CIM Magazine June/July 2007

PRELIMINARY PROGRAM

07

Conference of Metallurgists

hosting the 6th International Copper/Cobre Conference

February/février June/July • juin/juillet 2006 2007

www.cim.org

Mastering the global market

NovaGold

hits the big time

Le gros lot pour NovaGold

A hard look at corporate social responsibility

Publications Mail No. 40062547

Coup d'oeil sans complaisance sur la responsabilité sociale des sociétés

Cheers to 50 years of mining excellence Congratulations to our partner Québec Cartier Mining on their Golden Anniversary.

Bravo pour 50 ans d’excellence dans le domaine minier Félicitations à notre partenaire la Compagnie minière Québec Cartier pour leur cinquantenaire.

Sandvik Mining and Construction 345 Patton Drive SW • Atlanta, GA 30336 • 800.826.7625 • 404.589.3800 www.sandvik.com • info.smc-us@sandvik.com 100 Magill Street • Lively, ON P3Y 1K7 • 705.692.5881 www.sandvik.com • smc.canada@sandvik.com © 2007 Sandvik Mining and Construction

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

On your mark s the CIM Conference and Exhibition came to a close this past May 2, we had some pretty grand ideas that the pace of work would calm down a bit, allowing us to regroup and assume the pace of a long distance runner—one without the breakneck speed of a sprinter. However, we quickly realized we were fooling ourselves.

Like the rest of our industry, it is a hectic game of keeping up the pace to maximize on the great spirit driving mining these days. And we’re not even in the game of constructing billion-dollar projects or supplying world-class equipment and expertise.

Everywhere you turn, remarkable things are happening throughout the industry. New projects are coming down the pipeline. The article on NovaGold, on page 22, is a testimony to the exceptional work that’s ensuring a bright future for mining. Suppliers and consultants are making their mark on the international playing field. Our special section on Exporting and the global market, beginning on page 12, highlights the challenges and golden opportunities of developing your business abroad. And this heightened level of productivity is being achieved with a focus on responsible practices, beyond that recognized by the public at large. There are studies to prove it: Explorers on the front lines, on page 44, covers the findings of a study of human rights complaints and corporate social responsibility of the mining industry around the world.

Through it all, CIM’s role is to help foster knowledge sharing and enable networking. Our conferences are key events towards these goals, and the next one, the Conference of Metallurgists hosting Copper 2007, will be an international event bringing the best of the business together in Toronto this August.

Congratulations to the conference organizers and MetSoc staff—I look forward to the event; the breadth of knowledge encompassed in the technical program is outstanding.

A special thanks to Jon Baird of CAMESE for his assistance on building the Exporting section. It’s through volunteers’ help that we can try to share new insights with CIM members.

A

Enjoy the summer!

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 Photo courtesy of NovaGold.

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

4

CIM Magazine n Vol. 2, Nº 4

42

26 Feature 22

Conference of Metallurgists 2007

Preliminary program on page

hosting the 6th International Copper/Cobre Conference

NovaGold: major developments made green by C. Hersey 28

42

NovaGold : de grands développements verts

Explorers on the front lines—the truth behind human rights complaints and corporate social responsibility in our industry by C. Odell and A.C. Silva 48

Les explorateurs aux premières lignes : la vérité sur les plaintes concernant les droits de le personne et la responsabilité sociale des entreprises minières

News 10 Alcoa launches new clean technology 11 Gibraltar expansion underway by H. Ednie

Exporting and the global market 12 15 18 20

Living the high life—international experience adds spice to Canadians’ careers by D. Zlotnikov Taxes for the Canadian abroad by D. Zlotnikov Exporting Canadian mining expertise around the globe by H. Eve Robinson Getting it there: some challenges of equipment logistics and export by D. Zlotnikov

Columns 30 31 32 34 35 36 38 39 98 41

Mining Lore by A. Nichiporuk HR Outlook by L. Chatigny MAC Economic Commentary by P. Stothart Eye on Business by J. Lewis The Supply Side by J. Baird Innovation Page by T. Skinner and G. Winkel Standards by D. McCombe Engineering Exchange by H. Weldon Voices from Industry by V. Goncalves Student Life by B.W. Haley

CIM News 51 51 52 52

CIM welcomes new members CIM student poster winners New scholarship and more at CMMF AGM Obituaries

June/July 2007

History 84 The Basalt Controversy IV (Part 18) by R.J. Cathro 87 The Chilean Mill or Trapiche by J.G. Watt

Technical Section 89 This month’s contents

Departments Editor’s Message 4 President’s Observations/Mot du président 6 Letters to the Editor 8 Calendar 55 Professional Directory 97

5

president’s notes Guiding the performance of CIM

Jim Popowich CIM President Président de l’ICM

Hello to all CIM members. This is the first of a series of articles that will come from my pen over the next year. I look forward to communicating with you as your past president, François Pelletier, has done over the past year. Thanks, François, for a job well done!

Over the past few years, the corporate world has gone through a number of changes to reflect the heightened attention to business ethics and good governance (the Sarbanes-Oxley world). CIM, in the not-for-profit world, is no different in that while we might not have the same business drivers, we are nonetheless under similar obligations in our accountability to our shareholders—our members.

A number of good governance activities were initiated during the past year to ensure we meet new standards as well as ensuring our members have the utmost confidence in our executive team and CIM Council. Our Council (in effect, our board of directors) is ultimately responsible for the performance of CIM, its societies, and branches. So it was incumbent upon us to become educated in the good governance needs of our business going forward. We invited help from Mel Gill of Synergy Associates, a professor of the elements of good governance at Queen’s University. He has pointed us in the right direction to achieve our objectives—to ensure we have good policies, practices, and systems in place.

A second outcome of our work on governance was better understanding of the roles and responsibilities of staff and Council members. To have a seat on Council carries with it a responsibility for directing the affairs of CIM. But it goes beyond that, as we want our Council members to be comfortable in the role they have and to enjoy the comraderie of their peers. Being on Council is a voluntary role and we intend to make it a positive experience for all. It’s also a leadership role, with the chance to make a difference. A position on Council means setting an example and being a role model for the leaders of the future.

Over the next year, I look forward to talking to you on a number of issues, with a focus on the sustainability of the resource industry and, in particular, CIM within the industry. We at CIM want to continue to work hard to support individual and corporate members. Working with you, we believe we will have the continuing opportunity for knowledge transfer and just being better at what we do.

mot du président

Bonjour à tous les membres de l’ICM. Voici la première d’une série de chroniques que j’aurai le plaisir d’écrire au cours de la prochaine année. Je me propose de communiquer avec vous tout comme l’a fait notre président sortant, François Pelletier, durant l’année qui vient de s’écouler. Merci François pour ton excellent travail!

Au cours des dernières années, le monde des affaires a procédé à de nombreux changements dans le but de refléter l’attention accrue qui doit être accordée à l’éthique des affaires et à la bonne gouvernance (conformément aux dispositions de la loi fédérale américaine Sarbanes-Oxley). Même si l’ICM est un organisme sans but lucratif, il ne peut se soustraire à ces lignes de bonne conduite. En effet, même si l’ICM ne poursuit pas les mêmes objectifs d’affaires que les entreprises privées, il demeure tout de même imputable envers ses « actionnaires », ou si vous préférez ses membres. À ce sujet, mentionnons qu’un bon nombre d’initiatives de bonne gouvernance ont été mises de l’avant au cours de la dernière année pour nous assurer que nous répondions à ces nouvelles normes et que nos membres aient une confiance inébranlable envers notre équipe de direction et le Conseil de l’ICM. Après tout, c’est notre conseil d’administration qui, ultimement, est responsable du rendement de l’ICM, de ses sociétés et de ses sections. Il nous a donc fallu nous renseigner sur les besoins de bonne gouvernance qui se rattachent à nos activités pour que nous puissions continuer de progresser. Ainsi, nous avons demandé de l’aide à Mel Gill, de Synergy Associates, qui enseigne les règles de bonne gouvernance à l’université Queen’s. Il nous a indiqué les chemins à prendre pour atteindre notre objectif qui est de voir à ce que nous ayons les bonnes politiques, les bonnes pratiques et les bons systèmes en place.

Un second volet de notre travail sur la bonne gouvernance portait sur une meilleure compréhension des rôles et responsabilités de nos employés et des membres du Conseil. Tout membre du Conseil a la responsabilité de diriger les affaires de l’ICM. Bien sûr, nous tenons aussi à ce que les membres du Conseil soient à l’aise dans leur rôle et profitent de la camaraderie de leurs pairs. Être membre du Conseil est une activité bénévole et nous voulons que cette activité soit une expérience enrichissante pour tous les intéressés. Les membres du Conseil ont un rôle de leadership à jouer et la chance de faire la différence. Être membre du Conseil signifie donner l’exemple et être un modèle de rôle pour nos leaders de demain.

Au cours de la prochaine année, j’aborderai différents thèmes tout en cherchant à mettre l’accent sur la durabilité de l’industrie des ressources et, aussi, sur le rôle de l’ICM au sein de l’industrie. À l’ICM, nous voulons continuer de travailler fort pour soutenir nos membres individuels et moraux. En travaillant avec vous, nous croyons que nous aurons l’occasion de continuer d’assurer la transmission des connaissances et de mieux faire notre travail.

Assurer la bonne marche de l’ICM

6

CIM Magazine n Vol. 2, N° 4

Efficient technologies...

Process expertise

IsaMillTM

Jameson Cell

High Intensity, Low Cost, High Grade, High Efficiency Grinding High Capacity Flotation

ISASMELT TM High Intensity Smelting

High Energy Efficiency

No Moving Parts

High Productivity

Inert Media Improves Process Chemistry

Compact, Low Capital and Operating Costs

Low Capital and Operating Costs

Accurate Scale-up

Self-aspirating

Low Cost Installation

Small Footprint

Tankhouse Technology Combining The Best

Lower Capital Costs

Low Power Usage

Lower Environmental Impact Atmospheric Pressure

Operational Versatility

Easy to Automate

Accurate Scale-up

Internal Centrifugal Classifier – Retains Media Without Screens

Small Bubble Size – Fast Fines Flotation

Highly Automated Control

Frothwashing

Rapid Ramp Up to Design Capacity

Long Life Cathode

> 1,000,000 tpa feed rate

Current Efficiency over Life Cycle

www.isasmelt.com

www.isaprocess.com

Multiple Grinding Stages – Sharp Size Distribution Without Need for Classification www.isamill.com

www.jamesoncell.com

Low Maintenance

Ph: +61 7 3833 8500 Ph: +905 281 9063 Ph: +56 2 478 22 11

Email: xstratatech@xstrata.com.au

Fax: +61 7 3833 8555 Fax: +905 896 9380 Fax: +56 2 478 22 30

Website: www.xstratatech.com

High Availability

Core Resources is the exclusive global agent for the Albion Process Technology

Process technologies developed on Xstrata sites to be the best and toughest on earth. We specialise in transferring our expertise to your site.

Xstrata Technology Australia Xstrata Technology Canada Xstrata Technology Chile

Simple Processing

Safe and Operator Friendly

Simple Maintenance

Small footprint, low cost additions to existing circuits

Simplicity in Leaching

High Performance Cathode Alternatives

Can Use Low Cost Fuel

Large Scale Mills (3.0MW)

Albion Process

www.albionprocess.com

letters QPs under discussion Dear Editor: I have a comment regarding your excellent article describing the role of Qualified Persons. The emphasis on the qualifications and knowledge of the QPs is very important and applies equally well for patent filing. It is possible for the inventor or QP to be misquoted making the patent invalid. While patents are not a valuable portion of valuation, they are very important for fund raising.

Best Regards, James W. Reeves General Partner, 3R Associates

CIM Branch makes a difference Dear Mr. Don Croteau, Thank you so much for your generous donation to the Sudbury Regional Science Fair. We were the recipients of your award and we are extremely grateful. We look forward to using your funding to advance and improve our project.

You may be interested in knowing that we are moving on to National Science Fair, which is being held in Truro, NS. Thanks to your contribution, the future looks bright for young engineers/scientists like us.

CIM members take notice!

The CIM Directory will now be published with the December/January issue of CIM Magazine.

You have until August 15 to update your membership profile.

Sincerely, Ian Walker and Scott Denniston (Project 1305–From Trash to Cash)

“I’ve told you to store your flotation-frother samples at the mill… not here beside my dishwasher soap.”

8

Go to www.cim.org and click on 'Update your membership profile.'

CIM Magazine n Vol. 2, Nº 4

Xstrata Process Support Independent Consulting and Testwork Services.

Xstrata Process Support (XPS) is an expert group based in Sudbury (Ontario) Canada and at various operating sites around the world.

We are available to provide quality technical expertise for orebody characterisation, operational support, growth initiatives, and project development in the following commodity areas: • • • • • •

Nickel Copper Zinc Gold PGMs Industrial Minerals

We have available a diverse mix of disciplinary expertise, plant operating skills, and knowledge of milling and metallurgical operations. Accordingly XPS operates four business groups: • • • •

Process Mineralogy—mineral processing, mineralogy, sampling and applied statistics.

Extractive Metallurgy—hydrometallurgical and pyrometallurgical testing, process modeling, and on-site support.

Process Control—process control and automation technologies, and engineering solutions.

Materials Technology—materials engineering for the selection and testing of materials of construction, failure analysis and equipment monitoring.

Our method and approach has been proven to add value and reduce risk. Contact us for further details…

Xstrata Process Support XPS Centre, Falconbridge, Ontario, Canada, P0M 1S0 Tel: +1(705) 699 3400 Fax: +1(705) 699 3431 info@xstrataprocesssupport.ca www.xstrata.com

“Adding value.

Reducing risk…”

news

Alcoa launches new clean technology

Giving back

operations in Australia alone could potentially save 300,000 tons of CO2 annually.

The ‘Carbon Capture’ system was developed by Alcoa’s Technology Delivery Group, the company’s global refining research and development unit, based in Australia. Bauxite residue is a mixture of minerals, the by-product of when alumina is removed from bauxite.

Although it is thoroughly washed, the residue retains some alkaline liquor and requires long-term storage. By mixing CO2 into the bauxite residue, its pH level is reduced to levels found naturally in alkaline soils. A second sustainability benefit is the improvement of environmental properties of the residue, which means it also can be beneficially used as road base, building materials, or to improve soil.

Alcoa plans to share the technology within the aluminum industry. CIM

Caterpillar donates chopper

Chen new president

Roberts signs on

Jinsheng Chen was appointed president of West Hawk’s China operations.

Formerly with Asian American Coal Company, Chen will be responsible for China activities and be involved in the development of the Colorado East and Northwest Territories coal gasification projects.

Aurora Energy Resources appointed John Roberts to the position of vice president, environment. Roberts was director of environment and energy at the Conference Board of Canada prior to joining Aurora.

dent, CEO, and director of Viceroy Exploration. Downey was also recently appointed to Sutcliffe Resources’ board of directors.

Alcoa has launched an innovative new technology at its Kwinana alumina refinery in Western Australia that has the potential to deliver significant global greenhouse gas benefits and will contribute to a reduction in the aluminum industry’s environmental footprint.

Alcoa’s ‘Carbon Capture’ system is a residue treatment process that involves mixing bauxite residue, a byproduct of the aluminum-making process, with carbon dioxide. This locks up large volumes of CO2 that would otherwise be released into the atmosphere. The Kwinana carbonation plant will lock up 70,000 tons of CO2 per year, the equivalent of eliminating the emissions of 17,500 automobiles.

As part of its ongoing commitment to reduce its global emissions, Alcoa has plans to deploy the technology to its nine alumina refineries worldwide.

Deployment across the company’s

Back in 2005, Orange County Choppers fabricated the ‘CAT Chopper’ (actually, it was two bikes) for Caterpillar. Since then, the bikes have been used to help raise money for numerous charities. One lucky charity, the Victory Junction Gang Camp for seriously ill children, was recently the recipient of one of the choppers.

Employees give back Last year was record breaking for ATCO Employees Participating in Communities, who raised almost $1.5 million for Alberta charities and communities. Over 450 charities and communities throughout the province benefited from the 2006 campaign. As well, through the ATCO Employee Volunteer Recognition Program, the company donates $150 for every 50 hours of volunteer work.

Movin’ on up

Pelletier becomes president and CEO CIM Past President François Pelletier was named president and CEO of Québec Cartier Mining Company. He held numerous positions since joining QCM in 1976, and had most recently been promoted to COO last October.

Pelletier takes on this new position following the retirement of Jacques Chabanier.

10

Gammon Lake appoints CEO Russell Barwick, former executive vice president and COO of Wheaton River Minerals–Goldcorp, accepted the position of CEO and director of the board of Gammon Lake Resources.

New at Southwestern Giovanni Susin was appointed vice president, finance, and CFO of Southwestern Resources. He has been with the company since 2000. The latest addition to Southwestern Resources BOD is Patrick Downey, formerly presi-

New position for Montpellier Louis Montpellier became Red Dragon Resources’ new corporate secretary. He has been an advisor to the mining industry for more than 25 years.

Advisory board’s new members Hard Creek’s advisory board welcomed three new members. R. Stuart Angus was managing director of mergers and acquisitions at Endeavor Financial. Tom Milner is president of Corriente Resources and has 30 years’ experience as a mining engineer. Mike Young brings 45 years’ experience in the mining industry.

CIM Magazine n Vol. 2, Nº 4

news Gibraltar expansion underway

by Heather Ednie Taseko Mines Limited has announced a Phase II expansion of the Gibraltar Mine to further increase milling capacity, complementing the Phase I expansion now underway.

Ongoing drilling has indicated that significant mineral resources will be upgraded to reserves in the near future.

As a result, Gibraltar has begun detailed engineering to add capacity to the Phase I expansion, ultimately increasing the Gibraltar concentrator throughput to 55,000 tons per day when complete.

The $40 million Phase II expansion will include adding crushing and regrind capacity, additional flotation cells, and tailings and ancillary system upgrades. It will be developed in conjunction with and as a continuation of the Phase I expansion. The ore processing capacity of the concentrator will increase from 36,750 tpd to 46,000 tpd by the end of 2007, reaching 55,000 tpd by late 2008.

Early procurement, securing delivery times of key equipment, will be essential to ensure timely completion.

“The continued modernization and expansion of the Gibraltar Mine is a reflection of its long reserve life,” said Russell Hallbauer, president and CEO, Taseko Mines. “We are effectively building a new, modern 55,000 tpd mine and concentrator with our Phase I and Phase II expansions for about $130 million including equipment and associated infrastructure, with no interruption to current copper and molybdenum production. When these two expansions are complete, Gibraltar is expected to produce, on average, 120 million pounds of copper (in concentrate and cathode) and 1.4 million pounds of molybdenum annually over its projected mine life.”

Located in south-central British Columbia near the city of Williams Lake, the 36,000 ton per day Gibraltar Mine was originally developed in 1972

by Placer Development, the predecessor to Placer Dome. Having closed in 1998 June/July 2007

Operations at Gibraltar

(then owned by Boliden) due to low copper prices, Gibraltar Mine was acquired by Taseko a year later and operations resumed in 2004 amid strong market conditions for both copper and molybdenum.

The Gibraltar site covers approximately 109 square kilometres and con-

sists primarily of 251 mineral claims and 30 mining leases. It contains seven separate mineralized zones. With well-developed infrastructure, the property is accessible by a combination of highways and paved roads, and is close to a rail network for shipment of copper concentrates to the port of North Vancouver. CIM

Achievements A century already?

The celebrations have begun. AMEC is commemorating 100 years of business in Canada.

Global Mining Law Firm For the third straight year, Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP was named Global Mining Law Firm by Who's Who Legal. This recognition is due to its high level of expertise and dedication to client success. As well, Michael J. Bourassa, Albert C. Gourley, Charles L.K. Higgins, David H. Searle, and John S.M. Turner were recognized for outstanding contributions to the mining practice.

QNS&L employees receive award The Railway Association of Canada awarded two Quebec North Shore and

Labrador Railway employees with the Safety Innovation Project Award. Carol Derosby, senior operator maintainer, and Serge Maltais, maintainer operator mechanical 2, suggested adding a stretcher-access door to rail changers to transport injured workers.

Howdy, partner ESRI named Geosoft a 2007 Business Partner of the Year. The company was chosen for its contributions to the geographic information systems industry.

Energy efficient Nick Strus, a maintenance planner at Diavik, was awarded the 2006 Energy Efficiency Award by Arctic Energy Alliance. He was recognized for his efforts in reducing haul truck idling times.

11

exporting & the global market Living the high life International experience adds spice to Canadians’ careers

by Dan Zlotnikov Around the middle of the workday, Rudy Zdravlje takes a break for, as he terms it, “a thorough mixing session.”

This isn’t a typical way one would describe a cafeteria lunch, but then this isn’t a typical work setting. Zdravlje is a Canadian mining engineer currently working at the Antamina copper and zinc mine in the mountains of Peru, roughly 4,000 metres above sea level.

The mine is a joint project, coowned by four major investors: Teck Cominco (22.5%), BHP Billiton and Xstrata plc (33.75% each), and Mitsubishi Corporation (10%).

Zdravlje and his colleague, Giorgio Akiki (who, at the time of writing, was out of communication range, rafting the Apurimac River), are two Teck Cominco engineers working in Peru on a year-long “secondment.”

The secondment, explained Debbie Martin, manager of talent attraction and development, Teck Cominco, is a professional exchange program. A Teck Cominco engineer is sent for a oneyear project placement to an operation such as the one in Peru or the Pogo gold mine near Delta Junction, Alaska.

In turn, an engineer from that site comes over to the appropriate Teck Cominco operation. The secondment has tremendous value not just for the employee, but for Teck Cominco as well, Martin pointed out.

“Exposure to a different language or culture helps our people round out their experience and skills,” Martin said. “What they absorb in one of our operations, they can carry to others and share that with their colleagues.”

“As a company that’s a partner of choice in the industry, cross-cultural awareness and training is important to Teck Cominco in fostering strong employees and strong organizations,” 12

Martin added. “The experience, insight, and contacts gained are part of building a broader network.

“We do often visit other companies,” Martin continued, “so if you’ve made that initial contact you can call them up and say ‘we’d like to come and visit, have a tour, have some discussions …’ That really increases their overall effectiveness and value to the organization. The process of knowledge exchange at the corporate level can be greatly smoothed through these personal networks.”

Tom Reid, global director of marketing and communications at Hatch, agrees and offered some impressive examples.

“Look at the major areas of the world where we weren’t [present] and then suddenly were. South Africa, for example—we’ve met some great partners there, and we’re now doing one of the largest infrastructure projects in the world.” All this, Reid said, is due to knowing the right people, who Hatch has worked with in the past.

“We have worked on projects and found our kind of people: very capable and very professional. The same thing happened in Australia; that’s how we came to buy BHP Engineers from BHP Billiton. We bought the whole place, and that was 12 offices and 900 employees.”

Hatch, a major EPCM (engineering, procurement, and construction management) firm based in Mississauga, Ontario, does a lot of personnel movement around the globe. “Most of our

activities are outside of Canada; they’re in South Africa, Australia, and South America,” said Reid. A major project can last as long as two years, from the concept stage all the way to construc-

The Alumar alumina refinery in Brazil is expanding to 3.5 million metric tonnes per year from 1.4 million mtpy. Hatch, as EPCM manager, is providing more than 300 people from its offices in Brazil, Australia, and Canada. The owner-clients are Alcan, Alcoa, and BHP Billiton.

CIM Magazine n Vol. 2, Nº 4

exporting & the global market tion and commissioning. Most personnel get brought in as the need for their skill arises, but “at the top of it all, there’d be a project manager who’d be there for the duration.” Needless to say, all this travel adds up to an enormous juggling act. “We have meetings once a week where we talk about nothing but the resources and moving them around the world or moving the work around the world,” explained Reid.

