11.4 per cent and ore loss by approximately 7.6 per cent. “I love these things; they really improve the way we work around here,” Adams said with definite enthusiasm. Based on the success of current results, research will continue in this area of blast engineering and ore control. There are still aspects of the system that have not been fully developed, March/April 2007

and there are likely some improvements to be made to ensure its practicality for everyday use. According to research officers at both JKMRC and Placer Dome Technical Services Limited, some topics could possibly include: • Extending the transmitter’s battery life from eight hours to several months • Reduction of the transmitter’s diameter to allow entry into drilled holes smaller than 100 millimetres • Improving the survival rate of transmitter electronics and protective case • Developing unique identification for each transmitter to permit multiple units per hole • Improving transmission through more than 10 metres of rock • Developing models and software to link with ore block modelling packages Despite it still being a relatively new product on the mining market, the advantages of this technology are impossible to ignore. Amidst today’s current blasting techniques, JKBMM has stolen the spotlight. It is possibly the only efficient method available today to accurately measure blast movement, in addition to not requiring a massive capital investment in consumables (thanks to disposable transmitters). For a mere few cents extra per ton of rock blasted, open cut mines around the world can be reaping the rewards of this new technology. The system provides results much sooner after blasting and before excavation commences, and there is little interference with current blasting operations. The transmitters themselves are more easily detected than visual markers such as chains or shovels, and, being disposable, there is no precious time or money spent trying to recover them. Of course, the biggest benefit from the JKBMM is the overall better grade product. Less waste and more ore spells better business, higher profit, smiling concentrators, and more revenue for any open cut mine. Soon enough, JKBMM fever will be spreading like a wildfire and more popular than bell-bottoms in the 60s. n

Achievements Outstanding investor relations PotashCorp was recognized for excellent investor relations. The company’s 2005 annual report was named best in Canada by IR Magazine Canada.

A well-deserved recognition Imperial Metal’s president Brian Kynoch received the E.A. Scholz Award for excellence in mine development in British Columbia.

Good times at Golder According to CE News magazine, Golder Associates Inc. is one of the “Best CE Firms to Work for.” This is the fifth straight year that the company makes the list.

CMP recognizes excellence The Canadian Mineral Processors Society of CIM awarded Gekko Systems’ sales manager Jennifer Abols with the Bill Moore Special Achievement Award. Abols, an active member of CMP, was one of many recognized for their achievements this year. For a full listing of award winners, visit www.c-m-p.on.ca.

It’s a tie Suncor Energy was recognized for its leadership in renewable energy development, aboriginal programs, and sustainability reporting. The company was tied for first place in the oil and gas category of the Globe & Mail Report on Business Magazine’s annual Canadian corporate social responsibility ranking.

Lighthall receives award For his leadership in the environmental management of mining projects, Peter Lighthall received the Canadian Pacific Railway Engineering Medal, awarded by the Engineering Institute of Canada. Lighthall, who has over 35 years' experience as a geotechnical engineer, has worked on over 100 mines and is currently a mining engineer with AMEC. 11

news Student mine rescue training in Sudbury

Movin’ on up

by Lionel Rudd. C.E.T., engineering technologist

McLellan newest team member Former Deputy Prime Minister of Canada A. Anne McLellan joined New Millennium Capital as a strategic advisor. McLellan has been with Bennett Jones LLP since July 2006.

Ingersoll welcomes new VP Marcia J. Avedon is Ingersoll Rand’s new senior vice president, HR and communications. Most recently, she was senior vice president, HR, at Merck.

Onward and upward

John Hagan (left) Ontario Mine Rescue 0fficer (instructor) and the new student Mine Rescue recruits. Laurentian University School of Engineering

Sponsored by M.A.S.H.A. (The Mines and Aggregates Safety and Health Association of Ontario), 12 mining engineering students from Laurentian University School of Engineering and the University of

well as rescue procedures, the students are subjected to the very rigorous test of a mock rescue at a mine. They have to locate and rescue a "casualty" trapped in dense smoke, deep in a mine. The students also have to successfully pass a written exam, as is the case Having volunteered to sacrifice with all of Ontario their study week they can proudly Mine Rescue people. Having volunteered to sport the hard-won Ontario Mine sacrifice their study week they can proudly Rescue decal on their hard hats sport the hard-won Ontario Mine Rescue Toronto Lassonde Institute combined decal on their hard hats, and await that during their "study week" to partici- full-time job upon graduation, when pate in the annual Ontario Mine they can extend their mine rescue Rescue student training course. training to become full volunteer memStudents taking this course receive full bers of a mine rescue team. certification at the basic level of mine The week in Sudbury was not all rescue. It involves several hours of the- work. Through Emily Brisson, cusory about mine rescue procedures, and tomer relations officer for Orica safe practice in a mine emergency— Explosives of Sudbury, the students especially fire. Coupled with this, they were treated to a Friday "graduation" must become fully conversant and lunch plus a Sudbury Wolves hockey expert in servicing and maintaining game. These young students are to be the Drager BG4 oxygen breathing commended for their volunteer efforts, apparatus. and it will not be too long before they Once fully conversant with the are making a positive contribution to apparatus, and armed with the knowl- our industry, as they embark on their edge of poisonous and noxious gases as professional careers. n 12

Alex Losada-Calderon, an experienced exploration geologist and project manager, was named vice president, exploration, of Southwestern Resources. Most recently, he was working for Ausenco on Southwestern’s Boka project.

The team + 3 Golder Associates’ Ore Evaluations Services team has grown with the addition of three new senior members: Greg Greenough, Kevin Palmer, and Matt Wunder. They each bring over 20 years’ experience to the company.

Appointment at Tahera Gary M. Jones was appointed a director of Tahera. He is currently vice president, business development, of Teck Cominco, and has been with the company for over 27 years.

New president and CEO Lynda Bloom was named president and CEO of Halo Resources. She has been a director of the company since November 2006.

Bringing about change Suncor Energy is strengthening its senior management team: Steve Williams, former executive vice president, oil sands, was appointed chief operating officer; and Mike Ashar, former executive vice president of USbased downstream operations, became the new executive vice president, strategic growth and energy trading. CIM Magazine n Vol. 2, Nº 2

news Putting a stop to energy waste The Ontario Mining Association (OMA) and Ontario Power Authority have teamed up to give energy waste the slip, with the launch of the Sustainable Leak Prevention Program (SLPP) now underway at three northern Ontario mines. This project is to improve electricity efficiency and could result in hundreds of dollars of savings for mining companies and their operations, with spin-off applications to other industries in the province. Ontario’s mining industry spends more than $500 million annually for energy, accounting for a range from 15 to 30 per cent of operating costs. Compressed air systems are one of the largest contributors to energy consumption. Even a small air leak in such a system can result in substantial electricity cost increases by causing compressors to overwork.

For example, a single hole equal to 1/8 inch in diameter wastes air at a rate of about 12 litres per second. Even at the low rate of 4 cents/KWh, this leak

Funding for 41 per cent of the project comes from the OPA’s Conservation Fund, with the balance provided by the OMA and participating sites.

◊

Ontario’s mining industry spends more than $500 million annually for energy alone can waste over $1,000 per year— and it’s well known that most systems have a number of leaks. In fact, some plants report a leak rate equal to 20 per cent of total compressed air production capacity. In the $532,000 SLPP project, the OMA will oversee audits of compressed air systems at the Williams mine in Hemlo near Marathon, CVRD Inco’s South mine in Sudbury, and FNX’s McCreedy West mine, also in Sudbury.

“Repairing compressed air leaks in the mine is a cost-effective way to increase energy efficiencies and to ensure ongoing low-cost nickel production,” said Dave Tomini, divisional energy coordinator, CVRD Inco. “This initiative is in line with our continuing efforts to build a sustainable future.” Key finding of the audits will be presented to the OMA this March, with a final report submitted to OPA in May. n

Movin’ on up Changes underway at Stornoway Matt Manson was appointed to Stornoway's board of directors and took on the position of president of the company. Previously president and CEO of Contact Diamond Corporation and Ashton Mining of Canada, Manson beings over 12 years' experience in diamond exploration, development, and production to the position.

Farewell Mr. Carter After a long and distinguished career, Jim Carter is retiring at the end of April. Carter's journey with Syncrude began in 1979 when he was hired on as manager of overburden operations. He quickly made his way up the corporate ladder, mak- Jim Carter. Image courtesy of Syncrude ing vice president of Canada Ltd. operations by 1989 and president and COO in 1997. Throughout his career, Carter has served as a promoter of, among other things, diversity in the workplace, aboriginal engagement, safety, and skills development. March/April 2007

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7INNERS OF THE ANNUAL -ICHELIN -INING %SSAY #ONTEST ARE DETERMINED BY A PANEL OF JUDGES WHO BASE THEIR SELECTIONS ON WHETHER THE ENTRIES ADDRESSED THE CHOSEN TOPIC ORIGINALITY WRITING ABILITY AND COMMUNICATION SKILLS

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news Training miners in Newfoundland by Len Rich It was December 2005 when Bernice Walker, the diminutive but dynamic president and CEO of Corona College, sat down with representatives of Aur Resources Inc. to cement a partnership for training students in hard rock mining. Walker had earlier learned through a media report that Aur Resources was beginning to develop a new mine at Duck Pond, in a remote area near Millertown in central Newfoundland, and she recognized an opportunity to meet the company’s need for trained, skilled workers. “I didn’t have a clue about mining, and hard rock meant nothing to me at

the time,” she said recently. “But after 20 years of being in the education field, I did identify an opportunity to train a portion of our labour force and keep them in the province, employed in a career that was meaningful to themselves and their families.” Walker began to utilize her staff and the Internet to identify job opportunities, and was surprised to learn that the mining industry forecasted a need for more than 80,000 new personnel over the next decade. She also learned that mining and exploration in Newfoundland and Labrador were at an all-time high.

Armed with this information, she contacted Duck Pond mine manager Guy Belleau and his safety supervisor, Harold Heath. The initial contact led to several meetings and more discussion about content and the needs for safety-related modules in a core program. In the final analysis they developed a 16-week program that included both classroom education at the college campus in Grand FallsWindsor, and onsite training at the mine. The program was submitted to the Department of Education for approval, a qualified instructor was located, and the program got underway in December 2005, with a first class of 12 students.

“We have recognized the industry’s needs and are working diligently to meet those needs through training.” — B. Walker

Students receive hands-on training within the mine itself. 16

CIM Magazine n Vol. 2, Nº 2

Bernice Walker, president/CEO of Corona College, speaks to the first graduating class of hard rock miners.

“We didn’t know what to expect,” said Belleau. “It was new for us as well, and we had some concerns about whether the program would be successful. But we were all pleasantly surprised. The students were eager to learn, well-trained, and safety conscious. They integrated with our other staff and were a joy to have at the mine site. They were treated with respect and as equals by our workers.” The program was so good that the first class was followed by two more, and a fourth began this February. Students have found work at Duck Pond mine and Petro Drilling within the province, and at sites across Canada, including Voisey’s Bay in Labrador, Dynatec, and mines in northern Ontario. More recently, at the CIM Conference in St. John’s, Newfoundland, Walker was chatting with Garfield MacVeigh, chairman of the board of Rubicon Minerals, who suggested there was a huge need for diamond drillers across Canada. She wasted no time in locating drilling companies with operations in March/April 2007

the province, and was soon conversing with Cabo Drilling Corporation, Canada’s third largest mineral drilling company, and their Newfoundland subsidiary, Petro Drilling, located in the small community of Springdale. Within a matter of days she had entered into a partnership with them to develop and teach a program in diamond drilling at the college, with onsite training included. Their new arrangement was announced during the one-year anniversary celebrations of the Corona College–Aur Resources partnership, held at the campus in midDecember. Media coverage of the event generated enormous interest across the province, and it now appears there will be enough enrolment for a fifth hard rock mining class to begin in late spring or early summer. The diamond drilling program already has enough interested students to make up half a class, and they are ready to enrol. What’s next for mining education at Corona College? A program for mill operators is in the final stage of approval with the Department of Education, and a surface mining program is nearly ready for processing. These programs will meet growing needs of the province’s mining sector. “I take pride in the fact that we are the leading educational institution in this province, perhaps in the Atlantic region, to offer these programs for the mining sector. We have recognized the industry’s needs and are working diligently to meet those needs through training,” said Walker. “Our goal is to stem the outmigration of workers who are attracted by the lure of jobs in the Alberta oil sector. We want to keep our skilled workers here in this province, where they can enjoy a lifestyle and reasonable income, relative to their level of knowledge. The mining sector can provide that for them. We project a great future in mining activity and are doing our part to train our people for these very important jobs.” n 17

news Extracting geothermal heat from mines by Heather Ednie Throughout the last two decades, much concern has mounted about the environmental impacts of traditional and develop-ing e n e r g y resources. In response to this, Ferri Hassani research and development is underway to finesse alternative methods of generating energy. One resource under development is the use of low-temperature geothermal heat from mines. Generally regarded as a benign energy source, particularly when compared to today’s most popular sources such as nuclear, oil, and coal, it is, however, a sustainable and environmentally sound solution to some energy requirements. The Earth/Mine Energy Resource Group (EMERG) at McGill University, headed by Professor Ferri Hassani, was formed to investigate and advance the sustainable development of alternative energies from both active and abandoned surface and underground mines. Efforts underway are focused on employing the physical characteristics and properties of different types of mines, such as thermal heat, its potential energy, and its enclosure capacity. Hassani said there is much potential for ground heat to be extracted and used, either for commercial purposes for mining applications, such as heating deep oil sands deposits, or district heating of buildings in the communities, or employing this heat for drying of food products. In some cases, such energy has been used for heating the water for fish farming. The goal of EMERG is clear: to make the mining operations truly sustainable by developing an integrated alternate energy during the life of the 18

mine, as well as after mine closure. It will enable local communities to use this sustainable and inexpensive source of energy to attract other businesses to sustain the existing communities. EMERG aims to promote the use of abandoned mines to generate sustainable energy and encourage the sustainable development of mine energy resources such as low-temperature geothermal energy resources in an economic and environmentally responsible manner. The use of active or abandoned mines as a source of geothermal energy is not rocket science—there are already productive examples of such technology. Mines, particularly underground mines, are ideal locations for geothermal systems. The first 100 metres or so underground is well suited for supply and storage of thermal energy. In fact, climatic temperature change over the seasons is reduced to a steady temperature at 10 to 20 metres deep, with future depth temperature increasing according to the geothermal gradient, which is about 1° to 3°C for each 100 metres down. Geothermal energy is the energy produced internally by radiogenic heat production and long-term cooling of the planet. Various applications can be used from this energy, including direct use for heating and electricity generation. Due to the steady temperatures deep down, geothermal sources are excellent fuels for heating and cooling systems. For a mean surface air temperature of 15°C, the ground temperature at a depth of 1,000 metres will be about 30° to 45°C—therefore, in the winter, when the surface air temperature drops to -10°C, there will be a temperature difference of 40 to 55 degrees. The potential to use abandoned mine sites for geothermal energy production is well recognized today—

work and development is now underway at many sites. Heat pump systems are already at work in Canada, Germany, and Scotland at flooded, abandoned mines as low-temperature geothermal reservoirs for heating and cooling purposes. One example of such a system can be found in Springhill, Nova Scotia, where Ropak Can Am Ltd. is using floodwater from abandoned mines to heat and cool the company’s facility at the site. It’s an efficient and economic project that produces annual savings of $45,000, or the equivalent of about 600,000 kWh, when compared to conventional systems. At Springhill, the warm water supply well is tapped into the No. 2 mine, which extends four kilometres into the earth at a 32 degree angle. Mine water is pumped from the No. 2 mine at a depth of 140 metres, with a flow rate of 4 litres per second. The water is then cooled down from 18 degrees to 13 degrees in heat pumps, then re-injected into the No. 3 mine at the 30 metre level. In the summertime, the system is reversed to produce a cooling effect, and the mine water is used as a heat sink instead. Ten heat pumps in the plant provide the heating and cooling of the facility. The Springhill example proves geothermal energy from abandoned, or existing, mines is a feasible alternative energy source. Further efforts could result in it becoming a more effective and attractive option for the reclamation of abandoned mines. In fact, Hassani envisions such systems integrated into the reclamation plans from the time of mine development, so that any necessary infrastructure could be added during the production stages. With some patent-pending technologies, EMERG’s vision of such energy projects as one more step in the typical mine plan could be tomorrow’s reality. n CIM Magazine n Vol. 2, Nº 2

the supply side Does advertising work? by Jon Baird, managing director, CAMESE A page for and about the supply side of the Canadian mining industry

n the increasingly globalizing mining market, companies that understand advertising and use it well will have a crucial business advantage. Those who don’t may get left behind. No matter what business you are in or how big or small you are, advertising can make or break your bottom line. Think about it—who will buy from a company that they have never heard of or one that has a less than industryleading image? Advertising in today’s multi-channel universe offers both challenges and opportunities and it is becoming more and more important as a tool. Advertising encompasses all the ways you can use to get your name out there and build your brand. For suppliers dealing with the mining industry, this includes print advertising, media releases, trade shows, websites, direct mail and email, graphics, brochures, newsletters, technical papers, sponsorships, and more. The words ‘brand’ and ‘branding’ are commonly used, but what do these

March/April 2007

words actually mean? A brand has been described as “everything you do,” that is, the whole company, including the products and services that it offers. Branding is the communications program that conveys your company’s image to prospective clients. Perhaps the most important point to remember about the ‘brand’ concept is that your brand resides primarily with the customer. It is fine for you to know yourself and believe in all the good things that you can provide the world of mining; however, if you do not communicate the message frequently and well, you will not succeed in becoming a preferred supplier. Those who do not know about advertising typically ask three questions. First, is there proof that advertising works? Second, how does advertising actually work to build a brand? And third, what is the financial payoff? The fact is that study after study has shown that advertising makes marketing more efficient by: • Making contact far beyond the reach of the sales force • Arousing interest • Generating brand awareness • Creating leads • Building brand preference • Increasing sales • Increasing market share • Boosting profits You may feel great about having two established clients in Chile, but how are you going to reach the other 100 mining operations in that country that should be buying from you? Sales calls would be expensive—advertising is the answer. A 20-year study of 375,000 leads created by advertising revealed that 82 per cent of those showing interest had never met a salesperson from the company they enquired about. Sixty-one per cent did not know prior to seeing the ad that

the company made the product, while 35 per cent were buying the product from the advertiser or a competitor and 19 per cent bought from the advertiser. This is proof that advertising gets a company’s message in front of new, interested prospects. A US supplier of pumps and compressors measured the awareness of petroleum industry executives and found that it had risen fully 2 1/2 times after advertising. A study in the chemical industry of 2,594 product lines showed that buyers were 250 per cent more aware of the 614 that had been advertised than the 1,980 that had not. Many studies show that the higher the level of advertising, the higher the level of brand awareness. The next question is, does awareness lead to brand preference? Again, the answer is yes. The same chemical industry study showed that advertised products had a 330 per cent greater increase in buyer preference than those not advertised. Further, the higher the level of advertising, the greater the increase in preference. So far, we have seen that advertising plays a major positive role in establishing contact and arousing interest among customers and prospects. And we’ve seen how it increases brand awareness and builds brand preference, which in turn leads to increased sales and greater market share. But, does advertising increase profitability? Again, research shows that there is a direct relationship between advertising investment and profits. For a portable safety product, advertising raised profits six times. For a $10,000 commercial transportation component, a high level of advertising raised profits by a factor of four. There’s proof—all kinds of proof— that in business-to-business marketing and selling, advertising works. n 19

A disaster felt around the world by Andrea Nichiporuk It is late at night. Your work at the mine has just ended and you are making your way up to the surface. You are tired and longing for your warm comfortable bed, when suddenly a rumbling sound envelopes you. Within seconds, the mine walls and parts of the ceiling begin caving in around you… a miner’s worst nightmare. This cannot be happening, it must not be real. Unfortunately, on April 12, 1936, for three men in a Moose River gold mine, they were living the nightmare. They were trapped 43 metres below surface with little hope of making it out alive. Gold was discovered in 1866 around the future site of Moose River Gold Mines. In 1910, the gold mining industry in Nova Scotia was in a down cycle, and many mines shut down. However, years later, in 1936, Herman Russell Magill and David E. Robertson, both of Toronto, purchased one of the Moose River gold mines and had it up and running by March. Little did they know that the ore they were mining was from the rock pillars set up as roof supports. At close to midnight on Easter Sunday, Magill, Robertson, and Alfred Scadding, the mine’s timekeeper, were finishing up their inspection of the mine. As the men discussed the infrastructure’s appalling condition, they were overcome by a loud rumbling sound. They sprinted to the skip and rang the alarm. Within minutes, workers flocked to the area. As the skip was being hoisted, the cable holding it snapped. The mine was caving in. Stuck at the 43-metre level, the only thing holding up the debris was a single wood beam lodged across the shaft.

Reality sets in Underground, the men panicked. Above ground, the gravity of the situa20

tion set in. An immediate call for “single men with guts” was sounded, and hundreds of miners from across Nova Scotia and neighbouring provinces raced to the mine. Blueprints of the underground shafts were nonexistent, and rescue attempts via the surrounding shafts were unsuc- Men waiting at the rescue tunnel for the trapped men to be brought out cessful. The Meagher shaft caved in, nearly trapping no sign of life was heard, officials called rescuers. off the rescue efforts. By day two of the rescue operation, Having been trapped in mine cavecrews of 40 worked tirelessly to get the ins himself on two previous occasions, men out. The area the three men were Bell was not about to give up that easily. trapped in was cold and damp, the He began blowing a steam whistle into effects of which were already being the pipe at regular intervals. At 12:30 felt—Scadding’s feet went numb. a.m. the following day, 11 hours into it, The Meagher shaft caved in a second Scadding realized what the sound was time, and on day three, government offi- and began tapping on the pipe. They cials succumbed to public pressure and were alive, but barely. allowed Billy Bell, of the Nova Scotia Department of Mines, to bring a dia- The race is on mond drill to Moose River to aid in the Rescue efforts resumed with a rescue. Bell, his crew, and the equip- vengeance, and food and water were ment were set up by noon the following sent down the pipe. The Maritime day. While blasting occurred all day and Telephone and Telegraph Company sent night above ground, below, Magill was F.T. Pond, J.A. Bowman, and F.H. Pinforld to Moose River with a tiny slipping in and out of consciousness. Finally, on day six, the borehole Bell transmitter they had constructed. Upon had drilled reached the area where the their arrival, they began working on three men were trapped. Spirits were connecting a telephone cable from lifted, the men would be saved. A flare Middle Musquodobit to Moose River. The rescuers were running out of was sent down the pipe while workers waited for a sign that the men were still options. They had to get the men out alive. However, upon seeing the flames, quickly or they would surely die. The they quickly extinguished them. When decision was made to reopen the CIM Magazine n Vol. 2, Nº 2

mining lore Reynolds shaft, which had long since been condemned. A crew from Westville and Stellarton, familiar with working in similar unstable mine conditions,

lowered to them. By 6 p.m., Willis was broadcasting live on the air on over 700 stations in Canada and the United States. The BBC picked up the feed and

An immediate call for

Defeated, the men were too exhausted to continue. A new crew from Acadia took over and continued digging away at the tunnel. They were getting close, and everyone prayed that the roof would hold. All of their efforts paid off, as shortly after midnight, the crew reached the trapped men. Robertson and Scadding were pulled from the mine; Magill’s body was retrieved shortly after.

“single men with guts” was sounded, and hundreds of miners from across Nova Scotia and neighbouring provinces raced to the mine. started clearing the tunnel at a rate of four feet per hour. Unfortunately, for Magill, this was not fast enough. He died the same day of pneumonia. On day eight, a telephone was sent down to the men, and a second hole was drilled. J. Frank Willis, regional director for the Maritimes of the Canadian Radio Broadcasting Commission, was sent in to report on the rescue efforts. The water level in the mine was quickly rising, enabling Scadding and Robertson to reach the equipment and supplies being

broadcast his reports throughout Great Britain and Europe. Over 100 million listeners tuned in every half hour for an update on the events. By mid-afternoon on day nine, the Westville and Stellarton crew had reached the original sloping shaft of the Magill mine. At midnight, the Drummond mine crew, experienced in working with unstable roofs, took over and managed to advance almost 35 feet in 15 hours. However, hours later, the roof of the tunnel caved in.

A brotherhood like no other For 242 hours, these men were trapped, fearing they would be buried alive by another cave-in. For 56 straight hours, Willis updated listeners on the rescue efforts. This was the first live unscripted broadcast over the radio in North America. In August 1936, the mine was permanently closed. The Moose River mine disaster was a testament to the strength and compassion of the human spirit. n

Mrs. Robertson listening to her trapped husband at the opening of the hole drilled by Billy Bell March/April 2007

mac economic commentary Environmental progress of Canada’s mining industry by Paul Stothart, vice president, economic affairs, Mining Association of Canada

While much can happen between now and then, it does seem likely that the next federal election campaign will bring greater focus upon environmental issues than has traditionally been the case. Among other factors, the Liberal Party has recently selected a former environment minister as its new leader. The Green Party has also chosen a long-time environmentalist as leader and is jockeying for participation in any televised federal leaders debates. The Conservatives have tabled clean air legislation and are working through regular announcements and communications, to establish an environmental image. The NDP and Bloc Quebecois are traditionally perceived as being defenders of the environment. While each of the three major federalist parties will be highlighting this 22

theme, it is evident that each will also bring environmental baggage to an upcoming election campaign. The Liberals had a thirteen-year period of government, during which they made progress on some issues, though lagged on others – such as climate change. The Conservatives have displayed a disorganized environmental effort in their first year as a government and remain dogged by past remarks by Stephen Harper expressing skepticism on climate change. The NDP retains an image as a party where the big spending and regulatory hand of government will be used to fix everything – regardless of commercial or fiscal implications. The confluence of these political forces suggests that more rigorous environmental demands will be placed upon industry in the coming months, particularly in the air pollution and climate change areas. In the present political atmosphere, it is unlikely that any party will advocate on behalf of voluntary measures, for example. While numerous industry groups and associations, including MAC, will be calling for a balanced and achievable environmental plan, there is no guarantee that this will be the outcome of the present political debate. Indeed, the parliamentary committee recently decided to redraft the clean air act, which presents an interesting case study—the government has unveiled its intent to regulate and each opposition party will undoubtedly aim to “out-green” the other through advancing ways to toughen this proposal. The Canadian mining industry, for its part, is well-placed to respond to whatever new environmental challenges may emerge from the ongoing process. The industry has a long record of enhancing environmental performance, improving occupational health

and safety, and responding to social issues within a sustainable development framework. For example, the mining sector, through its industry association, introduced the Towards Sustainable Mining (TSM) initiative in 2004. TSM requires MAC members to report on performance indicators and targets for tailings

The conﬂuence of these political forces suggests that

more rigorous environmental demands will be placed upon industry in the coming months management, energy use, greenhouse gas emissions management, external outreach, and crisis management. New indicators are being developed for biodiversity and aboriginal relations. MAC produces a public report with TSM results each year (see: http://www.mining.ca/www/Towards_Sustaining_Mini ng/index.php). Canadian mining companies have also made significant progress over the past decade in reducing emissions of key pollutants. The table highlights the progress of MAC member companies (representing most of Canada’s CIM Magazine n Vol. 2, Nº 2

mac economic commentary Release of substances to the environment, 1993 and 2003 (tonnes per year) 1993

2003

Per cent change

Arsenic

110

120

Cadmium

(71)

Copper

700

270

(61)

Hydrogen sulphide

380

(84)

Lead

1,100

350

(68)

Mercury

(91)

Nickel

500

250

(50)

1,400

400

(71)

Zinc

mining production) in reducing environmental releases over the 1993 to 2003 period. For example, mercury releases have been reduced by 91 per cent, cadmium and zinc each by 71 per cent, and lead by 68 per cent during the decade. This reflects the success of investment by mining companies in cleaner processes and technologies in response to early-stage voluntary actions and Canadian laws. Beyond these improvements in specific key pollutants, the industry has also improved its energy management practices and, consequently, its performance on greenhouse gas emissions. For example, the non-ferrous metal smelting and refining industry has reduced its energy requirements from 50 terajoules per kilotonne of production output in 1990 to 42 in 2004. This 18 per cent improvement reflects industry investment in energy management and efficient process technologies. The industry has reduced greenhouse gas emissions from 1.9 kilotonnes of CO2 per kilotonne of production output in 1990 to 1.3 in 2004. This 33 per cent

improvement is due to investments in energy efficiency and to a shift away from heavy fuel oil and natural gas energy sources towards electricity produced from cleaner sources. The industry is also actively involved in environmental partnerships, such as the Mine Environment Neutral Drainage initiative, through which Canadian mining companies and governments have reduced Canada’s liability due to acidic drainage by some $400 million over eight years. This initiative is relevant to proposed, active, and abandoned mines. In general, the assessment and remediation of orphaned and abandoned mine sites across Canada has received

increased national attention since the establishment in 2002 of another mining industry-government partnership—the National Orphaned/ Abandoned Mines Initiative. The Canadian mining industry is rightly viewed as a world leader in its environmental performance. Companies have invested heavily over the past 15 years in process improvements as well as in new end-of-pipe and remediation technologies. The industry will continue to improve in response to whatever new environmental targets and requirements may be stipulated by the government. Conversely the industry expects the Canadian government to do its part— by encouraging new clean investment through the appropriate tax treatment and by developing environmental performance targets that are achievable and that reflect Canada’s place in a competitive world economy. n