“Sometimes it’s easier to move the

work than to move the people.” But people still get moved around, and in impressive numbers. “We just recently moved a team from Australia to Canada and I think it was upwards of 200 people that were moved.” Some of these employees were returning from a previous posting to Australia, but the number is still very impressive.

Overall, Hatch employees are excited to have the opportunity to go and work in foreign countries. “One of

“Sometimes it’s easier

our very first major overseas projects was the Richards Bay Mineral project in Richards Bay, South Africa, in the early 1970s. We sent about 15 families.” The project lasted almost two years, and the employees and their families stayed there for the duration.

To say that these families’ experience was positive would be an understatement. “Every single person that I’ve interviewed that was on that particular project all say they wish they could go back to South Africa, they loved it so much,” recalled Reid.

to move the work than to move the people.”

—T. Reid

June/July 2007

13

exporting & the global market This reaction is not limited to the employees of Hatch. Four months into his year-long stay, Rudy Zdravlje is already thinking about going back to Peru. He’s also happy with his linguistic achievements. “Now that I am fairly fluent in Spanish, and I should be very fluent by the time I return to Canada, I can definitely see myself visiting more Spanish-speaking countries.” But,

Adventure seems to be just the word to describe Zdravlje’s experiences. When asked about the most memorable moments of his time in Peru, his reply was “hiding from a snowstorm in a glacier cave at 3:00 in the morning somewhere above 5,000 metres with a broken crampon and a headlamp refusing to work.”

Memorable, no doubt! Also, possibly

In Western Australia, Hatch is providing engineering, procurement, project management and construction management services to BHP Billiton's Ravensthorpe Nickel Operation, a mine and processing facility, scheduled for startup this year.

always open to new experiences, he added, “then again, I might feel like trying another language.”

Teck Cominco tries to offer this kind of professional development experience to people early on in their career, where possible. “When employees are younger, they typically have greater personal flexibility and desire to take on a challenge like this,” Martin added.

Reid pointed out that on the personal side, not everyone can simply pack up and leave the country for a year or more. “Some people can’t leave because their spouse is terribly sick, and they just can’t pick up the family and move off to some remote area of the world,” he explained. “But a lot of the younger people want the adventure, they love the idea of it, the whole excitement around it, so they’re the ones who get these great opportunities.”

14

not everyone’s idea of a good time, but as far as Zdravlje’s concerned? “Man, that was awesome!” And this only four months into the year.

At Teck Cominco, Martin said, the ones selected to go abroad are what she describes as “high-potential employees.” These are the people with both the technical knowledge and ability and the leadership skills Teck Cominco is hoping to help develop. Other important qualities are flexibility, sensitivity to the local culture, and an outgoing personality.

When it comes to supporting their personnel abroad, both Teck Cominco and Hatch do quite a bit. Teck Cominco provides language courses before the trip, and more language training and language immersion while the employee is onsite. It also provides some training of a more physical nature.

As Zdravlje described it, during a “mock kidnapping in the Colombian jungle, during our nighttime escape I ran full steam into some not-so-mock barbwire.” Despite this mishap (or possibly because of it), he said that “hazardous environment training was an invaluable experience.”

Companies like Hatch and Teck Cominco help smooth the transition to the new setting. A tax expert, for instance, can save the employee time, money, and frustration. A security company can ensure the safety of the staff who work in the less stable regions of the planet. Both companies provide housing assistance, in varying forms, as well.

Unavoidably, there are cultural differences, which can crop up in the most unexpected and often humorous places. As Zdravlje has discovered, sauces and stews in Peru are placed beside, not on top of, the rice.

“Apparently Peruvians will fork their rice then sauce or vice versa when eating, whereas I need my sauce thoroughly mixed with my rice.” Despite his continually improving Spanish, Zdravlje has yet to convince the cafeteria staff that he really means it when he asks for the sauce to be put on top of the rice. For the time being, he will continue to have a “mixing session” come lunchtime.

Sometimes, though, culture shock happens by accident. “When I first got to camp I accidentally put this Peruvian hot sauce on my fruit salad,” recounted Zdravlje. The end result tasted so good that he couldn’t get enough of it. “I have a hot fruit salad with almost every lunch now.” But this dish may have repercussions for future Canadian visitors. “I just hope they don’t think this [the fruit salad with hot sauce] is a Canadian thing.”

Zdravlje has little to offer in the way of advice for other Canadians who may end up in a similar situation; for him, half the fun is figuring it out as he goes.

He did offer this warning: “Definitely don’t plan on shipping anything to meet you; pay for the extra stowed luggage.”

And please, try the fruit salad. CIM CIM Magazine n Vol. 2, Nº 4

exporting & the global market Taxes for the Canadian abroad

by Dan Zlotnikov Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s no shortage of Canadians working outside of Canadaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s borders.

This is especially true in the mining industry, with its tendency for longterm projects and the need to go where the deposits are, regardless of political boundaries.

Whether youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been sent on a long-term work project outside of Canada or have developed a taste for the expatriate life, you should keep informed of the implications such a status carries with it, not the least of which are the financial implications in your dealings with the governments.

Or, simply put, taxes.

Cleo Hamel, senior tax analyst with H&R Block, was kind enough to offer some pointers.

While most of the conversation centred on tax treaties between Canada and other nations, the first point of note is not connected to any treaty at allâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;this is the overseas employment tax credit. This credit applies to Canadians working for Canadian companies, but living outside of the country, and all persons in that situation are eligible for the credit in some measure. â&#x20AC;&#x153;When youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been out of the country, you are exempt from tax for the number of days that you are out of the country. So although you may have tax withheld from your income, when you file your taxes, in most cases they [people eligible for the overseas employment credit] get every shred of tax theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve ever paid.â&#x20AC;? This primarily hap-

pens with workers in the oil and gas industry, Hamel said.

Back among the jungle of tax treatiesâ&#x20AC;Ś The important thing to keep in mind, said Hamel, is that â&#x20AC;&#x153;the main purpose of the tax treaty is to prevent any double taxation.â&#x20AC;? This is true for all treaties, but how this goal is achieved may differ greatly. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Some treaties are only set out to say that any income earned in that country is only considered on a Canadian tax return and will only be taxed in Canada and any income taxes collected in that country will be subject to a foreign tax credit in Canada. Others will actually have items in them that limit the amount of tax that can be withheld from that other

$#"! #" " !# ! !# ! $#

!

$ 0SFT BOE 0SPHFOFTJT $JSDVN 1BDJGJD 5FDUPOJDT (FPMPHJD &WPMVUJPO BOE 0SF %FQPTJUT

.JOJOH PG UIF 'VUVSF #VTJOFTT 5FDIOPMPHZ )VNBO BOE /BUVSBM 3FTPVSDFT JO UIF TU $FOUVSZ

4FQUFNCFS BU UIF )JMUPO &M $PORVJTUBEPS (PMG 5FOOJT 3FTPSU 5VDTPO "SJ[POB ÉŠJT TZNQPTJVN XJMM CSJOH UPHFUIFS NFNCFST PG EJWFSTF JOUFSOBUJPOBM NJOJOH BOE HFPMPHJD DPNNVOJUJFT JODMVEJOH TQFDJBMJTUT JO NJOFSBM FYQMPSBUJPO NJOF FOHJOFFSJOH BOE UFDIOPMPHZ NJOFSBMT FEVDBUJPO BOE FDPOPNJD HFPMPHZ GFBUVSJOH PVUTUBOEJOH 5FDIOJDBM 1SPHSBNT DIBJSFE CZ MFBEJOH NJOJOH QSPGFTTJPOBMT BOE FEVDBUPST JODMVEJOH t 4PDJFUZ PG .JOJOH &OHJOFFST 4.& .JOJOH BOE 3FTPVSDFT JO UIF 'VUVSF &EVDBUJPO BOE 5FDIOPMPHZ PG UIF 'VUVSF t &DPOPNJD (FPMPHZ 0SF %FQPTJUT PG /PSUI BOE 4PVUI "NFSJDB UIF /8 48 1BDJGJD 4PVUIXFTU .FYJDP BOE UIF 6 4 /FX 'SPOUJFST &QJUIFSNBM 1PSQIZSZ BOE 7PMDBOJD .BTTJWF 4VMmEF 4ZTUFNT BOE .JOFSBM %FQPTJU BOE .JOJOH -JGF $ZDMFT t 5FDUPOJDT $JSDVN 1BDJGJD 0SPHFOFTJT /8 BOE 48 1BDJGJD 5FDUPOJDT /PSUI BOE 4PVUI "NFSJDB 5FDUPOJDT UIF 4PVUIXFTU 64 /PSUIXFTU .FYJDP #PSEFS 3FHJPO *TMBOE "SDT BOE #BDL "SD #BTJOT BOE )PU 5PQJDT JO 5FDUPOJDT t 6/&4$0 *($1 4ZNQPTJVN i1BMBFPQSPUFSP[PJD 4VQFSDPOUJOFOUT BOE (MPCBM &WPMVUJPOw t 4PDJFUZ PG &DPOPNJD (FPMPHJTUT 4&( 4ZNQPTJVN i"EWBODFT JO UIF 6OEFSTUBOEJOH PG 4VQFSHFOF 1SPDFTTFTw 1-64 t 'JFME 5SJQT UP +BQBO $IJMF .FYJDP $BOBEB :VLPO BOE # $ BOE UIF 6 4 "SJ[POB /FX .FYJDP /FWBEB

t 1PTUFS 4FTTJPOT $PSF 4IBDL BOE 4IPSU $PVSTFT t 4PDJBM &WFOUT BOE (VFTU 'BNJMZ "DUJWJUJFT *ODMVEJOH 3FVOJPOT GPS .JOJOH $PNQBOJFT %FBE BOE "MJWF

Ä?Ä Ä&#x2DC; Ä Ä&#x;ÄĽÄ ÄĽÄ&#x2122;Ä&#x2013; ĤĪÄ&#x17E;ÄĄÄ Ä¤Ä&#x161;ÄŚÄ&#x17E; ĨÄ&#x2013;Ä&#x201C;ĤÄ&#x161;ÄĽÄ&#x2013; Ä&#x2014;Ä ÄŁ Ä&#x17E;Ä ÄŁÄ&#x2013; Ä&#x2022;Ä&#x2013;ÄĽÄ&#x2019;Ä&#x161;Ä?Ĥ Ä&#x2019;Ä&#x;Ä&#x2022; ÄŁÄ&#x2013;Ä&#x2DC;Ä&#x161;ĤļģÄ&#x2019;ÄĽÄ&#x161;Ä Ä&#x; Ä&#x2014;Ä ÄŁÄ&#x17E;Ĥ XXX BHTTZNQPTJVN PSH

June/July 2007

15

exporting & the global market Full name Canadian Residents Abroad Determination of Residency Status (Leaving Canada) Determination of an Individual’s Residence Status Emigrants and Income Tax

What it is Overview pamphlet for all Canadians living or travelling abroad Inquiry form to be sent to the CRA, asking them to make a judgment on your status The official CRA interpretation of the residence status rules

Abbreviated Name T4131 NR73

Income tax guide for non-residents and deemed non-residents

T4056

country.” These treaties also limit which income you can be taxed on in that foreign country. “Specifically, only employment income.”

Each tax treaty determines not only how much and where you can be taxed, but also where you must file a tax return in the first place. The first step in finding out the answer is to determine whether you are, in fact, a Canadian resident.

This is not an idle question, as the answer will be used to determine where you have to file a tax return, whose tax laws take precedence, and even which income you must declare on which return. The question is also not as clearcut as it sounds at first. “Some people think that by leaving, they become a non-resident and don’t have to file,” said Hamel. The government, however, sees it in a different light. By simply assuming you don’t have to file taxes in Canada while living elsewhere, you are running the risk of serious complications.

“If you leave and come back after a number of years, it gets really technical,” Hamel said. “The government wants to know where’ve you been, why haven’t you filed, where’s all this money, and how did you live…” In the end, you won’t only have to file returns for all the years you’ve missed (which is already a far greater headache), but you will also have to pay taxes on all of the missed years. To make matters worse, “there may not be any foreign tax credits available,” said Hamel, at which point you really will have been doubletaxed; once by the country you’ve been living in and once by Canada.

So is the solution to keep on the safe side, and file every year, regardless of where you are? Not exactly. There are three classifications of “resident” that Canada uses specifically for people spending prolonged periods of time 16

outside of Canada. The first, and simplest, is “deemed resident,” used to describe persons who, despite residing and working outside of Canada’s physical boundaries, are considered to be living and working in Canada. This primarily applies to embassy and military personnel, and their immediate family.

The second classification is “factual resident” and is somewhat trickier. You are considered a factual resident if you are living and working outside of Canada, but are planning on returning, and have maintained residential ties with Canada. What constitutes residential ties may differ from case to case, but the most common examples, as listed on the Canadian Revenue Agency (CRA) website, are a home, a spouse or common-law partner, or dependants who remain in Canada.

The more vague factors, which may or may not be counted as residential ties are Canadian bank accounts, a Canadian driver’s license, and social ties such as memberships in various recreational or religious organizations.

If you wish for more details on this topic than you’d ever imagined possible, you may want to consult a CRA publication titled “Determination of an Individual’s Residence Status,” also known by the ever-catchy name of “IT221,” currently in its third revision.

But the plot thickens! If you are a factual resident, but you then establish residential ties in another country, and it is one with which Canada has a tax treaty, you may be declared a “deemed non-resident” for income tax purposes.

In such an event, you are subject to a completely different set of rules, as far as the CRA is concerned. The most significant difference is that instead of having to report your worldwide income on the Canadian tax return,

IT-221

you must only report income from Canadian sources. Even among those, most investment-type sources need not be declared because, Hamel explained, “the bank will withhold non-residency tax, and your tax liability to Canada will be dealt with.” But the definition of what constitutes residential ties isn’t constant; those are defined individually in each and every tax treaty between Canada and the relevant country.

To ensure you make the best of the situation, Hamel suggested you speak to a tax specialist in the foreign country where you find yourself. “There are times where being a resident of Canada is beneficial because of the foreign tax credit, whereas sometimes you are better off becoming a non-resident of Canada and becoming a resident of that country.” As with so many other financial situations, the answer is, “it depends.”

One general “tie-breaker” rule Hamel referred to in particular is the 183-day rule. “If you have lived outside of Canada for more than half a year, working abroad, you are considered a partyear resident, entitled to things like the overseas employment tax credit. Within Canada, we have the Northern Residency, where if you’ve been living in the northern-most parts of the country, you’re entitled to a northern residency allowance if you’ve been living there for six months or more. Generally, six months is the time frame.”

Hamel added that even if you believe you are only required to file taxes in Canada, you may find that Canadian accountants lack the practical experience in dealing with the foreign country in your case. “It’s always harder for us to tell you what some other country is doing if we don’t have practical experience with their system,” she said. This is something you CIM Magazine n Vol. 2, Nº 4

exporting & the global market used the United Kingdom as an example. “We receive information from the British government that tells the CRA who received money, and how much they received. So they do have a point of looking, and of course the CRA will then double-check.” This is not limited to Canada’s relations with the UK. “We do talk with other countries, there’s a lot of information passing [back and forth].

Unfortunately, people will sometimes think ‘I’m working abroad, no one’s going to know about it.’ Not the case.”

While your tax accountant may not always be familiar with the intricacies of the relevant tax treaty, you may be able to get some advice from a different venue. If your company sends a lot of people to a particular country, Hamel suggested you seek advice in the company’s accounting or payroll department. They might not help you do your taxes, but they will more than likely know what you should be prepared for.

can get from the local tax specialist, regardless of whether you have to file a return in that country.

While some tax systems work in ways very similar to Canada, others will surprise you with their, no pun intended, foreignness. “There are some countries that don’t do tax returns. There, your tax liability is dealt with from your pay and you don’t do a tax return at the end of the year like we do in Canada. Or you’ll have a situation where their calendar year is not when they do taxes; it might be May to April.” Even in the United States, things aren’t always obvious. “With the US, Medicare and state taxes do not account for anything in Canada when you get a return. You may get a credit for them in the US, but you don’t in Canada.

So you have to apply to the US to get them back, with a special application.”

But while they are separate and different, the tax systems are not completely disconnected from each other. Hamel

DRIVEN BY QUALITY

•

But above all, “do your homework, so that at least when you come back you know what records you need to keep.” It is far better to determine which treaties, rules, and regulations will apply to you before going, than to come back home and have to scramble for paperwork that is thousands of kilometres away. This may mean making special arrangements.

“Some people will say ‘all I get is invoices, the money goes straight into my account in Canada. I don’t actually see all of that.’ You want to make sure all your paperwork is in place, so that when you file, you have all your records.” CIM To find the appropriate forms, interpretation bulletins, and general information go to the Canadian Revenue Agency website at www.cra-arc.gc.ca and search for the short-form name of the form, such as NR-73.

DELIVERED BY LEDCOR

The Ledcor Group of Companies Civil - Mining - Infrastructure MINE CONSTRUCTION SERVICES: Pre-Construction Services • Mine Development • Leach Pad Construction • Site Reclamation • Tailings Dam Construction MINING: Contract Mining • Turnkey Mine Operation & Management For Career Opportunities, please visit: www.ledcor.com/careers or call 1-866-533-2671

ALBERTA: (780) 462-4211 · BRITISH COLUMBIA: (604) 681-7500 · NEVADA: (775) 829-8887

T June/July 2007

H

I

N

K

S

A

F

E

T

Y

,

W

O

R

K

S

A

F

E

L

Y

www.ledcor.com

!

17

exporting & the global market Exporting Canadian mining expertise around the globe

by H. Eve Robinson Canada’s experienced workforce in the minerals industry is well respected and internationally recognized. Many Canadian companies currently send geoscience professionals to countries around the world, where their expertise has become a hot commodity. Globalization of the minerals industry has mobilized the mining workforce from a variety of countries such as Australia, Britain, and New Zealand. Canada’s mining talent remains in high demand. In looking at some of the factors that have led to Canada’s international success, we can identify how to maintain a competitive edge as the demand

for mineral resources and trained professionals continues to grow.

Canadian companies have built up expertise in the mining sector through experience and progressive mining or exploration. “Canadians are acquainted with high technology and are open to innovations,” explained Hani Mitri, the director of mining at McGill University and a professor in the Department of Mining, Metals, and Materials Engineering. “We use advanced exploration techniques and develop modern extraction and mining methods. We are also leaders in environmental waste management, and maintain awareness of sustainable developments.”

The importance of investment also OPEN plays a role in nurCONNECT turing this expertise.

2008 AT OUR Canada has one of CONFERENCE the largest markets CENTRE for resource properties. Companies all over the world are looking to be listed in the Canadian marketplace on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX).

Regulations require Inspiring ocean views. 38,000 sq. ft of flexible convention and a certain amount of trade show space for up to 1,300 people, that features full wireless due diligence, which access, digital way-finding, and global broadcast capabilities. supports the use of local qualified proThe centrally and easily accessible Vancouver Island Conference fessionals. “We are a Centre, located in Nanaimo is the newest and most desirable resource-rich counlocation for hosting your next conference. For world-class outdoor try with the technolleisure activities, well configured space, and amazing cuisine, connect ogy, professional with your colleagues at our conference centre in Nanaimo BC. work ethics, and political stability BOOK YOUR SPACE TODAY to attract big Jim Owens Toll Free: 866-430-MEET (6338) investors,” Mitri E-mail: meet@viconference.com stated. www.viconference.com Canada’s geologNANAIMO, BC CANADA ical and geographical diversity have DIRECTOR OF SALES & MARKETING

18

provided the training grounds for a well-experienced workforce. “People get different training and education depending on the needs of the local market,” said Mitri. Universities tend to focus mining education on relevant areas of the industry, which varies depending on location. For example, on the east coast of the United States, there are more coal resources and, as a result, professionals trained in this region are specialized in underground coal mining.

In much of Canada, there is a great emphasis on metal mining and exploration, which happens to have a large global market.

There is an increased demand for metals worldwide. Industrialization of countries such as China and India has led to more development, which requires mineral resources. These countries play a significant role in increasing the demand for global mining. Consulting companies offering geological and engineering expertise, such as Watts, Griffis and McOuat (WGM), have operated in as many as 120 to 130 countries.

“As an international consulting firm, we send people to all parts of the world.

Canadians are very well respected and are often specifically sought after,” said Joe Hinzer, president of WGM. The global demand has resulted in a mobile workforce of experts, who are able to lend their already streamlined procedures and methods to clients seeking to develop mines. This can result in more efficient projects, beginning at the initial phases.

“Some of the most rewarding projects have been where we helped local governments to establish infrastructure development,” explained Hinzer. “We were able to set up appropriate mining regulations, operations, land claim ownership, and tracking procedures.” An example of this was in Saudi Arabia, CIM Magazine n Vol. 2, Nº 4

exporting & the global market where WGM worked closely with local clients to database the country’s metal resources, recruit personnel, and smoothly manage development.

Other countries with developed minerals industries are similarly sending people all over the world.

Australia, New Zealand, the United States, and South Africa are also major exporters of mining expertise.

However, not all countries with mining industries can compete on a global scale. “There are other countries with good mining expertise, such as Russia,” said Jon Baird, managing director of the Canadian Association of Mining Equipment and Services for Export (CAMESE). “Russia has no shortage of mining specialists, but they have been working for decades in a system that is not efficient. In comparison, Western Europe is highly developed, but does not have a strong mining industry. These countries lack the highly experienced labour pools to send people around the world doing [mining] contracts.”

To continue competing on a global market, Canada will soon have to address issues of recruitment and demographics within the mining industry.

The mining industry is cyclical so that virtually on a decade basis, there is low recruitment at the beginning, increasing job opportunities by mid-decade, and high recruitment at the end.

“Students are not entering the field of mining early in the decade,” explained Baird. “By the time they complete their training, there are few jobs available.”

It takes approximately four to ten years to train highly skilled technical people for mining. “If there is a negative image of mining or negative job potential, then those trained people will not go into the field and might relocate to other areas,” Hinzer added. Combined with a baby boomer demographic that is soon to reach retirement, Canada could potentially lose a large portion of its workforce.

Another issue that could affect Canada’s competitive edge in the global market is inter-provincial mobilization.

While professionals in the industry are June/July 2007

able to work internationally with relative ease, they can experience restrictions working within Canada. In order to practice geoscience, one has to be registered in that particular province.

“Unless I happen to be registered in each province, it is easier for me to work overseas than it is to work in an adjacent province,” explained Hinzer. “I can supervise a project in virtually any part of the world, but I need permission to go to Manitoba or Quebec.”

If a professional is unable to get permission to work in another province, they are required to go through the entire registration process and pay fees.

These internal issues are relevant to Canada’s global reputation because it can deter investors. In a news release from CAMESE in August 2006, Baird emphasized the importance of strengthening Canada’s international image as an industry leader and exporter.

“Foreign [companies] will increasingly see Canada as a great place to invest, … [will] preferentially use Canadian mining products and services, and come to Canada to work in the industry at a time when human resources are scarce.”

In order to contend with mobilized workforces from other countries, Canada needs to maintain a competitive advantage in the global market. “Canada has to continue developing cutting-edge technologies that will enable us to increase productivity and lower mining and processing costs while maintaining worker health, safety stan-

dards, and protecting the environment, because that is what sets us apart from the rest of the world. This can only be achieved by a strong and committed partnership between universities or other resource centres and the industry,” said Mitri.

CAMESE’s call to action similarly states, “For the Canadian mining industry to have the biggest possible impact internationally, we must marshal companies, associations, local and regional economic development groups, and provincial, territorial, and federal governments to work together in a common marketing effort.”