C A M s t c fa

The mining industry has reduced greenhouse gas emissions 33 per cent from 1.89 kilotonnes of CO2 per kilotonne of production output in 1990 to 1.26 in 2004. This 33 per cent reduction is due to investments in energy efficiency and a shift away from heavy fuel oil and natural gas energy sources to electricity produced from cleaner sources. March/April 2007

canadians abroad Education can take you places by David Andrew Shinkle

It has been my experience that in the world of graduate studies, it is very common for graduate students to spend too much time in the office without any opportunity to get out and see the very things we study. Being a graduate student in economic geology, I believe it is important for students like me to get out on as many field excursions as possible so that we can see ore deposits and mining operations first hand. From January 5 to January 13, 2007, my supervisor, Dr. David Lentz, and I were fortunate enough to have been accepted in the Society of Economic Geologists (SEG) student-dedicated field course on the ore deposits of northern Chile. Not only did the industry sponsors and SEG provide me with a travel grant to pay for my airfare, they also provided me with an unparalleled opportunity to observe and study some of the richest coppermolybdenum porphyry deposits on the planet. Amazing opportunities like this provide an enormous incentive for students to do their graduate studies in the field of geology, as well as give students like myself the chance to see ore deposits and mining operations in faroff parts of the world. 24

The reason that this field excursion I visited the Quetena copper breccia was such an amazing experience is that system where we had a discussion on I had the good fortune to be allowed to the “Toki Cluster” porphyry Cu-Mo visit a different open pit mine every day deposits located adjacent to the of the course, as well as the opportu- Domeyko Fault Zone, and had a nity to experience a different culture chance to collect some very beautiful and network with other students and Cu sulphate minerals. I went to 4,400 industry professionals from across the m.a.s.l. to visit the El Abra copper globe. After arriving in Antofagasta on oxide/porphyry Cu-Mo deposit on January 5, I prepared to meet and dis- January 8, where we reviewed copper cuss our itinerary with the rest of the oxide zone genesis and supergene group involved in the field course, enrichment. The following day comprised of 16 students from across involved a visit to Radomiro Tomic Cu the globe, three industry representa- oxide/porphyry Cu-Mo system where tives, and our course leaders, Dr. we discussed the Chuquicamata porWilliam X. Chavez of New Mexico phyry system as well as Oligocene Belt Tech, and Dr. Erich U. Petersen of the porphyry systems in general. I visited University of Utah. the El Tesoro exotic copper deposit and The following days involved a lot of Sierra Gorda tourmaline breccia Cugetting up at 5:00 a.m. in order to Mo systems on January 10, where we arrive promptly at the various mines examined the exotic mineralized fanon our itinerary, largely due to the fact glomerates at the mine, and discussed that there was much preparation that the mobility of metals within porphyry had to take place on behalf of the mines in order to to visit a different open pit mine every day, ensure the safety as well as to experience a different culture of all those and network with other students involved. The early mornings and industry professionals from across the globe. were a small price to pay in order to be able to safely gain systems. January 11 and 12 involved access and study these deposits, be able visits to the Spence Cu-Mo porphyry to take as many samples and photo- deposit and the Zaldivar porphyry Cugraphs as I desired, get a really good Mo system, respectively. The visit to free lunch at every mine I visited, and Spence included a review of have the opportunity to meet other stu- Paleocene/Oligocene age porphyry dents from Canada, the United States, “belts,” whereas the visit to Zaldivar Europe, Argentina, and Chile. With the involved an evaluation of leached caphelp of the bilingual students, it took a ping, the geochemistry of supergene surprisingly short period of time for all oxidation processes, as well as copper of us to learn a little Spanish and oxide genesis and preservation (and a become fast friends as we set out to view of the Escondida open pit from a visit our first stop on January 6, the distance). Lomas Bayas porphyry Cu-Mo deposit. These deposits provided me with My visit to Loma Bayas consisted of the opportunity to collect samples of a discussion of porphyry systems in supergene minerals like atacamite general, and the importance of regional [Cu2Cl(OH)3], chrysocola [Cu(Fe, structures in the control of porphyry Mn)Ox-SiO2-H2O], pseudomalachite chalcanthite emplacement and timing. On January 7, [Cu5(PO4)2(OH)4],

I had the good fortune

CIM Magazine n Vol. 2, Nº 2

canadians abroad (CuSO4.5H2O), and turquoise [CuAl6 (PO 4 ) 4 (OH) 8 .4H 2 O], but the most incredible samples were the sulphates from the Quetena copper breccia system, such as antlerite [Cu3SO4(OH)4], bonattite (CuSO4.3H2O), brochantite [Cu4SO4 (OH)6], chalcanthite (CuSO4.5H2O), copiapite [Fe5(SO4)6(OH)2. 20H2O], coquimbite [Fe2(SO4).9H2O], and voltaite [K2Fe8Al (SO4)12.18H2O], to name a few. Furthermore, I obtained iron and copper hydroxide samples from the leached cap zone, as well as some hypogene samples containing sulphide minerals like bornite (Cu5FeS4), chalcopyrite (CuFeS2), chalcocite (Cu2S), and covellite (CuS). To gain access to an abundance of these extremely colourful minerals is the dream of any person with a mineral collection, although the majority of the sulphate samples rapidly lose their colour from hydrating after collection. I found one of the most interesting deposits I visited was the El Tesoro exotic copper system in that the miner-

March/April 2007

alized fanglomerates bore a striking similarity to “continental red bed-type” copper mineralizations in Carboniferous sandstones of southern New Brunswick. The Cu ± Pb ± Zn ± Ag base-metal sulphide mineralizations seen in southern New Brunswick’s Carboniferous rocks is represented by over 30 major and minor occurrences, and is associated with carbonized plant material or diagenetic pyrite within grey, fluvial sandstone bodies above thick red bed and/or evaporate sequences. However, El Tesoro contained a more diverse mineralogy in that the ore minerals are comprised of malachite [Cu(CO3)(OH)2], azurite

[Cu3(CO3)2(OH)2], atacamite, chrysocola, copper wad, and copper pitch as opposed to the New Brunswick mineralizations, which are comprised predominantly of malachite and azurite. By the time I had to leave I had been completely overwhelmed, not only by the shear abundance of potential there is in northern Chile for porphyry Cu-Mo exploration, but also by the amazing technology they use to find and mine these largescale deposits. For example, at the Spence mine, they performed grid drilling through piedmont gravels of Miocene age and identified a 1,000 ppb Cu anomaly above the deposit by sampling the groundwater from 25 drill holes. After further drilling and sampling, it took the Spence mine approximately six months to construct an open pit and begin economical mining operations via the use of modern mining technology. After this experience I can’t help but feel that my intrinsic interest in geology has been magnified significantly, and that every graduate student should have the opportunity to get out in the world and see first hand how large-scale mining operations function in foreign countries. The experience has also shown how it is important for graduate students in geology to get out and explore deposits in far-off parts of the world so that they can broaden their scope of where they might base themselves in the future, and learn about how mining regulations vary from country to country. This opportunity was without a doubt one of the most positive experiences of my entire life, and has left me with a love for Chilean culture, a broadened mind in terms of international employment, and a great feeling of gratitude towards the industry and professional sponsors who provided the funding to make it all possible. n 25

eye on business Carbon financing opportunities and the mining industry by Douglas V. Tingey and Ron Ezekiel, Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP

Climate change is daily front-page news in Canadian newspapers and the current minority Conservative government may well fall on the issue of an appropriate Canadian response to regulating greenhouse gas emissions. Some argue that the debate raging in the background is not really about the science or whether Canada can or should live up to existing international commitments (the Kyoto Protocol), but rather how the Canadian economy can continue to grow as an energy user, producer, and exporter while at the same time accommodating emissions controls. Targeting emissions efficiency, as the US federal government has proposed to do, may not by itself be enough, unless it also results in reductions to aggregate emissions. Accessing foreign carbon credits through Kyoto or other mechanisms offers a way for the Canadian economy to mitigate the pain of accommodation, particularly if limits on aggregate emissions are imposed. This solution is often maligned, though, as merely a hemorrhaging of Canadian wealth abroad. But that is only half of the story. Not all foreign carbon credits are created equal. Canadian business does not need to buy excess emission rights abroad; it can bring credits back to Canada for free by “participating” in Kyoto projects. The difference is simple to understand—it is the difference between an expense and a return on an investment. 26

As an Annex 1 party to the meet the financial needs of the project Kyoto Protocol, Canada is per- and to reflect the differing needs and mitted to supplement domes- contributions of the participants. tic efforts to reduce aggregate Given the global reach of the busiemissions, with the efforts of ness, Canadian miners and metal procesCanadian businesses abroad. sors are well positioned to take advanCanada can subtract from its tage of carbon finance markets, utilizing aggregate emissions, for pur- their international business skills and by poses of meeting its aggregate leveraging their local economic developcap, credits earned by ment obligations assumed in the context Canadian industry by partici- of developing mines, particularly in pating in Kyoto projects out- developing countries. Even absent a side of Canada (in other Annex 1 juris- domestic compliance obligation, credits dictions and non-Annex 1 jurisdic- have value. The CDM project pipeline tions). Canadian Kyoto project partici- now includes 1,450 projects; 496 projpants can earn, in addition to the does not need usual returns— dividends on to buy excess emission rights abroad; equity, interest on it can bring credits back to Canada loans, royalties from intellectual for free by “participating” in Kyoto projects. property, fees from services—carbon credits that can ects are registered and another 104 are either be sold within the Canadian seeking registration. It is an active marmarket, keeping the sales proceeds in ket, with real opportunities for carbon Canada, or used to meet their domestic finance, not just in respect of mining emissions reduction compliance obli- projects, but in a variety of projects that gations. Canada may use them in turn may still be of interest or help to miners to meet its international obligations. and processors. Examples include develThe Kyoto Protocol establishes three opment of small-scale run-of-river “market mechanisms.” Two of the mech- hydro, wind farms, landfill gas capture, anisms are project-based. The third is and biomass/biofuels. “emissions trading.” The project-based An obvious way forward for undermechanisms are the Clean Development ground coal miners relates to methane Mechanism (CDM) projects hosted by gas capture. Methane is a greenhouse non-Annex 1 jurisdictions, and Joint gas. It is 21 times more effective as a Implementation (JI) projects hosted by greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide. Annex 1 jurisdictions. CDM and JI proj- Methane is a safety concern for most ects create emissions reduction credits underground coal mines around the that can be used to meet emissions world, and venting methane from a reduction obligations of Annex 1 juris- mine directly into the atmosphere is dictions. They are tradable for value via business as usual. Coal mine and coal emissions trading markets. At its purest, bed methane capture and conversion is Kyoto Protocol-inspired carbon finance a lucrative source of carbon credits. is project finance available to project The CDM Executive Board (EB) has participants. The credits or the proceeds approved a consolidated baseline from their sale by project participants methodology for coal bed methane and into carbon markets may be allocated coal mine methane capture, utilization, among the participants, by contract, to and destruction at working coal mines

Canadian business

CIM Magazine n Vol. 2, Nº 2

eye on business (whether new or existing mines). The essential purpose of the methodology is to specify what sorts of projects will qualify as CDM projects and the method by which the number of credits resulting from the project will be calculated. This methodology is being used in the JI context as well. The methodology applies to “…surface drainage wells to capture coal bed methane associated with mining activities; underground boreholes in the mine to capture pre-mining coal mine methane; surface goaf hole, underground boreholes, gas drainage galleries, or other goaf gas capture techniques, including gas from sealed areas, to capture post-mining coal mine methane; and ventilation coal mine methane that would normally be vented.” The methodology does not apply to “…open cast mines; methane captured from abandoned/decommissioned coal mines; “virgin” coal bed methane extracted from coal seams independently of any mining activities or use of carbon dioxide or any other fluid/gas to enhance coal bed methane drainage before mining takes place.” A Project Design Document prepared and submitted to the CDM EB by two Chinese coal mines, with aggregate annual production of 1.5 million tons, illustrates how captured methane will be converted to electricity in two power plants rated at 5.7 and 10.8 MW. At capacity, these two power plants are projected to produce 79,000 MWh of energy and 267,000 GJ of recoverable waste heat combusting 25 Mm3 of methane annually. This level of activity will create approximately 390,000 credits annually, not to mention revenues earned or costs saved from the generation of power and heat. The debate over Kyoto and Canada’s response to it is not over, but we should not lose sight of the fact that it is already real in many other parts of the world. The Kyoto Protocol and emissions trading presents Canadian business with a tremendous new opportunity to finance international projects. It is only a matter of time before we seize upon it. n March/April 2007

CIM Conference and Exhibition

Energy and Mines Montreal, Quebec April 29 to May 2, 2007

Build your toolbox of techniques and best practices to optimize your energy management at your site. Participate in the full Energy Management stream at the CIM Conference.

The plenary session will be a high-calibre investigation of the oulook for the energy market, led by Thierry Vandal, president and CEO, Hydro-Quebec, and Jean Bernier, president, Ultramar. Then get the facts straight during a roundtable discussion on energy management and mining, moderated by Guy Dufresne, retired and former CEO of Québec Cartier Mining. Panellists include: Tim Gitzel Senior Vice President and COO, Cameco Chris Jones COO, Albian Sands Energy Ian Pearce CEO, Xstrata Nickel Eberhard Scherkus President and COO, Agnico-Eagle Limited George White Consultant and Senior Advisor, Office of the President, Sherritt International Corporation

www.cim.org 27

student life From the woods to the conference room by Ryan M.S. Toole, Master’s student, University of New Brunswick During the summer of 2006, while most university students were working nine-to-five jobs, I was spending my time in the remote confines of Tulks Valley of central Newfoundland staring at drill core samples, hoping to catch a glimpse of semi-precious metals. In the spring of 2006, I graduated from Acadia University with a B.Sc. (honours) in geology. Even though most of my friends and classmates chose to move out into the working world, I decided to continue my education at the Master’s level, studying under the supervision of David Lentz at the University of New Brunswick. In the course of a discussion with Lentz, he suggested I do a project on petrography and geochemistry associated with the “Boomerang” volcanogenic massive sulphide Zn-CuPb-Ag-Au deposit discovered by Messina Minerals in central Newfoundland. Considering how the price of zinc had been steadily rising in recent history, in addition to the thought of being able to work in

if you consider work to be field trips to remnants of ancient volcanoes, going underground in the largest zinc producing mine in the world, or attending conferences where potential employers treat you to dinner and offer you jobs following graduation. So, when the idea of chairing the University of New Brunswick SEG-CIM Student Chapter Workshop at the Atlantic Geoscience Society’s annual colloquium came up, I seized the opportunity. The workshop, entitled “A review of physical volcanology: a metallogenic perspective,” focused on volcanichosted massive sulphide deposits. The 27 students and 27 professionals in attendance provided a great educational and networking opportunity. For me, the most beneficial aspect of chairing the conference was the opportunity to meet so many highly distinguished professionals within the field of volcanology. I was especially thankful for the opportunity to meet Wulf Mueller, a CIM Distinguished Lecturer, as he shared his insights and The hard days work of a field geologist (Ryan Toole) research on volcanichosted massive sulphide exploration with me directly. The workshop was a great success due to the high quality of presenters and outstanding industry support. I am grateful to the Atlantic Geoscience Society for allowing us to conduct the student chapter workshop during their annual colloquium. I cannot over-emphasize the importance of allowing students to attend and be involved in such events. Every opportunity to meet and interact with accomplished professionals should be seized. n

Newfoundland, I accepted and began research in late May. Throughout the summer I learned how to interpret and log drill core samples, oversee drilling operations, and contribute to the exploration process, all the while experiencing my first exploration camp where the only link to the outside world was a satellite phone. There was also the odd ‘slack’ day when I was able to hop onto one of the ATVs and head out to my favorite fishing hole. Aside from the breathtaking scenery, there were all kinds of interesting wildlife—caribou, moose, and bear to name a few—which I would encounter nearly everyday. Near the end of August, after I had finished sampling, I headed back to the University of New Brunswick and began to learn what being a grad student was all about. For years I had heard horror stories that grad students actually had work to do and papers to write, and were rarely seen out of their offices on Saturday nights. Yes, I guess this is true

CIM Magazine n Vol. 2, Nº 2

parlons-en Cluster industriel en formation sur la Côte-Nord par Luc Gagnon, directeur général, CATE Côte-Nord L’arrivée sur la Côte-Nord des grandes sociétés minières américaines dans les années cinquante, soixante et soixante-dix a entraîné le développement d’un tissu de PME dans le domaine de la fabrication mécanique et métallique. Couplée à la présence des grands barrages hydro-électriques, de deux alumineries de grande capacité, ainsi que d’une industrie forestière étendue sur tout le territoire, l’industrie lourde nord-côtière continue d’offrir une foule de possibilités pour les entrepreneurs industriels créatifs et efficaces. Entouré des entreprises de services, de réparation, des distributeurs, des bureaux d’ingénieurs-conseils et des entrepreneurs spécialisés en construction industrielle, la vingtaine de PME industrielles de la Côte-Nord forme une masse critique permettant de croire à la possibilité de lui appliquer le modèle du cluster industriel. Par la volonté du milieu, sous un plan de travail élaboré par le ministère du Développement économique, de l’Innovation et de l’Exportation (MDEIE), un plan d’action a été développé par un comité composé principalement de représentants des PME, de bureaux d’ingénieurs et de l’industrie lourde régionale, de même que de représentants de divers organismes de soutien à l’industrie. Dans le cadre des projets de développement régional ACCORD, on a mis sur pied le créneau d’excellence «ingénierie des procédés industriels, miniers et métallurgiques (IPIMM)», sous la présidence de Monsieur Carol Lavoie, Directeur de la formation aux adultes et aux entreprises du Cégep de Sept-Îles et Président du Centre d’aide technologique aux entreprises – Côte-Nord du Québec (CATE Côte-Nord). Ce sont vingt-neuf membres du comité IPIMM qui ont supervisé le travail de développement du plan d’action élaboré par le CATE Côte-Nord, d’après une étude de tendance et d’éMarch/April 2007

talonnage menée par la firme Deloitte à l’automne 2004. Présenté en décembre 2005 et ayant franchi les divers niveaux d’approbation, il ne reste plus que la signature de l’entente de mise en œuvre, prévue à l’hiver 2007. Les membres du comité ont élaboré le plan d’action en considérant les meilleures pratiques de clusters industriels comparables en Suède, Norvège, France et Canada. Ils se sont également guidés à l’aide de quatre questions : • Où sommes-nous? • Où voulons-nous être? • Comment s’y rendre? • Qui fait quoi? L’analyse stratégique des éléments mentionnés a débouché sur un plan d’action comprenant trois axes de développement. Le premier, celui sur lequel le milieu régional a le plus d’influence, s’énonce de la façon suivante : « Consolidation du créneau IPIMM existant ». Quant aux deux autres axes, il s’agit de « Exploration / Exploitation minière », ainsi que de « Transformation métallique / Diversification régionale ». Ces derniers dépendent moins directement de nos objectifs et actions collectives que de la volonté d’investisseurs privés. Le premier axe, celui de la consolidation, a été subdivisé en trois orientations stratégiques regroupant sept objectifs et vingt-cinq actions proposées. Les dirigeants du comité de créneau espèrent que l’application sur un horizon de cinq ans de ces actions

permettra de faire évoluer les acteurs de ce créneau vers un cluster fonctionnel et compétitif, en mesure de se développer et de créer de la richesse sur la Côte-Nord. C’est avec l’apport volontaire des industriels et l’appui systématique des organisations à caractère économique et éducationnel (dont la section Québec Nord-Est de l’ICM) que l’on pourra consolider, renforcer et accroître nos leviers de développement économique. Une attitude « gagnant-gagnant » de tous les joueurs permettra de soutenir et accentuer la collaboration entre les PME et les grands donneurs d’ordre, élément essentiel à l’essor des entreprises du milieu. Ainsi, la région développera un noyau de PME compétitives, favorisant l’intérêt des groupes industriels mondiaux à la recherche de sites pour s’implanter dans la métallurgie ou de terrains propices à l’exploration et à l’exploitation minière. La démarche demeurera respectueuse des priorités et des intérêts de chaque entrepreneur, personne n’étant contraint à participer à quelque activité de cluster que ce soit ou à développer une expertise qui ne lui convient pas. Le créneau IPIMM offrira des possibilités; ce sera aux industriels de les saisir. Nous croyons pouvoir en convaincre une grande partie par l’à-propos des actions définies. On en verra les effets graduellement d’ici cinq ans, mais on aborde déjà la mise en œuvre avec impatience. n

Nouveau cette année au Congrès et Salon commercial de l'ICM

Traduction simultanée La séance plénière Énergie et mines ainsi que les séances Les femmes en exploitation minière et Les ressources humaines qui se dérouleront le mardi 1er mai seront traduites en simultané en français. Ne manquez rien des exposés et profitez de cette belle occasion.

engineering exchange Engineering the North by Haidee Weldon Last year, EBA Engineering Consultants Ltd. celebrated its fortieth year in the consulting business, having successfully grown its key areas of specialization in geotechnical engineering, environmental sciences, and transportation. In the early 1970s, EBA formed their exclusive “Arctic team,” which focused on engineering projects north of 60 for the oil and gas industry, in such frigid environments as the Mackenzie Delta and the Beaufort Sea. When the mining industry extended its arm into the Far North in the mid-1980s, several companies turned to EBA for their knowledge and expertise in handling the challenges of permafrost. “We didn’t have to look for contracts; mining came to us,” said CEO Paul Ruffell. Between 1998 and 2004, EBA designed and oversaw the construction of five water control dams at BHP Billiton Diamonds Inc.’s EKATI mine. EBA engineers utilized their knowledge of frozen core construction and applied similar technology for an experimental toe berm to surround waste rock piles to inhibit discharge, possibly the first of its kind so far north. The toe berms, made up of frozen overburden, abut a granite rockfill

blanket at the fringes and Fuel trucks on the Tibbitt to Contwoyto winter road are capped with rockfill. The initially dry granite waste rock is spread out inside this structure, and waste rock is then piled up in 15-metre-thick layers inside the toe berm. The waste rock naturally freezes by the end of the first winter, and water infiltrating into the pile during the spring and summer initiates pore-ice formation in the blanket and core of the pile. The toe berm also reduces seasonal runoff at the fringe. The top five metres thaws and the rest remains frozen, providing an excellent long-term reservoir for pore-ice. Kevin Jones, senior project director, Arctic Region, EBA, pointed out an exciting and unexpected discovery. “The arctic winds blowing across the waste rock created convective currents in the porous waste rock that in turn supercooled the waste rock maintaining the frozen core colder than the natural permafrost ground in the area.” EBA monitors the site regularly, measuring the temperature of the waste rock, and the BHP Billiton environment department monitors surrounding water bodies on a monthly basis, to confirm that contaminates are not being released from the waste rock piles. “Any possible impact on surrounding water bodies—no matter how slight—is undesirable in the aggressive regulatory regime within which the mine operates,” Jones explained. The initial toe berms at the Panda waste rock pile at the EKATI mine were found to be effective; therefore construction of similar toe berms at the Fox Frozen core dam for water diversion, Beartooth pit EKATI mine, Panda pit in the background. pit were soon underway. Toe berms will

CIM Magazine n Vol. 2, Nº 2

engineering exchange be employed at new waste rock piles as additional open pits are developed. EBA took a special interest in the Tibbitt-to-Contwoyto ice road in 2006.

forced to fly in supplies (particularly diesel fuel) as well as machinery and parts, with an estimated whopping $30 to $50 million price tag.

water erosion. The ice actually deflects downward and then rebounds after each truck passes. Our own efficiencydriven society is also to blame—trucks are multi-axle and bigger, carrying heavier loads, which in turn adds stress to the road. For the past decade, rudimentary and intermittent testing of the ice road involved drilling ice cores. Repair, when possible, has involved covering poor sections of ice with rig mats. EBA is developing a system of continuous profiling with radar to measure ice thickness. Continuous monitoring could result in repairing a weak area before the section has eroded, preventing accidents and closures. This technology is still in its early stages and in past years has been labour-intensive to interpret the data, preventing it from providing real-time interpretations. However, EBA has just completed developing its next generation software and processing programs to interpret the data from the radar on-the-fly and has been using it throughout the current winter. EBA has more than 600 engineers, scientists, technologists, and support staff from 10 offices located in western and northern Canada. The mining section consists of environmental services, mine waste management, regula-

“We didn’t have to look for contracts;

mining came to us.” — P. Ruffell

The 570-kilometre-long ice road, of which nearly 85 per cent is built over lakes, is a lifeline for a handful of mines in the Far North. It is usually open only eight to 12 weeks each year and in the order of 8,000 truckloads of supplies are transported north from Yellowknife during this short operating season. In March 2006, the road was shut down prematurely following an unseasonably warm winter. As a result, mines like EKATI and Diavik Diamond mine were March/April 2007

EBA’s Don Hayley, principal engineer, and Samuel Proskin, senior project engineer, have begun research to optimize understanding of the ice road. Several factors are involved in ice road stability. Warm weather is of course the primary one, but also important is the route the road follows. Blowouts can occur at the sides of narrow lakes that the road crosses. Erosion of short sections of the road can occur due to undercurrents and

tions and permits, and site development. EBA provides design and construction expertise to sub-arctic and alpine mining projects. Examples of their solutions include frozen core dams to achieve “zero discharge” facilities, a frozen cell dock to withstand large ice flow impacts, use of frozen backfill to facilitate a cost-effective underground operation, and thickened tailings deposition schemes to create permafrost tailings. n 31

standards Is your NI43-101 technical report compliant? by Deborah A. McCombe, chief mining consultant, Ontario Securities Commission One of the cornerstones of NI43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects is the technical report. The purpose of the report is to provide a summary of the scientific and technical information concerning mineral exploration, development, and production activities on a mineral property that is material to an issuer. The reports must be prepared in accordance with NI43101 and Form 43-101F1 Technical Report and the information must be current as of the date of the filing of the technical report. As these reports provide important information to the investing public, qualified persons preparing these reports should, as much as possible, write in plain, simple language that can be easily read and understood by people who are not geoscientists or engineers. So let’s review some of the common deficiencies with technical reports.

Non-current technical report Some of the factors you should consider when determining if your previously filed technical report is still current are as follows: • Is there new technical information on the property, such as drilling, assays, metallurgical testwork? • Have you made changes to key assumptions, parameters relating to mineral resources or mineral reserves, or economic analysis? • If you have completed the previously recommended work, are your recommendations still current? Similarly, are your report recommendations consistent with what you are telling your shareholders or disclosing in the use of proceeds in your offering documents? For example, if the recommendations in the report consist of further exploration and metallurgical testwork prior to completing a preliminary feasibility study and you have completed the proposed work and are now raising 32

under NI43-101, provided it is accompanied by proximate cautionary language. We often find that the cautionary language is included the first time that historical estimates, exploration targets, and preliminary assessments are disclosed. However, the technical report disclosing this information must also include the proximate cautionary language.

Insufficient information on key assumptions, parameters, and methodologies

money for a final feasibility study, the report is probably not current. Non-current technical reports can cause huge delays and major headaches during the sometimes very short window for financing. In most cases, this is avoidable with some planning and due diligence reviews. It is the responsibility of the company to ensure its reports are current and compliant.

Disclaimers Disclaimers are specifically prohibited by NI43-101, except in the very limited circumstance permitted by Item 5 of the Form, Reliance on Other Experts. At least one qualified person must take responsibility for each section of the report. It is up to the qualified person to review the previous information and determine the level of due diligence required to enable the qualified person to take responsibility for the information and provide a certificate and consent. If your consent includes a disclaimer, we will likely ask you to refile it.

Proximate cautionary language The disclosure of historical estimates, exploration targets, and preliminary assessments is permitted

Often, an issuer will disclose the mineral resources and mineral reserves in an appropriate manner; however, the key assumptions, parameters, and methodologies are not disclosed. The technical report should include enough information for a reasonably informed person to understand how the estimates were prepared and the basis for the estimate.

Development and production properties—cash flows and budgets All companies with development and producing projects should include the cash flow tables that are required under item 25 of the Form. Also, we are increasingly finding that while a qualified person discloses recommendations for further work, a budget is not provided. A budget is required for properties at all stages of exploration, development, or production.

Personal inspections or site visits by independent qualified persons If an issuer triggers the filing of a technical report by an independent qualified person, the independent qualified person must carry out the site visit. An in-house qualified person can assist the independent qualified person with the preparation of the report; however, the independent qualified person must visit the site and take responsibility for the complete report when an independent report is required. CIM Magazine n Vol. 2, Nº 2

standards Compliance with Form 43-101F1 We strongly recommend that qualified persons preparing technical reports follow the Form. If an item of the Form is not included in the technical report, we consider it to be noncompliant. For example, if there is no disclosure about sampling method, it is unclear whether any sampling has been carried out in the past, whether the qualified person did any independent sampling, etc. A qualified person may refer to a previously filed technical report for items 6 through 11 of the Form, provided they state the name, date, and author of the previously filed technical report and that information has not changed. n

C A M s t c a f

Copper was the third ranked mineral in value of production in Canada in 2005. Ontario, Quebec, and British Columbia account for about 90 per cent of copper production.