“The world is changing and globalizing,” Baird noted. “It does not stand still, and neither should we. While Canada is well respected around the world as strong in the mining field, our competitors for mining investment and trade are well organized and recognize what is at stake on the world scene.” CIM

19

exporting & the global market Getting it there: some challenges of equipment logistics and export

by Dan Zlotnikov When it comes to mining, Canada is a world-class player. “There are two things Canadians are considered number one at, and that’s hockey and mining,” said Ungad Chadda, director of listed issuer services with TSX Venture Exchange. What being number one translates into financially is this. “Of every dollar raised on the planet in mining, 37 to 40 cents is done on the TSX and TSX Venture.” Canada also boasts a whopping 1,274 mining companies, which, according to Chadda, is more than any other country in the world.

With such an excellent reputation, it’s no surprise that Canadian skills and products are in demand in other countries. You will find Canadian professionals working on projects anywhere from the mountains of Peru to the most remote parts of the Siberian forests to the much warmer Australian outback.

Getting to—and working in—these remote locations is a challenge, but many find it very rewarding and worthwhile.

But getting the staff to these sites is easy, when you compare it to the challenges of delivering the equipment, which can range “from electronic equipment to transformers to mine hoists to ball mill components to locomotives,” said Simon Trillwood, president of specialist packaging firm TOPAX. With some of the larger pieces of machinery TOPAX has packaged weighing in at 140,000 pounds, it’s time to call in the experts.

When it comes to sourcing the equipment, most mining firms go to an EPCM (engineering, procurement, and construction management) firm. The subcontractor usually brings the expertise of many previous (or current) projects, has the advantage of longterm relationships with suppliers and logistics companies, and assumes a sizeable portion of the risk. The EPCM firm will usually find work with further 20

subcontractors, breaking up the process between a specialist freight forwarder/logistics company and a packaging company.

The equipment can come from almost anywhere, said Mark Faesecke, national project manager for Kuehne+Nagel, a global logistics company. “Once the EPCM or mining client has provided us with a list of equipment and the locations at which it is to be picked up, we will work with local packaging companies to get the equipment packaged and ensure a proper delivery stream to the site.” The process of orchestrating proper delivery is a complex net and the conditions en route are frequently far from ideal.

“I was watching a documentary on TV,” recounted Trillwood, “and they were showing a road at a place in Africa where we’d sent a crate two months before. And there was this five-ton truck, up to the bed in a pothole.” It’s no surprise that Faesecke says that in Kuehne+Nagel’s experience, “it’s very helpful to know and work with the local specialists hand-in-hand.”

The packager, like almost everyone else in the business, is stressed for time. “Scheduling is a very serious issue in our business,” said Trillwood.

“People don’t think about packaging until the order is ready to go on the truck.

Our orders don’t tend to go out a year down the road. Our orders tend to be this month, next month, or maybe even this week.”

This makes it difficult to plan. Ed Perdue, sales manager at Brent Packaging, a company specializing in wood crating, agrees. For machinery orders, he said, “we only get a one- to two-day lead time, because they never think about crating it. Ever. And that order can be anything from a 4x4x4

foot crate to a piece of machinery that’s 20x8x8 feet and weighs 25,000 pounds.”

Everything in the business is being done on such tight constraints for two reasons. The first is the simple reality that “every day the order isn’t up and running at the mine site, the project is losing money,” said Faesecke. The second, equally important reason is the fact that most of the time, the equipment is going to very remote locations.

Kim Bell, manager of global logistics at the Hitachi-GMC plant in Guelph, Ontario, explained that if a crate misses the ship, it sits on the dock waiting for the next one. The Guelph plant is currently supplying Euclid EH4500-2 trucks, weighing in at 346,000 pounds each without body, to the Lumwana copper project in South Africa, and the next ship on the schedule isn’t tomorrow or the day after, it’s a month away.

Worse yet, explained Bell, “the part that arrives in Durban sits there, waiting for it, because it needs to clear customs together.”

But really, “manufacturer’s site to port to ship to mine site” is a very simple case. Trillwood’s company has handled far more exciting scenarios—ones that involve cargo being moved from a

The process of ship at sea in the middle of a storm onto a barge, to be taken inland via the river during the monsoon season. This is why it’s crucial, as Trillwood explained, to “pack for the toughest leg of the journey.” The real trick is in figuring out just what that leg will mean for your crate.

Somewhat unexpectedly, a large portion of TOPAX business isn’t destined for remote locations abroad. “It might CIM Magazine n Vol. 2, Nº 4

exporting & the global market sound like a surprising answer,” said Trillwood, “but a lot of the developments up in the Northwest Territories are in extreme conditions and require much of the same type of packaging as they would for export.” This means shipping on the seasonal ice road and the already tight deadlines become even more so, for both shipper and packager.

Jim Taggart, co-owner of the heavyhaul company SPI International Transportation, spoke about delivering orders to northern Alberta and having to deal with “the ‘spring road dance,’ as

they call it.” The expert’s job isn’t just ensuring the trucks (or ships, or planes) run on time, but also “talking to the client, to discuss alternatives.”

As the scenery changes, so do regulations. While most of the world is subject to IPPC (International Plant Protection Compliance) regulations, there are other, country- and regionspecific restrictions the cargo may be subject to. Frequently it’s not obvious.

“You could have a piece of equipment going from Canada to Dubai,” said Trillwood, “and it might be subject to

the British packaging safety regulations.” The only way to be safe is to ask, and to then be able to meet these rules as the need arises.

Even with experts working on every stage of the process, unexpected delays can, and likely will, happen. The question is how much time and money it will take to correct for these delays. By choosing the right partners in your logistics process, you can make sure such delays are kept to a minimum and are resolved in the quickest and least costly way possible. CIM

orchestrating proper delivery

complex net and the conditions en route are

is a

frequently far from ideal.

June/July 2007

21

NovaGold:

major developments made

green

by CAROLYN HERSEY

In a world where ‘green’ is the new black, mining companies are making a conscious effort to employ more environmentally responsible techniques and give back to the communities in which they work.

NovaGold has tried to be an industry leader for responsible mining from the very beginning, and they aren’t about to jump off the bandwagon anytime soon.

NovaGold originally traded under a different symbol under different management, but the company was essentially shelved back in 1997. In 1998, Rick Van Nieuwenhuyse and his partner, Greg Johnson, both senior geologists working for Placer Dome Inc., paired up in search of interesting properties to get a company going. They were already familiar with Donlin Creek, and established a joint venture for the project with Placer Dome. Thus, today’s NovaGold was born. The company currently has four major projects—Nome Operations, Galore Creek, Donlin Creek, and Ambler—well on their way throughout Alaska and British Columbia, all of which are ‘green’ in their own sense.

NOME OPERATIONS

Nome Operations

The first of NovaGold’s major projects, Nome Operations, is situated in Alaska. It consists of three smaller projects: Rock Creek, Big Hurrah, and Nome Gold. Construction for Rock Creek and Big Hurrah began in August of 2006, immediately upon receiving major permits.

The projects are located partially on 14,000 acres of private NovaGold land, and partially on 20,000 acres leased from the Bering Straits and Sitnasuak Native Corporations. Employment opportunities will be made available for approximately 135 people, and NovaGold and Alaska Gold held numerous public meetings from 2003 to 2006 to ensure the community had the chance to ask questions, give opinions, and voice any concerns. Rock Creek is expected to produce about 100,000 ounces of gold per year. The Big Hurrah deposit is a smaller but higher grade satellite deposit, and ore from it will be trucked to the Rock Creek mill facility for processing, thus enhancing the overall economics of the project. When both are up and running, 23

the Rock Creek and Big Hurrah properties will be the first modern, open-pit, ‘hard rock’ mines on the Seward Peninsula. Production for both properties starts in the third quarter of 2007, transitioning NovaGold from explorer/developer to producer.

Nome Gold, the third property in the Nome Operations trio, is one of the largest sources of construction aggregate on the Pacific Rim. The property contains a Measured and Indicated Resource of 1.6 million ounces of gold and an additional Inferred Resource of 250,000 ounces. In the past 100 years, the Nome alluvial deposits produced almost 5 million ounces of gold from shallow sand-and-gravel deposits. The Nome goldfields were profitably mined solely as an alluvial gold operation, producing about 25,000 ounces of gold a year, until 1998, when mining was shut down because of low gold prices.

Nome also boasts sand-and-gravel properties and land businesses.

These smaller side projects have generated approximately US$1 to $3 million in annual cash flow over the past six years. With these massive sand-and-gravel aggregate resources, NovaGold sees potential to expand its aggregate business well beyond its existing western Alaska market. The company is also examining the potential to restart alluvial gold production, aiming to produce 25,000 ounces of gold annually and several million tonnes of sand-and-gravel co-product. A little recycling goes a long way.

GALORE CREEK The second of NovaGold’s extensive line of projects is Galore Creek. The 215,000-acre property is located within the historic Stikine Gold Belt of northwestern British Columbia, and is currently NovaGold’s main project in Canada. On May 23, NovaGold and Teck Cominco announced a 50-50 partnership that will invest US$2 billion to build Galore Creek. Galore Creek will be developed as a large-scale, open-pit, copper-gold mine, one of the biggest and highest grade undeveloped porphyry-related copper-gold deposits in North

Unloading equipment at Galore

America. Based on a feasibility study released by NovaGold in October 2006, the project is expected to produce more than 432 million pounds of copper and 400,000 ounces of gold equivalent (341,000 ounces of gold and 4 million ounces of silver) in its first five years of production. Production is expected to start in 2012.

NovaGold received its environmental assessment certificate for the project from the province of British Columbia in February 2006 and is now in the final phases of permitting and federal approval, with construction targeted for the second quarter of 2007.

The Galore Creek construction team, which consists of 37 individuals with decades of industry experience each, is making final preparations to begin construction upon board of directors’ approval. Construction has been planned in two phases. Phase 1 will focus on providing access to the Galore Creek Valley, including the construction of mine access roads, bridges, access tunnels, and concentrate and diesel pipelines. This first phase is anticipated to take 24 months, with access to the Galore Creek Valley in the second half of 2009. Phase 2 of construction places more emphasis on mine facilities and earthworks. Plans include construction of mine infrastructure, a tailings dam, and open-pit stripping and process plant facilities.

The Galore Creek project is located within the traditional territory of the Tahltan Nation, with whom NovaGold has forged a very strong partnership, ensuring mutual benefits and collaboration throughout the project. On February 10, 2006, NovaGold entered into a comprehensive Participation Agreement with the Tahltan Nation, guaranteeing that both parties work together for mine planning, mine operation, and environmental protection. In return, NovaGold will provide training and education programs for the Tahltan people, including preferential hiring and establishing a scholarship fund, which granted ten awards in 2006. They will also contribute financially to the Tahltan Heritage Trust Fund, which will be used to mitigate any adverse social and cultural impacts resulting from the project’s development. The Galore Creek project has received broad support from local communities, First Nations groups, and the British Columbia and Alaska governments. The project will bring significant economic benefits and create employment opportunities for many communities in northwestern BC. NovaGold also purchased Coast Mountain Power in August of last year, a ‘green’ power company under BC Hydro’s Green Power Initiative. Through the Coast Mountain acquisition, NovaGold secured one of the largest permitted run-of-river hydroelectric power projects in British Columbia. NovaGold would like to power Galore Creek using environmentally responsible technology, and is looking into doing the same for both Ambler and Donlin Creek.

DONLIN CREEK Ranking as one of the world’s largest undeveloped gold deposits, Donlin Creek could be one of only a handful of gold mines worldwide that produces over one million 24

CIM Magazine n Vol. 2, Nº 4

Donlin Creek could be one of only a handful of gold mines worldwide that produces over one million ounces of gold annually.

Donlin Creek Lewis-Acma resource and camp

ounces of gold annually. Originally a joint venture between NovaGold and Placer Dome, management shifted to Barrick when they acquired Placer Gold in 2006. Barrick has a back-in option; they can earn an extra 40 per cent in the project by completing certain milestones by November 13, 2007. With NovaGold owning 70 per cent of Donlin, there seems to be a tug-of-war going on, with Donlin Creek caught in the middle. If Barrick can complete these milestones and meet the back-in requirements within the assigned deadline, the tables will turn with NovaGold maintaining only 30 per cent. Lawsuits have been filed and decisions are pending, but NovaGold anticipates retaining their 70 per cent interest and resuming management of the project. Only time will tell.

Regardless of who gets what, NovaGold believes there is considerable potential to expand the gold resource at Donlin Creek and that the Donlin asset holds considerable value for NovaGold shareholders.

The property contains a Measured and Indicated Resource estimated at 16.6 million ounces of gold and an Inferred Resource estimated at 17.1 million ounces of gold. NovaGold will update this resource estimate once all assay results from Barrick’s 92,000-metre drill campaign have been received and tabulated. Barrick has budgeted US$87 million for the project in 2007, with the focus of continuing to expand the deposit and converting resources to Proven and Probable Reserves.

Staying true to their corporate values, NovaGold is taking care to ensure the project moves along in an eco-friendly fashion. The Donlin Creek Joint Venture is examining the possibility of using local power alternatives for the project, including alternative energy sources such as wind cogeneration, to reduce environmental impacts and alleviate potential future global energy price increases. “The current mine scenarios focus on near-surface ore zones that would be amenable to large-scale, low-cost, open-pit mining methods,” the company website states. “The gold ore would be crushed, finely ground, and then fed to a flotation circuit to separate the gold-bearing sulphide minerals from the rock. The high-grade sulphide concentrate would be oxidized using pressure oxidation in an autoclave. The gold would then be leached from the oxidized residue and recovered with activated carbon in a standard CIL process.”

About 90 per cent of the gold can be recovered using this process.

In the future, NovaGold would like to explore new possibilities to further improve overall gold recoveries, refine the layout and design of

June/July 2007

the mine facilities, and, of course, continue their environmental baseline studies.

AMBLER The Ambler project, although still at the exploration stage, already contains multiple promising prospects. It was first discovered in the late 1960s by Rio Tinto’s subsidiary, Bear Creek Exploration, who, after much hard work, discovered the Arctic deposit, a high-grade volcanogenic massive sulphide (VMS) belt. Further work was halted in

25

The

Ambler project is no

exception to NovaGold’s commitment to ‘green’; they work closely with the community to constantly ensure minimal damage to the environment.

Bruce Otto and Laura DeGrey, Ambler Project

the late 1970s as a result of Alaska’s land claims settlement between Native American, state, and federal interests. The feud went on for more than 20 years, and when it finally ended, low metal prices had hindered further development of the project. The Ambler VMS belt has remained largely unexplored since then, but NovaGold feels the area has immense potential. The property comprises about 35,000 acres of patented and State of Alaska mining claims, covering a major portion of the precious-metals-rich VMS belt. The Arctic deposit hosts a historical resource estimated at 800,000 ounces of gold and 64 mil-

lion ounces of silver, with additional base metals totalling 3.2 billion pounds of copper, 4.4 billion pounds of zinc and 640 million pounds of lead. NovaGold is earning up to a 51 per cent interest in the project in joint venture with Rio Tinto.

The Ambler project is no exception to NovaGold’s commitment to ‘green’; they work closely with the community to constantly ensure minimal damage to the environment. Along with NANA Corporation, the Northwest Arctic Borough, and the State of Alaska, NovaGold is currently discussing and evaluating various options regarding transportation alternatives, specifically identifying opportunities for synergies in the region. They’ve also completed a study of different power alternatives for Ambler; energy supply such as wind or hydroelectric cogeneration from nearby sources could be used.

THE FUTURE GLOWS GREEN NovaGold has a strong reputation as one of today’s leading ‘green’ mining companies, and that isn’t about to change anytime soon. The company has been included in the Standard and Poor’s TSX Ethical Canadian Company index since 2004, and works constantly to retain its status as a company committed to responsible, eco-friendly mining. The company is committed to environmental reclamation and has a strong history of developing good relationships with First Nations and Native American communities. NovaGold tries to keep its eight core values in mind with every decision it makes: respect, integrity, safety, accountability, empowerment, communication, growth, and sustainability. NovaGold has survived in the business because its shareholders believe in the company and its commitment to operating successfully, profitably, and responsibly. Many employees have joined NovaGold because of their firm beliefs in ‘green’ mining; great values paired with great people have made NovaGold the company it is today. NovaGold is dedicated to the communities in which it works as well as its shareholders, and is always sure to consider the voices and opinions of everyone involved before starting a project.

In today’s world where our planet seems to crumbling beneath our feet, I take comfort in knowing that mining companies like NovaGold are making an effort to remain so environmentally conscious… giving back to the land and communities, so to speak. In today’s world, I can’t think of anything cooler than being ‘green.’ CIM 26

CIM Magazine n Vol. 2, Nº 4

Supporting Western Canadian Mines

Equipment:

• Komatsu trucks • Komatsu hydraulic shovels • Komatsu WA1200 loader • Sandvik rotary blasthole drills

Services:

• Mobile Equipment Maintenance

• Maintenance Planning • Logistics • Field Service including major overhauls

• Western Canada G.E. Authorized Repair Centre

• Electrical & mechanical component rebuild

• Large component welding • Used equipment sales • New and used parts sales

w w w. t r a n s w e s t m i n i n g . c o m Edmonton, AB 780-454-0101 Elkford, BC Fort McMurray, AB Port Coquitlam, BC

Transwest Mining Systems, Division of KCL West Holdings Inc.

NovaGold :

de grands développements

D

ans un monde où « vert » signifie rentable, les compagnies minières s’efforcent d’utiliser des techniques écologiques et de redonner aux communautés dans lesquelles elles travaillent. NovaGold est justement l’une de ces compagnies chefs de file.

L’ancienne compagnie NovaGold avait été plus ou moins mise sur les tablettes en 1997; l’année suivante, deux géologues travaillant pour Placer Dome Inc. recherchaient des propriétés intéressantes dans le but de fonder une compagnie. Connaissant déjà bien Donlin Creek, ils ont formé une coentreprise avec Placer Dome. Ce fut la renaissance de NovaGold. Quatre projets majeurs, tous verts, démarrent actuellement en Alaska et en Colombie-Britannique.

EXPLOITATIONS NOME La compagnie Nome Operations, située en Alaska, comporte trois projets : Rock Creek, Big Hurrah et Nome Gold. La construction des 28

deux premiers a débuté en août 2006, dès l’obtention des principaux permis. Les projets sont situés en partie sur les 14 000 acres de terrains appartenant à NovaGold et en partie sur 20 000 acres loués des corporations autochtones de Bering Straits et de Sitnasuak. NovaGold et Alaska Gold ont tenu de nombreuses consultations publiques entre 2003 et 2006 afin de permettre aux communautés de poser des questions et de souligner leurs préoccupations.

Rock Creek devrait produire environ 100 000 onces d’or par année.

Le gisement de Big Hurrah est plus petit, mais il a une teneur plus haute; ce minerai sera acheminé par camion au concentrateur de Rock Creek pour le traitement. Lorsqu’elles seront en production, Rock Creek et Big Hurrah seront les premières mines de « roches dures » à ciel ouvert dans la péninsule de Seward. Lorsque la production débutera au troisième trimestre de 2007; NovaGold passera de l’exploration/développement à la production.

Nome Gold, la troisième propriété du trio, possède des ressources mesurées et indiquées de 1,6 million d’onces d’or et les ressources CIM Magazine n Vol. 2, Nº 4

inférées atteignent 250 000 onces. Durant le dernier siècle, les gisements alluvionnaires ont produit près de 5 millions d’onces d’or provenant de gisements peu profonds de sable et gravier. Les champs aurifères de Nome produisaient environ 25 000 onces d’or alluvionnaire par année, jusqu’en 1998, alors que l’exploitation a fermé en raison des bas prix de l’or. Cette mine est l’une des plus grandes sources

année. Anciennement une co-entreprise NovaGold/Placer Dome, Barrick en a obtenu la gestion lorsqu’elle a acquis Placer Gold en 2006. Barrick détient une option d’acquisition et elle pourrait avoir 40 % de plus dans le projet en complétant certaines étapes-clés avant la mi-novembre 2007. Comme NovaGold détient 70 % de Donlin, une lutte semble à l’horizon. Si Barrick rencontre les étapes-clés, NovaGold ne conservera que 30 % de Donlin, mais elle entend bien conserver sa part actuelle et la gestion du projet.

La propriété de Donlin Creek a des ressources mesurées et indiquées estimées à 16,6 millions d’onces d’or et des ressources inférées estimées à 17,1 millions d’onces d’or.

NovaGold mettra ces estimations à jour lorsque les résultats de la campagne de forage de 92000 m effectuée par Barrick seront entrés et présentés. Barrick a mis 87 M $US de côté pour le projet en 2007 dans le but d’agrandir le gisement et de convertir les ressources en réserves prouvées et probables.

Fidèle à ses valeurs corporatives, NovaGold s’assure que le projet respecte l’environnement; les possibilités d’utiliser des sources d’énergie telles que le vent sont étudiées afin de réduire les impacts environnementaux et d’atténuer les futures augmentations mondiales du prix de l’énergie. Les scénarios actuels ciblent les zones de minerai près de la surface qui pourraient être exploitées à ciel ouvert, à grande échelle et à faible coût. Le minerai serait concassé, finement broyé et acheminé à un circuit de flottation pour séparer les minéraux sulfurés aurifères de la gangue. Le concentré sulfuré à haute teneur serait oxydé sous pression dans un autoclave. L’or serait ensuite lixivié et récupéré par du charbon activé dans un procédé standard de lixiviation au carbone (CIL). Ce procédé permettait de récupérer environ 90 % de l’or. NovaGold veut aussi explorer des possibilités d’améliorer la récupération.

verts d’agrégats de construction sur la côte du Pacifique; l’extraction du sable et du gravier a rapporté annuellement de 1 à 3 millions de dollars US au cours des derniers six ans. La compagnie songe aussi à redémarrer la production d’or alluvionnaire, visant 25 000 onces d’or en plus de plusieurs millions de tonnes de sable et de gravier.

GALORE CREEK La propriété de 215 000 acres Galore Creek est située dans la ceinture aurifère de Stikine dans le nord-ouest de la ColombieBritannique. Galore Creek sera développée comme mine à ciel ouvert de cuivre-or; elle sera parmi les gisements cuivre-or porphyrique les plus grands et à plus haute teneur en Amérique du Nord. Selon une étude de faisabilité présentée en octobre 2006, le projet devrait produire plus de 432 millions de livres de cuivre et 400 000 onces d’équivalent d’or (341 000 onces d’or et 4 millions d’onces d’argent) dans les cinq premières années de production. Les coûts en capitaux sont estimés à 2 milliards de dollars; la construction devrait débuter en 2007 et la production en 2012. NovaGold est actuellement dans les phases finales d’obtention des permis.

La première phase de construction, d’une durée de 24 mois, ciblera l’accès et la construction des infrastructures : routes, ponts et pipelines. La seconde phase ciblera les installations de la mine proprement dite, dont le parc à résidus et l’usine de traitement.

Le projet Galore Creek est situé dans le territoire traditionnel des Tahltans, avec lesquels NovaGold a établi un très fort partenariat, assurant bénéfices mutuels et collaboration. Selon une entente, les deux parties travailleront ensemble à la planification de la mine, à l’exploitation et à la protection de l’environnement. NovaGold fournira de la formation et des programmes d’éducation, incluant l’embauche préférentielle et l’établissement d’un fonds de bourses. Le projet Galore Creek jouit du soutien des communautés locales, des groupes des Premières Nations et des gouvernements de la Colombie-Britannique et de l’Alaska. NovaGold a aussi acheté Coast Mountain Power, une compagnie «verte»; l’énergie sera produite par un barrage au fil de l’eau.