Mineral Agreements and Royalties by Karl J.C. Harries, Q.C., P.Eng

Special Volume 55 What is it? This two-volume set is a compilation and update of the authorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s previous three books: Mining Exploration Agreements (1994), Mining Royalties Between Private Parties (1996), and Entry and Work on Private Property (1997). What is it about? The books are not legal texts but rather generic guides that are intended to assist anyone involved directly or indirectly in the mineral exploration industry. They are written in an informal manner and cover a wide variety of subjects that one may encounter in either exploration or the negotiation of property acquisition agreements. They examine the subjects from the point-of-view of both the explorationist and property owner. Quantities are limited. Order today! For more information and to order your copy, please visit www.cim.org or call 514.939.2710

March/April 2007

HR outlook MiHR reaches MARS and beyond by Ryan Montpelier, director of operations, Mining Industry Human Resources Council It is a wellknown fact that the mining industry is in the midst of a human resource crisis, with a need to fill an estimated 80,000+ jobs over the next ten years. Since the release of its landmark sector study of the Canadian Minerals and Metals Industry, the Mining Industry Human Resources Council (MiHR) has been working feverishly trying to help the mining industry meet its human resource needs. On March 6, 2007, a significant stride was made. At the PDAC annual conference, Human Resources and Social Development Canada minister, the Honourable Monte Solberg, announced $2.5 million in funding over three years for MiHR’s newest initiative, the Mining Attraction, Recruitment, and Retention Strategy, also known as MARS. MARS will help inform Canadians about the myriad opportunities that exist in the modern mining industry and will also help industry find the right workers, with the right skills, at the right time. The project will introduce Canadians to potential careers in mining through industry-led outreach activities and hands-on classroom resources linked to provincial curricula. MiHR will work with industry to engage and retain new entrants and help with training new recruits through mentoring programs and knowledge capture mechanisms. MARS funding will also allow the Council to research and identify best practices and potential pitfalls in recruiting and retaining nontraditional sources of labour such as aboriginal people, women, new Canadians, retirees and ex-patriots (workers who left the mining industry in the past). 34

Project deliverables • Mining career path and knowledge capture videos • Pan-Canadian mentorship program • Targeted mining career presentations, a speakers’ toolkit, including classroom resources, and a national mining industry speakers’ bureau

• Improved training content and knowledge capture mechanisms • Employers better equipped, informed, and able to engage a broader spectrum of the potential workforce The skills shortage in the Canadian mining industry is forcing employers to explore all possible avenues of attraction,

Human Resources and Social Development Canada announced $2.5 million in funding over three years for MiHR’s newest initiative, the Mining Attraction, Recruitment, and Retention Strategy, also known as MARS. • Best practices guidebook for employers to facilitate recruitment and retention • Mining-related educational content linked to provincial curricula, including hands-on / in-class resources for teachers • Web-based marketing campaign targeting Canadian youth • Summer employment strategy to improve summer employment opportunities for students • Employer guides for school site visits and for developing apprenticeship programs • Web portal on mining careers, educational resources, and training tools

Long-term project outcomes • Increased awareness and improved perception of the mining sector • Increased delivery of earth sciences and mining-related curricula • Increased awareness among Canadians of mining career opportunities • Increased enrolment in miningrelated post-secondary programs • Improved industry workforce planning • Improved linkages between students and mining industry employers

recruitment, and retention. Unfortunately, most of these efforts are disconnected and independent of one another, resulting in significant duplication of effort and some inconsistent messaging. While individual employers have been reasonably successful in finding the workers they need for the short term, poaching from one employer by another is rampant and clearly not a sustainable approach to staffing. Industry must work together to grow the pool of workers and skills so that the entire industry’s needs can be met over the long term. This MARS project will facilitate this process. MARS will leverage the best products and outreach practices already developed by industry employers, and through MiHR’s coordination, information will be shared nationally with all industry stakeholders. Through the many MARS activities planned over the next three years (listed above), MiHR is in an excellent position to help industry ensure an adequate supply of workers and skills to maintain Canada’s leadership position on the mining world stage. For more information on MARS or to become involved in the project, please contact the Mining Industry Human Resources Council at RMontpellier@ mihr.ca or PHebert@mihr.ca. n CIM Magazine n Vol. 2, Nº 2

Overview

he copper industry has had a good time of late. While the copper price has now dipped below the record highs of 2006, the price cycle is considered reasonably robust and the copper price remains at levels not seen in several decades (Fig. 1). Many analysts are projecting a lower average 2007 price in the range of about US$2.00 to US$2.50 per pound of copper amid continuing steady demand for the red metal, especially in China and India. With several new, large greenfield projects coming on stream in South America and elsewhere, copper output also continues to expand, allowing output to just about meet the growing demand. The current strong price cycle, referred to by some as a “super cycle” (Fig. 1), had its beginnings some years ago with the awakening of demand for metal resources in China and Historical Annual Copper Price, 1900 to 2006 in Constant 2006 US dollars 450

350

300

Current copper production and demand Important global drivers for copper demand currently and into 2008-2009 remain the following: • Positive world economic growth • Developments in China, Southeast Asia, and India • Production met by new, large projects just coming onstream, as well as several brownfield expansions, and also the revival of copper in Africa

250

World Mined Copper Output, 1800 to 2020

200

20 150

18 100

0 1900 1905 1910 1915 1920 1925 1930 1935 1940 1945 1950 1955 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010

Source: Brooke Hunt, UK

Year

Fig. 1. Trend in world copper production, 1900 to 2006

India. The technology landscape and production processes at new operations have also been changing and this has contributed to the ability of the copper industry to attain record output levels (Fig. 2). Since its inception in 1987, the Copper/Cobre series of international conferences has established itself as the prime March/April 2007

World copper output, million tonnes

Coper Price, US cents/lb (in constant US 2006 dollars)

400

world forum for discussing technology advances in copper process metallurgy. The sixth event in this conference series will be held in August by P.J. Mackey, 2007 in Toronto, Ontario, Xstrata Process Support in conjunction with COM Falconbridge, Ontario 2007, the Conference of Metallurgists. Given both the strong technology focus of the conference and the current burgeoning of the copper market, a “snapshot” of the “world of copper” in 2007 is presented in this brief overview.

16 14 12 10 8 6 4 2 0 1800

1820

1840

1860

1880

1900

Sources: Xstrata data pre-1950, after 1950, Brooke Hunt, UK data used

1920

1940

1960

1980

2000

2020

Year

Fig. 2. World mined copper output, 1800 to 2006 35

• The role of hedge funds, which impacted the market in 2006, is uncertain World mined copper in 2006 totaled some 15 million tonnes (Fig. 2). The geographic distribution of mined copper in 2006 is illustrated in Figure 3; it is seen that over 40 per cent was produced in South America. Of this, about 84 per cent, corDistribution of 2006 mined copper production by region, % (Total: 15 million tonnes)

America, and Japan combined accounts for about 47 per cent of global demand; interestingly, China alone now accounts for about 23 per cent of global demand in copper, corresponding to nearly 4 million tonnes in 2006, a figure which is growing at around seven to eight per cent annually. The role of China and India in contributing to copper demand is discussed a little later.

Copper production and technology South America

North America

Australia & Indonesia

Rest of Western World

Former East Bloc Source: Based on data by Brook Hunt, UK.

Note: Chile was the single largest producer representing some 35% of world production in 2006

Fig. 3. Distribution of 2006 mined copper production by region, % (total: 15 million tonnes)

responding to about 35 per cent of world mined copper, was produced in Chile. The current growth rate for refined copper consumption globally is about three per cent per year and this growth rate is expected to continue until about the end of the decade. Based on the intensity of use trends and overall economic outlook, many analysts see this rate continuing or increasing slightly to around 3.5 per cent per year after 2010. It is noted that this rate compares with a rate of 4.7 per cent per year that was experienced in the boom years of the 1960s. Even so, with current global copper consumption of around 17 million tonnes annually and growing, a three per cent growth rate requires about 500,000 tonnes of new copper to be brought on line each year—quite a substantial amount. World copper consumption, broken down by regions, is shown in Figure 4. It is seen that Western Europe, North World copper consumption by region - 2005 (Total: 16.9 million tonnes)

Western Europe North America Japan Rest of Western World CIS China Other former East Bloc

Source: Based on data by Brook Hunt, UK.

Fig. 4. Copper consumption in 2005 by region 36

Copper produced by smelting now accounts for about 82 per cent of world mined copper; the balance is produced by leach-SX-EW operations, as will be discussed below. Flash and bath smelting technologies are now employed to produce the bulk of smelter output, with about 35 per cent of plants employing flash smelting, 35 per cent using bath smelting, while other technologies cover the balance. The Outokumpu flash furnace is the dominant flash smelting furnace technology in the world today, while the major bath smelting technologies include: Mitsubishi continuous smelting, El Teniente converter, Noranda reactor, Top Submerged Lance technology – both Isasmelt and Ausmelt – and the Vanyukov furnace. As noted by Ramachandran et al. (2003), the advantage of the bath smelting approach, with its high-intensity smelting mode, “enables the added charge to quickly reach smelting temperatures and the chemical reactions to rapidly proceed to completion; this feature translates to smaller sized furnaces per unit of capacity and a high overall level of efficiency. In addition, bath smelting permits the recycling of coarse secondary materials to the smelting unit.” Isasmelt bath smelting and the Outokumpu flash furnace are the current units of choice for new or smelter retrofit projects, and several projects based on these technologies are currently underway around the world. The Isasmelt technology is described in an article in the current issue of CIM Magazine (p. 45); this technology now accounts for over some 6.3 million tonnes of copper concentrate feed per year, roughly 15 per cent of world smelted copper. A new Outokumpu flash furnace-flash converter is being considered for the large upgrade at Olympic Dam, eventually bringing capacity to over 500,000 tonnes of copper; this and other new projects underway mean that a significant proportion of smelted copper will continue to be produced via flash smelting. CIM Magazine n Vol. 2, Nº 2

Large-tonnage operations now dominate copper production—whether for sulphide mining, milling, smelting and electrolytic refining, or oxidic copper mining-leach-SX-EW. Table 1 lists the top ten plants in each production area. For example, the top ten smelters shown in Table 1 account for the treatment of over some 30 per cent of world mined copper. The trend towards larger copper smelters was discussed by Ramachandran et al. (2003) at the Copper 2003 Conference in Santiago, Chile. In 2005, some 70 per cent of smelted copper was produced in plants sized 200,000 tpy of copper or larger. As shown in Figure 5, the proportion of copper produced at large smelters has been increas-

ing since the mid-1970s and this trend is expected to continue, albeit more slowly. Of the top ten smelters (Table 1), six are “custom smelters” meaning that they treat concentrate shipped from the mine/mill on a custom basis, and much of this concentrate originates in South America. With regards to the mines, it can be seen in Table 1 that in fact six of the ten largest mines are located in South America; four of these large mines ship concentrates. It is also seen that South America, and specifically Chile, dominates the large copper leach-SX-EW plants, with nine of the ten largest such plants being located in Chile’s northern region (Table 1). On the other hand, the largest copper smelters are seen to be geographically distributed more widely. It is noted that the geographical distribution of the ten largest electro-refineries

Table 1. Ten largest sulphide mines and copper smelters (2006) No.

Plant

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Escondida PT Freeport Chuquicamata Norilsk El Teniente Collahuasi Antamina Los Pelambres Rudna Bingham

Sulphide Mines Country

Chile Indonesia Chile Russia Chile Chile Peru Chile Poland USA

Present Capacity (2006), ktpy 1085 615 510 421 415 395 382 321 283 270

No.

Plant

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Onsan Guixi Chuquicamata Saganoseki Norddeutsche Caletones Toyo Norilsk Ilo Altonorte

Copper Smelters Country

South Korea China Chile Japan Germany Chile Japan Russia Peru Chile

Present Capacity (2006), ktpy 532 445 430 430 411 395 372 360 320 282 (see note 2)

Total (see note 1)

4,697

Total (see note 1)

3,977

Note 1: The above total of the top 10 sulphide mines represents about 38 per cent of world mined sulphide copper, while the total for the above top 10 smelters represents about 32 per cent of world smelted copper. Note 2: The Sterlite smelter in India was a close No. 11 with 280 kt in 2006 and, as noted in the text, is presently ramping up to about 400 ktpy of copper. Source: Developed from data by Brook Hunt, CRU, and Xstrata data.

Table 1. (continued) Ten largest copper electrolytic refineries and copper leach-SX-EW plants (2006) No.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Electrolytic Copper Refineries Country Present Capacity (2006), ktpy Onsan South Korea 515 Guixi China 445 Chuquicamata Chile 430 Norddeutsche Germany 375 Las Ventanas Chile 375 Montreal East (CCR) Canada 370 Yunnan (Kunming) China 365 Norilsk Russia 360 Pyshma Russia 350 Olen Belgium 343 Total 2,928 Plant

No.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Copper Leach-SX-EW Plants Country Present Capacity (2006), ktpy Morenci USA 380 El Abra Chile 225 Radomiro Tomic Chile 159 Zaldivar Chile 143 Escondida Chile 140 Codelco-Norte-Sur Chile 127 Cerro Colorado Chile 119 Quebrada Blanca Chile 73 Lomas Bayasi Chile 64 Collahuasi Chile 58 Total 1,632 Plant

Source: Developed from data by Brook Hunt, CRU, and Xstrata data

March/April 2007

World trend in copper smelter size - 1975 to 2006 The distribution of smelter output according to smelter capacity More than 200 k tpy

Between 100 k tpy and 200 k tpy

less than 100 k tpy

% of Cu smelter production in each size range

100%

80%

60%

40%

20%

0% 1975 Source: Based on data by Xstrata.

1985

1995

2005

Year

Fig. 5. Trend in size of copper smelters

in Table 1 follows a similar pattern as the large copper smelters. Custom concentrate trade now accounts for some 60 per cent of world sulphide concentrates and highlights the importance of custom smelters to the copper industry. For many decades, and up until the first part of the of last century, it was generally the practice to locate the copper smelter next to a new mine; gradually however, shipping concentrate to a distant custom smelter tended to become the general practice. A recent example of a new mine developed with concentrate shipment to custom smelters was the large Antamina mine in Peru. For many years since its startup in 1988, Olympic Dam in Australia stood as the last captive smelter built. In this case, several considerations, including distance from the port and concentrate quality issues, favoured a captive plant. The new 80,000 tpy of copper Outokumpu smelter at Khatoon-Abad, Iran, changed this, even though this smelter also treats a variety of concentrates from neighbouring regions. The proposed direct copper Outokumpu flash unit for Vedanta in Zambia is expected to become the newest captive or semi-captive smelter. On the other hand, the planned Lumwana mine in Zambia will truck roughly 400,000 tpy of concentrate from the plant site in the northwest province to one of the smelters on the copperbelt. As discussed below, a large amount of new custom smelter capacity is increasingly being built in China and India to provide metal for the expanding infrastructure projects and increasing domestic demand in these countries. These plants will also to be able to handle new concentrate entering the market; hence the custom concentrate market is expected to remain vigorous for some time to come. Given the well-known relationship between size of plant and direct cash cost, or C1 cost—large plants tend to have lower costs due to the ‘economies of scale’—the trend towards larger copper smelting plants will likely continue. This suggests that many of the current mid-tier-sized smelters, say those between about 100,000 to 250,000 tonnes per year, will likely either expand to keep unit costs in check, or if appropriate, diversify into treating more higher-value complex feed, or potentially close. As discussed in a brief review of copper pro38

duction trends in Canada over the last 150 years (see article on page 48 of this issue), the trend of increasing smelter size over time is not new, and the average size of copper smelters in Canada has been continually increasing ever since the first copper smelter began in Canada in 1849. As regards to the maximum ultimate size, at some point, there may be considerations related to the optimum maximum size of a plant, likely related to either feed handling aspects or disposal in available markets of the large amounts of sulphuric acid produced. The largest copper smelter in Table 1 (Onsan in South Korea), for example, produces some 1.5 million tonnes of sulphuric acid per year. On the other hand, other metallurgical industries handle very large amounts of material. As an example, a new iron blast furnace-steel plant may process up to 5 or 6 million tonnes of pig iron per year, requiring upwards of 8 million tonnes of iron ore per year. Perhaps by borrowing systems used in the iron and steel industries, one may see even larger copper smelters in the future. The conclusion to be drawn from these considerations on technology and plant size is that copper plants, their capacity, and technology are constantly changing and adapting. In other words, change has always being a fact of life in the copper business; perhaps today it is, or it seems to be, occurring at a faster rate than appears evident in earlier times.

The copper landscape in 2007 Several key topics will likely dominate the copper world in 2007 and beyond as follows: • Demand and production growth in China and India • The revival of copper production in Africa • Developments in technology and new operations • Environmental issues—sulphur dioxide under control—water use becomes important

Demand and smelter output in China and India China and, to a lesser extent, India have played a major role as the engine of growth for copper in Asia and the world. China has thus become a key market for the mining industry; India will soon follow suit. The recent strength of Chinese demand, coupled with the economic performance in the United States and Europe, has all helped to drive copper demand. For the last five to about ten years, the growing needs required by the construcCIM Magazine n Vol. 2, Nº 2

The revival of copper production in Africa In the 1960s and 1970s, the African continent was a large producer of copper; however, since about that time, production has fallen dramatically. For example, in 1974, one of the peak years, smelters in Africa produced some 1,440,000 tonnes of copper, representing about 20 per cent of total world mined copper at that time. Of this African output, about half of this (710,000 tonnes) was produced in Zambia and about 30 per cent (467,000 tonnes) was produced in what was then known as Zaire, now the Democratic Republic of the Congo; the balance (~20 per cent) was produced in several other African countries, including South Africa. Since the late 1970s, output from these countries has declined dramatically as nationalization policies failed terribly and the state-run operations March/April 2007

Refined copper production and consumption - India and China compared, 2000 to 2006 5

Chinese refined copper production

Copper amount, million tonnes

Chinese refined copper consumption Indian refined copper production Indian refined copper consumption

0 1990

1992

1994

1996

1998

Source: Based on data by Brook Hunt, UK and Ref. (2).

2000

2002

2004

2006

2008

2010

Year

Fig. 6. Refined copper production and consumption in China and India, 1990 to 2006

Growth Potential - China and India - Non Ferrous Metals (Per capita consumption of non-ferrous metals for India, China and US compared - data for 2003-2004)

100.0 Consumption - India, kg/capita Consumption - China, kg/capita

Specific Consumption, kg/capita

tion and electrical industries, along with infrastructure development, can be particularly observed not only in China, but in other Asian countries and also in developed countries. With demand close to outstripping supply in some years, copper prices have recently been pushed higher (Fig. 1). Refined copper production and consumption in China and India since 1990 is illustrated in Figure 6. It is noted that copper consumption in China of some 1.9 million tonnes in 2000 compares with 0.63 million tonnes in 1990, just ten years earlier, and 0.33 million tonnes in 1980; this represents an increase of over six times in a period of 20 years. It is of interest to compare per capita copper consumption in India, China, and the United States to illustrate a range of potential future requirements (Fig. 7). As noted earlier, these factors are expected to contribute to an expected 3 to 3.5 per cent annual growth rate in world copper demand up to 2010 and beyond. Modern, advanced technology can be observed at copper smelters in China and India. Technology now utilized in China includes the Noranda Process, Outokumpu flash, and Isasmelt and Ausmelt technologies. These plants are well run and many are comparable to the best plants anywhere. Smelters in these countries make the listing of the largest copper smelters in 2006 (Table 1). The Sterlite smelter in India, which almost tied as the No. 10 plant in 2006, is presently ramping up to 400,000 tonnes per year of copper. It is expected, therefore, that plants in these countries will no doubt feature more prominently in such a plant ranking in future.

Consumption - US, kg/capita 10.0

1.0

0.1

0.0 Ni

Data developed by Xstrata, approximate only and typical for 20043-2004 period.

Metal

Fig. 7. Growth potential, China and India â&#x20AC;&#x201C; non-ferrous metals

were starved of capital for supplies and replacement components, combined with a lack of expertise. By the late 1990s, the copper output of Zambia, for example, reached a low of less than 250,000 tonnes of copper per year, a drop of nearly 70 per cent from that of the peak years. But times have changed with new privatization policies supported by recent high copper prices, and Zambia is preparing for new projects, which will see a return of copper output once again in excess of 700,000 tonnes per year within a few years. Some projections are placing Zambian copper output at around 1.2 million tonnes per year by the end of the decade. Some of the new producers on the Zambian copperbelt are: â&#x20AC;˘ Vedanta Resources plc and its majority-owned Konkola Copper Mines plcâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;Nchanga and the former Nkana smelter and the new Konkola properties, targeting a total of some 400,00 tpy of copper. The Nkana smelter is currently being upgraded; as well, plans are underway for the construction of a new smelter, originally to be built on a new site near Chingola. This facility will be based on the direct blister Outokumpu flash smelting process and will include an acid plant and anode facilities. 39

Lubumbashi operations, the project will initially produce 115,000 tonnes of copper and 8,000 tonnes of cobalt per year by leaching and SX-EW operations. It is slated to come online before 2010 with a reported capital cost of US$650 million. Other projects are also slated for the DRC.

Developments in technology and new projects HYDROMETALLURGY

A certain amount of copper has always been produced by leaching, along with recovery of the metal from the resulting solution. For most of the last century, the total world amount of copper so produced was quite small. Beginning with the world’s first use of solvent extraction technology for copper recovery from acidic solutions in March 1968 at the Ranchers Bluebird Mine at Miami, Arizona (adapted at the time from technology in place for uranium recovery), an increasing amount of copper has been produced by leaching-SX-EW. The amount of world mined copper produced by leachSX-EW (mainly from oxides, but increasingly from low-grade sulphides as well) and by smelting (from sulphides) is shown in Figure 8. In 2006, some 2.8 million tonnes, or about 18 per Global mined copper production by sulphide concentrates to smelter and copper by Leach-SX-EW operations, 1984 to 2006

16,000

14,000

Leach-SX-EW operations

Mined copper output, k tonnes

• Mopani Copper Mines plc—Mufulira mine, with the adjacent Mufulira smelter, which is in the midst of commissioning a new 850,000 tpy of concentrate Isasmelt unit and acid plant, producing some 250,000 tpy of copper (see article on p. 45 on the Isasmelt technology for a brief description of this new plant). The new smelter replaces the older electric furnace facilities. This electric furnace, with an original design capacity of 36 MVA for the production of 230,000 tonnes of copper per year, began operations in May 1971; it was the largest such unit when introduced for smelting copper concentrates in the early 1970s. • First Quantum Minerals—This company, which began operations on the copperbelt with the Bwana Mkubwa tailings re-treatment leach-SX-EW plant, is now planning a high-pressure leach operation at Kansanshi Mines, targeting for the bulk of the output of some 145,000 tpy copper, the balance as sulphide concentrate for trucking to one of the copperbelt smelters. • Equinox Copper Ventures Ltd is planning the US$850 million Lumwana mine-mill operation in the northwest province for the production of an average of some 150,000 tpy of copper in concentrate for trucking to one of the copperbelt smelters. A conventional roast-leach-EW facility had been examined earlier as a process route; however, this is now considered as a potential project enhancement as production expands in future. The concentrate will contain some gold values and cobalt; the latter will not be recovered at the present time. Evidently, separate mineralized areas contain zones with appreciable uranium levels; this may be recovered in a later stage of development. • China Nonferrous Metals group operates the Chambishi properties and has a number of expansion plans in progress. Total copper output in Zambia in 2006 was 537,000 tonnes as indicated in Table 2.

Sulphide concentrate to smelters 12,000

10,000

8,000

6,000

4,000

2,000

Table 2. Copper output in Zambia in 2006 Operation/Plant Copper Output (2006) (tonnes) Smelting Mufulira and Nkana 260,000 Sub-total 260,000 Leach-SX-EW Bwana Mkubwa 51,000 Kansanshi 70,000 Nchanga 43,000 Others 51,000 Sub-total 215,000 Exported concentrates 62,000 Total 537,000 Based on data by Brook Hunt

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, a new agreement between Phelps Dodge and the newly elected government, along with owner Tenke Mining of Vancouver, has paved the way for the giant Tenke Fungurume project to begin. Located some 400 kilometres northwest of the former 40

0 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 Source: Brook Hunt, UK with permission

Year

Fig. 8. New copper output by sulphide smelting and leach-SX-EW operations (by year)

cent of world mined copper, was produced by leach-SX-EW. This is an impressive amount; however, as seen in Figure 9, the growth trend appears to be plateauing. As a comparison, the amount of leach-SX-EW copper produced in 2006 corresponded to total world mined copper of the mid1950s. The ten largest leach-SX-EW operations in 2006 are summarized in Table 1, and as noted above, nine of these large operations are located in Chile. Three of the recent largest leach-SX-EW plants are as follows: • The BHP-B Escondida’s new 180,000 tpy copper leach operation in Chile. This plant commenced in 2006 by treating low-grade sulphide and oxide material from the pit. This plant continues to ramp up. When fully operational, the output of this plant and the existing leach-SX-EW plant will deliver some 300,000 tpy of EW copper. CIM Magazine n Vol. 2, Nº 2

believed that in the short term, development of such projects will allow future copper demands to be met.

Proportion of total world mined copper output by leach-SX-EW operations

Copper by leach-SX-EW, % of world mined copper

Environmental issues—sulphur dioxide under control—water use becomes important

Leach-SX-EW copper as % of world mine production

• The BHP-B Spence project in Chile, a 200,000 tpy copper leach operation treating a mixture of sulphide and oxide ore which began operations at the end of 2006. Leaching and solvent extraction is being carried out in two separate circuits, with a common electrowinning plant. • PD’s Morenci 65,000 tpy copper concentrate leach operation in Arizona, following several years of testing at the company’s technology demonstration plant at Bagdad, Arizona. This plant, with a capital cost of over $US100 million, will treat in the order of 220,000 tonnes of concentrate per year. Together, these three plants, when fully operational, are expected to produce about three per cent of world mined copper in 2007. It can be seen that for the growth curve in Figure 9 to continue to move upwards, at least two such plants would need to be brought online each year. There are a number of new sulphide and oxide copper projects in the pipeline throughout the world, and it is

In the period before the late 1990s, the fixation of sulphur dioxide from copper smelters was a major technical and environmental topic of consideration. Due to the gradual adoption of new smelting technologies that facilitate the production of sulphuric acid from smelter gas, the problem of sulphur dioxide emissions from copper smelters has, in general, largely been solved. As will be discussed by Diaz and Mackey in a paper to be presented at the Copper 2007 conference in Toronto in August, as a result of application of new smelting technologies worldwide, the average world SO2 fixation for all copper smelters is now approaching and will soon exceed 90 per cent. This is compared to average levels of about 50 to 60 per cent in the early 1990s, while it was much lower than this prior to that time. Recent new brownfield conversions to new technology, boosting the world average SO2 fixation level, have been those at the Ilo smelter in Peru and the Mufulira smelter in Zambia. The recently commissioned Isasmelt units and associated acid plants at each of these plants are currently ramping up to full production. The world sulphur trade has rebalanced, reflecting a larger amount of acid produced from base metal smelters than formerly; out of a world total of 72.1 million tonnes of sulphur-inall-forms consumed in 2005, about 20 per cent was in the form of sulphuric acid from base metals smelters, with a large fraction of this from copper smelters. A major challenge now for copper operations is the use of water and control of water in the plants. Environmental aspects regarding water treatment and re-use of water are also extremely important. Water issues are particularly important in Chile, which produces over 35 per cent of world mined copper. Northern Chile, one of the driest places on earth, also

Fig. 10. The continuous Noranda bath smelting vessel at the Altonorte smelter of Xstrata plc in northern Chile. This plant produced some 0.282 million tonnes of copper in 2006.

Fig. 11. The Collahuasi mine in northern Chile showing the Ujina concentrator. Last year, this operation produced a total of some 0.44 million tonnes of copper (86 per cent in concentrate and the balance as EW copper).

0 1980

1985

1990

Source: Based on data by Brook Hunt, UK.

1995

2000

2005

2010

Year

Fig. 9. Growth trend in copper output by leaching-SX-EW. The present growth trend appears to be plateauing, at least for now

March/April 2007

has in the order of 30 per cent of world reserves of copper. Major challenges for the copper industry, particularly in Chile, have now become: the adoption of best water use and treatment practices, the efficient use of water, the potential application of desalination plants, and new technology regarding water, as well as new exploration efforts to find new water resources.

Tough.

Acknowledgments The author wishes to thank many colleagues within Xstrata and also colleagues in the industry who have provided information and support. Particular thanks are given to Cam Harris and Tony Eltringham for valuable discussions and ideas. The author acknowledges the use of certain data provided by Brook Hunt and CRU for this article. The author thanks Xstrata Process Support for giving permission to publish this article. n

Dependable. Hard working.