DONLIN CREEK Donlin Creek est l’un des plus gros gisements mondiaux encore non développés pouvant produire plus d’un million d’oncesIMG d’or par 0298 June/July 2007

AMBLER Bien qu’au stade d’exploration, le projet Ambler semble déjà prometteur. Il a été découvert à la fin des années 1960 par Bear Creek Exploration, une filiale de Rio Tinto. Les travaux ont été arrêtés par des revendications territoriales entre les Premières Nations américaines, l’état de l’Alaska et des intérêts fédéraux. Cette querelle a duré plus de 20 ans et, lorsqu’elle a été réglée, ce sont les bas prix des métaux qui ont nui au développement. La ceinture de sulfures massifs volcanogènes est riche en métaux précieux, mais elle a été peu explorée; NovaGold croit cependant qu’elle présente un immense potentiel. Ce gisement contient une ressource historique estimée à 800000 onces d’or et 64 millions d’onces d’argent, sans compter le cuivre, le zinc et le plomb.

UNE LUEUR « VERTE » À L’HORIZON NovaGold jouit d’une solide réputation en tant que compagnie verte et elle travaille constamment pour développer de bonnes relations avec les communautés autochtones et garder son statut de compagnie engagée à exploiter écologiquement. Dans le monde actuel où la planète semble crouler sous nos pieds, il est réconfortant de savoir que des compagnies comme NovaGold s’efforcent de respecter l’environnement et de redonner aux communautés. CIM 29

Breathing new life into Granduc mine

by Andrea Nichiporuk “Beautiful British Columbia”—simple and to the point. The province is home to some of the most beautiful scenery Canada has to offer, and the innumerable outdoor enthusiasts who flock there year after year are a testament to the motto’s accuracy. However, amidst this natural wonder is some harsh terrain and challenging environmental conditions that the mining industry has faced. Unfortunately, the operators and workers of the Granduc mine in the 1950s and 1960s found out just how extreme the conditions could get.

Nestled in the Pacific Cordillera in British Columbia, just south of the Alaskan border, is Granduc mine. It is located almost 40 kilometres inland from the ice-free port of Stewart, a town near the head of the Portland Canal, where the winters are long and cold, and about 800 to 900 inches of snow fall each season.

The first group of prospectors arrived in Portland Canal on May 4, 1898, from Seattle; the first gold stakes were claimed the following year. To accommodate the sudden influx of prospectors, the town of Stewart was built at the head of Portland Canal. Following the Klondike gold rush in the late 1890s, Stewart’s population reached 10,000.

In 1906, gold properties were discovered and a 75-ton-per-day mill was quickly built. As prospecting efforts increased along with mining for gold, copper, and silver-lead-zinc, it became necessary to create a second and third town site—the Portland Canal District and Hyder. The site of the future Premier mine was staked in 1916 by Pat Daly. Suffering the same fate as other mining boom towns, Stewart’s population dipped to a mere 17 residents by 30

the 1920s. In 1927, the Premier mine employed about 800 men working in 27 kilometres of tunnels.

In 1951, while working for Helicopter Explorations Co. Ltd., BC prospectors Tom McQuillan and Einar Kvale staked claims on outcrops and adjoining areas. The property was optioned to Granby Consolidated Mining, Smelting and Power Co. the following year; exploration and development began. And, in 1953, Newmont Mining Corporation joined in the underground work. The mine was leased to Newmont and American Smelting and Refining Company, and Granduc Operating Company was the operator. Development began in September of 1964 when the company began driving an almost 18-kilometre tunnel from the Leduc area to the future concentrator facilities at Tide Lake.

Camps were erected at both ends.

Disaster strikes A region used to heavy snow falls, 16 feet of snow fell on the area in the second week of February in 1965. Shortly after, on February 18, 1965, at 10:16 a.m., an avalanche ripped down a mountain side above the Portal camp of the Granduc mine. The mine’s radio operator had just enough time to send out a short ‘mayday’ message before he lost connection. Within hours, civilian, military, and police rescue teams from across Canada and the United States braved 50 to 70 mile-an-hour winds to get to Granduc. The slide had split in two; on the heavier side, the Portal camp was wiped out, but on the other side, the impact was less. Workers were able to dig themselves out of the snow.

One of them, a carpenter named Eino Myllyla, was buried for almost 80 hours

until a bulldozer uncovered the snow and ice that trapped him. Apparently, he could hear helicopters landing above him. In total, 26 men died that day.

Entering production When mining resumed, the crews advanced work in the tunnel at an unprecedented rate. A permanent camp and a concentrator were built at Tide Lake and a 51-kilometre road was built to Stewart. The town was growing— accommodations, schools, a community centre, etc. were built. By November 1970, work was completed, in the end costing $115 million. Three months later, the first load of copper concentrates was shipped to Japan, and by June production had reached 5,000 tons per day.

The mine continued operating until 1978, but was forced to shut down temporarily due to low copper prices; work picked back up in 1980. However, in 1984, it closed for good. During the 13 years of operation, the mine’s production totaled 15.2 million tonnes of ore.

A second wind Granduc mine has rejoined the land of the living. In 2004, Bell Resources purchased Granduc with the intention of bringing it back into production, and an underground drilling program is currently underway. CIM

C A M s t c fa

Canadian diamond exports totalled some $1.6 billion in 2005, three times greater than exports of 1999.

CIM Magazine n Vol. 2, Nº 4

HR outlook Mining outreach to urban youth

by Laurie Chatigny, manager of marketing and communications, Mining Industry Human Resources Council

June/July 2007

This year’s show also featured a vir- Eagle LaRonde Mine in Abitibi, tual reality theatre sponsored by Quebec; one trip with Via Rail from Goldcorp and produced by MIRARCO, IAMGOLD; one ounce of gold from from Laurentian University in Sudbury. Goldcorp; a bicycle, bike helmet and The 3-D presentation brought students jersey from Louis Garneau; an iPod down into a mine and showed them nano; and a Nintendo DS. first hand what the mining experience Mining in Society would not have is all about. The show also demon- been possible without the participastrated the variety of high-technology tion of countless individuals and high-paying careers that are avail- and organizations that offered their able in mining. time, resources, and money to make Over 400 students were brought in the show a success. Special thanks by bus from schools in and around the go to our major sponsors: Alcan, Montreal area for the show. Students Goldcorp, Ministère des Ressources participated in the “Amazing Mine naturelles et de la Faune du Challenge,” designed and delivered by Québec, PDAC, IOC, IAMGOLD Laura Clinton and her team from Corporation, GOODKEY Show Mining Matters at the Prospectors and Services Ltd., and Québec Cartier Developers Association of Canada Mining Company. CIM (PDAC). The challenge required participants to complete activities and C O N S U LT I N G answer questions at each pavilion Providing quality environmental and engineering and record the services to mining projects worldwide information in a passport designed • Baseline Environmental specifically to help Studies youth learn about mining and think • Environmental Assessment about how mining • Waste/Water Management contributes to our • Tailings Disposal daily lives.

All visitors who • Heap Leach Pads completed a ballot • Cold Regions Engineering were eligible for a • Hydrology/Hydrogeology draw to win prizes, generously • Open Pit Stability donated by spon• Mine Reclamation sors, such as: one custom-designed necklace set with natural gold nuggets designed and provided by Placer Gold; two trips for two to wwwww.knightpiesold.com visit the Agnico-

Knight Piésold

Knight

For the third year in a row, the Mining in Society Show and Career Fair took place in conjunction with CIM’s annual conference.

This year, MIS was held from April 29 to May 1, in Montreal.

The results of a 2006 Ipsos-Reid poll showed that only 17 per cent of young Canadians between the ages of 16 and 35 said they knew about the mining industry. Fourteen per cent said they knew a little and three per cent knew a lot, which is really low, given the significant contributions mining makes to Canada’s economy every year.

That’s where Mining in Society comes in. The show was organized through a partnership between the Mining Industry Human Resources Council (MiHR) and CIM. The underlying objective of Mining in Society is to change perceptions about the industry and attract more workers to the sector.

This year’s show targeted young adults from high school, CEGEP, college, and university, who are now, or will soon be, deciding what programs they want to take and the career path they wish to follow. MIS welcomed close to 3,000 visitors and the Career Fair, over 4,000, over the three-day period, including students, teachers, parents, and job seekers.

Mining in Society brought visitors on a walk through the mining cycle, with six different pavilions showcasing the various stages of mining: exploration, mining, processing, sustainability, products and fabrication, as well as education.

31

MAC economic commentary The oil sands: where economy meets environment

by Paul Stothart, vice president, economic affairs, Mining Association of Canada

Arguably the single most significant development in the Canadian economy over the past decade has been the emergence of the western oil sands as a creator of jobs, exports, tax revenues, and wealth.

Technological advances since the 1970s have made the recovery and processing of oil sands financially feasible. Increases in world oil prices, from the $20 to $30 level of decades past to the $60 to $70 range today, have further enhanced the economic viability of these projects. Political rhetoric about Canada as “an energy superpower” and talk of “reserves larger than Saudi Arabia’s” speak to the emergence of the oil sands.

It is difficult to over-state the magnitude of this development. On a macro scale, it has served to increase wealth and economic activity in western 32

Canada. On a micro scale, the city of Fort McMurray has grown from a population of some 20,000 two decades ago to 75,000 today. The 200,000 jobs that have been created in the oil sands over the past decade is of similar magnitude to the job losses seen within the central Canadian manufacturing sector—in effect creating a job cushion for the entire country.

From a fiscal perspective, the oil and gas industry as a whole paid over $26 billion to Canadian governments in 2006—in the form of royalties, lease bids, income taxes, and other payments. These flows are a principal reason why the Alberta government can afford to send rebate cheques to each resident and why the Canadian government can increase program spending by eight per cent (as in Budget 2007) without going into deficit. While it is very difficult to distinguish the fiscal flows from oil sands versus conventional oil and gas, it is evident that the oil sands will be contributing an increasing proportion of these total payments over the coming years as more projects reach the postpayout full royalty stage and as the sedimentary basin conventional reserves decline.

In terms of regional economic impact, most of the activity resulting from oil sands investment will flow to Alberta and Saskatchewan. However, as estimated by the Canadian Energy Research Institute, some $102 billion in GDP and 1.1 million person-years of activity will occur in Ontario due to oil sands investment during 2000–2020.

This is an average of 50,000 jobs per year in Ontario—in equipment and other supply industries. Lesser benefits will accrue to other regions.

With respect to benefits to aboriginal Canadians, oil sands companies have awarded an estimated $1.5 bil-

lion worth of contracts to local aboriginal companies over the past decade.

These contracts are increasing each year—in 2005 alone, $315 million in contracts were awarded to local aboriginal companies.

These economic benefits are likely to continue for many years to come, as production from Alberta’s oil sands projects is projected to increase from one million barrels per day in 2006 to 4.7 million in 2025. Most of this output will continue to be directed to export markets in the United States and, perhaps some day, southeast Asia.

As is the case with any economic activity, however, the benefits of the oil sands projects are not without environmental consequence. This general rule is doubly true in the energy sphere, where coal combustion contributes to air pollution, with attendant health consequences, and where nuclear energy presents risks of radioactive waste stored in the midst of populated areas. Even energy technologies presently favoured by governments and environmental lobbyists, such as wind and ethanol, raise serious questions about reliability, space, visual pollution, subsidy costs, and food price shocks. In the case of North American ethanol today, it is unclear whether the fuel is even greenhouse gas positive with respect to gasoline in a life cycle analysis.

In the case of the oil sands, the area of greenhouse gas emissions presently captures the most attention with environmental groups, the media, and politicians. Given the growth pattern and assuming existing technology, it is estimated that GHG emissions from oil sands projects will increase by fivefold during the 2003 to 2020 timeframe. In this scenario, it is evident that a significant investment of resources will be required by the oil CIM Magazine n Vol. 2, Nº 4

MAC economic commentary sands companies, over a long period of time, if GHG emissions are going to be brought close to stabilization.

well, the oil sands operations have significantly reduced their total releases of substances such as mercury, sul-

a significant investment

and storage technology and if alternate power and thermal sources such as nuclear energy are brought to the region.

The federal government, for its part, must develop a re a s o n a b l e and achievable GHG target and timeline for oil sands operations, as part of a broader plan that provides flexibility to the industry and that engages all Canadians in a solution. As well, the government must provide a competitive tax regime and support the technological developments and implementations needed to further improve the GHG performance of our growing industries. CIM

of resources will be required by the oil sands companies â&#x20AC;Ś if GHG emissions are going to be brought close to stabilization.

During this past period of rapid growth, oil sands companies have been investing in innovative ways to reduce energy use. For example, between 1990 and 2004, Syncrude reduced per barrel GHG emissions by 14 per cent, reflecting investments in new technology and new equipment.

Suncor has also posted strong improvements in energy efficiency. As

June/July 2007

phur dioxide, lead, arsenic, and cadmium during this period.

While annual improvements in efficiency will presumably continue, these will not bring oil sands operations close to a position of stabilization, let alone reduction of overall GHG emissions. Order-of-magnitude improvements will only be seen if major investments can be made in carbon capture

33

eye on business The trouble with consents

by Josh Lewis, Fasken Martineau DuMoulin (Vancouver) By now, the mining industry has become quite familiar with National Instrument 43-101 which, among other things, provides that any public statement or written disclosure made by an issuer (public or private) containing scientific or technical information concerning a material mining property must, among other things, include the support of the disclosure by the filing of a technical report authored by a ‘Qualified Person,’ who must consent in writing to such filing (a “Consent”).

Extracted portions or references to relevant portions of such reports are also often included in annual disclosure reports (the AIF and Form 40-F in Canada and the United States, respectively) as well as in a prospectus or offering memorandum, and certain of such inclusions also require Consents from both the QP and his/her employer.

Some consultants are becoming increasingly sensitive to their potential liability based on third-party reliance on such published information. Any reluctance, delay, or refusal by either the consultant or the QP to grant Consents can be a source of various degrees of heartburn to a mining company.

The concept of standing behind and bearing legal liability for one’s professional opinion lies at the root of professional service, whether the professional is an accountant, lawyer, geologist, or engineer. However, in this post-Enron era, the cost/benefit of incurring such liability is being revisited from a business rather than a professional perspec-

tive, with the result being an increased trend of professionals seeking to limit their liability. Professional consultants have always recognized their liability to their customers and factored that risk and the cost of professional insurance into their fees. The current concern is that securities regulators, in efforts to protect the interest of the public, have expanded the scope of the consultant’s liability beyond that of its client. The publication of this technical information is designed to enable an investor to make an informed investment decision, and hence reliance by such investor on the accuracy of such information is implicit. Where one

been long ago negotiated and signed and does not anticipate or adequately address the granting of Consents. In such circumstance, the issuer should anticipate the possibility of reluctance on the part of its consultant to grant Consents. Such issuer is faced with the variously unattractive options of either raising the issue with the consultant in advance before any Consent is required, with the aim of attaining contractual clarity through amendment of the contract, or alternatively taking the risk that Consents, when requested, may be resisted, but hopefully the issuance or the wording can be suc-

Delays, let alone refusal, in the providing of Consents

34

can spell disaster to a financing. finds reliance, it is often a short legal step to liability. Considering, in the case of publicly traded companies, the wide distribution of the information, one might sympathize with a consultant’s concern at the exponentially expanded scale of its potential liability.

It is always easier to address something in advance and, in the case of Consents, the negotiation of the contract governing the consultancy is the preferred time to address the obligation of the consultant to the company to provide, in a timely manner, those Consents required under securities regulations and to provide a back-up QP in the event that the original author becomes unavailable to the consultant. Companies should anticipate that performance of such obligations may result in additional fees. The assistance of legal counsel in articulating the contractual rights and obligations can be well worthwhile if it provides the company with traction to ensure that appropriate Consents are provided as and when required.

Unfortunately, in many circumstances the consultancy contract has

cessfully negotiated when and if a refusal arises.

Caution should be especially acknowledged in the case of a bought deal, short-form prospectus financing since regulatory time frames are currently severely compressed. One of the common complaints of consultants is the last-minute nature of Consent requests and, while the regulatory time frame is short, companies should extend the courtesy to their consultants in communicating the need for Consents at the earliest time possible.

The core issue is that delays, let alone refusal, in the providing of Consents can spell disaster to a financing.

Certainly, clarity on the matter would be best achieved by refinement of the securities regulations pertaining to Consents. Mining companies and consultants alike, many of whom have recently faced this issue, are encouraged to jointly lobby their regulators for a pragmatic regulatory solution.

Meanwhile, however, the industry is left with the unenviable task of struggling with the current mess. CIM CIM Magazine n Vol. 2, Nº 4

the supply side The federal government ignores export trade

by Jon Baird, managing director, CAMESE

This issue of CIM Magazine is devoted to exports. Indeed, Canada’s mining industry contributes mightily to our nation’s economy and export performance. Mining’s $42 billion contribution to Canada’s GDP includes $10 billion in mining extraction and $32 billion in mineral processing and manufacturing. A full 80 per cent of this production was exported in 2005, worth 14 per cent of the total value of all Canadian exports in that year. Further, 60 per cent of total railway freight revenue and 70 per cent of total port volume was due to mined commodity shipments. Would we have railways and ports if we did not have mines?

Canada’s overall trade performance was strong in 2006, but was showing some signs of weakness. Exports grew by 1.1 per cent to $524 billion, but imports grew 4.2 per cent, leaving the trade surplus at $37 billion, down $14 billion from 2005. Note that mining industry exports are about 90 per cent of our trade surplus. When and if commodity prices weaken and if the US market takes a downturn, Canada may wish that it had embarked on a trade promotion and trade diversification strategy.

June/July 2007

Opposition trade critics were quick to point out that the March 19, 2007 federal budget did not add more resources to the international trade department to help promote Canada abroad. Because the trade lobby is weak and because few votes are to be gained on the trade issue, this is not surprising, given that the budget was designed for political electoral purposes.

Earlier this year, the government closed four consulates in Russia, Italy, and Japan. These closures come at a time when many believe that Canada should be diversifying its export markets away from the United States, to whom we currently ship over 85 per cent of our exports. More profoundly, the budget lacks a broad, overall vision of the need to enhance our productivity, which has been lagging behind many other countries.

On April 18, Embassy, Canada’s foreign policy newsweekly, reported on unconfirmed indications that Canada will close another 19 foreign missions.

The rumour was not denied by an official within Foreign Affairs Minister Peter McKay’s department, which is struggling to deal with a $142.8 million cut to its budget. Ask any exporter that travels and does business in foreign countries and he or she will tell you how useful the Canadian Trade Commissioner Service is. Yet only 25 per cent of Canadian diplomats are deployed abroad, the lowest proportion of any G8 country.

As I write this, the federal government’s Standing Committee on International Trade is wrapping up a report on their study of how the government can improve Canada’s trade policy, started last October. Some recommendations have been released, including asking government to “increase its current expenditures on trade negotiation and promotion by a

A page for and about the supply side of the Canadian mining industry full 50 per cent.” The money would be spent, in part, on “aggressive marketing and promotion of Canada and Canadian products abroad.”

Sandra Pupatello, Ontario’s trade minister, says, “Since the feds won’t do it, we’re doing it,” in an article in Embassy on February 14. She was referring to the fed’s closing of foreign offices while Ontario is opening them.

A lack of federal initiative means the provinces must keep Canada globally competitive, although this is more expensive than national approaches and leads to fractionization of the Canadian brand.

Canada is lacking sectoral approaches to export trade promotion, wherein industrial sectors prepare strategies and implement them, with the support of the federal government.

We are falling behind other developed countries, like Australia, that are better organized than we are. For mining, CAMESE calls for a strategy to “Brand Canada in the World of Mining” to enhance: 1) investment in this country; 2) acceptance of Canadian explorers and developers working abroad; 3) exports of mining goods and services, and 4) the numbers of students and workers coming to Canada to participate in mining in this country. CIM

C A M s t c fa

The Canadian mining industry exported $62 billion worth of metals, nonmetals, and coal in 2005.

This $62 billion figure equates to about 15 per cent of total Canadian exports.

35

innovation page Connectivity and technology standards for the surface mining industry

by Tim Skinner, president, SMART Systems Group and Gord Winkel, vice president, Aurora Bitumen Production, Syncrude Canada Ltd.

As computing and network technology evolved over time, it soon became apparent that a common set of technology standards was required to provide the interconnectivity of new software applications, irrespective of their origin. This flexibility has allowed technology users to effectively “plug and play” to creatively apply different software solutions to meet their unique needs.

A similar capability is needed in surface mining equipment. The expanding use of computing and network technology in the surface mining industry on large mining equipment and for mine control has been beneficial for efficiency and productivity improvements. Full utilization of all potential computing applications, quick speed of delivery, and cost-effective operations, however, also require that a common

Is your blasthole drilling achieving your productivity goals?

Leica DrillNav provides reliable GPS navigation to operators, improving tramming times and hole position accuracy.

Leica DrillNav also enables optimized blasthole loading from rock hardness data collected realtime while production drilling .

Combine Leica DrillNav with our latest office software, Leica PitOps, and drill utilization improvements will become apparent.

Quickly interpret and make effective decisions from the office using the innovative data analysis tools.

You know the full potential of your drilling fleet...

Geosystems can ....Leica ..Leic a G eosystems c an help you reach he lp y ou re ac h iit! t!

www.leica-geosystems.com/mining www.leica-geosystems.com/mining

36

standard be adopted for mobile mining equipment control and information systems. Recently, a movement began within the North American mining industry to address and improve the situation.

The initiative was based on the following observations concerning supplier-computing product strategies related to mine equipment systems: • Some strategies were based on providing proprietary technologies that were incompatible with other industry standard technology available in the market.

• This in turn required higher costs and effort to develop, implement, integrate, and operate these products to realize their benefits.

• It also resulted in duplication of effort and systems at a mine, or between mines, to achieve the benefits, and often also resulted in solutions that were unique and not nontransferable to other operations, again resulting in higher costs.

• And there initially wasn’t a lot of coordination between mines and receptivity among suppliers to address the above situation.

Given the previous, the stage was set for mining customers and suppliers to realize an opportunity for working collaboratively in a proactive and open manner beneficial to all when it came to leveraging mine equipment control and information systems more effectively into the future.

The initiative to standardize these systems had some initial hurdles to overcome. The issue of proprietary versus standard technology solutions has been an ongoing issue in many industries for years. Computing and network industry standards using “off the shelf components” are beneficial due to cost, reliability, systems integration, global CIM Magazine n Vol. 2, Nº 4

innovation page inter-operability, multi-vendor accommodation, reduced developmental and maintenance support costs and time, buying power, staff productivity, and elimination of redundancy and duplication. Said another way, the cost and time should be in putting the technology to work, not trying to make it work.

fits of a standard for mine equipment information systems and were generally receptive with all expressing a willingness to support the work. In many cases, actions were underway to support the initiative, and work was being done to understand the full implications for mine operators. A legitimate concern the OEMs expressed was pro-

must be recognized on this initiative: Mark Bartlett and Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc., Elk Valley Coal Corporation, Jon Peck at Queenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s University, and Tom Demorest and the SMART group. Without these individuals, companies, and industry efforts and support, this initiative would not have progressed.

The work to standardize mine equipment information systems will become increasingly important as computing and network technology will continue to significantly improve mobile mining equipment through intelligence, not iron. The mining community has, through this initiative, once again demonstrated their ability to collaborate and make innovative improvements. CIM

Innovation does not occur in one giant leap.

It is achieved through incremental steps building on each other with the support of multiple participants.

Prior to this initiative, there had been frequent communications between vendors and individual mining companies concerning a more standardized approach for utilizing mine technology systems. Many individual mining companies interested in this subject began talking with each other and learning that they had common issues and views. At the CIM conference in 2005 in Toronto, an informal meeting of mining companies resulted in an agreement to pursue and explore the matter. This was followed by a more formal meeting, resulting in the development of a vision statement and scope, and a communication plan for the original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), original technology manufacturers (OTMs), and the mining industry. The initiative was folded under the auspices of the Surface Mining Association for Research and Technology (SMART), and a formal letter to the OEMs and OTMs was developed and distributed. The next step consisted of directly contacting the OEMs and OTMs to discuss the initiative. In addition, technical mining representatives met to develop the originally sought-after technology standards representing the needs of the surface mining industry. This work was compiled into a final report to document the achieved objectives.