References

Get Tough. Get VULTREX* Grease. VULTREX grease delivers uncompromising reliability for large, heavy duty, open and enclosed gear drives, as well as bearings and exposed sliding surfaces. Its wide operating temperature range enables year-round use. That can mean increased profitability and reduced downtime. Just some of the reasons to choose VULTREX grease for mining’s toughest conditions.

Prove it to yourself. Call 1-866-335-3369

Ramachandran, V., Diaz, C., Eltringham, T., Jiang, C.Y., Lehner, T., Mackey, P.J., Newman, C.J., and Tarasov, A.V. (2003). Primary Copper Production – A Survey of Operating World Copper Smelters. In C. Díaz, J. Kapusta & C.J. Newman (Eds.), Copper 2003-Cobre 2003: Vol. IV. Pyrometallurgy of Copper (Book 1), The Hermann Schwarze Symposium on Copper Pyrometallurgy (pp. 3-106). Montreal: The Metallurgical Society of CIM. Fushan, S. (2006). Suggestions for Chinese Copper Industry Development in the Eleventh Five Year Plan Period. Proceedings of The 2006 China International Copper Conference. Beijing: Beijing Antaike Information Development Co. Ltd. Diaz, C. and Mackey, P.J. (2007). The Copper-Cobre Series of Conferences: A Prime Forum for Active Discussion of Copper Smelting Technology Practice and Innovation. Paper to be presented to the Copper 2007 International Conference, August 2007, Toronto, Ontario. Montreal: The Metallurgical Society of CIM, Montreal.

*Marque de commerce de Petro-Canada – Trademark. LUB 2132 (07.01)

CIM Magazine n Vol. 2, Nº 2

New copper concentrate and leaching facility at Morenci

onstruction is well underway of a new copper concentrate leaching and direct electrowinning facility at the Morenci, Arizona, mine of Phelps Dodge Mining Co., a part of Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc. This concentrate leaching plant, scheduled to start up in the third quarter of this year, will be capable of treating about 217,000 tonnes of copper concentrate a year while producing acid for the leaching facilities on site. The facility will employ proprietary technology the company developed and demonstrated at its copper mine in Bagdad, Arizona, to process mixed primary and secondary copper ores. The new concentrate leaching facilities will be incorporated into the existing leaching and electrowinning Transport vehicle on Interstate 10 moving a pressure leach vessel to Morenci mine complex at Morenci, which is the world’s largest. Production from these facilities will “Our primary objective for the application of this technolreplace an expected decline in Morenci’s heap leach output later this decade. ogy is to produce copper At a total capital cost in excess of US$100 million, this projat a lower cost,” said John by Heather Ednie ect is an example of the technology development work that is Marsden, senior vice presa cornerstone of the company’s success. ident, technology and product development, Phelps Dodge. “We will continue to evaluate potential applications of this technology at several sites and projects.” The Morenci facility will use medium-temperature pressure leaching with direct electrowinning to process the copper concentrate. It’s one example of a suite of technologies developed by the former Phelps Dodge for pressure leaching of copper. In general, Marsden said there are two types of pressure leaching for copper they have commercialized. The first, high-temperature pressure leaching, has been in operation at the company’s Bagdad mine since 2003. In 2005 the facility converted to operating medium-temperature pressure leaching with direct electrowinning for a period of eight months, as a demonstration plant to support the decision to use this process at Morenci, then converted back to high-temperature. The main difference, Marsden explained, is the two Transport vehicle: engines three trucks, one in front and two in rear, with operators in each truck processes produce different amounts of sulphuric March/April 2007

acid as a byproduct. In high-temperature pressure leaching, almost 100 per cent of the sulphur is converted to sulphuric acid, used in the leaching process. In medium-temperature, a significant portion of the sulphide sulphur is converted to elemental sulphur, which remains in the residue as a stable product. A smaller amount converts to acid, for leaching. “We select the process that meets the acid requirements at site,” Marsden said. “Ore mineralogy, ore grade, and configuration of the circuit all determine what mode to utilize for a particular application.” The Morenci mine operation is cutting into an area of the deposit which contains a greater proportion of chalcopyrite, making it less effective to leach on heaps and stockpiles, as traditionally done onsite. The new facility will be used to treat this portion of the ore, and has an expected life of greater than seven years. To implement the new facility, a preexisting mill, shutdown in 2001, will be restarted in essentially its original configuration, of crushing to ball milling, to flotation. “Startup of the mill is a refurbishing job, including some equip-

Massive 325-foot-long transport vehicle has 160 tires on the road

A number of companies and organizations are active in the development and implementation of new concentrate leaching technology for copper, but “it’s fair to say we’re at the forefront of development and implementation of this technology,” Marsden added. “It is important to stress that this technology is site specific, and not a — J. Marsden universal replacement for smelting globally. It has to provide a good fit with an application and the technology must be integrated into the site; however, we see it as a very important step change for the copper industry.” n

Our primary objective is to produce copper at a lower cost and high production rate ment replacement, the reconditioning of some equipment, and general maintenance work on the rest,” Marsden said. Aker Kvaerner Metals Inc was awarded the engineering and procurement services agreement for the development of the facility at Morenci.

A brief history of Morenci The existing Morenci mill and concentrator began operation in 1942, then doubled in size two years later to support the World War II effort. It ceased operation in 2001, and in 2006 resumed limited operation. Until completion of the concentrate leach facility later this year, concentrate is shipped to the company’s smelter in Miami, Arizona. In 1998, Phelps Dodge launched a program to investigate alternative technology for the extraction and recovery of copper, and other metal values, from copper concentrates. The drivers included increasing capital and operating costs for smelting and refining in recent year; the need to drive copper production costs down; and the need to provide safe and environmentally sound alternatives for processing of concentrates. The result—the world’s first commercial application of high temperature pressure leaching of chalcopyrite concentrate was at Bagdad in 2003. Last year Morenci copper production reached 16.5 thousand tons (33 million pounds) concentrate; 391.3 thousand tons (782.6 million pounds) electrowin; for a total of 407.8 thousands tons (815.6 million pounds) of product. 44

August 2007 issue

Special section on

GOLD What are the latest developments in the gold industry? Who is leading the pack, where is the action happening?

CIM Magazine invites readers to share their knowledge of the Gold Market. From technology, through projects and operations, to markets, what’s in store for this precious commodity? Email the editor at hednie@cim.org

CIM Magazine n Vol. 2, Nº 2

Growth and acceptance of the ISASMELT™ process

he ISASMELT™ process is a submerged lance smelting technology operating in base metal smelters in Australia, the USA, Belgium, India, Germany, Malaysia, China, and Zambia. Further plants are under design or commissioning in Peru and Kazakhstan. Following the invention of the Sirosmelt lance technology, Mount Isa Mines recognized the commercial potential in the novel top-blown bath smelting process, and embarked on a development program that has lasted more than 25 years. After successful operation of pilot plants and demonstration plants producing copper and lead, Mount Isa Mines decided to license the technology to external companies. Since the purchase of Mount Isa Mines by Xstrata in 2003, Xstrata Technology has assumed responsibility for transferring the technology to ISASMELT™ licensees. This document updates the reader on the design of the most recently commissioned ISASMELT™ plant, namely the Mopani copper smelter in Zambia.

Technology development The development of the Sirosmelt lance at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) during the 1970s opened up new opportunities for the

Fig. 1. ISASMELT™ plant locations

non-ferrous pyrometallurgy industry. Prior to its introduction, the injection of gases into liquid slag or matte was achieved predominantly through tuyeres, with inherent design complications and refractory problems. Mount Isa Mines Limited was introduced to the submerged lance technology during the 1970s and recognized its potential for improving the efficiency of operations at its lead and copper smelters. The lance enabled the use of stationary furnaces with simple design but very high reaction rates. Following initial joint collaboration with CSIRO, March/April 2007

the ISASMELT™ process was developed to commercial success at the Mount Isa smelting complex. The history has been summarized elsewhere (Arthur and Hunt, 2005). Development of the process has centred on smelting of lead and copper concentrates or secondaries on a commercial scale. The first demonstration-scale lead furnace was commissioned in Mount Isa, Australia, in 1983 to treat lead concentrates. It was followed in 1987 with a demonstration-scale copper plant, which in turn was followed by construction of a full-scale copper plant in 1992. This 3.7-metre diameter by M.L. Bakker and P.S. Arthur, furnace smelts all copXstrata Technology per concentrate treated in the Mount Isa copper smelter. During almost 25 years of developing and operating submerged lance technology on large-scale plants, significant technical improvements have occurred in areas such as furnace design, feed preparation systems, offgas handling, operating and process control strategies, refractory management, and operator training. The combined experience led to what is now known as the ISASMELT™ technology package, which is licensed to external clients. By 2009, commercial ISASMELT™ furnaces operated by Xstrata and external licensees will have a combined annual smelting capacity of more than seven million tonnes of concentrates or secondary raw materials. Many of the improvements implemented by plant operators have been passed on to, and adopted by, other licensees. Exchange of ideas and technical improvements occur through ad hoc visits to fellow licensee sites and through regular licensee workshops arranged by Xstrata Technology. Table 1 shows the commercial plants that have been licensed to date.

Mopani Copper Mines copper ISASMELT™ In 2006, Mopani Copper Mines Plc (MCM) commissioned a new copper ISASMELT™ furnace at the Mufulira copper smelter in Zambia. MCM decided to install an ISASMELT™ furnace after concluding that it was not feasible to rebuild their existing electric furnace. They selected ISASMELT™ after comparing it with alternative technologies including flash smelting, Mitsubishi process, Teniente converters, and Ausmelt TSL (Ross and de Vries, 2005). 45

Table 1. Commercial ISASMELT™ plants Startup Plant Owner 1991 Mount Isa Mines Limited 1991 Britannia Refined Metals 1992 Phelps Dodge Miami 1992 Mount Isa Mines Limited 1996 Sterlite Industries (India) Ltd 1997 Umicore Precious Metals 2000 Metal Reclamation Industries 2002 Hüttenwerke Kayser 2002 Yunnan Copper 2005 Sterlite Industries (India) Ltd 2005 Yunnan Metallurgical Group 2006 Mopani Copper Mines 2007 Southern Peru Copper

Plant Location Mount Isa, Australia Northfleet, UK Arizona, USA Mount Isa, Australia Tuticorin, India Hoboken, Belgium Pulau Indah, Malaysia Lünen, Germany Kunming, China Tuticorin, India Qujing, China Mufulira, Zambia Ilo, Peru

Plant Type Lead smelter Secondary lead smelter Copper smelter Copper smelter Copper smelter Secondary copper smelter Secondary lead smelter Secondary copper smelter Copper smelter Copper smelter Lead smelter Copper smelter Copper smelter

Plant Capacity 60,000 tpa lead metal 30,000 tpa lead metal 700,000 tpa copper concentrate 1,000,000 tpa copper concentrate 450,000 tpa copper concentrate 300,000 tpa feed 40,000 tpa lead metal 150,000 tpa feed 800,000 tpa copper concentrate 1,200,000 tpa copper concentrate 160,000 tpa lead concentrate 850,000 tpa copper concentrate 1,200,000 tpa copper concentrate

La Oroya, Peru

Copper smelter

270,000 tpa copper concentrate

Ust-Kamenogorsk, Kazakhstan Ust-Kamenogorsk, Kazakhstan

Copper smelter

250,000 tpa copper concentrate

Lead smelter

280,000 tpa lead concentrate

(commissioning)

2009

Doe Run Peru

(under design)

2009

Kazzinc

(under design)

2009

Kazzinc

(under design)

A flowsheet for the new ISASMELT™ plant appears in Figure 2. In addition to the ISASMELT™ furnace, the copper smelter modernization included a new feed preparation system, electric settling furnace, wet gas cleaning plant, acid plant and oxygen plant, as well as improvements to the converter aisle and anode plant. The new furnace has an internal diameter of 4.4 metres and was designed to treat 850,000 tpa of concentrates. Concentrates sourced from local mines are brought by truck to the smelter where they are stockpiled in a blending shed. The blended concentrates are conveyed to day bins in the new feed preparation system. Moist concentrates, fluxes, coal, and reverts are metered out of the day bins, mixed in a twin shaft paddle mixer, and conveyed with approximately 8 to 10% moisture to the building by belt conveyor. This conveyor delivers the mix to the final feed conveyor above the furnace,

which delivers it to the feed chute. This simple feed preparation is a feature of the ISASMELT™ process. Fuel oil injected through the lance is used for fine control of bath temperature. Oxygen and air are also injected through the lance. Matte and slag are tapped from the ISASMELT™ furnace through a water-cooled taphole and flow down a water-cooled launder into the electric settling furnace, where they are separated by gravity settling. The slag is tapped intermittently from the settling furnace into a granulation system. Matte is tapped into ladles and transferred by aisle crane to the converters. A radiation channel, evaporative cooler, and electrostatic precipitator are used to cool and clean the gas before it passes to the sulphuric acid plant. MCM operations staff were trained at the Mount Isa copper smelter for three months prior to commissioning. The handson training program enabled them to be technically compe-

Fig. 2. MCM ISASMELT™ process flowsheet

Fig. 3. MCM ISASMELT™ offgas train

CIM Magazine n Vol. 2, Nº 2

Fig. 6. Global ISASMELT™ plant annual feed rate Fig. 4. Training at the Mount Isa copper smelter

tent and able to take control of the plant from the beginning of the startup, allowing the Xstrata Technology commissioning team to focus on advanced training and plant optimization. The MCM plant was successfully commissioned in the final quarter of 2006.

Growth and acceptance The ISASMELT™ process is gaining wider acceptance throughout the base metals industry worldwide. It is now demonstrated as a proven process for implementation in either brownfield or greenfield smelters. Figure 6 shows how the feed rate to ISASMELT™ plants has grown over the years since the first commercial plant was installed at Mount Isa. By 2009, the cumulative feed rate to all ISASMELT™ furnaces globally will exceed seven million tonnes per year. The fundamental simplicity of the ISASMELT™ concept, coupled with Mount Isa Mines’ many years of operating experience and Xstrata’s technology transfer process, allows the process to be installed for a relatively low capital cost and ramp-up to full capacity quickly. This inherent simplicity has been demonstrated in locations as diverse as Arizona, China, India, and Zambia. The Vedanta furnace, located in Tuticorin in India and commissioned in 2005, is now producing over 300,000 tonnes per year of copper in matte, and the smelter is reported to be the lowest cost copper smelter in the world.

At the same time, the advantages of ISASMELT™ technology are being used to meet tighter environmental standards much more simply and at lower capital cost than alternative technologies. This is achieved due to the inherent nature of the high-intensity bath smelting process that uses a compact, stationary furnace with simple feed preparation, high-strength offgases, low heat loss, and very low dust recycle. Installation of ISASMELT™ at Hüttenwerke Kayser in Germany and Umicore Precious Metals in Belgium enabled these plants to continue operating in highly sensitive locations despite the introduction of strict new environmental regulations. The ISASMELT™ plant at Southern Peru Copper Corporation is allowing the company to meet new environmental regulations, while minimizing capital investment and operating costs.

Conclusions Over the last 20 years, Mount Isa Mines/Xstrata have developed submerged lance smelting from a novel idea to a proven smelting process, which is now licensed as the ISASMELT™ technology package. The family of successful ISASMELT™ licensees using this low-cost new smelting process continues to grow. The concept is fundamentally simple with sophisticated process control systems and intensive training programs developed over many years of operation at Mount Isa. These attributes, together with Xstrata’s technology transfer process, allow new ISASMELT™ plants, such as that commissioned at Mopani Copper in Zambia, to ramp up quickly. Plant operators rapidly learn to run the process stably, ensuring long campaign lives with minimal maintenance. The technical and economic success of the existing plants should ensure continuing adoption of the process by smelters around the world. n

References Arthur, P.S., & Hunt, S.P. (2005). ISASMELT™ – 25 years of continuous evolution. In M. Nilmani and W.J. Rankin (Eds.), Floyd International Symposium on Sustainable Developments in Metals Processing. NSC Associates (Australia).

Fig. 5. MCM ISASMELT™ plant March/April 2007

Ross, J., & de Vries, D. (2005). Mufulira smelter upgrade project—‘industry’ smelting on the Zambian copperbelt. Pyrometallurgy 05, Capetown, Minerals Engineering International. 47

Rich heritage of copper production in Canada

anada has a long and rich history in all aspects of copper productionâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;exploration, mining, milling, smelting, and technology development. The first copper smelter in Canada was located at Bruce Mines, Ontario, where a reverberatory furnace based on the Welsh Process began in 1849 (Kossatz and Mackey, 1989). The plant had a capacity of about 50 to 100 tonnes of copper per year, and operated for about a year before it was destroyed by fire. A new plant, based on roasting and leaching, was then built on the same site and operated until 1875 when it finally closed. Across the country, many other mines were subsequently discovered and opened, and in many cases, generally due to the remoteness of the location as regards to ore or concentrate shipping, captive smelters were built to treat the ore. Usually these plants operated for a period, and most eventually closed. In fact, since 1849, over 50 copper and copper-nickel smelters have been built in Canada (Figure 1) and all but the seven operating plants today have closedâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;generally for a combination of high operating cost, low copper prices, and/or exhaustion of copper ore. The seven plants are: Horne, Kidd, Falconbridge, Copper Cliff, Flin Flon, Thompson, and Trail. The latter began as a copper smelter, hence is included here; since the early 1900s, it has treated lead and zinc materials. The last smelter to shut down was the GaspĂŠ smelter in Quebec, which closed in 2003 due to the above factors.

The average size or output of the copper smelters built in Canada has steadily increased over the more than 150-year period since that first plant at Bruce Mines (Figure 2). At first, the plants were naturally quite small; the average nominal smelter size was only about 1,300 tonnes per year of copper in 1900. By the early 1930s, the average size had increased to 62,000 tonnes per year of copper following the commissioning of by P.J. Mackey, the rich Horne mine and Xstrata Process Support smelter in 1927, the Flin Falconbridge, Ontario Flon facilities in 1930, as well as expansions at the Copper Cliff smelter in Sudbury. By the 1960s to 1970s, the average nominal size had plateaued at about 85,000 tonnes per year of copper. The average nominal size of the present smelters (including Ni-Cu smelters) is just 100,000 tonnes per year of copper. Excluding the Ni-Cu plants, the nominal average of the four copper (only) smelters in Canada is about 125,000 tonnes per year, considerably below the average output of 400,000 tonnes per year of copper for the ten largest (and generally the lowest cost smelters) in the world today (see Table 1 on page 37). The smaller size of the Canadian plants, coupled with constantly rising costs for fuel, electricity, and labour, is a worrisome trend. Canadian technology in copper smelting has few equals. Among the first experiments in the world in the flash smelting of sulphide material were tests carried out in the 1920s in

#"! !" ! ! !" " ! !" ! !"

! !" ! "

!" ! ! !" !

! "

Fig. 1. Cumulative number of copper and copper-nickel smelters built and operated in Canada, 1800 to 2010 48

Fig. 2. Trend in average smelter output or size of Canadian copper smelters, 1880 to 2010 CIM Magazine n Vol. 2, NÂş 2

Chile maintains position as world leader in copper

aintaining its position as the leading copper producer, Chile has a number of new projects on the go promising increased production rates. Highlights include:

(continued from page 48)

Canada, at first on pyrite using a single vertical shaft (Freeman, 1930), a forerunner of the now well-established Outokumpu flash furnace later developed in Finland for copper concentrates involving a vertical reaction shaft and a separate gas uptake shaft (Sarkikoski, 1999). In Canada, flash smelting of copper concentrates was also perfected by Inco (Anon., 1953). The well-known Noranda Process was developed in Canada (Pannell and Mackey, 1988), and this process is now used at several plants around the world. The Kidd technology for electrorefining copper was developed in Canada, and this is now widely used at many plants around the world (Laezza, Box, and Scott, 1990). By keeping costs in check and with continued discovery of new ore bodies, along with technology development, the prospects for Canada’s copper industry would appear bright. n

References

Codelco A progressive company committed to growing its copper production, Codelco has a number of ongoing development projects, including: • The Gaby 150,000 tpa copper oxide heap leach/SX/EW joint venture. • Expansion of the Andina Division, 80 kilometres northeast of Santiago, to increase production by enlarging the open pit and underground mines and constructing infrastructure to increase processing throughput. • A development plan aimed to allow the processing of 5,500 kty of concentrates by 2012 will use synergies of the four Codelco smelters, replacing the traditional batch-type converting process by a continuous available converting technology.

BHP Billiton One of the world’s largest copper producers, BHP Billiton is strong in Chile, with new projects on the go such as: • The Escondida sulphide bio-heap leach, a 180,000 tpa copper project, which ramped up last July • The recent startup of the Spence project, a 200,000 tpa oxide and secondary sulphide heap leach operation near Antofagasta.

Freeman, H. (1930). Transactions of CIM, Vol. XXXIII, pp. 99-109.

Xstrata Copper

Kossatz, E., & Mackey, P.J. (1989). The first copper smelter in Canada. In M. Wayman (Ed.), All that glitters – Readings in historical metallurgy (pp. 160-161). Montreal: The Metallurgical Society of CIM.

Xstrata Copper enjoys a strong presence in Chile, with all operations focused on growth plans for the future, including: • Expansion of the smelter at Altonorte, a custom copper smelting operation near Antofagasta in northern Chile with

Laezza, J., Box, R., & Scott, J.D. (1990). The Kidd Copper refinery”, In P.L. Claessens and G.B. Harris (Eds.), Electrometallurgical plant practice (pp. 3-19). Montreal: The Metallurgical Society of CIM. Pannell, D.G., & Mackey, P.J. (1988). Noranda process operations 1988 and future trends. Paper presented to the Copper Committee Meeting of the GDMB, Antwerp, Belgium. Sarkikoski, T. (1999). A flash of knowledge, Outokumpu Oy. The Staff (1955). The oxygen flash smelting process of the International Nickel Company (pp. 158-166). Transactions of CIM, Vol. LVIII. March/April 2007

The Ujina oen pit at the Collahuasi copper mine in Chile 49

system and the La Fortuna deposit. Feasibility work will be advanced this year on La Fortuna.

Anglo American With two major operations in Chile, including Collahuasi and Minera Sur Andes, Anglo American will be ensuring its high production levels with the expansion of Los Bronces mine, part of Minera Sur Andes, near Santiago.

Antofagasta Minerals

Escondida BM 91 Escondida Los Colorados Mill. Photo courtesy of BHP Billiton

a current capacity to process 820,000 tonnes of copper concentrate per year. • Development of the Fortuna de Cobre deposit to feed the existing Lomas Bayas heap leach/SX/EW plant in the Atacama Desert, to increase mine life by 10 years to 2023. • Recent approval of the next phase of development of the El Morro joint venture with Metallica Resources Ltd. The project consists of two porphyry systems—the El Morro Mantos Blancos copper mine, Chile - cathode harvesting

With very promising projects, Antofagasta Minerals faces progressive growth in Chile, with projects including: • Expansion of the Los Pelambres mine, one of the largest open pit mines in Chile located 200 kilometres northeast of Santiago, with an estimated life of at least 30 years. • Developing the new Esperanza heap leach/SX/EW plant, having completed its feasibility study.

Aur Resources Growth is a strategy Aur Resources is making reality in Chile, with last summer’s announcement that development of the Andacollo hypogene copper-gold deposit is a go-ahead. At a pre-production capital cost of $336 million, the developed deposit will produce 157 million pounds of copper and 59,200 ounces of gold annually over 21 years. The open pit mine and processing plant is to ramp up by late 2009. n

CIM Magazine n Vol. 2, Nº 2

Vue d’ensemble

’industrie du cuivre va très bien ces jours-ci. Alors que le prix du cuivre a maintenant chuté par rapport aux sommets de 2006, le cycle des prix est considéré comme raisonnablement robuste et le prix du cuivre demeure à des niveaux non atteints depuis plusieurs décennies (figure 1). Plusieurs analystes prévoient une moyenne inférieure pour 2007, de l’ordre de 2,00 à 2,50 $US/lb Cu dans le cadre d’une demande soutenue, surtout de la Chine et de l’Inde. Avec des projets complètement nouveaux en Amérique du Sud et ailleurs, la production de cuivre augmente continuellement, permettant à l’offre de satisfaire presque la demande. Le cycle actuel de prix forts, que certains qualifieront de « super cycle » (figure 1) a débuté il y a quelques années avec l’éveil de la demande pour des métaux en Chine et en Inde.

Prix historique annuel du cuivre, 1900 à 2006, en $US constants, 2006 450

400

Production et demande actuelles du cuivre Les grands moteurs de demande du cuivre, présents et à venir en 2008–2009, demeurent les suivants : • croissance économique mondiale positive • développements en Chine, en Asie du Sud-Est et en Inde • production rencontrée par l’entrée en jeu de nouveaux gros projets, des expansions et la reprise du cuivre en Afrique • le rôle des placements spéculatifs, lesquels ont eu un impact sur les marchés en 2006, est incertain. Dans le monde entier, quelque 15 millions de tonnes de cuivre ont été extraites en 2006 (figure 2). La distribution géographique de la production de cuivre est illustrée à la figure 3; on y voit que plus de 40 % provient de l’Amérique du Sud. De

300

250

Cuivre extrait de mines mondiales, 1800 à 2020

200

150

100

0 1900

1905

1910

1915

1920

Source: Brooke Hunt, GB

1925

1930

1935

1940

1945

1950

1955

1960

1965

1970

1975

1980

1985

1990

1995

2000

2005

2010

Année

Fig. 1. Tendances mondiales du prix moyen du cuivre, 1900 à 2006

Les aspects technologiques et les procédés de production des nouvelles exploitations ont aussi changé et cela a contribué à de nouveaux sommets de production pour le cuivre (figure 2). Depuis son début en 1987, les conférences internationales Copper-Cobre sont devenues le forum mondial par excellence pour discuter des percées technologiques en métallurgie du March/April 2007

Production mondiale de cuivre, millions de tonnes

Prix du cuivre , ¢US /lb (en $US constants 2006)

350

cuivre. La sixième édition de ces conférences aura lieu en août 2007 à Toronto, Ontario, Canada. L’actuel bref survol présente un portrait instantané du « monde du cuivre » en 2007.

20 18 16 14 12 10 8 6 4 2 0 1800

1820

1840

1860

1880

1900

Sources : avant 1950, données Xstrata; après 950, données , Brooke Hunt, GB

1920

1940

1960

1980

2000

2020

Année

Fig. 2. Cuivre extrait de mines à travers le monde, 1800 à 2006 51

cette production, environ 84 % provient du Chili, ce qui correspond à environ 35 % du cuivre extrait dans le monde entier. Le taux actuel de croissance du cuivre affiné est d’environ 3 % par année et ce taux de croissance devrait persister jusqu’à la fin de la décennie. En se basant sur les tendances d’utilisation et les perspectives économiques générales, plusieurs anaDistribution du cuivre extrait en 2006, par régions, % (15 millions de tonnes au total)

Amérique du Sud

Amérique du Nord

Australie et Indonésie

Reste du monde occidental

Anciens pays de l’Est

Source : selon des données de Brook Hunt, GB

Note : le Chili était le plus gros producteur unique, représentant ~35 % de la production mondiale en 2006

Fig. 3. Pourcentage de distribution du cuivre extrait en 2006, par régions (15 millions de tonnes au total)

lystes considèrent que ce taux demeurera constant ou augmentera légèrement jusqu’à 3,5 % par année après 2010. Ce taux se compare bien avec le taux annuel de 4,7 % des bonnes années 1960. En considérant une consommation mondiale annuelle de cuivre d’environ 17 millions de tonnes et un taux de croissance de 3 %, cela signifie qu’environ 500 000 tonnes de cuivre neuf doivent être produites chaque année. La figure 4 illustre la consommation mondiale de cuivre ventilée par régions. L’Europe de l’Ouest, l’Amérique du Nord et le Japon représentent ensemble environ 47 % de la demande mondiale. Il est intéressant de noter que la Chine représente à elle seule près de 23 % de la demande mondiale du cuivre, ce qui correspondait à environ 4 millions de tonnes en 2006, un chiffre qui croît annuellement d’environ 7 à 8 %. Le

Consommation mondiale de cuivre, par région - 2005 (total: 16,9 millions de tonnes)

Europe de l’Ouest Amérique du Nord Japon Reste du monde occidental Communauté des États indépendants Chine Ancien bloc de l’Est, autre

Source : selon des données de Brook Hunt, GB

Fig. 4. Consommation mondiale de cuivre en 2005, par région (16,9 millions de tonnes) 52

rôle de la Chine et de l’Inde dans l’accroissement de la demande de cuivre est traité plus loin.

Production et technologie du cuivre Le cuivre produit par fusion représente environ 82 % du cuivre mondial, le reste est produit par lixiviation et extraction par solvant et électrolyse (SX-EW). Les technologies de fusion éclair et de fusion pour matte sont maintenant utilisées pour la plus grande partie de la production par fusion et environ 35 % des usines utilisent la fusion éclair. Le four à fusion éclair d’Outokumpu représente la technologie de fusion dominante dans le monde alors que les principales technologies de bain de fonte comprennent : la fusion en continue de Mitsubishi, les procédés El Teniente et Noranda, la Top Submerged Lance Technology – Isasmelt et Ausmelt – et le four Vanyukov. Tel que noté par Ramachandran et al. (2003), l’avantage du bain de fonte et son mode à haute intensité « permet à la charge ajoutée d’atteindre rapidement les températures de fusion et les réactions chimiques pour compléter le processus; cette caractéristique signifie des fours plus petits par unité de capacité et un niveau global d’efficacité élevé. De plus, le bain de fonte permet de recycler des matériaux secondaires grossiers. » Le bain de fonte d’Isasmelt et le four de fusion éclair d’Outokumpu représentent les unités de choix pour les nouveaux projets ou les projets de mise à niveau. La technologie Isasmelt est décrite dans un article dans ce numéro du CIM Magazine (p. 45); plus de 6,3 millions de tonnes de concentré de cuivre sont produites par cette technologie, soit environ 15 % du cuivre produit par fusion dans le monde. Un nouveau procédé fusion éclair-convertisseur éclair Outokumpu est à l’étude à Olympic Dam, rehaussant éventuellement la capacité à plus de 500 000 tonnes de cuivre. Ce projet et d’autres en cours signifient qu’une proportion importante du cuivre sera produite par fusion éclair. Les exploitations à gros tonnage dominent maintenant la production de cuivre. Le tableau 1 liste les dix principales usines dans chaque région de production. Par exemple, les dix plus grosses fonderies du tableau 1 représentent environ 30 % du traitement de cuivre extrait mondialement. La tendance vers des fonderies de cuivre plus grandes a été discutée par Ramachandran et al. (2003) lors du congrès Copper-Cobre 2003 à CIM Magazine n Vol. 2, Nº 2

Santiago, au Chili. En 2005, quelque 70 % du cuivre fondu était produit dans des usines de 200 000 t/a ou plus. La proportion de cuivre produite dans de grosses fonderies croît depuis le milieu des années 1970 et cette tendance devrait se poursuivre, quoique moins rapidement (figure 5). Des dix plus grandes fonderies du tableau 1, six traitent les concentrés « à façon »; une grande partie de ces concentrés provient d’Amérique du Sud. Quant aux mines, on peut voir au tableau 1 que six des dix plus grosses mines sont situées en Amérique du Sud et que quatre d’entre elles expédient des concentrés. L’Amérique du Sud, et plus spécifiquement le Chili, contient le plus de grandes usines de lixiviation et extraction par solvant et élec-

trolyse (tableau 1). Par contre, les plus grandes fonderies de cuivre sont plus dispersées. Les concentrés à façon représente actuellement environ 60 % des concentrés de sulfures au monde et cela souligne l’importance des fonderies à façon dans l’industrie du cuivre. Depuis de nombreuses décennies et jusqu’à la première partie du siècle dernier, la pratique était de situer la fonderie à côté d’une nouvelle mine, mais la tendance s’est renversée et la pratique générale est maintenant d’expédier les concentrés. Un exemple récent est le concentré de la mine Antamina au Pérou dont le concentré est expédié par navires transocéaniques à une fonderie à façon. Pour de nombreuses années depuis ses débuts en 1988, Olympic Dam en Australie était la dernière fonderie intégrée construite. Dans ce cas, plusieurs considérations, dont la distance du port et la qualité du concentré, favorisaient une

Tableau 1- Les dix plus grandes mines de sulfure de cuivre et de fonderies de cuivre (2006)

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Mines de sulfures (concentrés de sulfures seulement) Usine Pays Capacité actuelle (2006), kt/a Escondida Chili 1085 PT Freeport Indonésie 615 Chuquicamata Chili 510 Norilsk Russie 421 El Teniente Chili 415 Collahuasi Chili 395 Antamina Pérou 382 Los Pelambres Chili 321 Rudna Pologne 283 Bingham É-U 270

Fonderies de cuivre No

Usine

Pays

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Onsan Guixi Chuquicamata Saganoseki Norddeutsche Caletones Toyo Norilsk Ilo Altonorte

Corée du Sud Chine Chili Japon Allemagne Chili Japon Russie Pérou Chili

Capacité actuelle (2006) kt/a 532 445 430 430 411 395 372 360 320 282 (voir note 2)

Total (voir note 1)

4,697

Total (voir note 1)

3,977

Note 1 : Le total des 10 plus grandes mines de sulfures de cuivre représente environ 38 % du cuivre sulfuré extrait au monde alors que le total pour les 10 plus grosses fonderies de cuivre représente environ 32 % du cuivre mondial produit par fusion. Note 2 : La fonderie Sterlite en Inde, avec 280 kt en 2006, était en 11e place presque ex ăquo avec la 10e place; tel que noté dans le texte, cette fonderie s’agrandi pour atteindre environ 400 kt/a de cuivre. Source : à partir de données de Brook Hunt, de CRU et données Xstrata

Tableau 1 (suite) – Les dix plus grandes usines d’électroaffinage du cuivre et de lixiviation -SX-EW (2006) No

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Usines d’électroaffinage du cuivre Usine Pays Capacité actuelle (2006), kt/a Onsan Corée du Sud 515 Guixi Chine 445 Chuquicamata Chili 430 Norddeutsche Allemagne 375 Las Ventanas Chili 375 Montréal Est (CCR) Canada 370 Yunnan (Kunming) Chine 365 Norilsk Russie 360 Pyshma Russie 350 Olen Belgique 343 Total 2,928

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Usines de lixiviation -SX-EW Pays Capacité actuelle (2006) kt/a Morenci É-U 380 El Abra Chili 225 Radomiro Tomic Chili 159 Zaldivar Chili 143 Escondida Chili 140 Codelco-Norte-Sur Chili 127 Cerro Colorado Chili 119 Quebrada Blanca Chili 73 Lomas Bayasi Chili 64 Collahuasi Chili 58 Total 1,632 Usine

Source: à partir de données de Brook Hunt, de CRU et données Xstrata

March/April 2007

% de production de Cu par fusion selon la taille de la fonderie

Dimensions des fonderies de cuivre – tendances mondiales, 1975 à 2005 Distribution de la production des fonderies selon leur capacité > 200 kt/a

> 100 kt/a et < 200 kt/a

< 100 kt/a

100%

80%

60%

Le portrait du cuivre en 2007

40%

20%

0% 1975 Source : selon des données Xstrata.

1985

1995

2005

Année

Fig. 5. Dimensions des fonderies de cuivre – tendances mondiales, 1975 à 2005

usine intégrée. La nouvelle fonderie de cuivre Outokumpu à Khatoon-Abad en Iran, 80 000 t/a, a changé cela, même si cette fonderie traite aussi divers concentrés des régions avoisinantes. L’unité de fusion directe Outokumpu pour Vedanta en Zambie devrait être la plus récente fonderie intégrée ou semi-intégrée. Par contre, la future mine Lumwana, en Zambie, acheminera environ 400 000 t/a de concentré par camion du site de l’usine, dans la province du Nord-Ouest, jusqu’à l’une des fonderies de la province du Copperbelt. Comme nous le verrons plus loin, de nouvelles fonderies à grande capacité sont en construction en Chine et en Inde pour fournir les métaux requis par les projets d’infrastructures et la demande interne accrue dans ces pays. Ces usines pourront aussi traiter les nouveaux concentrés entrant sur le marché; le traitement à façon devrait donc demeurer prospère. Étant donné la relation directe entre la taille de l’usine et le coût effectif de la production – les grandes usines ayant des coûts moindres en raison des « économies d’échelle » – cette tendance vers les grosses usines se poursuivra. Plusieurs des fonderies de moyenne taille, entre 100 000 à 250 000 t/a, devront probablement être agrandies afin de contrôler les coûts unitaires ou elles devront traiter des alimentations plus complexes à forte valeur économique; il est aussi possible qu’elles doivent fermer. Quant à la taille ultime, des études futures détermineront la taille maximale optimale d’une usine, probablement en fonction des aspects de manutention de l’alimentation ou de la disposition dans les marchés de la grande quantité d’acide sulfurique produite. La plus imposante fonderie de cuivre du tableau 1 (Onsan en Corée du Sud) par exemple, produit quelque 1,5 Mt d’acide sulfurique par année. Par contre, d’autres industries métallurgiques traitent de très grandes quantités de matériaux. Par exemple, une nouvelle usine d’acier de haut fourneau peut utiliser jusqu’à 5 ou 6 millions de tonnes de fonte brute par année, exigeant plus de 8 millions de tonnes de minerai de fer par année. En copiant des systèmes utilisés dans les industries du fer et de l’acier, il sera peut-être possible de concevoir des fonderies de cuivre encore plus grosses dans l’avenir. 54

De ces considérations technologiques, nous tirons la conclusion que la taille, la capacité et la technologie des usines de cuivre évoluent et s’adaptent continuellement. En d’autres mots, le changement fait partie de la vie dans le domaine du cuivre, mais le rythme semble de plus en plus rapide de nos jours.

Plusieurs sujets clés domineront sans doute le monde du cuivre en 2007 et les années qui suivront; nous en discutons brièvement ci-après : • la croissance de la demande et de la production en Chine et en Inde • la reprise de la production de cuivre en Afrique • les développements technologiques et les nouvelles exploitations • les questions environnementales – le dioxyde de soufre sous contrôle – importance accrue de l’utilisation de l’eau

Demande et production des fonderies de cuivre en Chine et en Inde La Chine et, à un degré moindre, l’Inde ont joué un rôle majeur en tant que moteur de croissance du cuivre en Asie et dans le monde entier. La Chine est ainsi devenue un marché clé de l’industrie minière; l’Inde suivra sous peu. La récente poussée de la demande chinoise, jumelée au rendement économique des États-Unis et de l’Europe, a aidé à faire croître la demande pour le cuivre. Pour les cinq à dix dernières années, les besoins croissants des industries de la construction et de l’électricité ainsi que le développement des infrastructures peuvent être observés de manière particulière non seulement en Chine mais aussi dans les autres pays asiatiques et les pays développés. Avec une demande qui dépasse presque l’offre certaines années, le prix du cuivre a récemment augmenté (figure 1). La production de cuivre affiné et la consommation en Chine et en Inde depuis 1990 sont illustrées à la figure 6. La consommation du cuivre en Chine, environ 1,9 Mt en 2000, était de 0,63 Mt en 1990 et elle était de 0,33 Mt en 1980, ce qui représente une augmentation de plus de six fois en vingt ans. Il est aussi intéressant de comparer la consommation par habitant en Inde, en Chine et aux ÉtatsUnis pour illustrer la plage des exigences potentielles futures (figure 7). Ces facteurs, notés plus haut, devraient contribuer à un taux annuel de

CIM Magazine n Vol. 2, Nº 2

Production et consommation de cuivre affiné, comparaison Chine et en Inde, 1990 à 2006 5 Quantité de cuivre, millions de tonnes

croissance du cuivre dans le monde de 3 à 3,5 %, jusqu’en 2010 et même au-delà. L’utilisation de technologies de pointe peut être observée aux fonderies de cuivre en Chine et en Inde. Les technologies actuellement utilisées en Chine comprennent le procédé Noranda, les technologies de fusion éclair Outokumpu et les technologies Isasmelt et Ausmelt. Ces usines sont bien gérées et elles sont comparables aux meilleures usines mondiales. Des fonderies dans ces pays sont sur la liste des plus grandes fonderies de cuivre en 2006 (tableau 1). La fonderie Sterlite en Inde, qui était presque ex aequo en dixième place en 2006, augmente sa capacité à 400 000 t/a de cuivre. Les usines de ces pays obtiendront sans doute de meilleurs rangs dans un relevé futur.

Production de cuivre affiné en Chine 4

Consommation de cuivre affiné en Chine Production de cuivre affiné en Inde Consommation de cuivre affiné en Inde

0 1990

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March/April 2007

1996

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2004

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Année

Fig . 6. Production et consommation de cuivre affiné en Chine et en Inde, 1990 à 2006.

Reprise de la production de cuivre en Afrique

Potentiel de croissance – Chine et Inde – métaux non ferreux (Consommation par habitant de métaux non ferreux en Inde, en Chine et aux États-Unis, connées, données pour 2003-2004)

100,0 Consommation - Inde, kg/habitant Consommation - Chine, kg/habitant

Consommation spécifique, kg/habitant

Dans les années 1960 et 1970, le continent africain produisait beaucoup de cuivre mais, depuis ce temps, la production a chuté considérablement. Par exemple, en 1974, l’une des meilleures années, les fonderies d’Afrique produisaient quelque 1 440 000 tonnes de cuivre, soit environ 20 % de la production mondiale de l’époque. La moitié de cette production (710 000 tonnes) provenait de la Zambie et environ 30 % (467 000 tonnes) provenait du Zaïre, maintenant la République démocratique du Congo; le reste (~20 %) provenait de nombreux autres pays africains, incluant l’Afrique du Sud. Depuis la fin des années 1970, la production de ces pays a chuté considérablement alors que les politiques de nationalisation ont lamentablement échoué et que les exploitations gérées par l’État manquaient de capitaux pour les fournitures et les pièces de remplacement; elles manquaient aussi d’expertise. À la fin des années 1990, la production de cuivre de la Zambie, par exemple, a atteint un creux inférieur à 250 000 tonnes de cuivre par année; une chute de près de 70 % par rapport aux années de pointe. Mais les temps ont changé avec les nouvelles politiques de privatisation soutenues par les récents prix élevés pour le cuivre et la Zambie se prépare pour de nouveaux projets qui remontreront la production de cuivre au-delà de 700 000 t/a d’ici quelques années. Certaines prévisions placent la production de cuivre zambien aux environs de 1,2 Mt par année à la fin de la décennie. Parmi les nouveaux producteurs de la province du Copperbelt de la Zambie, on retrouve : • Vedanta Resources plc et sa filiale majoritaire Konkola Copper Mines plc – Nchanga et l’ancienne

1994

Source : selon des données de Brook Hunt, GB et Réf. (2).

Consommation - US, kg/habitant 10,0

1,0

0,1

0,0 Ni

Données produites par Xstrata, approximatives seulement et typiques pour la période 2003-2004

Métal

Fig. 7. Potentiel de croissance – Chine et Inde – métaux non ferreux

fonderie Nkana ainsi que les nouvelles propriétés Konkola, ciblant un total d’environ 400 000 t/a de cuivre. La fonderie Nkana est en voie d’être mise à jour et des plans sont en cours pour la construction d’une nouvelle fonderie à proximité de Chingola. Cette installation sera basée sur le procédé Outokumpu d’obtention directe du cuivre noir par fusion éclair; elle comprendra une usine d’acide et la production d’anodes. • Mopani Copper Mines plc – la mine Mufulira et la fonderie Mufulira adjacente, laquelle fait actuellement la mise en service d’une nouvelle unité de concentré Isasmelt de 850 000 t/a ainsi qu’une usine d’acide; on y produira environ 250 000 t/a de cuivre. La nouvelle fonderie remplace les anciennes installations à four électrique. • First Quantum Minerals – Cette compagnie, qui à ses débuts retraitant les résidus de la mine Bwana Mkubwa dans une usine lixiviation-SX-EW, planifie dans le moment une lixiviation à haute pression à la mine Kansanshi, ciblant une production de quelque 145 000 t/a de cuivre; le reste sera sous forme de concentré de sulfure qui sera acheminé par camion à une fonderie externe. • Equinox Copper Ventures Ltd planifie une exploitation de 850 M$US à la mine-usine Lumwana dans la province du 55

Tableau 2 – Production de cuivre en Zambie en 2006 Exploitation/usine Production de cuivre (2006), tonnes Fusion Mufulira et Nkana 260 000 Sous-total 260 000 Lixiviation-SX-EW Bwana Mkubwa 51 000 Kansanshi 70 000 Nchanga 43 000 Autres 51 000 Sous-total 215 00 Concentrés exportés 62 000 Total 537 000

nium); depuis ce temps, des quantités croissantes de cuivre ont été produites par lixiviation-SX-EW. La figure 8 montre la quantité de cuivre produite par lixiviation-SX-EW (surtout à partir d’oxydes, mais de plus en plus à partir de sulfures à faible teneur) et par fusion à partir de sulfures. En 2006, quelque 2,8 Mt ou environ 18 % du cuivre extrait dans le monde a été produit par lixiviation-SX-EW, ce qui représente une quantité impressionnante. Toutefois, selon la figure 9, la tendance semble avoir atteint un plateau. Aux fins de comparaison, notons que le cuivre produit en 2006 par lixiviation-SX-EW correspond à la quantité totale de cuivre extraite dans le monde au milieu des années 1950. Les dix plus importantes installations de lixiviation-SX-EW en 2006 sont présentées au tableau I et, tel que noté plus haut, neuf de ces installations sont situées au Chili. Trois des plus récentes usines lixiviation-SX-EW sont : • la nouvelle installation Escondida de BHP-B, une installation de lixiviation du cuivre de 180 000 t/a au Chili. Cette usine a débuté en 2006 par le traitement de sulfures et d’oxydes à faible teneur provenant de la fosse. L’usine Production mondiale de cuivre par fusion de concentrés sulfurés et des installations de lixiviation-SX-EW (1984 à 2006) 16 000

14 000

Lixiviation-SX-EW Concentrés de sulfures acheminés aux fonderies 12 000

Cuivre extrait, kilo-tonnes

Nord-Ouest avec une production moyenne de 150 000 t/a de concentré de cuivre qui sera aussi acheminé par camion à l’une des fonderies de la province du Copperbelt. Une installation conventionnelle de grillage-lixiviation-électrolyse avait été considérée comme moyen de traitement; cette voie est maintenant retenue pour rehausser le projet lorsque la production augmentera à l’avenir. Le concentré contiendra aussi de l’or et du cobalt, mais ce dernier ne sera pas récupéré pour le moment. Des secteurs minéralisés distincts contiennent des niveaux appréciables d’uranium, lequel pourrait être récupéré à une étape ultérieure de développement. • le groupe China Nonferrous Metals exploite les propriétés Chambishi et ce groupe a de nombreux plans d’expansion en cours. La production totale de la Zambie était de 537 000 tonnes en 2006, tel qu’indiqué à tableau 2. Dans la République démocratique du Congo (RDC), une nouvelle entente entre Phelps Dodge des États-Unis et le gouverne-

10 000

8000

6000

4000

2000

Selon des données de Brook Hunt

1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 Source : Brook Hunt, GB, avec permission

Année

Développements technologiques et nouveaux projets HYDROMÉTALLURGIE

Une certaine quantité de cuivre a toujours été produite par lixiviation avec une récupération du métal de la solution. Durant plus grande partie du siècle dernier la quantité de cuivre ainsi produite était relativement petite. La première utilisation mondiale d’extraction par solvants pour récupérer le cuivre à partir de solutions acides a été en mars 1968 à la mine Ranchers Bluebird, à Miami, en Arizona (à l’époque une adaptation d’une technologie utilisée pour la récupération de l’ura56

Fig. 8. Production annuelle mondiale de nouveau cuivre par fusion de concentrés sulfurés et des installations de lixiviation-SX-EW (1984 à 2006)

Proportion du cuivre produit par lixiviation-SX-EW Cuivre produit mondialement par lixiviation- SX-EW (%)

ment nouvellement élu ainsi que le propriétaire Tenke Mining de Vancouver a ouvert le chemin afin que commence le projet géant Tenke Fungurume. Situé à 400 km au nord-ouest des anciennes exploitations de Lubumbashi, le projet débutera par la production de 115 000 tonnes de cuivre et de 8000 tonnes de cobalt par année; les procédés utilisés seront la lixiviation suivie de l’extraction du cuivre par solvant et électrolyse. Ce projet devrait démarrer avant 2010; les coûts en immobilisations seraient de 650 M$US. D’autres projets sont aussi planifiés pour la RDC.

25 Cuivre produit par lixiviation-SX-EW exprimé en % de la production mondiale de cuivre

0 1980 Source

1985

1990

Selon des données de Brook Hunt, GB

1995

2000

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2010

Année

Fig. 9. Production mondiale de cuivre – Proportion de la production par lixiviation-SX-EW. La tendance actuelle de croissance semble avoir atteint un plateau, du moins pour le moment. CIM Magazine n Vol. 2, Nº 2

nécessité des coûts en immobilisations de plus de 100 M$US, traitera environ 220 000 tonnes de concentré par année. Lorsqu’elles fonctionneront à plein régime, ces trois usines devraient produire environ 3 % du cuivre extrait mondialement en 2007. Selon la courbe de croissance de la figure 9, pour que la progression continue, il faudrait qu’au moins deux usines de cette taille entrent en production chaque année. De nombreux autres projets d’extraction de cuivre, sous forme de sulfures ou d’oxydes, sont planifiés à travers le monde et, à court terme, ces projets devraient satisfaire la demande future pour le cuivre.

Le plus grand congrès mondial sur le cuivre! Organisé par

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poursuit sa mise en service. Lorsqu’elle sera pleinement opérationnelle, cette nouvelle usine et l’usine lixiviationSX-EW produiront quelque 300 000 t/a de cuivre électrolytique; • le projet Spence de BHP-B, au Chili, une installation de lixiviation du cuivre de 200 000 t/a qui traite un mélange de minerai sulfuré et de minerai oxydé, a débuté à la fin de 2006. Deux circuits distincts effectuent la lixiviation et l’extraction par solvants et une usine d’électrolyse dessert ces deux circuits; • Morenci, de Phelps Dodge, une installation de lixiviation de 65 000 t/a de concentré de cuivre en Arizona, a vu le jour après plusieurs années d’essais à l’usine de démonstration de la technologie à Bagdad, en Arizona. Cette usine qui a

Questions environnementales – le dioxyde de soufre sous contrôle et l’importance de l’utilisation de l’eau Vers la fin des années 1990, la fixation du dioxyde de soufre provenant des fonderies de cuivre était un sujet technique et environnemental important. En raison de l’adoption graduelle de nouvelles technologies de fusion qui facilitent la production d’acide sulfurique à partir des fonderies, ce problème d’émission de dioxyde de soufre est grandement résolu. Tel qu’il sera traité dans une conférence de Diaz et Mackey présentée au congrès Copper-Cobre 2007 à Toronto en août : puisque les nouvelles technologies de fusion sont appliquées dans le monde entier, la moyenne mondiale de fixation du SO2 pour toutes les fonderies de cuivre approche maintenant 90 % et ce taux sera bientôt dépassé. Cela se compare favorablement aux taux de 50 à 60 % du début des années 1990. La fonderie Ilo au Pérou et la fonderie Mufulira en Zambie figurent parmi les récentes conversions aux nouvelles technologies, augmentant ainsi la moyenne mondiale de fixation du SO2. Les unités Isasmelt récemment mises en service et les usines d’acide qui leur sont associées sont présentement en voie d’atteindre la pleine production. Le commerce mondial du soufre s’est rééquilibré; une plus grande part de l’acide produit provient de fonderies de métaux de base. D’un total mondial de 72,1 Mt de soufre (toutes formes) consommées en 2005, environ 20 % était sous forme d’acide sulfurique de fonderies de métaux de base, dont une grande part de fonderies de cuivre. Un des grands défis pour les installations est l’utilisation de l’eau et le contrôle de l’eau dans les usines. Les aspects environnementaux concernant le traitement de l’eau et la réutilisation de l’eau sont extrêmement importants. Les préoccupations sont particulièrement importantes au Chili qui produit plus de 35 % du cuivre mondial. Le Nord du Chili, l’un des endroits les plus secs au monde, possède environ 30 % des réserves mondiales de cuivre. Les principaux défis de l’industrie du cuivre, surtout au Chili, sont maintenant : l’adoption des meilleures

Fig. 10. La cuve de bain de fonte en continue Noranda à la fonderie Altonorte de Xstrata plc dans le Nord du Chili. Cette usine a produit 0,282 Mt de tonnes de cuivre en 2006. 58

pratiques d’utilisation de l’eau et de traitement; l’utilisation efficace de l’eau; la construction d’usines de dessalement et des recherches accrues pour trouver de nouvelles sources d’eau.

Remerciements L’auteur désire remercier plusieurs collègues chez Xstrata et dans l’industrie qui lui ont fourni de l’information et du soutien. Des remerciements spéciaux sont adressés à Cam Harris et à Tony Eltringham pour leurs discussions et précieuses idées. L’auteur reconnaît l’utilisation de certaines données fournies par Brook Hunt et CRU pour cet article. Les photographies ont été gracieusement fournies par Xstrata Copper. L’auteur remercie Xstrata Process Support pour la permission de publier cet article. n

Références Ramachandran, V., Diaz, C., Eltringham, T., Jiang, C.Y., Lehner, T., Mackey, P.J. , Newman, C.J. et Tarasov, A.V., Primary Copper Production – A Survey of Operating World Copper Smelters, Copper 2003-Cobre 2003, Vol. IV: Pyrometallurgy of Copper (Book 1), The Hermann Schwarze Symposium on Copper Pyrometallurgy, C. Díaz, J. Kapusta and C.J. Newman, Eds., La Société de la métallurgie, ICM, Montréal, Québec, Canada, 2003, pp. 3-106. Fushan, S., Suggestions for Chinese Copper Industry Development in the Eleventh Five Year Plan Period, The 2006 China International Copper Conference Proceedings, Septembre 25-27, 2006, Nanjing, China, Beijing Antaike Information Development Co. Ltd., Beijing, Chine. Diaz, C. et Mackey, P.J., The Copper-Cobre Series of Conferences: A Prime Forum for Active Discussion of Copper Smelting Technology Practice and Innovation, article qui sera soumis au Congrès international CopperCobre 2007, août 2007, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, La Société de la métallurgie, ICM, Montréal, Québec, Canada, 2007.