The OEMs and OTMs were mostly receptive and open to this initiative.

The participants understood the beneJune/July 2007

tection of their IP software control algorithms and related data. The OEMs also tested the commitment by the mining industry to ensure their efforts were utilized and worthwhile. Finally there was also an interest by OEMs to further work with the mining industry and possibly establishing a joint standards group.

Engagement of mining operators and firms was key to implementing this initiative. Because the developed standards for mine equipment control and information systems are now developed, moving into an operational phase requires these standards to be specified in the procurement cycle for new equipment.

Innovation does not occur in one giant leap. It is achieved through incremental steps building on each other with the support of multiple participants. There are some special participants that

37

standards Dates in technical reports

by Deborah McCombe, executive vice president and geological consultant, Scott Wilson, Roscoe Postle Associates

There are a number of important dates that must be disclosed when a Qualified Person (QP) is preparing a technical report for securities purposes.

The dates are discussed in NI43-101 and the Form of the Technical Report, NI43-101F1.

• Effective date of the technical report • Possible revision date of the report • Effective date of mineral resources and mineral reserves • Date of the personal inspection (site visit) • Signature date of the date report (execution date) • Date of the certificate of the QP • Date of the consent of the QP The effective date of the report is basically the cut-off date for the information that is included in the technical report. The effective date should be close to the signature date. If there is too long a period between these dates, the QP runs the risk of new material information becoming available and then the technical report would no longer be current. The effective date is disclosed on the title page of the report and on the signature page.

If a technical report needs to be revised to correct problems or disclosure deficiencies identified by the reg38

ulators, the QP will normally need to include a revision date on the title page of the report to distinguish the revised version from the original version. In these circumstances, the regulators will request that the original date of the report remain on the title page and the revised date will be below it. When a technical report must be revised, the QP must resign and date the signature page of the report and provide a new certificate and consent.

The effective date of the Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves estimate is the date when these estimates are current. This is usually the cutoff date for data to be included in the estimate. It may precede the effective date of the report by a considerable amount of time because of the amount of work required to complete a Mineral Resources or Mineral Reserves estimate.

The signature date of the report is the date that the report is actually signed by the QP. Part 5.2 of NI43-101 refers to this as an execution date, while Item 24 of the Form NI43-101F1 refers to this date as the date of signature. The signature date goes on the signature page of the report, which is generally the last page.

The date of the most recent personal inspection is disclosed in the certificate of the QP, which is discussed in Section 8.1(1) of NI43-101.

The QP must disclose in his/her certificate whether they visited the site or not. At least one of the QPs who is involved in the preparation of the technical report must visit the site.

The most appropriate QP(s) must visit the site. For example, if the technical report describes an operating mine with a history of metallurgical recovery issues, we would expect the metallurgical engineer to visit the site.

Often a QP has visited a particular property in the past and asks the reg-

ulators if a new site visit is necessary.

If there has been new material information on the property, such as a drilling program, the QP must make a current site visit.

The certificate of the QP is actually a separate document from the technical report. Generally, when the report is first prepared, the certificate is included with the report and is dated at that time. However, if the technical report is still current, the issuer may need that technical report at a later time to support disclosure in another required filing. At that time, the QP will have to file a new certificate with the current date. Section 8.1(1)(i) of NI43-101 requires the QP to certify that, as of the date of the certificate, to the best of his/her knowledge, information, and belief, the technical report contains all scientific and technical information that is required to be disclosed to make the technical report not misleading.

The consent of the QP contains several dates. The QP must disclose the date of the document that he/she has read, the date of the technical report that supports the disclosure in the document, and the date when the QP signs the consent. When the filing of a technical report is triggered, the QP is required to provide a consent.

Therefore, the date of the consent will depend on that timing. CIM

C A M s t c fa

Seventy per cent ($34 billion) of Canada’s total metals exports of $47 billion is exported to the United States, predominately iron and steel, aluminum, and copper.

CIM Magazine n Vol. 2, Nº 4

engineering exchange AMEC—leaders in responsible practice

by Haidee Weldon AMEC is an international project management and services company that designs, delivers, and supports mining industrial and infrastructure projects worldwide. For more than a decade, AMEC has provided complete design services to virtually all of the world’s major mine developers and operators, as well as mid-sized mining companies, juniors, and lending institutions. Just about anywhere you find diamonds in Canada, you’ll find AMEC engineers.

AMEC has provided everything from exploration and testwork services, through to comprehensive engi- Victor construction site neering, procurement, and construction management (EPCM) this aspect of the project earned the and environmental services, for most of AMEC Spring 2004 Excellence in Client the diamond mines under development Service award. With AMEC’s assistance, in Canada. AMEC was there when the the Victor project has provided employvery first Canadian diamonds were ment for 600 people from First Nations brought to the surface at BHP Billiton’s and other northern Ontario communiEKATI mine and, responsible for EPCM, ties during its construction phase. played an integral role.

AMEC is currently providing EPCM Not just a diamond specialist AMEC’s expertise extends beyond services for the Victor Diamond project in Ontario under an alliance agreement the diamond industry. Take the Pogo with De Beers. Since the early explo- project, situated 85 miles southeast of ration phase, AMEC’s earth and envi- Fairbanks, Alaska. Pogo posed many ronmental specialists have played a key challenges as a greenfield underground role in the approvals/permitting process, mine and processing facility in a remote with the federal EA and three Provincial area of environmental sensitivity. Joint Class EAs completed without a hitch. owners Teck Cominco and Sumitomo Experienced individuals consulted with placed top priority on environmental the First Nations communities, over- stewardship for this project.

AMEC engineers successfully coming hurdles and paving the way to EA approval. The six AMEC employees designed and oversaw the building of from the Mississauga office involved in the Pogo project. By minimizing enviJune/July 2007

ronmental impact, Pogo met its goals of addressing long-term land sustainability and maximizing acceptability by the Alaskan public.

One of Pogo’s notable design aspects is a surface gold mill for recovery through gravity concentration, flotation, and cyanide leaching. Compared to traditional whole ore leaching, applying a high gravity concentration effort followed by flotation reduces the amount of material to be leached by cyanide.

Keeping the environment in mind, AMEC paid special attention to water and waste management. An innovative tailings system eliminated the need for a tailings pond at Pogo. The waste is divided into two parts: material with any residual cyanide from processing, or potentially reactive, naturally occurring sulphides mixed with cement for 39

disposal as low-permeability paste underground. The rest of the tailings material is filtered and dry-stacked in a surface storage facility. At the end of mine operations, the dry-stack tailings will be reclaimed, minimizing environmental impact.

The Goodpaster River passes directly through the Pogo property and is the natural drainage river for the site, posing yet another engineering challenge. AMEC used Monte Carlo simulation to determine the probability distributions of water flows in a project-specific water model. The model was used to estimate discharge rates and water quality under various conditions. Process water, mine water, surface water, and runoff, as well as dry-stack runoff, were all incorporated in the containment and treatment strategy. The gold plant maximizes the use of recycled water, drastically cutting down the need to add fresh water

40

East view of the Pogo project

by using hose pumps instead of standard centrifugal slurry pumps.

This technology has helped to reduce the amount of water requiring treatment and discharge.

The collection system for mine drainage, surface, and runoff water was designed to prevent untreated water from entering the Goodpaster River. All water first passes through the treatment facility that removes contaminants before discharging into the river. The facility includes a highdensity sludge process to achieve enhanced co-precipitation of metals including arsenic;

lime softening, and recarbonation to remove calcium and magnesium.

Plans are already in place for reclamation once operations cease at Pogo.

It is intended to re-establish the designated post-mining land for wildlife habitat and recreation. This will be done by reclaiming and stabilizing any areas that have been disturbed by exploration activities, stabilizing and protecting soil from erosion by wind and water, and establishing long-term self-sustaining vegetation and minimizing long-term closure requirements. Re-establishing the wildlife habitat is expected to take five to fifteen years, first by stimulating the growth of early successional vegetation and stands of aspen. These will then provide a habitat for moose and other game, ruffed grouse, voles, and raptors.

The overall footprint of Pogo is small by design. The mill and water treatment facilities have compact and space-efficient layouts, predominantly organized in a single narrow bench.

AMEC has helped to ensure that Pogoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s legacy will be how many ounces of gold it produced in its mine life, not a story of what was left behind. CIM CIM Magazine n Vol. 2, NÂş 4

student life What are we looking for?

by Bernard W. Haley, mining engineering undergraduate, McGill University The teams competing in the 2007 Canadian Mining Games were posed two questions: “What have companies been overlooking in their recruitment process?” and “What can they do to make the communities they operate out of more appealing to young engineers?” These questions were the focus of the seminar competition. Teams from 12 mining universities prepared their responses and nominated a representative to present to the judges at the opening banquet. The competition was judged by very intrigued representatives from the Rio Tinto Group: IOC, Diavik, QIT, and QMP. Students have had first-hand exposure to the advancements made in corporate recruitment. The labour shortage generated by the rapidly expanding mining industry has forced companies to maximize their recruitment process.

This has generated unprecedented opportunities for young engineers.

Incentives such as signing bonuses, relocation packages, stock options, and, of course, higher salaries have become the norm. For many students, this year’s seminar competition was the first time they were asked, “What are you looking for?”

The speakers of the seminar competition had varying perspectives on what companies had been overlooking. A successful recruitment program needs to be comprehensive. Given the nature of the problem, the recruitment process should begin with university enrolment and end with ensuring jobs that offer opportunities for personal and professional development. Increasing university enrolment would help alleviate the labour shortage. University programs can be developed through student burJune/July 2007

saries, donations for facility improvements, and, of course, industry involvement. Industry involvement takes the form of internships, corporate presentations, and technical seminars. It is important to offer students the opportunity to become acquainted with companies before making their employment decisions.

The formal recruitment process should be a two-way street, offering companies and students alike the opportunity to make educated decisions based on the other’s credentials and culture.

The process should be diverse, including interviews, information sessions, and even site visits. A site visit is an opportunity for companies to form relationships with their candidates. Furthermore, candidates gain an understanding of the operation, meet their possible co-workers, and experience the community they would live in. Recruitment should be an opportunity for highly motivated employees to promote the highlights of the job and community.

Ultimately, it is the job that will attract an engineer. Employment packages should offer competitive salaries, benefits, and a relocation framework for employees and their families.

Support should also be provided for finding employment for spouses in their field of expertise. Young engineers are looking for systems in place that offer them the ability to plan for their future with the company, either formal E.I.T programs or planning sessions with supervisors. Prospects within the company are imperative, but the attractiveness of the community is also a deciding factor.

It only takes a quick glance over Canada’s mining operations to realize that many, if not most, are located in very remote areas. The second seminar question faced the challenge of recruiting engineers from Canada’s large cities for work in remote communities.

Although each presentation was

unique, one commonality could be drawn between all of them: young engineers are looking for communities with both culture and infrastructure.

Each community’s culture is unique; it is derived from the people in it and cannot be duplicated elsewhere. In order to develop a community’s culture, it’s the company’s responsibility to play an active role in it. The responsibility of the company begins by developing the community’s infrastructure.

Adequate housing, health care, education, and recreational services are crucial to the lives of employees and their families. Only once these basic needs are met can the culture of a community flourish.

Companies should stimulate their community’s culture with social programs developed by employees. Social programs should be frequent and diverse, and may include events like team sports, trips, and dinners.

Company goals in the community should emphasize sustainable development and promote employee involvement. Part of the communities’ sustainable development should be through charitable programs set up to help the less fortunate.

Companies are responsible for facilitating the development of communities, but ultimately it is the responsibility of employees to contribute to creating the lifestyle and culture they want.

So, what are we looking for? Young engineers are looking for the company that not only offers them the best salary and benefits, but the best lifestyle. The best way to promote lifestyle is to let community and corporate cultures speak for themselves. Cultures based on enthusiasm, creativity, and openmindedness are sure to prevail.

The seminar event of the 17th annual Canadian Mining Games was an opportunity for students to express their perspective on current issues and for companies to gain insight into our culture. CIM 41

I

n response to a parliamentary report on corporate social responsibility, the Government of Canada, led by the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT), has recently hosted four roundtables on the practice of the Canadian extractive sector in developing countries. The roundtables were held in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, and Montreal, from June to November 2006, and involved non-government organizations, industry associations, experts, and members of civil society. If you own or work for a Canadian mining or exploration company, this was definitely not the most comfortable place to be sitting. A majority of the presentations described miners as greedy, focused on the pay dirt, and at best uncaring (at worst criminally culpable) about the heinous impacts of their activities on impoverished local populations abroad. So what is the truth behind the headlines? What are the drivers of conflict situations involving Canadian companies overseas? The Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) commissioned us to find out (Odell & Silva, 2006) and we present a summary of our analysis and results here1.

by Carol Odell and Ana Carolina Silva 1 This article is based on a report developed for PDAC. Points of view or opinions stated in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the position of PDAC. Women and children are often among artisanal miners working close to exploration and mining sites. Photo credit: Global Mercury Project, UNIDO*

June/July 2007

43

OURMISSION Our mission consisted of scanning the Internet for the highest profile controversies and conflicts involving Canadian mining and exploration abroad, to devise a sample of 15 case studies that represented a variety of conflict drivers and a range of geographic locations.

We also ensured that case studies approximately paralleled the focus of the Canadian mineral portfolio abroad (Natural Resources Canada, 2005) and involved all development phases of the mine life cycle: exploration, permitting, construction, and operations. Time constraints led to our final sample including only 11 case studies, which are represented on the map.

Community disclosure meetings. Photo credit: Ian Thompson, On Common Ground*

•

1

2

1 2 1 1 3

For each case study, we weighted publicly available information from company websites with the reports of field visits and urgent actions of environmental NGOs such as MiningWatch, Amnesty International, Greenpeace, and their local counterparts. We also found more independent voices in the form of reports from United Nations commissioners, European parliamentary observers, the World Bank’s compliance advisory ombudsman, and some less radical non-governmental organizations like Transparency International.

We summarized our findings and sent them to the companies for comment. The aim was to build a balanced view of each case study, contextualized in an understanding of the political, economic, and social situation including any relevant recent trends. Particular weight was given to independent sources that had gathered empirical evidence through talking to companies and communities in the field.

DRIVERS OF CONTROVERSY Once we’d sorted out what was happening on the ground, our task was to determine what was driving the controversies. We divided the drivers into: • Contextual drivers—features of the political, social, and environmental setting, which the company had no direct control over but might need to build strategies to address; and • Company practice drivers—actions more closely controlled by the company, which contributed to or mitigated a conflict situation.

In most cases, the key issues turned out to be matching the right company practices to the contextual setting. Sounds simple, but as many mining companies have found out, complexities in these settings come from many sides. Some examples of contextual drivers that played a significant role in shaping the outcomes and the risk environment for the project are: 1. Governance domain Host governments played significant roles in many of these situations and the general characteristics of governance and regulatory framework was important in aggravating conflicts in most situations.

44

High corruption: The vast majority (9) of the countries where conflicts occurred exhibited high to very high levels of perceived corruption according to Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index. Corruption impedes the flow of benefits from mines to local communities and creates a low-trust environment for mines to operate in.

• Recent regulatory changes (10) promoted foreign investment and secure land tenure for mining, which were not always in line with international best practices in environmental and social management. These were often accompanied by poor environmental regulatory capacity (7) in early project development, which created doubts for communities over governmental ability and willingness to protect communities and their environments.

• Militarization and impunity were present in seven cases, leading to a greater tendency for violent action by the police and armed forces. All of the problems in the case studies involved actions carried out by government agents rather than by agents under direct supervision of the company.

2. Social domain The social domain is characterized by pre-existing social issues that the companies encountered during the exploration and mining activities. Important drivers included the presence of: • Artisanal miners (3): Informal small-scale miners presented challenges to larger scale operations, as the two groups compete directly for the same resources. As artisanal miners are often illegal, they create challenges for concession owners in devising appropriate resettlement approaches and engagement strategies.

• Indigenous people (5): The status of indigenous rights varies around the world. Controversies centred on the interpretation of requirements for consent and consultation required by international conventions and between national governments and indigenous groups. In addition, collective land rights were also an issue, which caused controversy, especially in relation to resettlement.

• Subsistence farmers (8): Presence of legislation favouring mining caused concern over the impacts of traditional livelihoods and, as a rule, these impacts are not well understood by governments and companies.

• High levels of mining environmental dread (6): Worldwide, the perception of mining companies tends to be of a highly polluting industry. Lack of understanding of modern mining practices can easily be manipulated and misunderstood. The use of cyanide in gold mining appeared particularly likely to cause problems of perception.

• Legacy issues (4): Many concessions that were the focus of controversies had a history of poor practice, and several companies CIM Magazine n Vol. 2, Nº 4

Remote communities like this one in the Brazilian Amazon experience rapid infrastructure development due to escalating mining activities. Photo credit: Silvana Costa*

struggled to overcome legacies of previous owners to build a trusting relationship with untrusting community neighbours.

3. Media and NGOs The power of perception and the media also proved to be important drivers of conflict in more than half of our case studies. What made these important issues were two things: • The amount of misinformation about mining environmental issues—especially the fear over acid rock drainage and the use of cyanide that exists generally.

• The willingness of some NGOs to distort information and ignore very considerable efforts companies were directing towards socially responsible practices.

• Relationships between contextual and company practice drivers (Odell & Silva, 2006).

MATCHINGCOMPANY PRACTICE TOCONTEXT We did find cases of Canadian-registered companies that did not appear to place enough emphasis on building relationships with local people and ensuring that there was a balance between impacts and benefits for communities. In these cases (two of our 11 case studies), NGOs played an important initial watchdog role. In most other cases, companies clearly demonstrated an intention to practice responsibly; however they were not always successful in matching appropriate practices to the contextual issues they faced.

Community engagement was clearly a priority for most companies; however, unsuccessful engagement strategies aggravated at least seven cases. Key challenges included: identification of the full range of stakeholders; timing and transparency of the processes; and effective communication concerning the technical aspects of projects. Sometimes groups that didn’t initially appear to be impacted turned out to have important concerns or strong political allies. On the other hand, successful engagement practice was a mitigator in four cases.

June/July 2007

Managing security in situations of militarization and impunity proved to be a developing art (and is also one around which best practice guidelines are constantly evolving). Cases involving security abuses committed by government agents showed that it is not necessary for company employees to be directly involved in human rights abuses for the company to be widely suspected of complicity.

However, there were some leading-edge practices demonstrated by companies that had encountered challenges in this area including pioneering approaches to Human Rights Impact Assessment and collaborating with indigenous rights groups to build capacity in human rights protection among all army personnel operating in the area.

Although environmental issues appeared at first sight to be driving many conflicts, on closer inspection, only two cases seemed truly to be driven by environmental concerns. In many cases, the environmental complaint appeared to surface because it was seen as more legitimate than underlying concerns over the distribution of benefits.

Good environmental practice was identified as a mitigator of conflict in two cases.

We also observed many companies struggling to manage corruption, design and implement resettlement plans, and mitigate environmental impacts. They found that these issues are difficult to get completely right and that relatively small failures can create big problems.

On a more positive note, development practice appeared to have a mitigating effect in eight cases. Successful strategies included assisting communities to develop governance and civic engagement capacity, participatory planning, and infrastructure development.

Similarly, employment policies, including local hiring and training, were also a mitigating factor in six cases.

Rather unexpected in a selection of case studies specifically selected for the high profile of criticisms against them was the level of excellence of practice we observed. Several companies we studied met or exceeded best practice guidelines in security practices, in local development planning initiatives (often with assistance from development NGOs and in concert with government agencies and com45

munity groups) aiming for long-term sustainable development, in local hiring practices, and in transparent communication.

In these cases, either the companies had responded effectively to complaints from local stakeholders or in fact (in some cases) the imputed causes for concern had never existed and complaints appeared to have emerged as a result of outside interference and political concerns. In either case, there was no recognition by some NGOs of the considerable successes of many of the companies in providing both short- and longterm benefits to the communities around their mining operations.

mission (Odell & Silva, 2006). For instance, an ombudsman may represent a viable mechanism for addressing complaints against companies over their practices abroad. This mechanism would provide independent assessment of situations in which sources of misinformation

On a more positive note,

WEBSITES THATGIVE THE COMPANY VIEW EFFECTIVELY

development practice appeared to have a mitigating effect in eight cases.

Successful strategies included assisting communities to develop governance and civic engagement capacity, participatory planning, and infrastructure development.

A key challenge that we found in our research was that most companies provide little information on their websites to counter the amount of misinformation being spread about their projects. Companies’ risk communication strategies need to be cognizant of the power of misinformation in shaping public perception and distorting facts.

There were, however, companies that had made our investigative task very easy. They had easily navigable websites, menus that walked us through the key issues at their sites, and their responses. They had full text copies of environmental impact studies and resettlement plans available for download, and they had links to independent documents about their projects. The best sites were available in local languages and some even included quotations from their opponents. We also found investment sites that recognized the value of these pieces of information in recommending the companies to their investors.

Gabriel Resources’ Rosia Montana—True Story website (www.truestory.ro ) makes it easy for the reader to compare information from various sources and to identify misrepresentations about the company. It swept away the images of contaminated pristine rural villages and replaced them with a reality of 2,000 years of poorly managed communist mining, which would be left considerably cleaner. This company had already invested $9 million in restoring Roman mining galleries and had one of the most impressive resettlement packages we had ever seen.

THE WAY FORWARD Clearly, action is needed on a number of fronts if Canadian companies are to be supported in their efforts to implement responsible mining practice. When operating in foreign jurisdictions, companies are often in situations where responsible practice is not the norm and the playing field seems to favour less responsible companies.

A key desire expressed by companies was for the Canadian government to support the host governments where they do business, in the form of capacity building and implementation of regulations that support responsible companies. There are already examples of Canadian support for improved environmental and social protection abroad, such as the PERCAN initiative in Peru.

The site-specific nature of social responsibility and human rights issues suggest that voluntary approaches will, for the present, be more satisfactory in most cases than legal instruments. A variety of approaches for overcoming challenges faced by Canadian exploration and mining companies have been identified during the roundtable process, and we discuss some of these instruments in our written sub46

and underlying issues could potentially be uncovered. An ombudsman approach could also assist companies that are unfairly accused of poor practice by some NGOs. Overall, we noted that all of the case studies involved important contextual drivers. In all but one of the situations, poor governance, including corruption, played an important factor. On February 10 this year, the Canadian government announced official support for the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative—a World Bank initiative that requires mining and exploration companies to publish details of all payments made to public bodies in association with their projects within the national jurisdiction (Department of Finance, 2007). It is an important step in the fight against the corruption that is attracted to the revenues of mining. Canada also donated funds to assist developing nations to implement the initiative.

Also in this vein, companies have demonstrated an increasing interest in improved information to better understand the social and political risks of the situations they operate in. There are many international standards and principles out there, for example: IFC Performance Standards, OECD Guidelines, Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights, the Global Reporting Initiative, and the Equator Principles. Because no standard meets all criteria, it would be desirable to draw from different standards sets in order to develop a comprehensive CSR framework that could address the realities of today. This would enable companies to design more effective approaches to their site-specific situations and, at the same time, encourage flexibility and ethical practice while avoiding unnecessary rigidity.

Some of the issues presented here have already been addressed in e3 (Environmental Excellence in Exploration; www.e3environmental.com), an online resource for environmentally and socially responsible practice managed by PDAC. The PDAC has also moved forward with the development of a management framework for applying good corporate social responsibility (CSR) practice in the specific context of mining exploration and development. This was unveiled in a short course prior to the PDAC conference in March and was enthusiastically discussed by participants.