Fig.11. L’exploitation Collahuasi dans le Nord du Chili, montrant le concentrateur Ujina. L’an dernier, cette exploitation à produit quelque 0,44 Mt de tonnes de cuivre (86 % en concentré de cuivre et le reste par extraction électrolytique). CIM Magazine n Vol. 2, Nº 2

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Fournier, Paul, Québec Freeman, Paul, Australia Gelinas, Martin, Québec Geneviève, Robert, Québec Gerami, Sepehr, British Columbia Gibson, Charlotte, Ontario Gilardeau, Jean-Pierre, Québec Gilbert, Anne-Marie, Québec Girouard, Guillaume, Québec Goyette, Sylvain, New Brunswick Grenier, Jean-François, Québec Grenon-Girard, François-Xavier, Québec Gulka, Andrew, Saskatchewan Guo, Zhongxin, Ontario Haller, Sebastian, Québec Hameed, Omair, Ontario Hayes, Stephen, Australia Hebert, Eric, Québec Heidari, Reza, Alberta Hempstock, Adam, British Columbia Hooper, Peter, Ontario Jacquemart, Bernard, France Jang, Heemun, Alberta Jaroonvuthitham, Manoch, Thailand Jarry, Mélissa, Québec Javaid, Ashfaq, Alberta Jayasekera, Sunil, Australia Jolas, Jean-Michel, France Kandev, Nedeltcho, Québec Khatri, Ali, Ontario Kipling, Robb, Alberta Kluck, Guy, USA Komishke, Brad, Alberta Kracht, Willy, Québec Lacroix Beaupré, Marie-Pier, Québec Lapierre-Boire, Louis-Philippe, Québec Lawson, John, Australia Le Quesne, Yves, France Lebel, Normand, Québec Lefebvre, Sylvain, Québec Lessard, Pierre-Luc, Québec Letarte-Lavoie, Francis, Québec Leung, Ying Ting, Québec Lévesque, Kristina, Québec Liskovych, Volodymyr, Ontario Lustik, Justin, Québec Liu, Zheng Jiang, Ontario Mafuta, Rody, Québec Magda, Akadiri, Québec Maguire, Daniel, British Columbia Malard, Thiery, France Mallah, Daniel, Québec Mallick, Tapan, India Marceau, Daniel, Québec Martineau, Philippe, Québec Marzan, John Paul, Philippines McCord, Thomas, USA Medilek, David, British Columbia Menuey, Justine, France Miller, Sian, Australia Mireles, Hector Daniel, Mexico Mladen, Jankovic, Québec Mokaila, Tefo, South Africa Montreuil, Jean-François, Québec Morasse, Alexandre, Québec Mukherjee, Rajib, India

Muller, Elmar, South Africa Muller, Klaus, Germany Muniz, Manuel Garcia, Spain Nagle, Mike, British Columbia Ng, Samson, Alberta Ngoma-Bolusala, Christian, Québec Nicolas, Roy, Québec Numbi, Adrien Banza, Québec O’Callaghan, John, Australia Occello, Yves, France Oniovosa, Oghenemine Aghogho, Québec Ouellet, Bob, Québec Owens, Richard, USA Oxley, Anne, Turkey Parsons, Scott, Nova Scotia Paventi, Joe, Ontario Pellerin, Michel, Québec Perras, Michel, Québec Phillips, Percy, Manitoba Pierre, Beatrice, Ontario Pomarede, Vincent, France Pouliot, Michel, Québec Poupart, Joannie, Québec Powell, Jordon, Nova Scotia Prakash, Brahm, India Richards, David Mark, British Columbia Riopel, Charles, Québec Roby, Luc, Québec Romatowska, Anna-Marie, Québec Rosales, Gustavo, USA Rossberg, Arne, Germany Rossiter, David, Australia Ruan, Zhihen, Québec Ruban, Phillip N., Alberta Schaffer, Mark, Alberta Sharma, Krishna Deo, India Shink, David, Québec Singh, Ashutosh, Ontario Singh, Suraj, USA Small, Sheldon, Alberta Sogabe, Nobuyoshi, Japan Stevens, Laurence G., USA Susukida, Daigo, Japan Tabah, Erin, Québec Timotin, Ovidiu, Alberta Tourigny, Yannick, Québec Tremblay, Sylvain, Québec Uawanichkul, Suwit, Thailand Vankekeybus, Jos, Belgium Vanvoren, Claude, France Verraes, Virginie, Finland Verreault, Philip, Québec Verster, Daniel, South Africa Wang, Bob Z., USA Warner, Cliff, USA White, Tom, Québec Williams, Tim, United Kingdom Wyatt, Duncan, Ontario Wyethe, Jacolien, South Africa Yakimchuk, Michael, Saskatchewan Yan, Haijing, Nova Scotia Yeon, Je Jung, Korea Zafrullah, Shafraz M., Québec Zarate, Gabriel, Chile Zilker, Greg, USA CIM Magazine n Vol. 2, Nº 2

cim news Canadian Mining and Metallurgical Foundation Poised to promote education for industry The Canadian Mining and Metallurgical Foundation (CMMF) has surpassed its original goal of $1 million, and today the board is laying plans for a campaign to greatly increase its reserve. A larger fund will result in increased opportunities to support and promote educational initiatives for the Canadian minerals industry—and the CMMF is one of the prime venues to ensure tomorrow’s industry remains replete with leading people. The CMMF is a separate legal entity from CIM, though it is CIM members that have built it up and sit on its board. Funds come from CIM members—life members primarily—and many have been very generous. A board of nine trustees administer the CMMF, many of them past presidents of CIM. By law, the CMMF has to dispense at least 4.5 per cent of its fund each year, and that money goes to educational initiatives across the country. After years of work to grow the fund, its healthy status today is due in great part to the generosity of Donald Hurd, who died on June 11, 2003, and included the CIM Foundation in his will. Currently, the CMMF has reached a total of $1.4 million. “As one of the original founders of the Foundation, I am of course pleased with its progression over the years,” said René Dufour, CIM past president and CMMF trustee. “We have a strong, dedicated board and an active president, Glen Clark, who is investing a lot of time in getting all of us trustees involved in promoting the objectives of the Foundation.” Today, confronted with a changing world and the looming HR crisis, much work is required to attract young people to our industry, and to enable continuous learning for industry’s professionals. The CMMF is a tool to enable necessary initiatives to keep industry strong. “The task ahead of us is tremendous and the Foundation has an active role to March/April 2007

play on behalf of CIM,” Dufour said. “Several American universities have abandoned mining and geology programs, due to low enrolment; the situation is becoming alarming in our country. The Foundation’s role is to support CIM’s educational activities.” The Foundation board is laying plans to launch a major campaign, with the goal of raising the assets of its endowment fund to $10 million. This would permit spending over $400,000 a year to support various activities to reverse the

current trend of disaffection towards our industry, and to increase the transfer of knowledge and increase mineral education, both within industry and in the communities. Such fund growth will require great commitment from CIM members, industry personalities, even the major industry companies. With everyone on board, the goal is within reach— promising major long-term improvements for the minerals industry as a whole. n

The CMMF today Investing in educational initiatives Today, the CMMF supports a number of educational programs that support the minerals industry. Some of the CMMF-sponsored programs include: Scholarships—the CMMF awards three scholarships to university students annually: the Caterpillar Inc. and its Canadian Dealers scholarship for mining engineering; the Scotia Bank scholarship for earth sciences; and the Arthur Foley scholarship for mining engineering at École Polytechnique. CIM Distinguished Lecturer Program—bringing leading knowledge to local CIM branches, the CMMF joins Atlas Copco in enabling this program that brings top lecturers to local halls around the country. MABC Educational Program and the PDAC Mining Matters Program—two leading programs, bringing education about the minerals industry to the classroom, benefit from financial support from the CMMF. Mining in Society—the interactive exhibition at the CIM Conference and Exhibition that is open to the public as outreach, to encourage more people to embrace the minerals industry as a career destination. The CMMF provides financial support to ensure its success.

cim news Investing in the leaders of tomorrow by Andrea Nichiporuk

Investir dans les futurs leaders par Andrea Nichiporuk

“As the industry is in a growth cycle, there are many advantages to being a new graduate, such as excellent

job opportunities and competitive salaries.” Isabelle Leblanc

La bourse Arthur W. Foley a été décernée par la Fondation canadienne des mines et de la métallurgie à Isabelle Leblanc. Elle a l’esprit ouvert, elle est aventurière et est prête à surmonter les défis. Mme Leblanc va bientôt terminer sa quatrième année d’un baccalauréat en génie des mines à l’École Polytechnique de Montréal. Elle a récemment partagé ses idées sur ses expériences et sur l’avenir de l’industrie. ICM : Qu’est-ce qui a influencé votre choix de poursuivre vos études en génie minier ? IL : J’ai tout de suite été attirée par le secteur minier : l’environnement de travail très particulier, les défis d’un domaine constamment en changement, l’opportunité de voyager etc. J’ai donc complété un Diplôme d’Étude Collégiale en technologie minérale au Cégep de Thetford. Par la suite, je me suis inscrite à Polytechnique pour faire mon génie.

This year’s recipient of the Arthur W. Foley scholarship, awarded by the Canadian Mining and Metallurgical Foundation, is Isabelle Leblanc. She is open-minded, adventurous, and ready for a challenge. A fourth-year mining engineering student at École Polytechnique, she is encouraged by the numerous opportunities open to students entering this industry. Leblanc shared some of her experiences and some thoughts on the industry’s future.

at a minesite and I am learning many new and exciting things.

CIM: What influenced your decision to study mining engineering? IL: I was immediately attracted to the mining sector with its unique work environment, challenges of an everchanging field, opportunities for travel, etc. After obtaining a college diploma in mineral technology from the Cégep de Thetford, I registered in mining engineering at École Polytechnique.

CIM: What can mining companies do to counter the lack of human resources? IL: Even though mining companies are offering very competitive wages, not many people want to live in remote regions. A solution might be to make these regions more attractive by favouring cultural activities. However, I believe that it is mainly the lack of information on the mining industry that is the reason so few people choose a career in mining. Informative promotional campaigns on the mining industry could represent a possible solution.

ICM: Le baccalauréat en génie des mines est coopératif. Parle-nous un peu de vos stages. IL : J’ai travaillé à Mont-Wright pour QCM. Et plus récemment à Troilus, pour Inmet Mining, où l’on m’a confié un projet concernant les excavatrices Demag. J’ai aussi travaillé de façon journalière sur la planification minière. J’ai beaucoup aimé l’ambiance particulière de la vie au camp minier. Présentement, j’effectue un stage chez Breton Banville et Associés, une firme de génie conseil. C’est très différent de ce que l’on fait dans une mine et j’apprends énormément de choses, c’est très stimulant.

CIM: What is your career plan? IL: I don’t have a precise career plan as of yet. I am open to several possibilities, and I am not ruling out the idea of possibly returning to school. I would like to travel a bit during my career, which I hope will be long, with many interesting challenges. n

ICM : Quels sont les avantages d’être un jeune étudiant dans cette industrie ? IL : Puisque l’industrie profite d’une bonne croissance, les perspectives d’emploi pour les étudiants sont excellentes et les salaires compétitifs. Le secteur minier, étant formé d’une communauté restreinte, il permet aux jeunes de se

CIM: As mining engineering is a coop program, tell us a bit about your internships. IL: I worked at Mont-Wright for QCM and, more recently, at Inmet Mining’s Troilus mine, where I was in charge of a project involving Demag excavators. I also worked on day-to-day mine planning. I really enjoyed the mining camp lifestyle. I am currently doing an internship at Breton Banville et Associés, a consulting engineering firm. It is very different from working 62

CIM: What are the advantages of being a young student in this industry? IL: As the industry is in a growth cycle, there are many advantages to being a new graduate, such as excellent job opportunities and competitive salaries. As the mining community is relatively small, it allows young people to rapidly fit in and opens many doors that would otherwise be shut in other engineering fields.

CIM Magazine n Vol. 2, Nº 2

cim news faire une place rapidement et ouvre des portes qui leur sont souvent fermées dans d’autre domaine du génie. ICM : Que peuvent faire les compagnies minières pour contrer le manque de ressources humaines au sein de l’industrie ? IL : Malgré les salaires très compétitifs, peu de gens sont attiré par la vie en

région éloignée. La solution serait peutêtre de rendre les régions plus intéressantes en favorisant les activités culturelles. Mais, je crois surtout que les jeunes qui choisissent une carrière dans le domaine minier sont peu nombreux parce qu’ils ne sont pas informés. Peutêtre que de faire des campagnes d’information sur le secteur miniers serait une solution envisageable.

ICM : Quel est votre plan de carrière ? IL : Je n’ai pas encore de plan de carrière précis. Je suis ouverte à plusieurs éventualités. D’ailleurs, je ne rejette pas la possibilité d’un éventuel retour aux études. Aussi, je veux me donner la possibilité de voyager un peu durant ma carrière qui je l’espère, m’apportera des défis intéressants. n

Annual Canadian th Mineral Processors Operators’ Conference e Conférence des minéralurgistes du Canada

Call for Papers The 40th Annual Canadian Mineral Processors Operators’ Conference will be held in Ottawa, Ontario, on January 22-24, 2008. Papers covering the full spectrum of subjects in mineral processing are being called for, specifically those dealing with improvements in operating plants, and their design and operation. Other presentations will be included. Abstracts (~200 words) must be sent before June 20, 2007, to:

Appel de communications La 40e Conférence des minéralurgistes du Canada aura lieu du 22 au 24 janvier 2008 à Ottawa, Ontario. Nous vous invitons à soumettre des présentations sur tous les sujets liés au traitement des minerais, et particulièrement en ce qui a trait à l’amélioration des activités d’exploitation, leur conception et leur fonctionnement. D’autres présentations seront aussi au programme. Les résumés doivent être envoyés avant le 20 juin 2007 à l’attention de :

Ian Orford • 1st vice chairman, CMP/1er vice-président Tel./Tél.: 905.829.5400 • Fax/Téléc.: 905.829.3633 Cell.: 647.267.0693 • Email/Courriel: ian.orford@amec.com

Notices of acceptance will be granted on or before June 30, 2007. Full papers in Microsoft Word format are required by September 30, 2007, for publication in the conference proceedings.

March/April 2007

Des avis d’acceptation seront envoyés jusqu’au 30 juin 2007. Les présentations techniques en format Microsoft Word doivent être reçues avant le 30 septembre 2007 pour publication dans le compte-rendu du symposium.

cim news Lecturer Mueller found experience positive

This year’s CIM Distinguished Lecturers have been very active, with numerous presentations given across the country. The season ends in June, but already the lecturers are reporting that it has been a terrific experience. Wulf Mueller, Université du Québec à Chicoutimi, was a popular lecturer this year, sharing his presentation Archean subaqueous calderas: First order hosts of volcanic-hosted massive sulfide deposits in the Abitibi belt. He said his CIM Distinguished Lecturer experience has been a good one. “From my standpoint, the lecture came across well, as it was a combination of theory, field geology, and mining exploration. I found all groups very interested and knowledgable. It was well worth while, and all were pleasant and very informed. The lecture tour is this far a positive eye opener—keep it up CIM.” Of ten talks scheduled, Mueller now has six under his belt. Starting with London, Ontario, last October, he has traveled to Chicoutimi, Moncton, Saskatoon, Red Lake, and Thompson, with appearances scheduled for Quebec City, Sudbury, Timmins, and Abitibi throughout the spring. He shared his thoughts on some of the visits he has already enjoyed. “In London, I was well received, with numerous questions concerning 64

calderas and massive sulfides; it’s a university environment so a theoretical approach is more solicited.” He echoed that sentiment for Chicoutimi, where he added he’d had a ‘home court advantage.’ At the CIM-AGS 33rd colloquium in Moncton, he was the principal speaker, with 50 people in attendance. “The group was a sound mixture of academe, industry, and the provincial survey. Very good feedback, as an invitation from the survey is pending, and I received excellent support from David Lentz and Jarda Dostal.” In Red Lake, he took pleasure in meeting up with some students he had worked with 15 years ago, and learning of their successes. And he found Thompson was the most mining-ori-

ented town he’s visited, “with more of a focus on mining procedures and engineering. Most field geologists turned up. They are very well-informed geologists up there. It was a very pleasant time, with a cordial nature.” The Distinguished Lecturers program is an asset to lecturers and audiences alike. Next year’s lineup of lecturers will be announced on April 30 at the CIM Awards Gala—get ready to book them for the fall! n CIM Distinguished Lecturers Program sponsored by:

Canadian Mining and Metallurgical Foundation

A look back in time 35 YEARS AGO… • Price Waterhouse & Co. reported on the latest news out of the Federal Court on tax cases involving the mining industry—Inco lost a second appeal to claim a deduction for its Thompson townsite expenditures; Denison Mines was unsuccessful in claiming expenditures incurred to create passageways through a high-grade orebody during a tax-exempt period; and Marbridge Mines obtained a three-year tax holiday when a new shaft sunk close to existing mines qualified as a new mine. • The 74th Annual General Meeting of CIM was held in Ottawa; J.H. Schloen was sworn in as the CIM president for 1972-1973. • John L. Mero, president, Ocean Resources Inc., in La Jolla, California, discussed the promising future of mining in the ocean. • Four Université Laval students received $1,000 scholarships from Noranda Mines. • Monitoring programs to safeguard the marine ecosystem from degradation, due to discharging mine wastes into the sea, were discussed in a technical paper by Derek Ellis and Jack Littlepage. • W. Clarke Gibson was elected president of the Mining Association of British Columbia. The above was taken from the March and April 1972 issues of CIM Bulletin.

CIM Magazine n Vol. 2, Nº 2

AROUND THE WORLD CIM EVENTS Luncheon of the CIM Calgary Branch with Gerry Stephenson, independent resource consultant (guest speaker) April 11 Calgary, Alberta Contact: Andrew Hickinbotham Tel.: 403.267.3891 Email: cimcalgary@gmail.com 33rd International Symposium on Application of Computers and Operations in the Mineral Industry April 24-27 Santiago, Chile Contact: Olga Cherepanova, APCOM Coordinator Tel.: +56.2.652.1500/1519 Fax: +56.2.652.1570 Email: info@apcom2007.com or olga.cherepanova@gecamin.cl Website: www.apcom2007.com Seminar of the CIM Montreal Branch with Michael E. Karmis, Stonie Barker professor, Department of Mining and Mining and Minerals Engineering, and director, Virginia Center for Coal and Energy Research, Virginia Tech (guest speaker) April 25 Montreal, Quebec Contact: Lise Chartrand Tel./Fax: 514.425.5553 Email: lizon@colba.net CIM Conference and Exhibition—Montreal 2007 April 29-May 2 Montreal, Quebec Contact: Chantal Murphy, CIM Tel.: 514.939.2710, ext. 1309 Fax: 514.939.2714 Email: cmurphy@cim.org Oil Sands Branch Student Night May 16 Fort McMurray, Alberta Contact: Christian West Tel.: 780.790.8860 Email: west.christian@syncrude.com The 46th Conference of Metallurgists (COM 2007) and the 6th International Copper/Cobre Conference (Cu2007) August 26-29 Toronto, Ontario Contact: Brigitte Farah, MetSoc of CIM Tel.: 514.939.2710, ext. 1329 Fax: 514.939.9160 Email: metsoc@cim.org World Gold 2007 In conjunction with AusIMM and SAIMM October 22-24 Cairns, Australia Contact: Alison McKenzie, AusIMM Tel.: +61.3.9662.3166 Fax: +61.3.9662.3662 Email: conference@ausimm.com.au Website: www.ausimm.com March/April 2007

Briefing exécutif interne Madagascar April 16-18 Antananarive, Madagascar Contact: José Alino Tél. : +27.27.700.3582 Fax : +27.21.700.3501 Email: jose@spintelligent.com Website: www.insider-briefings.com 16th Annual Mineral Economics and Management Society Conference and Workshop April 18-20 Golden, Colorado Contact: John Cuddington, co-chair Tel.: 303.273.3150 Email: jcudding@mines.edu Website: www.minecon.com Pyrometallurgy ‘07 May 3-4 Cornwall, United Kingdom Contact: B.A. WIlls Tel.: +44.7768.234121 Fax: +44.1326.318352 Email: bwills@min-eng.com Website: www.min-eng.com/conferences Industry Summit on Mining Performance: Continuous Business Process Improvement (BPI) in the Mining, Energy, and Extractive Industries May 10-11 Tucson, Arizona Contact: Kathy Pollard Tel.: 814.863.1738 Email: conferenceinfo2@outreach.psu.edu IV International Copper Hydrometallurgy Workshop (HydroCopper 2007) May 16-18 Viña del Mar, Chile Contact: Fabiola Bustamante Tel.: +56.02.652.1500 Fax: +56.02.652.1570 Email: info@hydrocopper.cl Website: www.hydrocopper.cl ALTA 2007 Nickel/Cobalt, Copper, and Uranium May 21-25 Perth, Australia Contact: Alan Taylor Tel.: +61.3.5472.4688 Fax: +61.3.5472.4588 Email: alantaylor@altamet.com.au Website: www.altamet.com.au 1st Canada–US Rock Mechanics Symposium May 27-31 Vancouver, British Columbia Contact: Doug Stead, Simon Fraser University Tel.: 604.268.6670 Fax: 604.291.4198 Email: dstead@sfu.ca

cim news La Section de Québec reçoit un éminent conférencier Le 29 janvier, la Section de Québec de l’ICM recevait à l’Université Laval l’éminent conférencier de l’ICM G. Ward Wilson de University of British Columbia. Monsieur Wilson nous a parlé des systèmes de co-déposition pour la gestion des résidus miniers. Il a illustré le concept, la théorie et la mise en application de systèmes de co-déposition pour la gestion à long terme des résidus miniers. Nous avons appris que la roche stérile et les résidus peuvent être mélangés pour créer des matériaux ayant d’excellentes propriétés physiques et hydrauliques pour la L’éminent conférencier G. Ward Wilson et Jean-Marc fermeture des mines à Charbonneau, président ICM-Section de Québec. long terme. Vingt-cinq personnes, assistaient à cette présentation suivie d’un buffet léger commandité par l’Association minière du Québec, Agnico-Eagle, Carrières Polycor, Corem, Gestion SODEMEX INC, Mines Virginia inc. et Instrumentation GDD. n

Wilson visits Quebec Branch CIM Distinguished Lecturer G. Ward Wilson spoke to the Quebec Branch on January 29 about paste rock systems for mine waste management. His presentation focused on the concept, theory, and application of paste rock systems for long-term mine waste management. Participants learned that waste rock and tailings could be combined to create materials with excellent physical and hydraulic properties for long-term mine closure. The event was sponsored by the Quebec Mining Association, AgnicoEagle Mines, Carrières Polycor, Corem, Gestion SODÉMEX inc., Mines Virginia, and Instrumentation GDD. n

Awash in Steel? The Hamilton Branch hosted Peter Hall, vice president and deputy chief economist, Export Development Canada, in early February, and were treated to a global outlook on steel and other commodity markets for the coming year or so. Hall’s presentation, titled Awash in Steel? The Effect of China on Global Steel Markets, offered an EDC perspective of the steel market. He set the stage by explaining the international growth context, then discussed global growth capacity and the impact of the “supply shock,” and the effects on the steel markets to date. Finally, he discussed China’s response to global demand and what future impacts on the steel markets are to be expected. Overall, the global slowdown is already in process, Hall explained. Though 2006 was still very hot, at 5.1 per cent growth, expectations are for it to slow down to 4.3 per cent growth for the current year. Corporate profits and liquidity are still strong, but the risks are rising he said—global synchronization means the weakness spreads; however not like before. Regional economic and financial balances have improved over the past three years, increasing resilience to possible shocks. Hall discussed the global oil industry, as it impacts the steel markets. There are expectations for modest price increases this year, but overall steadiness should mean little major impact on the steel markets. The Canadian dollar, he said, is a petro-currency. Lower oil and base metal prices expected this year will weaken the dollar, to between 82 to 84 cents by year’s end. Overall, the outlook suggests some future challenges for the steel markets. While production plans at large firms continue to rise aggressively, the quality of Chinese steel is rising and authorities have not been able to rein in production. The world demand growth is slowing and the steel markets are threatened by a potential over supply in the future. The bottom line is that downward price pressure on steel is expected for the next two years, and consolidations are likely to continue. However, faster world growth projected for 2008 and beyond would be a positive development for steel. n CIM Magazine n Vol. 2, Nº 2

cim news La Section de Québec passe au vote Le lundi 19 février avaient lieu les élections de l’exécutif de la Section de Québec. Après l’Assemblée Générale annuelle, Serge Lévesque, surintendant des services techniques, AgnicoEagle–Division Goldex, nous a présenté le projet Goldex. Un investissement de $176 million dans la région de Val d’Or en Abitibi. Les travaux de pré-production de cette nouvelle mine d’or souterraine ont débuté à l’été 2005 et la mise en production est prévue dans la seconde moitié de 2008. Avec plus de 21 million de tonnes de réserves probables, à une teneur en or de 2.39 g/t, le défi a été de confirmer la teneur et la continuité du gisement et d’établir une méthode d’exploitation souterraine productive avec un coût inférieur à $20 par tonne usinée. La production atteindra un taux de 6900 tonnes par jour pour une production annuelle de 160 000 à 185 000 onces d’or. Vingt-cinq personnes assistaient à cette présentation commanditée par Agnico-Eagle, l’Association minière du Québec, Carrières Polycor, COREM, Gestion SODÉMEX inc., Instrumentation GDD inc. et Mines Virginia inc. n

The votes are in Following the swearing in of the new Quebec Branch executive at its annual general meeting on February 19, Serge Lévesque, technical services superintendent, Agnico Eagle–Goldex Division, discussed the Goldex project. Pre-production began in the summer of 2005, and full production is expected in 2008. Representing a $176 million investment in the Val d’Or region, Goldex has 21 million tonnes of proba-

Le président du Comité de nominations Marc Constantin remet un cadeau à la récipiendaire de la “médaille 2007 de la Section de Québec”, Guylaine Caron qui a été trésorière de 2001 à 2007.

ble reserves at 2.39 grams per tonne of gold. Production is expected to reach 6,900 tonnes per day and generate 160,000 to 185,000 ounces of gold annually. The event was sponsored by Agnico-Eagle Mines, the Quebec Mining Association, Carrières Polycor, Corem, Gestion SODÉMEX inc., Instrumentation GDD, and Mines Virginia inc. n

L’ICM souhaite le meilleur des succès à la

Semaine minière au Québec du 23 au 28 avril 2007

René Del Villar, vice-président ICM-Section de Québec, Rock Gagnon, président, Marie Fortin, secrétaire, Sylvie Vachon, trésorière, Jean-Marc Charbonneau, président sortant et Raynald Vézina, directeur. Hors photo, François Huot, directeur. March/April 2007

Merci à tous les membres de l’ICM pour leur contribution. 67

CIM Conference and Exhibition Energy and Mines Montreal, Quebec | April 29 to May 2, 2007

A world of opportunity Mining in Society The Mining in Society show is back at Montreal, profiling mining through eight pavilions highlighting the major fields of the minerals industry. Open to the public, it’s an interactive experience to improve public understanding of our industry, and attract young people to choose mineral-related careers. Numerous companies and organizations are participating in MIS, showcasing the best our industry has to offer. Among the highlights of the show are:

Africa Procurement Seminar On Wednesday, an all-day special event will help link Canadian suppliers with African mine operations. The Africa Procurement Seminar will be an informative opportunity to make valuable contacts with major operations in Africa, who currently seek technologies, equipment, and processes to improve their performance. Presentations will be given by NRCan, Export Development Corporation (EDC) Canada, Xstrata Nickel (Kabanga nickel project), Semafo, and Barrick Gold. Following, one-on-one meetings will be set up to facilitate contact-building. 68

• Test your skills with a geophysical survey and find uranium, iron, and even gold • Discover one of the oldest collections of minerals in Canada supplied by the Redpath Museum • Pick up a seedling grown at the Sudbury CVRD Inco underground mine • Share the passion of the members of the Montreal Gemmology Club • Have a look at the medals the 2010 Vancouver Olympics winners will proudly wear • Do the Career Quiz and find the mining career best suited for you Come to MIS and bring your friends and family. It’s guaranteed fun, and you might just learn something.

Learn from the leaders Alcan vice president to speak at Wednesday lunch Jacynthe Coté, senior vice president, Alcan Inc., and president and CEO, Alcan Bauxite and Alumina, is the keynote speaker for the Wednesday lunch onsite at the Palais des congrès. She is renowned for her role in promoting and actualizing sustainable practices for Alcan, and will share her insights on successful operations. Wednesday is the last day of the conference, making the lunch the last chance to network with other delegates and enjoy a final, relaxing opportunity to share with colleagues. Make sure you purchase your ticket upon registration, and don’t miss out!

CIM Magazine n Vol. 2, Nº 2

A wealth of information CIM Booth onsite to guide you The CIM Booth will be located across the lobby from registration. Stop by and meet CIM staff face-to-face, who are delighted to discuss what’s new with the industry. Hot-off-the-press publications, including the latest edition of Exploration and Mining Geology journal (Volume 15, Numbers 3 and 4); CIM Bulletin Technical Papers, February 2006 to January 2007 transactions volume; and the latest Canadian Metallurgical Quarterly (not to mention a sneak peak at the May issue of CIM Magazine, guaranteed to still be warm from the printing press), will all be on location for you to browse and purchase. So much to do, so little time—learn about the CIM events planned for the coming year. Well over 100 events are hosted by CIM, its branches, and societies annually. Stop by the booth to discover which ones will make it into your calendar. There’s always more to CIM—while onsite, it’s your chance to learn about it.

CIM Annual General Meeting CIM belongs to its members, and all are encouraged to attend the AGM on Sunday morning to participate in the decision-making, helping to shape your Institute of the future. Meet the new president and learn about his vision for a revitalized CIM. Discover your representatives on CIM Council, and be on top of new developments in the works for CIM this coming year.

Enrich your conference experience 2007 CIM, SME, AusIMM, SAIMM, and McGill Professional Development Seminar Series Ensure your trip to CIM Conference and Exhibition 2007 has mega take-home value, and attend the first event in the professional series, Mineral Project Evaluation Techniques and Applications: from conventional methods to real options, right before the conference. It’s added value to your trip to Montreal. Go to www.cim.org/mcgill/index.cfm to learn more and register.

Investigate your options at the CIM Career Fair Over 30 companies will participate in the CIM Career Fair, eager to meet potential employees and discuss workplace issues and career ambitions. Bring your resume and get a jump-start on your career path. From students through professionals, the CIM Career Fair is open to you. Want to learn more about the companies you might join? Presentations by many of the Career Fair companies will be held, offering greater understanding of operations and workplace ethics. CIM Career Fair Participants Agrium Inc. AREVA Resources Canada Inc. BHP Billiton Diamonds Inc. Cameco Corporation Canadian Natural Resources CIM - Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum Construction Kiewit Cie CVRD Inco Limited De Beers Canada Inc. Elk Valley Coal Corporation Hatch Associates Ltd. Hire Ground Careers IAMGOLD Corporation Kinross Gold Lafarge North America Levert Personnel Resources Inc. Mines Agnico-Eagle Northgate Minerals Corporation Kemess Mines NovaGold Resources Inc. Phelps Dodge Mining Company Quebec Cartier Mining Compagnie Minière Québec Cartier Raymond Chabot Ressources Humaines inc. RIO Tinto: QIT, IOC, QMP, Diavik SEMAFO Inc. Shell Canada SNC Lavalin Inc. Suncor Energy Inc. Syncrude Canada Ltd. Teck Cominco Limited Total E & P Canada Xstrata Nickel Xstrata Zinc

CIM Student The wisdom of youth Poster Competition

University students are often involved in some of the most ground-breaking research. Top students from around the country will be participating in the CIM Student Poster Competition, with posters of their work on display in the Exhibition. Stop by and learn from their work.