Echoing the above, the final report from the roundtables was released on March 29 this year. Key recommendations include the development of a Canadian CSR framework based initially on existing international standards and new reporting requirements. In addition, there will be a new ombudsman to provide advice and fact-finding services regarding Canadian companies, backed up by a tripartite CIM Magazine n Vol. 2, Nº 4

Dairy stable and associated irrigation support community well-being, partially compensating for pasture lost to the mine. Photo credit: Carol Odell*

Compliance Review Committee to determine the level of compliance of companies to the Canadian Standard (National Roundtable on Corporate Social Responsibility, 2007).

Overall one thing is clearâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;Canadian extractive companies are under the spotlight and it is up to them to show the world that it is possible to develop successful mining projects responsibly. As some of our case studies showed, we are already world leaders in this regard; now we need to be a little less reticent and talk about what we are achieving and learning around the world about how to mine in ways that bring benefits rather than hardship to local communities. CIM

Carol Odell is an independent consultant

Carol Odell

REFERENCES Department of Finance (2007). Canadaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new government supports an international initiative to improve governance in resource-rich countries. News release.

National Roundtable on Corporate Social Responsibility (2007). Advisory group report of the National Roundtables on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and the Canadian extractive industry in developing countries: Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada (DFAIT). Available at http://geo.international.gc.ca/cip-pic/current_discussions/csr-roundtablesen.asp.

Natural Resources Canada (2005). 2004 mining yearbook: Canadaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s global mining presence. Toronto: Natural Resources Canada.

Odell, C., & Silva, A.C. (2006). Mining exploration, corporate social responsibility and human rights: Untangling the facts, seeking solutions. Montreal: Submission to the National Roundtable on Corporate Social Responsibility.

Available at http://pdac.ca/pdac/misc/061207-roundtable-final-draft.pdf.

working with mining companies, governments, and communities impacted by/benefiting from mining operations. Currently a doctoral candidate at the Norman B. Keevil Institute of Mining Engineering at the University of British Columbia researching the environmental and social outcomes of mining operations, she is undertaking doctoral fieldwork with a network of communities neighbouring mining operations in Peru.

Ana Carolina Silva is an independent con-

Ana Carolina Silva

sultant based in Vancouver, Canada, with experience in a variety of projects in Canada and Latin America related to environmental impact assessments, risk management, policy analysis, and multi-stakeholder consultation. Currently in the final stages of her PhD at the Norman B. Keevil Institute of Mining Engineering at the University of British Columbia, Carolina has been involved with the development of economic, social, and environmental indicators for evaluating the life cycle impacts of metals.

* These pictures are merely illustrative and do not relate to any of the case studies discussed in this article.

June/July 2007

47

explorateurs

Les aux premières lignes La vérité sur les plaintes concernant les droits de la personne et la responsabilité sociale des entreprises minières

E

n réaction à un bulletin parlementaire sur la responsabilité sociale des entreprises, le Gouvernement du Canada, par l’entremise du ministère des Affaires étrangères et du Commerce international (MAECI), a récemment tenu quatre tables rondes sur les pratiques des sociétés canadiennes du secteur de l’extraction dans les pays en développement. Ces tables rondes ont été tenues à Vancouver, à Calgary, à Toronto et à Montréal, de juin à novembre 2006; elles impliquaient des organisations non gouvernementales (ONG), des associations industrielles, des experts et des membres de la société civile. Si vous étiez propriétaire d’une compagnie minière ou d’exploration canadienne ou si vous travailliez pour une telle compagnie, la situation n’était pas confortable. La majorité des présentations décrivait les compagnies minières comme étant rapaces et âpres au gain et, au mieux, insensibles (au pire, criminellement responsables) concernant les impacts odieux de leurs activités sur les populations locales appauvries à l’étranger. Alors, quelle est la vérité 48

par Carol Odell et Ana Carolina Silva derrière ces manchettes? Quels sont les moteurs des situations conflictuelles impliquant les compagnies canadiennes? L’Association canadienne des prospecteurs et entrepreneurs (PDAC) nous a mandatées pour le découvrir (Odell & Silva, 2006)1; nous présentons ici un sommaire de notre analyse et de nos conclusions2.

NOTRE MISSION Notre mission était de rechercher dans l’Internet les controverses et les conflits les plus significatifs impliquant des compagnies minières canadiennes. Nous nous sommes aussi assurées que toutes les phases du cycle minier étaient incluses. L’échantillon final comporte 11 études 1 Voir 2

texte anglais pour les références.

Cet article est basé sur un rapport effectué pour le PDAC. Les opinions et les points de vue exprimés dans cet article sont ceux des auteurs et ne reflètent pas nécessairement la position du PDAC.

CIM Magazine n Vol. 2, Nº 4

1

2

1 2 1 1 3

de cas (voir la carte). Les informations disponibles publiquement ont été comparées à des rapports de visites de terrain et d’actions urgentes d’ONG telles que MiningWatch, Amnistie internationale, Greenpeace et de nombreuses autres. Une grande importance a été accordée aux sources indépendantes qui ont recueilli des évidences empiriques en parlant aux compagnies et aux communautés.

SOURCES DE CONTROVERSES

Agriculture de subsistance : Les législations en faveur de l’exploitation minière affectent les modes de vie traditionnels; les gouvernements et les compagnies comprennent souvent mal les impacts.

Peur élevée des environnements miniers : Les mines sont perçues mondialement comme une industrie grandement polluante.

Le manque de compréhension des méthodes modernes d’exploitation peut être facilement manipulé. L’utilisation de cyanure causerait les plus gros problèmes de perception.

Questions de legs : De nombreuses concessions ont un historique de mauvaises pratiques et les compagnies ont de la difficulté à établir des relations de confiance avec des communautés méfiantes.

Dans le domaine des médias et des ONG, le pouvoir de perception est aussi une importante source de conflit dans plus de la moitié des cas, notamment : La désinformation quant aux questions d’environnement minier – surtout la peur du drainage minier acide et de l’utilisation de cyanure.

Nous avons trouvé deux principales sources de controverses : les sources contextuelles, soit les paramètres politiques, sociaux et environnementaux sur lesquels les compagnies n’avaient aucun contrôle direct, et les pratiques des compagnies, soit les actions contrôlées par les compagnies qui ont contribué à une situation de conflit ou qui l’ont atténuées.

Les sources contextuelles se subdivisent en trois domaines : Les gouvernements hôtes jouent un rôle important dans le domaine de la gouvernance et les caractéristiques générales de gouvernance et de cadre réglementaire aggravaient souvent les conflits.

Corruption : la vaste majorité (9) des pays où avaient lieu des conflits montraient une très grande perception de corruption. La corruption entrave le flux de bénéfices des mines vers les communautés locales et crée un environnement de méfiance.

Changements réglementaires récents : Dix pays promouvaient des investissements étrangers et des régimes fonciers sécurisés qui n’étaient pas toujours compatibles avec les meilleures pratiques environnementales et de gestion sociale. Les communautés doutent ainsi de la capacité et de la volonté des gou- Les stratégies de communication des risques des sociétés minières doivent tenir compte de la façon dont les experts et les travailleurs comprennent les risques liés à l’environnement. Photo fournie par Ana Carolina Silva* vernements à les protéger.

Militarisation et impunité : Sept cas conduisaient Fausses informations : Quelques ONG faussent les informations vers une tendance à des actions violentes de la part de la police et des et ignorent les efforts des compagnies d’exploitation d’utiliser des forces armées. Tous les problèmes dans les cas à l’étude impliquaient pratiques socialement responsables. des actions effectuées par des agents gouvernementaux plutôt que par des agents sous la surveillance directe de la compagnie.

Le domaine social est caractérisé par des enjeux sociaux préexPRATIQUES DES COMPAGNIES istants : Certaines compagnies enregistrées au Canada ne semblaient pas Mineurs artisanaux (3) : Des mineurs exploitent à petite échelle la mettre assez d’emphase sur les relations avec les populations locales même ressource que les grandes compagnies; ils travaillent souvent et l’équilibre entre les impacts et les bénéfices aux communautés. illégalement, compliquant les stratégies de réinstallation et d’emL’engagement communautaire est clairement une priorité pour la plubauche. part des compagnies; cependant, les manques à cet égard touchaient Populations autochtones (5) : Le statut des personnes surtout l’identification des intervenants, la séquence et la transautochtones varie grandement. Les controverses touchent l’interpréparence des procédés et des communications efficaces concernant les tation du consentement exigé par les conventions internationales. Les aspects techniques des projets. Il arrivait parfois que des groupes qui propriétés foncières collectives compliquent aussi les questions de ne semblaient pas affectés avaient des préoccupations sérieuses ou réinstallation. de forts alliés politiques.

June/July 2007

49

ALLERDE L’AVANT

L’agriculture de subsistance est la principale activité de nombreuses communautés à proximité de chantiers et projets miniers. Photo fournie par Ian Thompson, On Common Ground*

La gestion de la sécurité s’est avérée être un art. Des cas d’abus de sécurité par des agents gouvernementaux ont démontré que les compagnies pouvaient être soupçonnées de complicité même si ses employés n’étaient pas directement impliqués. Certaines compagnies jouaient un rôle d’avant-garde en travaillant avec les groupes indigènes pour les droits de la personne.

Seulement deux cas de conflit découlaient directement de préoccupations environnementales; les plaintes environnementales faisaient surface parce qu’elles semblaient plus légitimes que les enjeux sous-jacents de distribution des bénéfices. De plus, plusieurs compagnies travaillaient fort pour gérer la corruption, les plans de réinstallation et les impacts environnementaux; elles ont découvert que des manquements même relativement mineurs peuvent créer de gros problèmes.

Dans notre étude, nous avons été surprises du niveau élevé de pratiques excellentes. Plusieurs compagnies dépassaient même les lignes directrices des meilleures pratiques en termes de sécurité, de développement d’initiatives locales pour le développement durable à long terme, de pratiques locales d’embauche et de communications transparentes. Dans ces cas, les compagnies avaient résolu les problèmes ou bien les causes d’inquiétude n’existaient pas et découlaient d’enjeux politiques. Certains ONG ne reconnaissaient pas les succès des compagnies à fournir des bénéfices à court et à long terme aux communautés voisines des exploitations minières.

Les compagnies canadiennes se retrouvent souvent dans des situations où les pratiques responsables ne sont pas la norme. Elles voudraient que le Gouvernement canadien soutienne les gouvernements où elles ont des intérêts par le développement des capacités et la mise en place de réglementations qui supportent les compagnies responsables. L’initiative PERCAN au Pérou est un bon exemple.

Les questions de responsabilité sociale et de droits de la personne sont souvent spécifiques à un site; dans de nombreux cas, les approches volontaires sont plus satisfaisantes que des législations.

Durant les tables rondes, diverses démarches ont été mentionnées; par exemple, un ombudsman pourrait être un bon mécanisme pour traiter des plaintes contre les compagnies en fournissant une évaluation indépendante des situations.

Le 10 février dernier, le Gouvernement canadien a annoncé qu’il soutenait officiellement l’Initiative relative à la transparence des industries extractives – une initiative de la Banque mondiale qui exige que les compagnies d’exploration et d’exploitation publient tous les détails des paiements effectués à des agences publiques dans le cadre de leurs projets. C’est un pas important dans la lutte à la corruption.

Le rapport final sur les tables rondes a été diffusé le 29 mars dernier. Les principales recommandations comprennent le développe-

SITES WEB QUIDONNENTL’HEURE JUSTE Les sites Web de la plupart des compagnies fournissent peu d’information pour contrer les désinformations qui circulent concernant leurs projets. Les compagnies doivent être conscientes du pouvoir de la désinformation à former la perception du public et à fausser les faits. Par contre, plusieurs compagnies ont des sites Web faciles à naviguer; elles y présentent des copies des études d’impact environnemental et des plans de réinstallation.

Le site de Rosia Montana de Gabriel Resources : (www.truestory.ro ) rend très faciles les comparaisons entre diverses sources. Il rejette les images de villages ruraux contaminés et les remplace par la réalité de 2000 années d’exploitation mal gérée. Le site serait considérablement plus propre avec l’exploitation par la compagnie canadienne. Cette compagnie a déjà investi 9 M$ dans la restoration d’anciennes galeries romaines et elle offre l’une des plus généreuses indemnités de réinstallation que nous avons vues.

Des initiatives internationales comme le Global Mercury Project aident les sociétés et les gouvernements à développer l’expertise des mineurs artisanaux en Afrique. Photo fournie par le Global Mercury Project, UNIDO*

ment d’un cadre pour la Responsabilité sociale des entreprises basée sur les normes internationales existantes et sur les nouvelles exigences de divulgation.

Une chose est toutefois claire – les entreprises canadiennes d’extraction sont sous les feux de la rampe et elles doivent montrer au monde qu’il est possible de développer des projets miniers de manière responsable, en apportant des bénéfices plutôt que des problèmes aux communautés locales. CIM

* Ces photos sont à titre indicatif et ne sont reliées en aucune façon aux cas présentés dans cet article.

50

CIM Magazine n Vol. 2, Nº 4

cim news CIM welcomes new members Ansley, Dan, British Columbia Armstrong, Edward, USA Aune, Jim, Manitoba Bader, Adrian J., Alberta Beaufils, Alexandre, Québec Brisebois, Pete M., Alberta Broddy, Tom, British Columbia Brosig, Daniel, Ontario Brown, Ivan, Alberta Brown, Jami, Ontario Case, Cory, Québec Chan, Stanley S.C., Québec Colwell, Trevor, Nova Scotia Darling, George B., Ontario De Guise, Andre, Newfoundland Del Hoyo, Carlos H., British Columbia DiFabrizio, Jeffrey Mitchell, Québec Dixon, Dennis, Ontario Dregischan, Marty, Ontario Duff, Oryan, Manitoba Evangelista, Dario, Québec Fitch, Amanda, Québec Fontaine, Michel, Québec Frye, William (Art), British Columbia Furlong, Amanda, Ontario Fuzi, Ryan, British Columbia Gandush, B., Mongolia Goad, Bruce, British Columbia Haig, Peter, Australia Heck, Michael, British Columbia Holben, Rob, Saskatchewan Hoque, Mohammad Zahirul, Ontario Jeffs, Tracey, Ontario Joncas, Luc, Québec Keats, Willie, Newfoundland and Labrador Kgoboko, Francisco Malesela, Botswana Koufos, Katarina, Québec Lacaille, Andre, Québec

Lamontagne, Eric, Québec LeSergent, Cliff, Alberta Lovas, Dustin, Alberta MacLeod, Bryan, Saskatchewan McCarthy, Robert, British Columbia McCleery, Jason, British Columbia McMullen, Pierre, Ontario Michaud, Xavier D., Nova Scotia Millington, Barry, Nova Scotia Ming, Sun Xi, China Mohamed, Bouna Aly, Québec Morin, Éric, Québec Murphy, F. Marlin, British Columbia Newton, Andrew, Nova Scotia Nolan, Glenn K., Ontario Polk, Allen, British Columbia Pottle-Fewer, Karen, Newfoundland and Labrador Ramcharan, Andrew J., USA Reeb, Terri-Lynn, Alberta Ricci, Sebastien, Québec Romero, Antonia, Columbia Slade, James, Alberta Smith, Vanessa, Québec Song, Xinyu, China Swain, Nicole, Saskatchewan Szwedska, Nicolas, Québec Teskey, Dennis, Ontario Tremblay, Michel, Québec Vakasovich, Jim, Alberta Wang, Huajian, Ontario Williams, Jasmine, Québec Williamson, Cathy, Saskatchewan Woods, Jeffrey, USA Xu, Tao, Alberta Zhu, Guotao (Tom), Ontario Zhu, Zhi Jun, Québec

The CIM Student Poster competition at the CIM Conference and Exhibition in Montreal was a demonstration of the high calibre of individuals studying in fields related to our industries. Though a handful were selected as winners, the overall poster display was a message to industry that its operations of tomorrow will be in good hands.

This year’s winners were:

Graduate

Oliver Coté-Mantha

A look back in time 35 YEARS AGO… • The Mining Society of Nova Scotia held their 85th Annual Meeting.

• John T. Ryan Trophy winners for 1971, in the Canada Awards category, included: Kaiser Resources Limited’s Michel Colliery (for coal mines), Texada Mines Limited’s Texada Island Operations (for metalliferous mines), and Fundy Gypsum Co. Limited’s Millers Creek, Wentworth, and Hantsport Operations (for select mines).

• The newly constructed mining building at Queen’s University was named ‘Goodwin Hall’ after the first dean of the applied science faculty, W.L. Goodwin.

• École Polytechnique de Montréal was awarded two contracts by the Federal Department of Energy, Mines and Resources. The school received $92,000 in the first year of a five-year study of slope stability factors in mining excavations.

The above was taken from the June and July 1972 issues of CIM Bulletin.

June/July 2007

CIM Student Poster winners

First place: Oliver Coté-Mantha, PhD Candidate, UQAC The Polymetallic Mineralization System of the Line Lake Area, Chibougamau, Quebec Second place: Geoff Capes, PhD Candidate, University of Saskatchewan Development and Application of Empirical Design Tools for Open Stope Design at the Xstrata Zinc George Fisher Mine, Mount Isa, Queensland, Australia Third place: Ned A. Jalil, Master’s, Queen’s University Bell Copper Property

Undergraduate First place: Devin Wilson, Queen’s University Maximizing the NPV of an Open Pit through Ramp Placement and Sequencing Second place: Devin Wilson Joe Brunelle, Queen’s University Resource Estimation of Messina’s “Boomerang” Deposit Third place: Maarten Van Koppen, Queen’s University Ansil Deposit Revisited Congratulations to this year’s winners!

51

cim news New scholarship and more at CMMF AGM The Canadian Mining and Metallurgical Foundation held its annual general meeting at the CIM Conference and Exhibition in Montreal on May 1. As is the norm, education was the key focus of the meeting and a new scholarship was announced.

“The Foundation would like to get more people involved, and to that extent we were very pleased with the first-ever proxy response for our annual meeting that was held during the CIM conference in Montreal,” said CMMF chairman Glenn Clark.

New bylaws have been accepted for the CMMF—Clark said they are a revision of the original bylaws created when the Foundation received its charter in 1972. Very little has been changed from the original, however, they have been made politically correct. A couple items have been better defined, such as who constitutes a member of the Foundation and has the right to vote. “With the new bylaws, anyone that has donated at least $25 over the last three years is a voting member of the Foundation,” explained Clark.

At the meeting, Joshua Leon, dean, Faculty of Engineering, Dalhousie, and Pierre Lafleur, director of studies and training, and Bernard Lamarre, president, École Polytechnique presented insights on the problems of student enrollment today, and a lively discussion ensued. “Unfortunately, there seems to be no simple answer to attracting students,” Clark added. As one step towards drawing students to mineralsrelated programs, a new scholarship is being set up by the Foundation in the memory of the late Don Hurd, a longtime supporter who very generously left a substantial bequest to the Foundation.

The Foundation is now at a stage where it has the opportunity to do more in the line of education, both directly with the students and members of CIM, as well as education for the public on the benefits of the minerals industry to 52

Canada and society. “The Foundation would like to be able to expand on these ideas further and there seems to be no end to the needs of the community,” Clark said.

Having exceeded its original million dollar goal set so many years ago, the

honoured to be nominated. “Especially at that time, when it appeared that we were going to have more money to work with,” he added. “I have been interested in the role we can play in educating the students and the community in general regarding the resource industries, espe-

“I feel that if possible,

everyone should give back to the community” income from a million dollars is not what it used to be, as everything is so much more expensive. So a new goal of $10 million has been set, to enable more support for educational programs.

Clark has been a director of the Foundation for some time, having first joined from his past position as Chairman of the CIM Education Committee. “Originally, the Foundation carried out limited programs that were funded by donations, mostly from Life Members, however it did not allow the Foundation to be very active,” he recalled. Two years ago when the president resigned his position, Clark was

— G. Clark

cially mining. I feel that if possible, everyone should give back to the community and if I can help, then that is what I will do.”

Clark was quick to highlight there’s a whole group of dedicated people giving their time to running the Foundation.

“The directors all volunteer their time and expenses to be on the Board of Trustees,” he said. “We are helped immensely by the staff at CIM, especially

by Serge Major, our energetic and effective Secretary-Treasurer, who also volunteers his time to the Foundation. Without the help from CIM, it would be difficult to get as much done as we do.” CIM

Obituaries CIM expresses its sincere condolences to the families and friends of the following members: Joseph Wilfrid Comeau became a member of CIM in 1959 and a life member in 1998. He passed away on April 25, 2007.

Alan George Perry joined CIM in 1967 and became a life member in 1993.

Eric Alfred Swanson became a CIM member in 1953 and a life member in 1985.

T

ragically on May 17, Frank and Joe Grieco, along with pilot Max Hudson, were killed in a plane crash.

Frank and Joe were general managers of P.R. Engineering and long-time active members of CIM. Joe joined CIM in 1975 and Frank, in 1982. In honour of Frank, a past chair of the CIM Toronto Branch, the CIM/CMP Annual Golf Day has been renamed the Frank Grieco Memorial.

CIM Magazine n Vol. 2, Nº 4

du 24 au 28 février 2008 | Val-d’Or, Québec | February 24 to 28, 2008

Travailler ensemble vers

2020

Working together towards

2020

Le succès d’une conférence repose en majeure partie sur la qualité des présentations qui y sont offertes. C’est sous le thème de Travaillons ensemble vers 2020 que les experts en exploitation et maintenance minière sont appelés à venir partager leur expertise sur différents sujets regroupés en trois grands thèmes principaux qui sont : Production Maintenance Amélioration, innovation et recherche Le programme technique s’étalera sur 3 jours et sera séparé en 3 sessions qui se dérouleront en parallèle. Les présentations seront de 30 minutes, incluant une période de questions. Vous êtes donc invités à soumettre vos articles par le biais du site internet. Les résumés devront nous parvenir au plus tard le 24 août 2007.

The success of a conference is directly related to the quality of the presentations offered. The conference theme Working Together Towards 2020 invites operations and maintenance experts to share their expertise on various subjects such as: Production Maintenance Improvement, innovation, and research The three-day technical program will be divided into three parallel sessions. Presentations are limited to 30 minutes, including a question period. Submit your articles directly through our website; please note abstracts must be received no later than August 24, 2007.

www.cim.org/memo2008 June/July 2007

53

2007 Seminar Series PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

STRATEGIC RISK QUANTIFICATION and MANAGEMENT for ORE RESERVES and MINE PLANNING

For information please contact: Delores LaPratt Department of Mining, Metals and Materials Engineering McGill University, Montreal, QC Email: admcrc.mining@mcgill.ca Phone: 514.398.4755, ext. 089638 Fax: 514.398.7099 Website: www.cim.org For registration please contact: Chantal Murphy Meeting Coordinator, CIM Suite 855, 3400 de Maisonneuve Blvd., W Montreal, QC H3Z 3B8 Email: cmurphy@cim.org Phone: 514.939.2710, ext. 1309 Fax: 514.939.2714 Website: www.cim.org

Mining Engineering

54

Upcoming 2007 Seminars

• Mineral project evaluation techniques and applications: From conventional methods to real options September 11–14, Montreal Michel Bilodeau, McGill University, Canada and Michael Samis, AMEC, Canada Learn the basics of economic/financial evaluation techniques, as well as the practical implementation of these techniques to mineral project assessments. Learn: • How to gain a practical understanding of economic/financial evaluation principles.

• How to develop the skills necessary to apply these to support mineral project decisions.

• About the real options approach to valuing mining projects.

• Geostatistical mineral resource/ore reserve estimation and meeting the new regulatory environment: Step by step from sampling to grade control September 24–28, Montreal Michel Dagbert, Geostat Systems Int, Canada; Jean-Michel Rendu, Consultant, USA; and Roussos Dimitrakopoulos, McGill University, Canada Learn about the latest regulations on public reporting of resources/reserves through state-of-the-art statistical and geostatistical techniques. Learn how to: • Apply geostatistics to predict dilution and adapt reserve estimates to that predicted dilution.