March/April 2007

Congrès et Salon commercial de l’ICM Énergie et mines Montréal, Québec | 29 avril au 2 mai 2007

Un monde de possibilités Les mines dans la société L’événement Les mines dans la société est de retour, à Montréal cette fois-ci, illustrant le monde minier dans huit pavillons qui soulignent les principaux domaines de l’industrie minérale. Cette expérience interactive ouverte au public a comme objectif d’améliorer la compréhension de notre industrie et d’amener des jeunes à choisir des carrières reliées au domaine minéral. Plusieurs compagnies et organisations participent à l’événement Les mines dans la société; elles montrent ce que l’industrie offre de mieux. Parmi les points saillants, notons :

Colloque sur les approvisionnements en Afrique Durant toute la journée de mercredi, un événement spécial aidera à établir des liens entre les fournisseurs canadiens et les exploitants de mines africaines. Le Colloque sur les approvisionnements en Afrique représente une occasion informative d’établir des contacts avec les grandes exploitations en Afrique; ces exploitations recherchent des technologies, des équipements et des procédés pour améliorer leur rendement. RNCan, Exportation et développement Canada (EDC), Xstrata Nickel (projet de nickel Kabanga), Semafo et la Société aurifère Barrick offriront des présentations. Il sera possible d’établir des rencontres individuelles afin de faciliter les contacts. 70

• Effectuez un levé géophysique et découvrez de l’uranium, du fer et qui sait de l’or • Admirez l’une des plus vieilles collections de minéraux au Canada fournie par le Musée Redpath • Recevez un semis provenant des serres souterraines de CVRD-Inco à Sudbury • Partagez la passion des membres du Club de gemmologie de Montréal • Voyez les médailles que les gagnants aux Olympiques de 2010 à Vancouver porteront avec fierté • Remplissez le jeu-questionnaire Carrières et découvrez votre carrière de rêve dans le secteur minier Venez parcourir l’exposition Les mines dans la société, amenez votre famille et vos amis. Le plaisir est garanti et, qui sait, vous apprendrez peut-être quelque chose de nouveau.

Apprenez des maîtres Une vice-présidente d’Alcan prononcera une conférence lors du déjeuner de mercredi Jacynthe Coté, présidente et chef de la direction, Alcan Bauxite et Alumine, prononcera le discours lors du déjeuner de mercredi au Palais des Congrès. Elle est reconnue pour son rôle à promouvoir et à mettre en œuvre des pratiques durables chez Alcan; elle partagera ses points de vue pour réussir en exploitation minière. Le mercredi est le dernier jour du congrès; le déjeuner représente donc la dernière chance d’échanger avec d’autres congressistes et de vous détendre en partageant avec des collègues. N’oubliez pas d’acheter votre billet lors de l’inscription; ne manquez pas cette occasion unique ! CIM Magazine n Vol. 2, Nº 2

Un monde d’informations Stand de l’ICM sur place pour vous aider Le stand de l’ICM sera situé face à l’inscription, de l’autre côté du foyer. Venez rencontrer le personnel de l’ICM; nous serons heureux de discuter avec vous des nouveautés de l’industrie. Des publications les plus récentes vous attendent : les nos 3 et 4 du Volume 15 du Exploration and Mining Geology, le Journal de la Société de la géologie de l’ICM, le volume comprenant février 2006 à janvier 2007 des CIM Bulletin Technical Papers et la plus récente édition du Canadian Metallurgical Quarterly (sans oublier un coup d’œil sur le numéro de mai du CIM Magazine, encore tout chaud); vous pourrez consulter et vous procurer tout cela et plus encore. Tant à faire en si peu de temps—découvrez les événements que l’ICM planifie pour la prochaine année. L’ICM, ses sections et ses sociétés planifient plus d’une centaine d’événements par année. Arrêtez nous voir pour savoir lesquels inscrire à votre agenda. Il y a toujours du nouveau à l’ICM—profitez d’être sur place pour découvrir ce que nous offrons.

Réunion générale annuelle de l’ICM L’ICM appartient à ses membres et tous sont encouragés à assister à la réunion générale annuelle le dimanche matin afin de participer à la prise de décisions, aidant ainsi à façonner l’avenir de votre Institut. Rencontrez le nouveau Président et découvrez ses perspectives de revitalisation de l’ICM. Venez découvrir et rencontrer vos représentants au Conseil d’administration de l’ICM; demeurez à l’avant-garde des nouveaux développements pour l’année à venir.

Enrichissez votre expérience du Congrès ICM 2007, SME, AusIMM, SAIMM et la série de Colloques sur le développement professionnel offerte par l’Université McGill Assurez-vous de retirer le plus possible du Congrès et Salon commercial de l’ICM 2007 en participant, tout juste avant le congrès, au premier colloque de la série : « Techniques d’évaluation de projets minéraux et applications pratiques : des méthodes conventionnelles aux véritables options » (en anglais). Vous retirerez encore plus de votre voyage à Montréal. Visitez le www.cim.org/mcgill/index.cfm pour plus de détails et pour vous inscrire.

Compétition étudiante de communications par affiche de l’ICM March/April 2007

Analyser vos options au Salon de l’emploi ICM Plus de 30 compagnies participeront au Salon de l’emploi ICM; ces entreprises seront des plus heureuses de rencontrer des employés potentiels et de discuter avec vous de questions de travail et de vos ambitions de carrière. Apportez votre CV et prenez une longueur d’avance sur votre cheminement de carrière. Étudiants et professionnels, ce Salon de l’emploi est pour vous. Vous voulez peut-être en savoir plus sur la compagnie pour laquelle vous désirez travailler? Les compagnies inscrites au Salon des carrières présenteront des exposés durant tout le congrès afin que vous puissiez mieux connaître comment elles fonctionnent et quels sont leurs codes d’éthique. Participants au Salon de l’emploi ICM Agrium Inc. AREVA Resources Canada Inc. BHP Billiton Diamonds Inc. Cameco Corporation Canadian Natural Resources Construction Kiewit Cie CVRD Inco Limited De Beers Canada Inc. Elk Valley Coal Corporation Hatch Associates Ltd. Hire Ground Careers IAMGOLD Corporation ICM Kinross Gold Lafarge North America Levert Personnel Resources Inc. Mines Agnico-Eagle Northgate Minerals Corporation Kemess Mines NovaGold Resources Inc. Phelps Dodge Mining Company Quebec Cartier Mining Compagnie Minière Québec Cartier Raymond Chabot Ressources Humaines inc. RIO Tinto: QIT-Fer et Titane, IOC, QMP, Diavik SEMAFO Inc. Shell Canada SNC Lavalin Inc. Suncor Energy Inc. Syncrude Canada Ltd. Teck Cominco Limited Total E & P Canada Xstrata Nickel Xstrata Zinc

La sagesse de la jeunesse Les étudiants universitaires sont souvent impliqués dans des projets de recherche des plus avant-gardistes. Les meilleurs étudiants au pays participeront à la Compétition étudiante de communications par affiche de l’ICM; les affiches présentant leurs travaux seront installées dans le Salon commercial. Venez découvrir les nouveautés à travers leurs travaux. 71

history THE BASALT CONTROVERSY II (Part 16) by R.J. “Bob” Cathro, Chemainus, British Columbia

“When I returned to Freiberg in 1775, I found the system of the vulcanists, and ... the volcanic origin of basalt, generally accepted. The novelty and interesting features of this theory along with the superior art of persuasion of its defenders and, to a certain extent, the persuasiveness or glamor of the matter itself soon procured for it an unusual number of adherents. ... Until I myself could make observations concerning it, I considered the correctness of the theory to be established. ... In 1776, I visited and observed the most famous Saxon basalt mountain, the one at Stolpen. Here I found not even a trace of volcanic action or the least sign of volcanic origin. Indeed the entire interior structure of the mountain completely proved to the contrary. Now I first dared to maintain publicly and prove that not all basalt, at least, could be of volcanic origin and that the Stolpen basalt, among others, undoubtedly was not. ... After further mature investigation and reflection, I am of the opinion that no basalt is of volcanic origin, but that all of it is of aqueous origin ...” (Werner, 1786).

In addition to the geologists cited within the text, Ashworth (2004), Dean (1998), and an anonymous writer provided valuable background information on Werner. Abraham Gottlob Werner (1749-1817) had been appointed in 1774, at the age of 25, to teach mining and mineralogy at the Mining Academy (Bergakademie) in Freiberg, where he remained until his death. Located in the heart of the main European metal mining district, the academy had been founded in 1766, after at least 70 years of operation as a trade school. Its main purpose was to train mining engineers, assayers, metallurgists, and mine managers and, as an additional benefit, to expose them to new ideas in the emerging science of geology. Born in Wehrau in what is now southern Poland, Werner was a childhood mineral collector who was sent to Freiberg to learn how to be an ironworks manager like his father. After short stints with the Saxon mining service and law studies at the University of Leipzig, he became interested in geology, which he called ‘geognosy’ (a comprehensive theory to explain the temporal deposition and structural relations of the earth’s major rock units). The academy position afforded Werner the opportunity to develop into the most influential teacher of mining and geology of his generation; he was often referred to as the Abraham Gottlob Werner ‘father of German geology’ and ‘the father of mineralogy.’ Werner himself had given the latter title to Agricola. In the words of Lyell (1830-33), “In a few years, a small school of mines, before unheard of in Europe, was raised to the rank of a great university and men already distinguished in science studied the German language, and came from the most distant countries to hear the great oracle of geology.” Dibner (1958) wrote “he imbued the school of mines … with a spirit of investigation and critical analysis of the geological world previously unknown. … His (study) of the rocks of the Harz Mountains established geological classification. He put mining geology on a scientific basis. … (His mineral) collection made Freiberg one of the great mining centres of mining engineering. From the academy issued a steady stream of disciples of Werner.” Mineralogy was Werner’s primary research interest and he developed a superior descriptive classification system based on mineral composition. He was credited with expanding the mineral collection, of which he was curator, to more than 10,000 specimens and helping create the best library and museum on the subject. In addition, he discovered eight new minerals and named 26 others. His lectures on mineralogy were so popular that he often had to split the class into smaller groups and deliver them several times. Much of his influence was due to his strong personality. Some of his students wrote of his penetrating mind with a rich store of knowledge, and his charm and eloquence that attracted and kindled enthusiasm among his students. Some described him as the most outstanding geologist in Europe, and credited him with elevating geology to the rank of a real science. It is odd that an influential teacher like Werner had a serious aversion to publication, and that most of what is known about his teaching has come from the writings of his students. CIM Magazine n Vol. 2, Nº 2

economic geology In addition to mineralogy, he also gave lectures on minIncidentally, he dedicated the book to “the illustrious ing law and finance, and he and his colleague, J.F.W. Duke of Saxony and of Thuringia and Misena (a medieval Charpentier, were the first geologists to develop the concept name for Erzgebirge), Prince Maurice.” The prince had of mineral paragenesis. They divided the complex vein minappointed Agricola as Burgomaster (mayor) of Chemnitz, eralogy in the Freiberg camp into 11 groupings based on also in 1546. The book contains this classic sentence: “The mineral associations and strike directions (Baumann, 1994). philosopher takes pleasure in the contemplation of the nature Werner was elected to 22 international scientific societies. of these compounds while the miner takes pleasure in the profit With such an eminent reputation as a mineralogist and and use he obtains from the metals he extracts from them.” teacher, as well as his strong personality, it would be natuWerner, who never travelled far from home and didn’t ral to assume that Werner must be one of the principal figvisit the Auvergne district of France or the Italian volcaures in the history of economic geology. Unfortunately, noes, arrived at his fateful conclusion about basalt at the nothing could be farther from the truth. Werner’s downfall same time that the French geologists Guettard, Desmarest, was caused by the use of his vast influence to espouse inacand Lavoisier were demonstrating the link between basalt, curate theories on the origin of basalt and mineralized volcanoes, heat, and magma, and by inference, the origin of veins. His troubles with basalt began with his 1766 visit to metals (see Part 15). Although his field work at Stolpen has the Stolpen Castle, described earlier, which rests upon and to rank as one of the poorest field interpretations ever made was partly constructed from an exposure of columnar by a prominent geologist, the damage was particularly seribasalt. It is situated ous, in this case, because of the number in Saxony, about 35 of prominent disciples he had influkilometres east of enced—geologists such as Leopold von Dresden and 85 kiloBuch, Alexander von Humboldt, Jean metres northeast of d’Aubuisson de Voisins, Frederick Mohs, Freiberg. A subseand Robert Jameson, all born between quent examination 1769 and 1774. of the summit of the Werner’s other serious mistake was in Scheibenberg in the his vigorous support of the ‘universal Erz Mountains, formation,’ the theory that the world where basalt is interwas mantled by rocks that had been layed with deposited as sediment or precipitate greywacke, sandfrom a universal ocean following the stone, and clay, also ‘Great Deluge.’ Because of his immense led to a sedimentary A castle on basalt at Stolpen, by Scipione Breislak (1748-1826). prestige, he became the leader of the interpretation for the Institutiones géologiques. Milan: Imprimerie impériale et royale, Neptunists. According to the theory, the basalt (Sigurdsson, 1818. Reproduced with permission of the Linda Hall Library of cores of the highest mountains, which Science, Engineering & Technology. 1999, p. 117). had reached above the floodwaters, were The outcrop had composed of the oldest rocks: granite, also been examined by Agricola, gneiss, and schist. The sediments were which should qualify it for inclusion laid down in the same sequence around on any list of the most historically the world, first chemical and clastic sedimportant outcrops in the world. He iments and basalt, followed by alluvial gave the name basalt to the Stolpen material and, finally, lava derived outcrop because he believed it to be through the melting of other rocks by the same rock that Pliny the Elder had the combustion of subterranean beds of called basalt (Pliny’s rock was actually coal (Merrill, 1969, p. 3). It was believed a limestone.) Agricola described the that all rocks had been laid down in the angular columns, up to 0.5 metres attitudes in which they were found, thick and 4.3 metres long, in Chapter unless the dips exceeded 30°. The only VII (Marbles and Rocks) of his book positive thing that can be said for the De Natura Fossilium (‘Textbook of theory was that it was an early attempt Mineralogy’) in 1546. There is some to construct a stratigraphic column. evidence to suggest that Agricola didAs part of the Neptunist theory, n’t understand that basalt was a volWerner taught that veins were formed as canic rock, so it is possible that calling open fissures caused by the compaction the outcrop by the correct name may Columnar basalt below the Stolpen Castle of sediments and were then filled (2005). Photo courtesy of Ingersoll. have been a coincidence. through infiltration of surface waters March/April 2007

economic geology carrying the mineral matter in solution. His principal publication was A New Theory of the Origin of Veins (1791), which was translated into English in 1805. The idea that minerals had descended from the seafloor led to the conclusion that all veins would decrease in grade and thickness and end at a shallow depth (Baumann, 1994). These ideas

His lectures on mineralogy were so popular that he often had to split the class into smaller groups and deliver them several times. gained wide acceptance because of his reputation and the support of the church, which believed that they conformed to the book of Genesis. However, Werner was not a biblical geologist who used the authority of the church to reach his conclusions. From the perspective of economic geology, Werner did not contribute anything useful to the study of the genesis of ore deposits, and history has not been kind to him. Only his mineralogical research was of original or lasting quality. The first serious challenge to Werner’s reputation came from Lyell (1830-33), who criticized his poor publication record, his lack of travel, his universal formation theory, and his retrograde influence on the science. A summary and critique of recent efforts by A.M. Ospovat, emeritus professor of the History of Science at the University of Oklahoma, to emphasize Werner’s other contributions and resurrect his reputation is provided by S¸engör (2002).In the words of Garrison (1913), “It has been assumed for years that Werner was the father of our modern theories of ore deposition. Although Werner had the advantage of writing two hundred and forty years later, Agricola’s observations and deductions are sounder and more in harmony with modern views. In fact, it seems that the theories regarding ore deposition not only failed to improve in the long interval of the nineteenth century, but they actually retrograded, and the student’s mind was filled with rubbish which would have been repudiated by Agricola.” Pos˘epny (1893) stated it more diplomatically: “As for the manner in which fissures have been filled, Werner’s theory, based upon a comparatively limited field of observation, has, like many of his neptunistic views, failed to maintain itself.” James Kemp (1920) called his ideas “quaint and curious.” Abraham Werner serves as a classic example of how dangerous an influential but dogmatic scientist can be without adequate field testing and peer review. Although he was a great pioneer mineralogist and classifier of data, his reputation as a scientist was gravely damaged by his tendency to make the field evidence conform to his preconceived theories. n 74

REFERENCES Agricola, G. (1546). De Natura Fossilium (Textbook of Mineralogy). Basel: Froben Press. Translated from the first Latin edition in 1955 by M.C. Bandy and J.A. Bandy as Geological Society of America Special Paper 63. Mineola, New York: Dover Publications, Inc. (2004). Anonymous. Abraham Gottlob Werner (1750-1817). Retrieved August 8, 2003, from www.nahste.ac.uk/isaar/ GB_0237_NAHSTE_P0352.html. Ashworth, W.B., Jr. (2004). Vulcan’s Forge and Fingal’s Cave: volcanoes, basalt, and the discovery of geological time. Kansas City: Linda Hall Library of Science, Engineering and Technology. Also available at www.lindahall.org/ events_exhib/exhibit/exhibits/vulcan/about.shtml. Baumann, L. (1994). Ore parageneses of the Erzgebirge— history, results and problems. Monograph Series on Mineral Deposits, 31, 25-46. Dean, D.R. (1998). Plutonists, Neptunists, Vulcanists. In G.A. Good (Ed.), Sciences of the Earth: an encyclopedia of events, people, and phenomena (pp. 691-695). New York: Garland Publishing, Inc. Dibner, B. (1958). Agricola on metals. Norwalk: Burndy Library. Garrison, F.L. (1913). Agricola: an appreciation. Mining and Scientific Press, August 9. Kemp, J.A. (1920). Reminiscences. In T.A. Rickard (Ed.), Rossiter Wothington Raymond: a Memorial (p. 49). New York: The American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers. Lyell, C., Sir (1830-1833). Principles of geology, Chapter IV. Retrieved July 25, 2006, from www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/lyel-geology3-4.html. Merrill, G.P. (1969). The first one hundred years of American geology. New York: Hafner Publishing Company. Pos˘epny, F. (1893). The genesis of ore-deposits. In R.W. Raymond (Ed.), The genesis of ore-deposits, second edition (p. 4). New York: The American Institute of Mining Engineers. S¸engör, A.M.C. (2002). On Sir Charles Lyell’s alleged distortion of Abraham Gottlob Werner in Principles of Geology and its implications for the nature of the scientific enterprise. The Journal of Geology, 110, 355-368. Sigurdsson, H. (1999). Melting the earth: the history of ideas on volcanic eruptions. New York: Oxford University Press. Werner, A.G. (1786). Short classification and description of the various rocks. Translated by Alexander Ospovat in 1971 from the original German text. New York: Hafner Publishing Company.

CIM Magazine n Vol. 2, Nº 2

metallurgy Muslim Mining in the Iberian Peninsula (Part I) by O. Puche Riart, L.F. Mazadiego Martínez, and P. Kindelán Echevarria, Mining Engineering School, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid

INTRODUCTION In 711 AD, Muslims from North Africa crossed the Straits of Gibraltar and conquered most of Christian Visigothic Spain. Confrontations between Muslims and Berbers allowed Abd Al-Rahman I to come to the throne of the Ommiad dynasty in 756 and gain political independence of Al-Andalus from Baghdad. In 929, religious independence was also achieved when Abd Al-Rahman III proclaimed himself the Caliph of Cordova. With this victory, the Ommiads sought to consolidate the commercial routes in the western Mediterranean, thus securing the gold supply from North Africa. Cordova, the capital city of Caliphate, reached 100,000 inhabitants and became the most important metropolis at that time. It became a great cultural, industrial, and mining centre, especially when Caliph AlHakam II ascended the throne in 961. Breaking up the Caliphate into small territories called “taifas” (party) took place at the beginning of the 11th century. Their weakness allowed the northern Christian States to recover some territory. In 1085, the Almoravides from North Africa brought about re-unification of the territories; however, in the 12th century, they were defeated by the Christians in Spain and by the Almohades in North Africa. The Almohades were a religious reformist movement from the Atlas Mountains in Morocco who occupied Seville in 1147, conquered the southeast part of Spain in 1172, and had an important economic and mining development under their rule. Meanwhile, the Spanish Christian territories joined together in the Holy Alliance and defeated the Muslims in the Navas de Tolosa battle in 1212. At the end of the 13th century, the territory occupied by the Muslims was reduced to the Granada kingdom, which was captured by the Catholic monarchs Ferdinand and Isabella in 1492. The Muslims stayed in Spain for about seven centuries, and March/April 2007

made important contributions to science and culture. Numerous Arabic words and toponyms related to mining are preserved in the Spanish language such as almaden (mine). This is the case of some Spanish towns like Almaden and Almadenejos (Ciudad Real), Almaden de la Plata (Seville), Almada (near Lisbon), and the hill of the Almadenes in Otero de Herreros (Segovia). Some other metallurgical words are algaraviz (iron tube placed in the nozzle of fan blowers), aljez (gypsum) as in the town Los Algezares (Murcia), alfoli or alfoz (salt storage) as in the town Alfaz del Pi (Alicante), almagre (red iron ore) as in Sierra Almagrera (Almeria), Almagro (Ciudad Real) or Almagreira (Portugal), azogue (mercury) as in the Valdeazogues River (Ciudad Real), atutia (zinc sulfate), azofar (brass), ceni (fine brass), azaque (gold-based legal tax), aludel (ceramic piping in distillation furnaces), etc. Some of these words are often incorporated into the Spanish language as found in an 18th century almagre mill in Olvega (Soria), or in the aludel furnaces found in Almaden from the 17th to 20th centuries. There are also a good deal of bibliographic sources by historians, poets, and geographers who introduced mining

Map showing Muslim mining locations in Iberia. 75

metallurgy these lamps from Rio Tinto mines in Huelva are preserved at the Madrid School of Mining Engineering; others were found by Carbonell in the mines of Villaviciosa, Belalcazar, and Cerro Muriano in Cordova. Drainage was done by daydrift if the orography permitted it or, in some mining sites, through bucket chain elevators made of pottery, as they appeared in small earthenware jars in Barranco de Mirabuenos mine (Villaviciosa, Cordova).

Mining tools from archaelogical sites in Los Vascos, Toledo, Spain (Cossin, 1996)

or metallurgical data in Spanish history. Such is the case of Ibn Hawqal in the 10th century; Ahmed Ben Isa Al-Arrazi, known as the Rasis, at the end of the 10th century; Al Biruni and Ibn Hazim in the 11th century; the geographer Az Zuhri from Almeria, and the geographer and doctor, Al Idrisi, from Ceuta in the 12th century; Chihab-eddin Ahmed Ben Yahya (died in 1348), and the last of the great Spanish Muslim historians, Ibri Al Khatib, born in Loja (Granada) in the 14th century; and many others. There are also compilations of works on Spanish Muslim mining, such as those of the French historians Fagan (1924), Levi Provenzal (1950), Abdalla Ibn Ibrahim El Omeir (1991), and VallvĂŠ Bermejo (1995), as well as archeological studies by mining engineer Carbonell (1929) and by Cressier, Cossin, and others.

Gypsum (aljez), together with brick and stone, were often used in building. Around the area of Algezares (Murcia), shaft furnaces that were used to dehydrate gypsum are still known as Moorish furnaces. Lime was obtained in furnaces of similar structure. White marble from Macael (Almeria) or the red marble from Bacares (Almeria)

MINING Muslims usually re-worked mines that had been abandoned by the Romans. Archaeological excavations show the methods of exploitation and the tools used. Carbonell (1929) mentioned the chamber and pillars in extracting the moulding sand underlying the Miocene limestone in the Palacios de la Galiana in Cordova. Iron tools, such as hammers, picks, pitching tools, chisels, liners, bedes, etc. were common. Lighting was provided by the Arabic oil lamp. Some of 76

Muslim oil lamps from the mines of Rio Tinto: a) Almohade oil lamp (about 1170-1190); b) Ommiad oil lamp 11th century; c) Almoravide oil lamp (1120-1130); d) oil lamp from Caliphate Period (about 930) CIM Magazine n Vol. 2, NÂş 2

metallurgy were highly sought after. Talc and magnesium were exploited in Andalusia. Salt was exploited in the mines around the area of Remolinos (Zaragoza) and in Espartinas (Madrid), where Arabic pottery was found near the pithead. Salt was also produced in coastal saltworks in the area of La Mata and Torrevieja (Alicante), Ibiza (Baleares), Roquetas (Almeria), Motril (Granada), and the bay of Cadiz, as well

Muslim miners: a) 13th century (National Library, Paris); b) 14th century (University of Edinburgh, UK).

March/April 2007

as in some Portuguese estuaries. The salted shafts of Loja (Granada) were exploited in the Nazari territory, those of the mountains of Las Salinas near Ronda (Malaga), and those of Mala (from the Arabic “mallaha,” meaning salt mine), as salt exploitation and sale were a royal monopoly of the dynasty. Salt was a necessity for the food industry (e.g. cheese manufacture and cattle raising). Al ‘Udri, an 11th century geographer from Almeria, mentioned asphalt exploitation in the outskirts of Sigüenza (Guadalajara). Asphalt was used for caulking (from Arabic “qalfat”) ships and as a weapon in the form of Greek fire. In the archaeological museum of Murcia (Spain), there is a Muslim furnace that produces glazed pottery. Copper salts were employed for green or blue pottery, chromium salts for yellow pottery, and cobalt salts for dark blue pottery. Utensils made from this type of pottery are still manufactured in Ubeda (Jaen) according to the Spanish-Muslim tradition. Alum (jebe) was extracted in Cabo de Gata (Almeria) and the area of Niebla (Huelva), and was mostly used as a mordant in dyeing. Saltpetre was used to manufacture gunpowder for military purposes in the battle of Aledo (Murcia). Thanks to Arabic literature, we know some of the places where semiprecious and other stones were obtained: for example, the little red rubies from Montemayor (Cordova), the Lapis lazuli from Lorca (Murcia), the garnets from the Sulmo mine near Sintra (Portugal) as well as from the Granatillas stream in Almeria (Spain), the beryl (Balur, from which the Spanish word “abalario” comes) from Cabra (Cordova) and Evora (Portugal), the jet black from the lignite basin in Utrillas (Teruel), the agates from the Gata Cape (Almeria), and the variscites from Palezuelos (Zamora). The name of this province might come from the Arabic Word “zabarah” meaning emerald. Other semiprecious stones were amber-gris from the coast of Cadiz, red coral from Vera (Almeria), pearls (aljofar) from the Mediterranean coasts, magnetite (magnet stone) from Cehegin (Murcia), the Jewish stone from Alpuente Castle (Valencia), and marcasites from Ubeda (Jaen). n

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TO INDUSTRY KNOWLEDGE Peer reviewed by leaders in their fields

Mining engineering education in developing countries: the case of Iran H. Memarian Factors affecting adhesive strength of different thin spray-on liners H. Ozturk and D.D. Tannant Innovative use of SMART cable bolt data through numerical back analysis for interpretation of post failure rock mass properties J.J. Crowder, W.F. Bawden, and A.L. Coulson New technlogy for the abatment of SO2 in non-ferrous pyrometallurgical processes by a dry scrubber I. Wilkomirsky, F. Parada, and R. Parra The Noranda continuous converter at Xstrata Copper, Rouyn-Noranda— optimization of slag chemistry P. Coursol, P.J. Mackey, Y. Prévost, and M. Zamalloa

Complete papers are posted in the CIM Bulletin section of the online Technical Paper Library

www.cim.org 78

CIM Magazine n Vol. 2, N° 2

executive summaries Mining engineering education in developing countries: the case of Iran

In Iran, admission to post-secondary institutions requires passing a national entrance examination; only a portion of the huge number of applicants pass this barrier. Although all Iranian universities work at full capacity, the demand for postsecondary education far exceeds availability. Currently, the two main accredited B.Sc. level mining engineering programs in Iran are exploration and extraction. Exploration, extraction, mineral processing, rock mechanics, petroleum exploration, and exploitation are the six accredited Masterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s programs in mining engineering. A PhD program in mining is relatively recent in Iran, with the first graduate entering the job market after the year 2000. Currently, the mining engineering curriculum of Iran is significantly influenced by similar programs in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. For the past few decades, state-operated mines and agencies in Iran have been the main source of jobs for mining engineering graduates. Since 2000, the trend to privatization of the Iranian mining industry has been accelerated. In 1999, of the 2,436 operating mines, 2,027 were run by the private sector, excluding sand and gravel, decorative stones, and rubble stone mines. So far, most of the private mines are relatively small in size, with no full-time mining engineer in charge.

M I N I N G

Since the revolution of 1979, Iran has been developing a centralized higher education system. In recent years, different areas of reform have been suggested, providing incentives for public institutions to diversify sources of funding and redefine the role of government in higher education. During this time, there has been expansion of higher education institutes and a significant increase in the number of mining engineering students and graduates.

The obstacle for mining engineering education in a developing country like Iran is different from those of the industrialized world. Declines in first-year registration and the lack of funding, especially from government, are the two major pitfalls of mining education in most western countries. The consequences of these trends are the closure of some departments and layoff of faculty members and support staff. In Iran, in spite of the recent expansion of higher education, the number of applicants still far exceeds the available seats, and mining departments continue to employ new faculty members.

M E T A L

In the last few decades, many developing countries have tried to expand and improve upon higher education, which is acknowledged to be the leading factor for development. In this respect, they significantly increased the number of tertiary institutions and their students. These rapid expansions, along with all the benefits, have drawbacks as well. An example is the status of mining engineering education in Iran. This paper presents the results of research carried out for the Ministry of Industries and Mines of Iran in 1999-2000.

Institutions active in mining engineering education in selected countries in 2000

Currently, the number of active mining engineering departments in Iran (27) is more than the sum of similar departments in Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, and South Africa (23 altogether). Also, the annual number of mining graduates in Iran (645) is more than the cumulative graduates of the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia (613). The countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s motivation for development and the excessive number of high school graduates, which is the result of high population growth in the early 1980s, are the two prime factors influencing the significant expansion of mining engineering education in Iran.