• Learn how geostatistics can help you categorize your resources in an objective manner.

• Understand principles of NI43-101 and SME Guide.

• Theory and practice of sampling particulate materials October 1-3, Montreal Dominique François-Bongarçon, AGORATEK, USA Develop an understanding of the theory of sampling particulate materials, its practice, scope, limitations and appropriate applications. Learn: • Eye-opening facts you may have overlooked or ignored until now about the consequences of bad sampling and the difficulties of good sampling.

• The unsuspected amplitude of economic ramifications of poor sampling.

Upcoming 2008 Seminars • Applied risk assessment for ore reserves and mine planning: Conditional simulation for the mining industry May, Montreal Roussos Dimitrakopoulos, McGill University, Canada • Strategic risk management and applied optimization in mine design May, Montreal David Whittle, BHP Billiton, Australia; Roussos Dimitrakopoulos, McGill University, Canada; and Manuel Arre, Gemcom Software Int., Canada • Computer simulation and animation for the mining industry: Mine design, mine planning and equipment selection June, Montreal John Sturgul, University of Idaho, USA CIM Magazine n Vol. 2, Nº 4

CIM EVENTS The 46th Conference of Metallurgists (COM 2007) and the 6th International Copper/Cobre Conference (Cu2007) August 25-29 Toronto, Ontario Contact: Brigitte Farah, MetSoc of CIM Tel.: 514.939.2710, ext. 1329 Fax: 514.939.9160 Email: metsoc@cim.org Calgary Branch Technical Meeting with Guest Speaker September 12 Calgary, Alberta Contact: Andrew Hickinbotham Tel.: 403.267.3891 Email: cimcalgary@gmail.com 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 CMP 40th Annual Canadian Mineral Processors Operators’ Conference/40e Conférence des minéralurgistes du Canada January 22-24, 2008 Ottawa, Ontario Contact: Janice Zinck Tel.: 613.995.4221 Fax: 613.996.9041 Email: jzinck@nrcan.gc.ca Website: www.c-m-p.on.ca MEMO Maintenence Engineering-Mine Operators’ Conference/ Colloque sur l’ingénierie de maintenance et les exploitations minières February 24-28, 2008 Val-d’Or, Québec Contact: Chantal Murphy, CIM Tel.: 514.939.2710, ext. 1309 Fax: 514.939.2714 Email: cmurphy@cim.org CIM Conference and Exhibition—Edmonton 2008 May 4-7, 2008 Edmonton, Alberta Contact: Chantal Murphy, CIM Tel.: 514.939.2710, ext. 1309 Fax: 514.939.2714 Email: cmurphy@cim.org

June/July 2007

9th SGA Biennial Meeting August 20-24 Dublin, Ireland Contact: Gerry Stanley Tel.: +353.1.6677188 Email: gerrystanley@gsi.ie Discrete Element Methods ‘07 August 27-29 Brisbane, Australia Contact: B.A. Wills Tel.: +44.7768.234121 Fax: +44.1326.318352 Email: bwills@min-eng.com Website: www.min-eng.com/conferences Equator Principles & IFC Performance Standards Impacts on Mining Projects & Finance August 29 London, United Kingdom Contact: Mehrdad Nazari Tel.: 715.355.0141 Email: mehrdad@prizmasolutions.com Precious Metals ‘07 August 30 Brisbane, Australia Contact: B.A. Wills Tel.: +44.7768.234121 Fax: +44.1326.318352 Email: bwills@min-eng.com Website: www.min-eng.com/conferences Modular Course in Structure, Tectonics, and Mineral Exploration (field-based) September 1-15 Sudbury, Ontario Contact: Bruno Lafrance Tel.: 705.675.1151, ext. 2264 Fax: 705.675.4898 Email: blafrance@laurentian.ca IV Mining Plant Maintenance Meeting—MAPLA 2007 September 5-7 Viña del Mar, Chile Contact: Amada Plaza Tel.: +56.2.652.1521 Fax: +56.2.652.1570 Email: amada.plaza@gecamin.cl Website: www.mapla.cl SIMINERA 2007 September 18-21 San Juan, Argentina Contact: Axel Arancibia Tel.: 54.11.4328.5886 Fax: 54.11.4328.5859 Email: info@siminera.com.ar Website: http://www.siminera.com.ar Canadian Dam Association 2007 Annual Conference September 22-27 St. John’s, Newfoundland Contact: Paul Porter Tel.: 709.726.4490 Fax: 709.726.4499 Email: pporter@ndal.com Website: www.cda.ca

CALENDAR

AROUND THE WORLD

55

CIM Conference and Exhibition Edmonton, Alberta May 4 to 7, 2008

2008

Call for papers The CIM Conference and Exhibition is your opportunity to share knowledge and ideas with your peers across the minerals industry.

Abstract submission is now open for next year’s conference in Edmonton, Alberta. The technical program will reflect the major challenges, opportunities for innovation, and developments of the minerals industry in Canada and globally through five focused streams.

People Projects Processes

Places Products

Human resources, community relationships, partnership development Expansions, new operations under construction or recently entered into production, improvement projects Technology development and improvement for mineral processing, and effective ideas on how to ‘do things better’ for a healthier bottom line and a richer environment Exploration camps, hotbeds of mining activity, and getting the needed equipment and supplies to site New equipment and cleaner energy and commodities

Be a part of the program— submit your abstract today.

Abstract submission deadline is September 30.

www.cim.org/edmonton2008

Congrès et Salon commercial de l’ICM Edmonton, Alberta du 4 au 7 mai

2008

Demande de communications Le Congrès et Salon commercial de l’ICM est l’occasion par excellence de partager des connaissances et des idées avec vos collègues de toute l’industrie minérale. Vous pouvez soumettre des résumés dès maintenant pour le congrès de l’an prochain à Edmonton, en Alberta. Le programme technique reflètera les principaux défis, occasions d’innovation et développements de l’industrie minérale au Canada et à travers le monde, répartis selon cinq volets principaux.

Les gens : Les projets : Les procédés:

Les lieux : Les produits :

les ressources humaines, les relations avec les communautés, le développement de partenariats les expansions, les nouvelles exploitations en construction ou qui viennent d’entrer en production, les projets d’amélioration le développement et l’amélioration des technologies de traitement des minerais et des idées efficaces sur comment «faire mieux» pour de meilleurs bénéfices et un environnement plus en santé les camps d’exploration, les points chauds de l’activité minière et le transport des équipements et des approvisionnements requis aux sites les nouveaux équipements ainsi que des biens et de l’énergie plus propres

Faites partie du programme— soumettez votre résumé dès aujourd’hui.

La date de tombée des résumés est le 30 septembre.

www.cim.org/edmonton2008

A conference to be remembered!

You are invited to the 46th Annual Conference of Metallurgists, Canada’s foremost annual meeting on minerals, metals, and materials, which will be held from August 25 to 30, 2007, at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel in Toronto, Ontario.

Joël Kapusta COM2007 Conference Chair

Chris Twigge-Molecey Cu2007 Conference Chair

This year’s conference promises to be a major event as COM2007 has the unique honour, for the first time since 1991, to host the International Copper–Cobre Conference (Cu2007) with the 37th Annual Hydrometallurgy Meeting of the Hydrometallurgy Section of MetSoc. Cu2007, with its eight symposia on the theme of copper, is co-organized by six leading international professional societies: MetSoc of CIM, IIMCh of Chile, GDMB of Germany, MMIJ of Japan, and TMS and SME, both of the United States.

Cu2007 will bring together global leadership in business, operations, technology, and research from around the world for this unique forum that only occurs every four years. Plenary speakers will be senior executives of Xstrata Copper, Norddeutsche Affinerie, Nippon Mining, Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc., Teck Cominco, and IIMCh. Technical sessions, with approximately 330 technical presentations, will address key issues in: economics and markets; mineral processing; electrowinning and electrorefining; pyrometallurgy (The Carlos M. Díaz Symposium); hydrometallurgy (The John Dutrizac Symposium); downstream fabrication and applications; process control, optimization, and Six-sigma; and sustainable development, HS&E, and recycling.

COM2007 will also feature the Light Metals 2007 Symposium dedicated to light metals in transport applications, a topic well suited to southeastern Ontario, a major centre of both the aerospace industries.

In parallel to the technical program, COM2007 will offer conference delegates a range of activities: world-class short courses, key industrial tours, poster sessions, a significant trade show, and both student and companions programs.

We are looking forward to welcoming you to the 2007 Annual Conference of Metallurgists and the International Copper–Cobre Conference.

Co-organizing Societies

www.cu2007.org www.metsoc.org/com2007 58

CIM Magazine n Vol. 2, Nº 4

Benjamin Berrigan, Sponsors and Contributors

Thanks to our sponsors Companions Program

Premium

The conference has prepared daily tours from the bustling city to the country side of Niagara Falls.

Toronto Orientation and Discovery Tour Monday, August 27 Time: 9:00 am – 3:00 pm Cost: $140.00 per person

Maureen Stubina, Companions Program Coordinator

This tour will highlight Toronto’s landmarks. Starting off in Toronto’s financial district, the tour includes a visit to the tallest freestanding building in the world, the CN Tower. Then, it’s off to Yorkville for lunch before continuing on with the City Discovery Tour through a patchwork of distinctive neighbourhoods (such as Kensington Market, China Town, and Little Italy) that are home to 2.5 million people, who among them speak over 100 languages.

Niagara Falls, Maid of Mist, and lunch overlooking the falls Tuesday, August 28 Time: 8:00 am – 4:00 pm Cost: $145.00 per person

Corporate

Travel by luxury motorcoach while enjoying insightful commentary en route to Niagara including historical, cultural, and geographical highlights of this spectacular region. Enjoy the scenic drive along the Niagara Parkway and through the picturesque, 19th century town of Niagara-on-the Lake. If time permits, there will be time for shopping.

Event Toronto Shopping Frenzy Wednesday, August 29 Time: 9:00 am – 1:00 pm Cost: $30.00 per person The first stop is the Sherway Gardens, a suburban shopping paradise which will please the most discerning of shoppers, with over 200 shops and services. Then, it’s off to one of the world’s largest shopping malls, the Toronto Eaton Centre!

This tour not only takes you to the hub of excitement but it also offers participants the exclusivity of a butler on-call service, which will allow you to call a tour escort to secure any purchased gifts so you may continue shopping at your leisure.

June/July 2007

59

Social Program Nathan Stubina, Short Courses

Short Courses All COM 2007 courses will be held at the Fairmont Royal York on Saturday and Sunday prior to the conference technical sessions. Two-day courses are $700, one-day courses are $350 (half price for registered CIM students), and both include course notes, lunch, and refreshments.

Electrowinning and Electrorefining of Copper This two-day course will review topics concerned with the EW and ER of copper, and will contain a panel discussion at the end of the session.

Industrial Energy Management This two-day course is designed to develop a better understanding of approaches related to the identification, quantification, and analysis of energy management opportunities. Case studies will be presented and participants are encouraged to raise energy management issues concerning their facilities. This course would be beneficial to corporate and plant managers, engineers and technologists involved in the development and implementation of energy management and/or environmental pollution control programs, and in the implementation of energy management strategies.

Pyrometallurgy of Copper with a Focus on Converting This two-day course provides an overview of recent advances in the field of PS converting and new developments in continuous converting. Associated topics such as gas cleaning and process economics will also be discussed.

The course is designed for plant personnel, plant management, consultants, and researchers interested in this topic.

Opening Reception All delegates are invited to attend the Opening Reception, sponsored by SNC-Lavalin on Sunday evening, August 26.

AGM and Awards Luncheon On Monday, August 27, the society will hold its Annual General Meeting and will honour its outstanding members by presentation of the Society Awards. The luncheon, sponsored by Air Liquide, will feature the inauguration of the new Metallurgical Society president.

Monday Trade Show Happy Hour All delegates are invited to attend the Monday Happy Hour, featuring the official opening of the Trade Show from 17:30 to 19:30.

Industry-Student Mixer On Monday evening, representatives from industry and students are invited to meet informally. This event is by invitation only, except for students.

Copper Banquet On Tuesday evening, August 28, the Cu2007 Organizing Committee invites you to the traditional Copper Banquet, which is sponsored by Norddeutsche Affinerie AG.

Representatives

Yasuo Tamura, Representative of Japan

Akio Fuwa, Representative of Japan

Norbert L. Piret, Representative of Germany

The Hydrometallurgy of Copper Concentrates The objective of this two-day course is to discuss new developments in the area of copper concentrate leaching and associated technologies. Learn about new developments and â&#x20AC;&#x153;networkâ&#x20AC;? with others who have similar technical/commercial interests.

Processing of Aqueous Effluents in the Copper Industry This intensive one-day course is designed for plant operating engineers and environmental personnel working in the copper industry. It is intended to provide a basic understanding and overview of the various aspects of aqueous effluent treatment as applied to day-to-day operation of waste water treatment facilities. This course will also be of particular interest to environmental managers, plant operators, researchers, and chemists.

60

CIM Magazine n Vol. 2, NÂş 4

Organizing Committee COM2007 Conference Chair JoĂŤl Kapusta, Air Liquide Canada Inc. Cu2007 Conference Chair Chris Twigge-Molecey, Hatch Cu2007 Technical Program Chair Michael Collins, Dynatec Corporation COM2007 Light Metals Symposium Chair Mihriban O. Pekguleryuz, McGill University Industry Liaison Chair Michael King, Falconbridge Technology Center Short Courses Nathan Stubina, Barrick Gold Corporation

Proceedings Hardcover bound proceedings for the major symposia will be available for sale at the conference bookstore during the meeting. Orders can be prepaid through the conference registration form; for those not attending the conference, there is a $40 per book charge for shipping and handling.

Ron Schonewille, Publications

Registration

Industrial Tours Industrial tours will take place on Thursday and Friday following the technical sessions of the conference. Tours include transportation, flights, accommodations, and meals where indicated (see exact schedule and inclusions on the website). For additional information on all tours, please contact Sina KashaniNejad at skashani-nejad@hatch.ca.

Trade Show Adrian Deneys, Praxair, Inc.

Publications Ron Schonewille, Sudbury Smelter Business Unit Audio Visual and University Accommodations Eric Morris, University of Toronto Companions Program Coordinator Maureen Stubina Representatives of Japan Akio Fuwa, Waseda University Yasuo Tamura, Japan Mining Industry Association Representatives of Chile Enrique Miranda, Instituto de Ingenieros de Minas Leopoldo Contreras, Chilean Institute of Mining Engineers

Pyrometallurgy Tour 1 Kidd Creek Smelter, Xstrata, Timmins Horne Smelter, Xstrata, Rouyn-Noranda Pyrometallurgy Tour 2 Sudbury Smelter, Xstrata Copper Cliff, CVRD Inco, Sudbury

Representatives of Germany Norbert L. Piret, Piret & Stolberg Partners Consulting Engineers Juergen Zuchowski, GDMB

Hydrometallurgy Tour CCR Refinery, Xstrata, Montreal Canadian Electrolytic Zinc (CEZ), Salaberry-de-Valleyfield Kidd Creek, Xstrata (Copper), Timmins

June/July 2007

Industrial Tours Sina Kashani-Nejad, Hatch

Poster Session Coordinator Charles Jia, University of Toronto

Delegate registration fees include admission to the technical sessions and a copy of the conference program guide. Banquet tickets must be reserved and are on a first comeâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;first served basis. Additional fees may apply depending on your registration category (see registration form for further details).

Recycling Tour Brampton Electronics Recycling, Xstrata Hydrometallurgical Test Facility, CVRD Inco, Mississauga

Sponsors and Contributors Benjamin Berrigan, SNC Lavalin Engineers & Constructors Inc.

Representative of SME John L. Uhrie, Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc. Representative of TMS Rob Stephens, EPD Chair, Teck Cominco Metals Ltd. (Trail Operations)

Brigitte Farah, Meeting and Administration and Ronona Saunders, Publications and Publicity

MetSoc Staff Brigitte Farah, Meeting and Administration Ronona Saunders, Publications and Publicity 61

Visit www.metsoc.org/com2007 for more information

The Metals 2007 Trade Show Adrian Deneys, Trade Show

With 40 exhibitors, the Metals Trade Show 2007 is open on Monday, August 27, and Tuesday, August 28.

Located within the Fairmont Royal York, it will incorporate the poster session displays and Metals Trade Show cocktail.

Student Travel

Exhibitors include: 3M Air Liquide Auburn Group BUEHLER CESL CIM Corroco International Industrial Co. Ltd. Decisioneering Inc. Eco-Tec Inc. Falcon Foundry Gecamin Ltd. Hatch Heath & Sherwood IBC Technologies IMP Group JOGMEC LAROX

Limpact International McGill University Metalex Mettop Outotec (Canada) Ltd. PI International Praxair Quadra Chemicals RHI AG Romquest Technologies SGS Minerals Services Tecnologias Cobra S.A. TMS UniversitĂŠ Laval VULCAN Refractories Worley Parsons Canada Xstrata Technology

Eric Morris, Audio Visual and University Accommodations

Financial assistance is available to support student travel to the conference for the authors of posters or papers. Only CIM student members qualify for this assistance. Please use the online Student Travel Request form at www.metsoc.org and send your request for funding, including an abstract of your accepted paper/poster, to Brigitte Farah at bfarah@cim.org.

Poster Session Papers from various fields of minerals, metals, and materials research and technologies will be presented at the general poster session on Monday, August 27.

Charles Jia, Poster Session Coordinator

INVITATION TO ALL DELEGATES The history of copper hydrometallurgy: This historical metallurgy its twists and turns with W. Joseph Schlitt, Hydrometal L.L.C., Knightsen, author and co-author of 50 technical papers, and CIM and TMS Taggart Award recipient

presentation and box lunch is free and will be held on Tuesday, August 28, and is open to all delegates.

A limited number of seats are available, so act fast! No reservations required; first come, first served.

62

CIM Magazine n Vol. 2, NÂş 4

Plenary Sessions Delegates are invited to attend the plenary sessions each morning.

High-level keynote speakers will be featured.

Monday, August 27, am >>> CU AND COM PLENARY SESSIONS 1 AND 2

Sponsors: MetSoc, IIMCh, GDMB, MMIJ, TMS, and SME Chairs: J. Kapusta, Air Liquide, M. King, Xstrata, and C. Twigge-Molecey, Hatch Room: Canadian—8:00 Paper 1097—8:00

Technology and sustainability—keys to unlocking the next generation of copper projects C. Sartain, chief executive, Xstrata Copper In recent years, market pressures have been building on companies to develop the next era of mining projects to follow the previous boom in copper projects of the mid 90s. However the response from the industry has been slow in coming, and somewhat muted. It is clear that there simply have not been the obvious quality projects waiting to be rapidly developed. Many of the known undeveloped copper projects have particular characteristics that have previously prevented their development, including mineralogical complexity in the orebodies, environmental challenges or particularly difficult geographic locations. This paper describes how the copper division of an international mining company, Xstrata plc, is preparing to progressively develop an impressive pipeline of projects, armed with an array of proprietary technologies and with a strong approach towards sustainable development and community engagement. The approach being taken is enabling Xstrata to complement its acquisitive corporate philosophy with a management emphasis on project development and operational optimization and enhancement.

Tuesday, August 28, am >>> CU PLENARY SESSIONS 3 AND 4

Sponsors: MetSoc, IIMCh, GDMB, MMIJ, TMS, and SME Chairs: C. Twigge-Molecey, Hatch, and A. Fuwa, Waseda University Room: Canadian—8:00 Paper 1099—8:00

Supply and demand, technological development, and future prospects of copper in Asia M. Okada, president and CEO, Nippon Mining and Metals Co., Ltd. The Asian copper situation is changing dramatically, especially in China and India. Greenfield and brownfield copper smelters are coming on stream based on modern technology developments. The future of the Asian copper industry is highly dependent on new copper mine developments.

Paper 1098—8:45

Meeting the challenge—prospect of the European copper industry W. Marnette, chairman, Norddeutsche Affinerie AG Copper demand is booming. New epicentres with strong dynamic economic growth have arisen in China and other emerging markets.

Furthermore, Europe contributes to higher copper demand due to positive economic growth. China and India are therefore expanding their smelter industries, with the backing of a coordinated policy of global raw material sourcing, which includes investments in raw material deposits and state-run measures to support their international trade and competition. Likewise, Europe faces scarcity of copper raw materials. The copper industry in Europe shows excellence in environmental protection and technical leadership. Recycling has always been an important sector. This is based on the recycling know-how which exists in the European sector. However, Europe still relies on importing a considerable amount of raw materials from foreign countries. As a result, the global competition for copper and copper raw materials has increased. Tough competition as regards industrial location and costs, the emergence of corporate concentrations and the use of protectionist trading practices by countries like China and India, which distort the markets, now determine the picture. Hence, a copper smelter in Europe is forced to develop tailor-made concepts to safeguard and improve its international competitive position. It is imperative that this is also accompanied by improved conditions on the local level and a European raw material policy which takes account of the changed situation on the world market.

June/July 2007

Paper 1100—8:45

Technology development in the copper industry J.O. Marsden, senior vice president, technology and product development, Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc. (formerly Phelps Dodge Mining Company) Over the past decade, the copper industry has been through an extended downturn followed by several years of sustained high copper price. A number of new technologies have been developed over the past 10 years aimed at reducing costs by decreasing energy, labor, and materials requirements, or by increasing metal recovery. The energy intensity of different copper extraction routes and different technologies varies considerably and this has a significant impact on the economics of extraction. Based on average ore grade materials, the total energy for the extraction of copper typically varies from about 24-26 MJ/lb (6.7-7.2 kWh/lb) for the mining, crushing, milling, flotation, smelting and refining route to about 14-16 MJ/lb (3.94.5 kWh/lb) for the mining, crushing, heap leaching, solution extraction and electrowinning route. New technology developments are providing opportunities for significant reductions in energy consumption for copper extraction, representing energy savings up to 20-25% in some cases. In addition, in many cases, these new technologies have introduced environmental, safety and health benefits over the incumbent technology. Some of these technology developments have been more successful than others, and many hold great promise for application in the coming decade. This paper provides an overview of the technology developments that have occurred, and explores the underlying reasons behind successful implementation.

63

Wednesday, August 28, am >>> CU PLENARY SESSIONS 5 AND 6

Sponsors: MetSoc, IIMCh, GDMB, MMIJ, TMS, and SME Chairs: C. Twigge-Molecey, Hatch, and N. Piret, Piret & Stolberg Partners Consulting Engineers Room: Canadian—8:00

Preliminary Technical Program

Paper 1107—8:00

Attracting and retaining professionals in mining and metallurgy—a high-tech industry D. Magoon, general manager, technology, Teck Cominco Ltd. and Towers Perrin Ltd. The metals industry has enjoyed a resurgence in prices and demand for its commodities during the global surge in economic activity that began in 2005. This success has brought with it an unprecedented demand for professionals in all sectors of our economy. Nowhere is that more true than in the mining and metallurgy sectors. However, this welcome improvement follows on the heels of almost two decades of challenging markets for the mining and metallurgy. Our sector’s protracted economic slump created a paucity of demand for professionals that had several consequences. Our industry came to be viewed as a low –tech, uninteresting place to work. Low demand for professionals encouraged students to seek other career options. Reduced demand for graduates, coupled with diminished program funding by our sector, resulted in dramatic shrinkage in university mining and metallurgy programs. This paper explores the lessons to be learned from our recent economic history and discusses some strategies for addressing our image issue. Attracting and retaining good employees is also strongly influenced by a company’s reputation and record as a good employer. This reality is very well illustrated by the findings of an international survey undertaken by Towers Perrin in 2005 of 86,000 employees of mid-sized and large companies in 16 countries. The key findings related to attracting and retaining employees are presented. These findings are also discussed in the context of their specific applicability to the mining and metallurgy industry.