H. Memarian, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

March/April 2007

executive summaries

R O C K

E N G I N E E R I N G

Factors affecting adhesive strength of different thin spray-on liners Thin spray-on liners, a new form of rock support, are receiving increasing attention by various mines around the world. Various liner materials are currently being developed and tested. They can be generically classified as multi-component polymeric materials and have applications as a replacement for either wire mesh or shotcrete. Where adequate adhesive bond to a substrate exists, thin spray-on liners have the potential to transfer or carry the dead weight of loose rock in contact with liners to stable or unfractured rock surfaces that also maintain liner contact. This paper examines factors that can affect the adhesive strength between a liner and rock surface, including choice of liner material and rock substrate. The test method is a slight modification of other methods that have been used for thin spray-on liners and is based on direct pull-off of a 33 mm diameter elevator bolt that is affixed to a liner using a strong epoxy. The liner is over-cored using a 35 mm diameter, thin-wall diamond-coring bit. The elevator bolt is then glued to the liner using a two-component epoxy. After the epoxy sets, the test specimen is clamped to a tensile loading machine and the elevator bolt is pulled at a rate of 2 mm/min., until the specimen fails. This results in specimen failure within 60 seconds of application of the load. The adhesive strength is calculated by dividing the maximum measured load by the over-core area.

Adhesion tests were conducted to assess the impact on adhesion of the presence of oil, water, and dust on a substrate, and the roughness and grain size of different substrates. Other factors, such as curing time, loading rate, and liner thickness, were also considered. Most tests were performed using Tekflex as the liner material, although five other liner products were also tested. Adhesion tests on five other liner products showed an order of magnitude range in adhesive strengths between 0.2 and over 2.4 MPa. Some liner products are weak in tension and give low adhesive strengths. This will likely preclude their use in rock support applications. Adhesive strengths of about 2 MPa can be achieved with Tekflex under optimal conditions. Other liner products were either relatively weak in tension and gave lower adhesive strengths compared to Tekflex, or had adhesive strengths that were similar or higher than Tekflex. A product for use as a thin spray-on liner for rock support applications probably requires a tensile strength greater than about 2 to 3 MPa. Good adhesion to a substrate requires even higher liner tensile strength. Where the rock surface is contaminated with dust or the rock is weak in tension, it may be difficult to reach adhesion strengths of 1 to 1.5 MPa. Based on the performance of different substrates, it appears that the rockâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tensile strength probably needs to exceed 2 MPa to ensure good adhesion. Long-term creep tests showed that the adhesive strength could drop by at least 50% when the liner carries load for about a month. As the thickness of the liner increases, the adhesive strength to a substrate also decreases. These laboratory test results have implications for liner design in the field, in that design values for adhesion probably need to be significantly reduced from those measured by the various adhesion tests that have been used to date. This new insight on lower adhesion associated with long-term sustained loading and thicker liners warrants further investigation to assess whether this phenomenon holds true under field conditions.

Adhesive strengths for Tekflex versus time to failure after application of the load

H. Ozturk, MineFill Services, Inc., Vancouver, British Columbia, and D.D. Tannant, School of Mining and Petroleum Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta

CIM Magazine n Vol. 2, NÂ° 2

executive summaries Innovative use of SMART cable bolt data through numerical back analysis for interpretation of postfailure rock mass properties

Research at the University of Toronto has developed a technique to link between the three-dimensional, linear-elastic, mining-induced stress problem and two-dimensional, non-linear modelling that accounts for the three-dimensional

High-quality instrumentation data is the key to postpeak rock mass parameter calibration. The procedures outlined in the paper highlight the need for a new hybrid numerical modelling package that can use the influence of three-dimensional, mining-induced stresses to predict displacements in, and potential failure of, rock masses surrounding mining infrastructure, in order to radically alter strategic and tactical mine design.

E N G I N E E R I N G

In certain cases, modelling of the underground mining environment requires software packages that employ non-linear constitutive models (i.e. models that allow for failure to occur). Linear-elastic models unrealistically allow for stresses to build up far beyond those at failure and, hence, do not redistribute stresses away from failed zones. The challenge with non-linear models is that they require the input of generally unknown post-peak material properties and behaviour. Models must also be three dimensional in order to capture the full state of mining-induced stress conditions due to the complex mine geometry.

stresses from mine-wide models, and allows for failure to occur. This new modelling technique has been used to explore the rock mass post-peak properties through back analyses at a case study mine. The rock mass ‘post-peak’ parameters have been calibrated using SMART cable bolt data of displacements in mining haulage drives. The key result from back analyses demonstrates that for two areas of the case study mine (separated by almost 500 m in depth, but found in the same rock unit), the post-peak generalized Hoek-Brown value of mr must be reduced significantly to simulate displacements observed in instrumentation data. Failure patterns predicted by the models using the calibrated parameters have also been verified using the spatial distribution of observed microseismic events over the same time spans.

R O C K

A significant component of underground mining costs stems from ground support in the form of rock bolts, mesh and screen, cable bolts, and shotcrete. Should any of this support approach or reach failure (stripped or broken cable bolts, severe bagging of screen, large numbers of broken rock bolts, etc.), the support needs to be rehabilitated. This rehabilitation is often much more expensive than the initial support installation, due not just to the cost of the support, but to loss of access, downtime of that area of the mine, potential for injuries, and possible lost mining revenues. Many mines use instrumentation in critical infrastructure, such as haulage drifts, crusher stations, intersections, etc., to monitor the displacement of the backs and/or walls, support loads, etc. Data is generally collected by hand from time to time and entered into a database, but is analyzed only if there is a problem (i.e. reactive engineering). Most mines today also utilize numerical modelling. These models, normally linear-elastic, are often not up to date, and modelling is often done only in reaction to a problem.

With high-quality estimates of field-scale rock mass post-peak characteristics and stress-strain behaviour, improved confidence in explicit forward modelling of ground support can be gained. This will ultimately aid in the design and optimization of rock mass support and minimize rehabilitation, hence significantly reducing mining costs. Reliable determination of ‘post-peak’ rock mass properties, using techniques described in this paper, will improve reliability in underground mine design, as well as increase safety for mining personnel. Having high-quality and reliable instrumentation that is routinely monitored and analyzed is critical to being able to perform the work described here. Research is currently heading towards real-time wireless monitoring of instruments, which can then also be fed into models in realtime.

J.J. Crowder, W.F. Bawden, and A.L. Coulson, Lassonde Institute, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario

March/April 2007

executive summaries

M E T A L L U R G Y

New technlogy for the abatment of SO2 in non-ferrous pyrometallurgical processes by a dry limestone scrubber In most non-ferrous pyrometallurgical processes, the smelting capacity depends strongly on the gas treatment facilities. In the classic pyrometallurgical production of copper from sulphide concentrates, the smelting capacity of different vessels has been increased continuously, both on flash smelting and bath smelting, with a direct increase in the demand for the neutralization of SO2. In virtually all copper smelters, the conventional technology to process the off-gases is to convert the SO2 to sulphuric acid. The increase of the smelting capacity is not necessarily aligned with an equivalent increase in the acid plant’s capacity. The technology for acid production from SO2 is a well-proven technology with less of an optimization window than the smelting technology. In this case, the enlargement of the acid plant or building a new plant might not be economically attractive. Another scenario that could negatively affect increasing the smelting capacity is when the acid markets are far from the smelters. In this case, transport costs can offset the overall operation and the acid production could become an economic burden to the smelter. Additionally, to achieve full capture of SO2, a higher volume of gases with low SO2 content have to be treated. This situation has led to the creation of a R&D program to analyze the option of reacting CaCO3 with SO2 from gasses of the smelter to form CaSO4:

the diffusion of SO2 through the anhydrite layer formed, was validated in the experimental pilot plant. The fractional conversion of spherical particles of limestone to anhydrite are expressed by:

CaCO3 + SO2(g) + 1/2O2(g) = CaSO4

1-3(1-Xi)2/3 + 2(1-Xi) = t/ti

This reaction is used in the neutralization of the SO2 generated from coal burning plants with a well-established technology and high efficiency, although the SO2 concentration is very low, normally below 0.1 vol.%, while in copper smelters gases range from 2 to 25 vol.%. This makes a difference in the equilibrium conditions and the kinetics. It is not possible to make direct extrapolation of the high efficiency achieved.

where Xi is the fractional conversion of limestone to anhydrite; t is the time to achieve the conversion Xi; and ti is the time to achieve the complete conversion for a given particle size i.

This paper presents the results of the steps developed to propose a technology to treat gases with high SO2 content in a fluidized bed system. An initial basic laboratory study obtained the necessary physical chemistry information for the sulphation of limestone with concentrated SO2 gases. This information was the basis for designing and operating a three-stage semi-pilot fluidized bed prototype reactor that was used to develop the required technology. The unreacted core model, controlled by

I. Wilkomirsky, F. Parada, and R. Parra, University of Concepción, Concepción, Chile 82

A three-stage fluidized bed pilot plant under construction at Codelco’s El Teniente Caletones copper smelter

The semi-pilot runs give results for the conversion of limestone to anhydrite and SO2 capture. A compromise between these two parameters has to be reached ensuring a high efficiency of SO2 capture, which could represent, for some cases, a low conversion of limestone. The parameters that control each of them are the mean reaction time which, from the operational side, are the velocity of the gas, which also depends on the fluidization regime, and the feed rate for the limestone. A complete analysis of the pilot plant threestep continuous fluidized bed reactor is presented where the temperature, SO2 content (2 to 8 vol.%), gas velocity, feed rate, and quality of limestone were tested. The semi-pilot unit was scaled up to a pilot unit built in Codelco’s Caletones smelter in order to validate the results. Virtually, a complete capture of SO2 is possible from gases with low or high SO2 content. The final product, a blend of unreacted CaCO3 and CaSO4, is a non-hazardous product with potential commercial value. CIM Magazine n Vol. 2, N° 2

executive summaries The Noranda continuous converter at Xstrata Copper, Rouyn-Noranda— optimization of slag chemistry M E T A L L U R G Y

Xstrata Copper’s Horne smelter treats a wide range of copper concentrates and other copper-containing recyclable materials imported from many parts of the world. The recyclable materials include metallic alloys, spent slags, and catalysts, as well as used electronic components containing copper and/or precious metals. The plant feed material, totalling some 780 kt/y, is smelted in the Noranda process reactor where a 73% Cu matte is produced (215 kt/y), along with reactor slag. The reactor matte, containing about 3% Fe and 21% S along with small amounts of impurity elements like Pb, Zn, etc., is tapped and conveniently transferred within the same building to the Noranda converter (NCV) for conversion to a blister copper. As well as handling liquid matte, the NCV, which was commissioned in 1997, was also designed to handle a certain amount of solid copper-containing materials, such as crushed matte, or other materials that may be beneficially treated in the NCV rather than in the Noranda process reactor. The NCV blister copper is tapped periodically from the vessel and transferred to the pyro-refining vessels for desulphurization and impurity control. Finally, the copper is transferred to the anode furnaces for final deoxidation using natural gas injection prior to anode casting. The anodes produced at the Horne Smelter are shipped to Xstrata Copper’s refinery in Montreal, where high-grade cathode copper is produced by electro-refining, along with the recovery of precious metals. Thorough knowledge of both the process control parameters and smelting physico-chemistry of the NCV has been beneficial to help meet the required matte capacity while maintaining plant flexibility. In this regard, some level of predictive knowledge related to slag chemistry, in particular the liquid and solid phases such as silica, spinels, or olivines, has been found to be beneficial.

The Noranda continuous converter commissioned in 1997 at Xstrata Copper’s Horne smelter, Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec

Over the last decade or so, the availability of commercial thermodynamic modelling packages, such as FactSage™, have been utilized with the advantage of helping the plant optimize slag chemistry and minimize slag handling issues that can arise, such as those due to a process upset, for example, by undue feed variability. This paper illustrates the application of this software in examining a range of NCV operating parameters, such as the %Fe/SiO2 ratio in the slag, and the level of minor gangue components in the slag, including CaO, Al2O3, ZnO, MgO, and PbO. The conditions influencing the slag liquidus ranges of NCV slags are discussed with respect to the overall process chemistry. Given that a sufficiently low %Fe/SiO2 ratio is used in NCV slag, most components such as CaO-ZnO-PbO-Al2O3MgO, in small concentration, help in lowering the NCV slag liquidus. Considering the present level of these minor components, the NCV can operate consistently at 1200°C if the %Fe/SiO2 is between 0.6 and 0.8 in the slag. Using the type of phase diagrams presented in this paper, it is possible to develop different Noranda reactor/Noranda converter operating strategies adapted to the feedstocks available at Xstrata mines and plants or from other sources.

P. Coursol, P.J. Mackey, Xstrata—Process Support, Falconbridge, Ontario, Y. Prévost, Xstrata Copper—Fonderie Horne, Rouyn-Noranda, Québec, and M. Zamalloa, Xstrata Nickel—Falcondo Smelter, Bonao, Dominican Republic March/April 2007

emg abstracts

Exploration and Mining Geology Journal Volume 15—Numbers 1 and 2 A Method of Appraising Lost Production for Mined-Through Coal-Bed Methane Wells Philip W. Johnson and Charles D. Haynes, Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering, University of Alabama The coalbed methane industry has become a prominent source of domestic natural gas, with its technology having evolved over the past 30 years. Whereas most coalbed methane wells are able to produce without major interruption over their economic lives, wells operating in an underground mining area are subject to being mined-through. If mine-through occurs, the productivity of the well is at least compromised, and may even be terminated. The economic consequences of mine-through may be relatively simple if mineral ownership and extraction rights are common for the coal and coalbed methane. However, if ownership is not common and a superior coalbed methane lease exists, the coalbed methane ownership must be compensated for lost production caused by mine-through. This paper presents a relatively straightforward method to calculate the value of the lost production caused by the mine-through. It uses technology from mining and petroleum engineering, as well as simple economics and financial management techniques. Genetic Model and Exploration Guidelines for Kaolin Beneath Unconformities in the Lower Cretaceous Fluvial Chaswood Formation, Nova Scotia T. Hundert, Department of Geology, Saint Mary’s University, D.J. Piper, Geological Survey of Canada (Atlantic), Bedford Institute of Oceanography, and G. Pe-Piper, Department of Geology, Saint Mary’s University Potentially commercial deposits of kaolin are found in the fluvial Lower Cretaceous Chaswood Formation, the sedimentologically proximal equivalent of deltaic sediments of the offshore Scotian basin. The geological setting of the kaolin deposits has been interpreted from high-resolution seismic-reflection profiles and boreholes, and mineralogical studies on one reference borehole. The highest-grade kaolin deposits are found in areas close to river belts, where overbank muds were not sufficiently drained to develop paleosols, but where later uplift created intraformational unconformities. In the sandstone, meteoric water flow altered feldspars to kaolin, thus yielding commercial silica sand deposits. It also altered ilmenite to rutile, which is concentrated as secondary placers in modern rivers that have eroded the Chaswood Formation and tills derived therefrom. 3-D Integrated Geological Modeling in the Abitibi Subprovince (Québec, Canada): Techniques and Applications F. Fallara, URSTM-UQAT, Unité de recherche et de service en technologie minérale, Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue, M. Legault, MRNF, Ministère des Ressources naturelles et de la faune, and O. Rabeau, URSTM-UQAT, Unité de recherche et de service en technologie minérale, Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue The development of robust 3-D geological models involves the integration of large amounts of public geological data, as well as additional accessible proprietary lithological, structural, geochemical, geophysical, and diamond drill hole data. 3-D models and maps have been available, particularly in the petroleum industry, for more than 10 years. Here, we demonstrate how robust 3-D maps can be used as interactive tools for mineral deposits exploration. In particular, we show how the interrogation of 3D data sets can constrain exploration targets at depth. This paper presents two examples of 3-D models used for mineral exploration: the Joutel VMS mining camp and the Duparquet gold camp, Quebec. In both examples, the creation of the model is discussed and queries specific to the relevant exploration model are introduced. Eight potential exploration targets are generated at Joutel and seven at Duparquet. Although the targets defined are dependent on the details of the chosen queries, it is apparent that this techExcerpts taken from abstracts in EMG, Vol. 15, Nos. 1 and 2. nique has the potential to generate promising exploration Subscribe—www.cim.org/geosoc/indexEMG.cfm activity that can engender new targets. 84

CIM Magazine n Vol. 2, N° 2

cmq abstracts

Canadian Metallurgical Quarterly Volume 46—Number 1 Hydrothermal Synthesis and Stability Evaluation of Mansfieldite in Comparison to Scorodite J.F. Le Berre, T.C. Cheng, R. Gauvin, and G.P. Demopoulos, McGill University

Depletion of Carbon from Al2O3-C Mixtures into Liquid Iron: Rate Controlling Mechanisms V. Sahajwalla, R. Khanna, University of New South Wales, E. Kapilashrami, and S. Seetharaman, Royal Institute of Technology

The hydrothermal synthesis and stability evaluation of mansfieldite is described. The synthesis involves hydrothermal precipitation at 160°C from equimolar nitrate solutions over a period of 24 hours. X-ray diffraction characterization showed that synthesized mansfieldite material has the same structural characteristics as mansfieldite mineral. The product was found to consist of individual crystals of 1 to 4 mm. Long-term leachability studies (up to six weeks) in the pH range of 5 to 9 at 22°C determined mansfieldite to be more reactive than scorodite and hence not a satisfactory carrier for the fixation of arsenic in the environment.

Asessile drop investigation on the kinetics of carbon dissolution from an alumina-carbon composite and a commercial refractory into liquid iron at 1,600°C is reported. Experimental studies were supplemented with atomistic Monte Carlo simulations to investigate the influence of composition, temperature, and melt turbulence. While mass transfer was the dominant rate controlling mechanism for high carbon systems, poor wettability of alumina with liquid iron and its significant influence on inhibiting the penetration of liquid iron in the refractory matrix was found to be the dominant rate controlling factor for low carbon refractories.

In-Flight Thermal Plasma Processing of Prereduced Ilmenite to Produce Titania Rich Slag R.K. Galgali, S. Bhattacharjee, S.K. Singh, P.K. Mishra, Regional Research Laboratory, and T.K. Mukherjee, Indian Rare Earths Limited

The Changing Canadian Nickel Smelting Landscape— Late 19th Century to Early 21st Century S.W. Marcuson, CVRD Inco, and C.M. Díaz

Synthetic rutile is produced all over the world by processing ilmenite through conventional chloride and sulphate routes. In both processes, considerable amounts of iron chloride/sulphate and spent acids are produced as by-products. Metallic iron is produced as a by-product of carbothermic smelting of ilmenite and enriching titania content of slag to 75% to 85%. Processing of titania-rich slag reduces the generation of pollutants considerably. In this paper, an alternate method of preparing titania-rich slag by in-flight thermal plasma processing of prereduced ilmenite is presented. A New Process for the Production of Ferrotitanium from Titania Slag M. Pourabdoli, S. Raygan, H. Abdizadeh, University of Tehran, and K. Hanaei, Iranian Academic Center for Education, Culture and Research (ACECR) In this research, ferrotitanium was produced from titania slag by an aluminothermic process in an Electro Slag Crucible Melting (ESCM) furnace. The effect of Al and flux additions on titanium recovery, ferrotitanium yield, and Ti/Al ratio were studied. It was found that an increase in Al amount led to a decrease in Ti recovery and Ti/Al ratio, in addition to an increase in ferrotitanium yield. X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns of the ferrotitanium slag showed that the titanium recovery declined due to the formation of titanium suboxides and tialite in slag.

March/April 2007

This paper discusses the factors that have influenced the evolution of nickel smelting processes. In the last few decades, new technologies were developed and commercialized to respond to the raising costs of energy, pressing societal environmental concerns, the advent of nickel laterites as an important source of new metal, the incorporation of new nickel producers to the market and, therefore, the need to increase productivity. In this paper, the authors review this history with the objective of highlighting the forces that have triggered the most important changes in Canadian nickel smelting. Constitutive Behaviour of Two High-Mn-Al TWIP Steels at Hot Rolling Temperatures A.S. Hamada, L.P. Karjalainen and M.C. Somani, University of Oulu High-temperature flow behaviour and recrystallization kinetics of two high Mn Al-bearing twinning induced plasticity steels, 25Mn6Al and 30Mn4.5Al4Cr (in wt%) have been investigated using hot compression testing and compared with 25Mn and 25Mn3Al steels. Al alloying affected the initial flow stress levels, but, at higher strains, 25Mn6Al and 30Mn4.5Al4Cr showed intermediate or even the lowest flow stresses whereas 25Mn3Al possessed the highest flow resistance. The static recrystallization rate was the fastest while ferrite was present, but otherwise, Al or Cr had only small effects.

cmq abstracts

Comparison of Final Properties between Conventional TRIP and Tempered Martensite Assisted Steels (TMAS) J. Vikram, A.M. Elwazri, McGill University, E. Essadiqi, Materials Technology Laboratory–CANMET, and S. Yue, McGill University

Thermal Degradation and Fire Performance of WaterBased Intumescent Coatings with Flake Fillers in Humid Tropical Conditions Zhenyu Wang, Enhou Han, and Wei Ke, Chinese Academy of Sciences

This paper focuses on the influence of tempered martensite volume fraction on the final properties of cold-rolled and subcritically annealed Al-containing Transformation Induced Plasticity steel (TRIP), otherwise called TMAS. In this work, an X-ray diffraction technique was used to measure retained austenite volume fractions of all samples after TRIP annealing. Shear punch testing was used to evaluate the mechanical properties. The properties of the conventional TRIP steel and TMAS are compared and the results are discussed.

The study reports on the preparation and characterization of water-based intumescent coatings modified by flake fillers. The effects of humid tropical conditions on mechanical properties, thermal degradation, and fire performance of ammonium polyphosphate-dipentaerythritol-melamine (APP-DPER-MEL) coating, without and with flake fillers, were investigated. These tests indicated that corrosive media in humid tropical conditions damaged the chemical action of ammonium polyphosphate, dipentaerythritol, and melamine in conventional APPPER-MEL coatings, whereas flame retardant additives in flame retardant coatings modified by flake fillers could still maintain very good chemical interaction and thermal degradation characteristics even after a 600-hour humid tropical test.

Effect of Prestraining on the Natural Ageing and Artificial Ageing of an Al-Mg-Si Alloy AA6022 C.H. Shen and B.L. Ou, National Central University The effect of prestraining on the natural ageing and artificial ageing of an aluminum alloy 6022 (Al-0.6 Mg-1.0 Si) has been investigated in this study. Tensile tests and microhardness measurements were performed to determine the mechanical properties of the samples. The results indicate that the dislocations would not only suppress clustering during natural ageing, but would also provide heterogeneous nucleation sites. Two per cent prestraining leads to a significant reduction in the detrimental effects of 30 days of natural ageing on the artificial ageing at 170°C for 30 minutes. A Study of Oxidation of Ductile Iron Alloyed with Molybdenum, Silicon and Aluminum C.R. Cvetnic, C. Ravindran, Ryerson University, and A. McLean, University of Toronto

Impact-Corrosion Abrasion Characteristics and Mechanisms Lining Board Steels D.U. Xiao-Dong, Hefei University of Technology The impact corrosion-abrasion characteristics of low-carbon high-alloy steels, high-manganese steels, and medium-carbon steels have been investigated using different impact energies in an acid-ironstone slurry. It was shown that the mass loss from the impact corrosion-abrasion of the three steels increased with the impact energy. When the impact energy were increased up to 3.5 J, the mechanism was found to be changed into fatigue spalling of work-hardened layers and corrosion for low-carbon high-alloy steels, deep fatigue spalling and heavy corrosion for high-manganese steels, and deep brittle spalling and heavy corrosion for medium-carbon alloy steels.

Ductile iron alloys containing molybdenum and different combinations of aluminum and silicon were cast at 1,350°C, 1,400°C, and 1,450°C into step blocks. Specimens obtained from each experimental group were oxidized at 700°C, 800°C, 900°C, 1,000°C, and 1,100°C. The effects of alloy chemistry, pouring temperature, and casting thickness on the oxidation of each specimen were investigated. Of the different alloys investigated, the strongest resistance to oxidation was exhibited by iron samples alloyed with 4.5Si and 3.0Al. Excerpts taken from abstracts in CMQ, Vol. 46, No. 1. Subscribe—www.cmq-online.ca

CIM Magazine n Vol. 2, N° 2

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Sustainable mining for a growing world by David Rodier, senior consultant, Hatch Associates

We are certainly living in interesting times! One of the strong current trends is the new traction for sustainability, thanks in some measure to Al Gore and his push for awareness on climate change, the better understanding of society’s impact on the global environment, and the new focus of mainstream politicians on the topic. The good news is that this new emphasis makes imminent sense. It is not about doing good or tree hugging, but about improved economics with lower costs and reduced risks, with the added bonus of leaving a more sustainable future to our grandchildren. After 30 plus years in non-ferrous operations (copper and zinc), I was given the opportunity to lead my corporation in its sustainability activites, something that I frankly didn’t think, at the time, would lead to anything. But with understanding comes commitment and excitement. I have spent the last nine years learning about sustainable development, measuring our impacts, and lending a hand to its promotion internally at my original employer (Noranda Inc.), externally in our industry through the Global Mining Initiative, the International Council for Mining and Metals (ICMM), and the Mining Association of Canada (MAC), and currently with Hatch engineering consultants. At Hatch, the sustainable development activity breaks into two groupings; intergated risk management and design for sustainability. Let’s concentrate on two hot topical issues, namely energy and climate change, and population growth and urbanization.

Energy and climate change There is a growing consensus that climate change is happening. There is also no denying that carbon dioxide (CO2) is increasing in the atmosphere. Our fundamental problem is that the half life of CO2 is over 200 years so that the current increase will be with us for several generations, even if we were to cut our emissions immediately. A major reduction will not happen overnight and the cost of energy will continually increase. This gives us two immediate priorities—preparing for a carbon-constrained future and adapting to the forecast impacts of climate change. Simultaneously, we must find ways to reduce the emissions of greenhouse gases so that the overall CO2 increase can be stemmed. Making a concerted effort on energy conservation in all areas will achieve both lower emissions and energy cost reductions. This needs to be complemented by a prolonged progam to develop renewable, nonemitting energy supplies and carbon sequestration technologies. At Hatch, we have been promoting the use of design to improve life cycle operating costs for new plants, with a focus on lowering the ecological footprint of processes and plants, by 90

reducing energy and water consumption, emissions, and improving metal recoveries. Reduced operating costs, for energy and water, is “a gift that keeps on giving” throughout the life of the plant. In every conservation effort, we start with the easily identified low-hanging fruit, followed by organizational change in the business and processing practices, and then finally instituting fundamental changes in the design and technology of processes. The overiding thought that we promote is that challenges, when properly understood, can provide opportunities. Our evolving design approach is to start with a charrette-type discussion with our clients to effectively position the project to be more competitive for its useful life. Using the client’s sustainability objectives, the key steps are: identify the strategic risks and opportunities; generate a roster of alternative processes and design alternatives; rank the alternatives on potential risks against the client’s sustainability objectives; and subsequently evaluate them on technical feasability and costs. The most appropriate time to do this, is at the conceptual phase. Success in using this approach will provide the client with an operation that will be cost competitive for its normal capital life, often without increasing capital cost over a conventional design.

Population growth and urbanization The most critical factor facing society today is population growth. If we refer to current statistics, one billion people of our six billion total do not have access to safe water. An additional 1.5 billion have no sewage treatment. Both factors contribute to serious health issues. An equal number of the population have access to only the most rudimentary energy source, biofuels, which contribute to local deforestration and domestic internal air pollution. This situation will be exacerbated by the population increase to nine billion between 2030 and 2050. Most of the increase will be in urban areas where expectations for improved living standards attract the influx. This will raise the need for all commodities, to enable society to supply the basic needs for housing, transportation, and utilities—a good story for our industry. The urban population density can lead to opportunities for efficiencies in providing utilities with such examples as combined heat and power and high-rise housing, which lowers the surface footprint per capita. The downside of urbanization is the concentration of the negative effects on the local biosphere. Recently, expanded cities in China and Latin America demonstrate the impacts on air quality, and the lack of adequate water, sewage, and energy infrastructure. Secure metal supply will be essential to making the new mega cities more inhabitable. Metals also have the advantage of being durable and recyclable, resulting in returning to their original properties. If we continue on the right path, our industry will continue to be an essential cog in the development of a better life for society. n CIM Magazine n Vol. 2, N° 2

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When you work with the Cat Global Mining team, you get more than quality products and services; you get a team solely focused on the mining business. Recently, when the global tire shortage threatened mining operations all over the world, Cat Global Mining, Cat Global Purchasing and our Dealer Network worked closely with suppliers and customers to develop alternatives–like bias tires instead of radial, alternate tire sizes, retread options and bringing on new suppliers. Together we also developed ways to extend tire life–like adjusting loads, improving haul roads and training drivers on how their driving can decrease wear. Through these practices, mine sites documented up to 15% improvements in tire life. Teamwork provides results. Teamwork keeps the mining industry moving forward.

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