Paper 1102—8:45

Human capital available for the development of the mining industry of the future L. Contreras, president, Institutos de Ingenieros de Minas de Chile (IIMCh) This study has as an objective to analyze and to propose actions to improve the quantity and quality of the graduate education in the area of mining industry, specifically of mining engineers, metallurgists, geologists, to satisfy the expectations of professionals in the mining industry.

Included are an analysis of the present scenario and the future demands in countries like Chile and proposed plans for the Establishment of Educational Initiatives, country policies and market forecast, vis-a-vis the experience of Australia, South Africa, United Kingdom, Canada, and the United States.

Michael Collins, Cu Technical Program Chair

Mihriban O. Pekguleryuz, COM2007 Light Metals Symposium Chair

Monday, August 27, am Light Metals in Transport Applications COM SESSION 1 >>> CASTINGS

Sponsors: Light Metals Section of MetSoc and TMS Chairs: TBA Room: Confederation 3—9:50 Paper 1114—9:50 Effect of superheat and section thickness on flow characteristics for thin section LFC of hypereutectic Al-Si alloy A. Haldar and C. Ravindran Paper 1115—10:15 Study of flow stoppage in hypereutectic Al-Si alloy in the lost foam casting process A. Haldar and C. Ravindran Paper 1125—10:40 Influence of artificial cooling and pressure application on the metallurgical quality in the LPPM casting of aluminium A356 F. Chiesa Paper 1144—11:05 Development and applications of microsegregation models for solidifying light metallic alloys S. Uddin and M. Hasan Paper 1147—11:30 Novel foam processing in aluminum lost foam castings S. Jagoo, C. Ravindran, and D. Nolan

Light Metals in Transport Applications COM SESSION 2 >>> CORROSION AND JOINING I

Sponsors: Light Metals Section of MetSoc, TMS Chairs: TBA Room Confederation 5—9:50 Paper 1116—9:50 Corrosion study of the skin and bulk of die-cast and thixocast AZ91D alloy in Cl- solution using electrochemical noise technique A.-M. Lafronta, D. Dubéa, R. Tremblaya, E. Ghalia, C. Blawertb, and W. Dietzelb Paper 1118—10:15 Microstructure and tensile properties of friction stir welded joints of AZ31B magnesium alloy N. Afrin, D.L. Chen, X. Cao, and M. Jahazi 64

CIM Magazine n Vol. 2, Nº 4

Paper 1119—10:40 Effect of friction stir processing on the microstructure and microhardness of AZ31B magnesium alloy M. Fairman, N. Afrin, D.L. Chen, X. Cao, and M. Jahazi Paper 1120—11:05 Microstructural features of dissimilar friction stir welding of AZ31 magnesium alloy to 2024 aluminum alloy C. Liu, D.L. Chen, S. Bhole, X. Cao, and M. Jahazi Paper 1130—11:30 Corrosion behavior of 6061 aluminum alloy weldment in chloride media Z. Nikceresht, F. Karimzadeh, and M.A. Golozar

Economics and Markets CU SESSION 3 >>> ECONOMICS AND MARKETS I

Sponsors: The Management and Economics Society of CIM, MMIJ, GDMB, and IIMCh Chairs: TBA Room: Confederation 5—9:50 Paper 1086—9:50 Real options for the valuation of mine assets: from an early stage of exploration through the sequence of engineering phases to production E. Tulcanaza Paper 1091—10:15 Mining ore valuation by real option under uncertainty and risk M. Viera F. Paper 1090—10:40 The economics of the custom smelter and its importance K. Kitazawa Paper 1084—11:05 Aplicación de un modelo de determinación de riesgos sobre variables presupuestarias E. Alarcón and M. Marchese Paper 1099—11:30 Title to be announced D. Galsandorj

Hydrometallurgy, in honour of John Dutrizac, Incorporating the 37th Annual Hydrometallurgy Meeting CU SESSION 4 >>> PROCESS DEVELOPMENT I

Paper 0977—11:05 Hydrometallurgical processing of Polymet Mining’s Northmet deposit for recovery of Cu-Ni-Co-Zn-Pd-Pt-Au D. Dreisinger, K. Baxter, C. Fleming, J. Ferron, A. Mezei, J. Brown, and R. Molnar Paper 1022—11:30 The re-development of the Kov, Kananga, and Tilwezembe coppercobalt deposits in the Democratic Republic of the Congo L. Treadgold and J. Parker

Hydrometallurgy, in honour of John Dutrizac, Incorporating the 37th Annual Hydrometallurgy Meeting CU SESSION 5 >>> SOLVENT EXTRACTION I

Sponsors: Hydrometallurgy Section of MetSoc, IIMCh, MMIJ, GDMB, and EPD of TMS Chairs: TBA Room: Tudor 8—9:50 Paper 0957—9:50 Copper solvent extraction—2007 world operating data T. Robinson, W. Davenport, M. Moats, G. Karcas, S. Demetrio, and E. Domic Paper 0961—10:15 Customizing copper-iron selectivity using modified aldoxime extractants: pilot-plant evaluation K.C. Sole, K. Viljoen, B.K. Ferreira, M.D. Soderstrom, O. Tinkler, and L. Hoffmann Paper 0955—10:40 Copper leaching aids—compatibility with the copper solvent extraction process G. Kordosky and M. Virnig Paper 0963—11:05 Degradation of copper solvent extraction reagents in the presence of nitrate—contributing factors G. Kordosky and M. Virnig Paper 0989—11:30 Modelling of two-phase flow in a solvent extraction pulsed column M.P. Schwarz, J.M. Bujalski, W. Yang, J. Nikolov, and C.B. Solnordal

Electrowinning and Electrorefining, Incorporating the 37th Annual Hydrometallurgy Meeting CU SESSION 6 >>> ANODES/CATHODES I

Sponsors: Hydrometallurgy Section of MetSoc, IIMCh, MMIJ, GDMB, and EPD of TMS Chairs: TBA Room: Tudor 7—9:50

Sponsors: Hydrometallurgy Section of MetSoc, MMIJ, GDMB, IIMCh, and EPD of TMS Chairs: TBA Room: Library—9:50

Paper 0938—9:50 Abandoned but not forgotten—the recent history of copper hydrometallurgy F. Habashi

Paper 0744—9:50 Electrorefining high-level arsenic cast anode A. Castillo Atenas

Paper 1017—10:15 Sulfate-based process flowsheet options for hydrometallurgical treatment of copper sulfide concentrates J.O. Marsden and J.C. Wilmot Paper 1008—10:40 Recovery of copper from a massive polymetallic sulphide by high concentration chloride leaching G.B. Harris, C.W. White, G.P. Demopoulos, and B. Ballantyne

June/July 2007

Paper 0751—10:15 Tapered anodes for copper electrowinning E. Guerra Paper 0758—10:40 Optimization of the technological parameters for the copper electrorefining using interference microscopy and digital image analysis D. Zagidulin

65

Paper 0766—11:05 Developments in permanent SS cathodes within the copper industry K.L. Eastwood

The Carlos M. Díaz Symposium on Pyrometallurgy CU SESSION 7 >>> KEYNOTE—GENERAL—PLANT UPGRADING

Sponsors: Non-Ferrous Pyrometallurgy Section of MetSoc, MMIJ, GDMB, IIMCh, and EPD of TMS Chairs: TBA Room: Algonquin—9:50 Paper 0810—9:50 (Keynote) The Copper-Cobre series of conferences: two decades of active discussion of copper smelting technology practice and innovation C. Díaz and P. Mackey Paper 0876—10:15 (Keynote) SO2 abatement from copper smelting operations: a 40-year perspective S.W. Marcuson

The Carlos M. Diàz Symposium on Pyrometallurgy CU SESSION 9 >>> PLANT UPGRADING I

Sponsors: Non-Ferrous Pyrometallurgy Section of MetSoc, MMIJ, GDMB, IIMCh, and EPD of TMS Chairs: TBA Room: Quebec—9:50 Paper 0859—9:50 Opportunities, problems and survival strategies reflected in recent developments in the copper concentrate treatment and smelting practices at Vedanta’s Konkola Copper Mines in its smelting operations in the Zambian copperbelt M. Syamujulu Paper 0848—10:15 Improving flexibility: recent developments at the Horne smelter P. Lind Paper 0867—10:40 Operational strategy at Chagres smelter R. Subiabre and R. Bonifaz

Paper 1112—10:40 (Keynote) Process costs: from conventional accounting to ABC C.A. Landolt, O. Schnake, and M. Isakson

Paper 0885—11:05 Modernization and start-up of the SPCC Ilo smelter W. Torres and L. Mariscal

Paper 1159—11:05 Continuos reactor, Altonorte smelter R. Zapata N.

Paper 1069—11:30 Recent improvements at Tamano smelter M. Furuta, S. Tanaka, M. Hamamoto, T. Sunamoto, and S. Udo

The Carlos M. Díaz Symposium on Pyrometallurgy CU SESSION 8 >>> FUNDAMENTAL METALLURGY

Sponsors: Non-Ferrous Pyrometallurgy Section of MetSoc, MMIJ, GDMB, IIMCh, and EPD of TMS Chairs: TBA Room: British Columbia—9:50 Paper 0870—9:50 Liquidus temperatures in calcium ferrite slags equilibrated with molten copper at fixed oxygen partial pressures S. Nikolic, P.C. Hayes, and E. Jak Paper 1101—10:15 Experimental investigations of phase equilibria for copper smelting and converting silicate slags in the “Cu2O”-FeO-Fe2O3-CaO-SiO2 system at controlled oxygen partial pressures E. Jak, S. Nikolic, B. Zhao, H.M. Henao, and P.C. Hayes Paper 0852—10:40 Phase relations and precious metals distribution in the Cu-Fe-S-As and Cu-Fe-S-Sb systems saturated with carbon at 1473 K L. Voisin and K. Itagaki Paper 0851—11:05 Study of the equilibrium between blister copper and oxide-silicate melts containing Cu2, NiO, FeO(Fe2O3), SiO2 L.B. Tsymbulov and N.A. Fedorova

66

CIM Magazine n Vol. 2, Nº 4

Paper 0902—11:30 Regulatory tendencies and abatement technologies used in the Chilean copper industry M. Sanchez

Downstream Fabrication and Applications CU SESSION 12 >>> HISTORY AND OVERVIEWS

Sponsors: SME, MetSoc, MMIJ, and GDMB Chair: J. Hugens, North American Manufacturing Company, Ltd. Room: Toronto—10:50 Paper 1050—10:50 An overview of the international copper association’s pre-competitive R&D portfolio of copper-related technologies H. Stillman

Mineral Processing CU SESSION 10 >>> FLOTATION FUNDAMENTALS

Sponsors: Canadian Mineral Processing Society of CIM, Mineral Science and Engineering Section of MetSoc, MMIJ, GDMB, and IIMCh Chairs: TBA Room: Confederation 6—9:50 Paper 0710—9:50 Carrier-microencapsulation for suppressing floatability and oxidation of pyrite in copper mineral processing J. Satur, N. Hiroyoshi, M. Ito, and M. Tsunekawa Paper 0712—10:15 Removal of arsenic content from copper concentrates by electrochemical flotation H. Guo and W.T. Yen Paper 0713—10:40 Reduction of fine gangue entrainment in flotation of a copper ore M. Ourriban, G. Bartolacci, Y. Peng, P. Pelletier, J. Girard, H. Jang, and Q. Liu Paper 1190—11:05 Impact of stockpiling conditions on flotation kinetics and size by size recovery of chalcopyrite B. Nanthakumar and S. Kelebek

Sustainable Development, HS&E, and Recycling, Incorporating the 4th Waste Processing and Recycling Symposium CU SESSION 11 >>> SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT I

Sponsors: The Environmental Society of CIM, the Environment Section of MetSoc, MMIJ, GDMB, and IIMCh Chairs: TBA Room: Alberta—9:50 Paper 0897—9:50 Mining Association of Canada’s Towards Sustainable Mining G. Peeling and P. Gratton Paper 0927—10:15 Engineering SD into industry: unlocking institutional barriers J. Medvecka and P.J. Bangerter

Paper 1036—11:15 The antimicrobial properties of copper alloys and their potential applications H.T. Michels Paper 1032—10:25 A history of copper and wire drawing: the past 11,000 years and beyond H. Pops

Monday, August 27, pm Light Metals in Transport Applications COM SESSION 13 >>> CASTING II

Sponsors: Light Metals Section of MetSoc and TMS Chairs: TBA Room: Confederation 3—15:00 Paper 1173—15:00 A study on fillability, DAS, and microporosity in LFC of B206 aluminum – copper alloy N. Dahata, C. Ravindran, F.H. Samuel, and T.W. Gustafson Paper 1156—15:25 Determination of strain during hot tearing in aluminium alloys by digital image correlation J.B. Mitchell and S.L. Cockcroft Paper 1158—15:50 The effect of pressure depth on the globalization of AZ91 magnesium alloy M.H. Heidary, M.B. Karimi, and F. Khomamizadeh Paper 1139—16:15 Effect of iron content on the formation of b-Al5FeSi and porosity in Al-Si eutectic alloys M.A. Moustafa Paper 1170—16:40 Generation of single crystal magnesium wires by a heated mould continuous casting process Y. Tajima, G. Motoyasu, H. Tae Kwon, H. Soda, and A. McLean

Paper 0898—10:40 A view in sustainable development of non-ferrous metals production technology A. Fuwa Paper 0934—11:05 Sustainable development and auto-organization F. Flores June/July 2007

67

Light Metals in Transport Applications COM SESSION 14 >>> CORROSION AND JOINING II

Sponsors: Light Metals Section of MetSoc and TMS Chairs: TBA Room: Confederation 5—15:00 Paper 1132—15:00 Evaluation of microstructure of Ti6Al4V weldment by artificial neural networks F. Karimzadeh, A. Ebnonnasir, and A. Foroughi Paper 1145—15:25 Physical and thermo physical properties of chromate conversion coatings on alclad-2024-T3 Al alloy for satellite application S. Hosseinpour and K. Shirvani Paper 1151—15:50 Friction stir processing of sand cast aerospace Ze41A-T5 magnesium alloy X. Cao and M. Jahazi Paper 1131—16:15 Effect of heat treatment on the mechanical properties of Ti6Al4V alloy weldment M. Heidarbeigy, F. Karimzadeh, A. Saatchi, and A. Tahvilian Paper 1175—16:40 Model of Al FSW nugget microstructure formation: piercing/extrusion with subgrain growth behind pin H.J. McQueen, M. Cabibbo, and E. Evangelista

Hydrometallurgy, in honour of John Dutrizac, Incorporating the 37th Annual Hydrometallurgy Meeting CU SESSION 15 >>> LEACHING I

Sponsors: Hydrometallurgy Section of MetSoc, IIMCh, MMIJ, GDMB, and EPD of TMS Chairs: TBA Room: Tudor 7—15:00 Paper 0971—15:00 GALVANOX—a novel atmospheric leaching process for primary copper concentrates D.G. Dixon and K.G. Baxter Paper 1006—15:25 Reaction product layer on chalcopyrite in cupric chloride leaching M. Lundström, J. Aromaa, O. Forsén, and M.H. Barker Paper 1188—15:50 Arsenic behaviour in copper pressure leaching by Dynatec R. Kalanchey and M.J. Collins Paper 1001—16:15 Analysis of heap leach processes with modelling and simulation tools J.E. Gebhardt, A. Hernandez, M. Cross, C.R. Bennett, and D. McBride Paper 0967—16:40 Evaluating copper sulfide leach practices with a heap leach model G.P. Cooper, T. Robinson, C.R. Bennett, M. Cross, and J.E. Gebhardt

8 68

Hydrometallurgy, in honour of John Dutrizac, Incorporating the 37th Annual Hydrometallurgy Meeting CU SESSION 16 >>> SOLVENT EXTRACTION II

Sponsors: Hydrometallurgy Section of MetSoc, IIMCh, MMIJ, GDMB, and EPD of TMS Chairs: TBA Room: Tudor 8—15:00 Paper 0965—15:00 Copper extractant strength: the effect of substituents in the 3-position on hydroxyoxime performance R.S. Forgan, D.K. Henderson, P.A. Tasker, F.J. White, J. Campbell, and R.M. Swart Paper 1019—15:25 Tailor-made crud treatment with 3-phase separating centrifuge T. Hartmann and J. Corbella Paper 0983—15:50 Interface level control in settlers M.F. Vancas Paper 1000—16:15 Optimization of Cu SX by control of the acidity B. Grinbaum Paper 1189—16:40 Non-dispersive solvent extraction of copper from ammoniacal solutions M. Lurdes F. Gameiro, M. Rosinda C. Ismael, M. Teresa A. Reis, and Jorge M.R. Carvalho

Electrowinning and Electrorefining Incorporating the 37th Annual Hydrometallurgy Meeting CU SESSION 17 >>> ANODES/CATHODES II

Sponsors: Hydrometallurgy Section of MetSoc, MMIJ, GDMB, IIMCh, and EPD of TMS Chairs: TBA Room: Library—15:00 Paper 0770—15:00 The effect of electrolyte composition on passivation of commercial copper electrorefining anodes M. Moats Paper 0790—15:25 Problems developed on the electrolysis of copper anodes containing high nickel, lead, tin, and antimony Z. Mubarok Paper 1172—15:50 Using multivariable analysis for cathode quality improvement in C.M. Dona Ines de Collahuasi electrowinning plant F. Romero Paper 1103—16:15 Review of anode casting—chemical anode quality C. Wenzl, A. Filzwieser, H. Antrekowitsch, and G. Mori

Visit www.metsoc.org/com2007 and www.cu2007.org for program updates CIM Magazine n Vol. 2, Nº 4

Paper 0782—16:40 Increasing anode thickness to optimize copper production at the Kidd metallurgical division M.R. Coffin and A.R. Leggett

Electrowinning and Electrorefining Incorporating the 37th Annual Hydrometallurgy Meeting CU SESSION 18 >>> FUNDAMENTALS/MODELLING I

Sponsors: Hydrometallurgy Section of MetSoc, MMIJ, GDMB, IIMCh, and EPD of TMS Chairs: TBA Room: York—15:00 Paper 0747—15:00 Monitoring the influence of additives on deposit morphology during copper refining using electrochemical noise technique F. Safizadeh Paper 0753—15:25 Numerical simulation of turbulent natural convection along a vertical plane electrode S. Kawai Paper 0761—15:50 Finite element modelling of an electrolysis cell I.S. Laitinen Paper 0756—16:15 Fundamentals and effects of additives in copper electrorefining M. Stelter Paper 0750—16:40 A high precise and accurate method for glue determination in copper electrorefining process E. Rezaei

The Carlos M. Díaz Symposium on Pyrometallurgy CU SESSION 20 >>> COPPER SMELTING TECHNOLOGIES

Sponsors: Non-Ferrous Pyrometallurgy Section of MetSoc, MMIJ, GDMB, IIMCh, and EPD of TMS Chairs: TBA Room: British Columbia—15:00 Paper 0894—15:00 Flexibility of the Outokumpu flash smelting for low- and high-grade concentrates—evaluation by CFD-modeling T. Ahokainen and J. Järvi Paper 0818—15:25 Transforming flash furnace feed and burner stability—powering performance and productivity G. Money Paper 0887—15:50 Numerical simulation of combustion phenomena in a flash smelting furnace considering collisions of concentrate particles Y. Sasaki, Y. Mori, T. Miura, and H. Aoki Paper 0849—16:15 Processing of copper sulphide ores and concentrates resulting in the production of high-grade matte and rejected slag in one unit – two-zone Vaniukov’s furnace M.V. Knyazev, A.G. Ryabko, L.B. Tsymbulov, and L. Sh. Tsemekhman Paper 0850—16:40 Pilot testing of a process developed for treatment of copper concentrate with nickel content obtained in the course of high-grade matte separation resulting in blister copper production in a twozone Vaniukov’s furnace L.B. Tsymbulov, M.V. Knyazev, A.G. Ryabko, and L.Sh. Tsemekhman

The Carlos M. Díaz Symposium on Pyrometallurgy

The Carlos M. Díaz Symposium on Pyrometallurgy

CU SESSION 21 >>> PLANT UPGRADING II

CU SESSION 19 >>> IMPURITIES

Sponsors: Non-Ferrous Pyrometallurgy Section of MetSoc, MMIJ, GDMB, IIMCh, and EPD of TMS Chairs: TBA Room Quebec—15:00

Sponsors: Non-Ferrous Pyrometallurgy Section of MetSoc, MMIJ, GDMB, IIMCh, and EPD of TMS Chairs: TBA Room: Algonquin—15:00 Paper 0807—15:00 Arsenic distribution in smelting via Teniente converter C.M. Acuna and M. Sherrington

Paper 0886—15:00 Teniente converter a decade of achievements at the Southern Peru Ilo smelter E. Herrera and L. Mariscal

Paper 0865—15:25 Minor element tolerance and control in copper smelting R. Harris, K.W. Ng, R. Parra, J. Qiu, and A.E. Wraith

Paper 0889—15:25 Operational optimization and capacity expansion in Jinlong Copper flash smelter Z. Jun

Paper 0832—15:50 High-arsenic bearing concentrates processed in the Teniente converter at Codelco Norte smelter A. Moyano, C. Caballero, R. Mackay, J. Font, and K. Itagaki

Paper 0891—15:50 Secondary copper smelting at Jhagadia Copper Ltd (India) S. Tandon, K. Guha, KCD Khandelwal, and B. Kamath

Paper 0824—16:15 Phase relations and activities of arsenic and antimony in the Cu-OAs and Cu-O-Sb systems at 1523K K. Yamaguchi, D.G. Mendoza, L. Voisin, and K. Itagaki Paper 0836—16:40 Thermodynamic assessment for arsenic in the slag cleaning electrical furnace J. Font, A. Moyano, C. Caballero, A. Warczok, and K. Itagaki

June/July 2007

Paper 0844—16:15 Paipote Smelter: in a continuous optimization process J. Sanhueza, O. Rojas, and J. Carlos Vargas Paper 0825—16:40 New challenges facing Cumerio Med Pirdop plant P. Barrios, I. Vasilev, E. Marinov, T. Nikolov, L. Marinov, N. Naidenov, and D. Kirilov

69

Mineral Processing CU SESSION 22 >>> FLOTATION: PLANT PRACTICE AND INNOVATIONS

Sponsors: Canadian Mineral Processing Society of CIM, Mineral Science and Engineering Section of MetSoc, MMIJ, GDMB, and IIMCh Chairs: TBA Room: Confederation 6—15:00 Paper 0705—15:00 Non-oxidative acidic treatment of copper sulfide concentrate in the flotation circuit A. Luszczkiewicz, T. Chmielewski, A. Konieczny, and M. Kowalska

Paper 0932—16:15 Chagres smelter: a vision of optimizing the use of power, water, and reduction of CO2 R. Subiabre Paper 0917—16:40 Material stewardship—towards the sustainable use of minerals and metals J. Atherton

Downstream Fabrication and Applications CU SESSION 24 >>> DOWNSTREAM FABRICATION AND APPLICATIONS

Paper 0706—15:25 Leaching of bulk flotation concentrate as an alternative to treat a complex sulfide ore C.A. Sosa-Blanco and C. Lara-Valenzuela

Sponsors: SME, MetSoc, MMIJ, and GDMB Chairs: TBA Room: Toronto—15:00

Paper 0708—15:50 The impact of flotation on improving the economics of Barrick’s Buzwagi project B.K. Gorain, P. Beaudoin, P. Kondos, J. McMullen, and J. Shuttleworth

Paper 1047—15:00 The SCR process produces high-quality copper rod around the world P. Ware

Paper 1179—16:15 Cleaner flotation improvements at PT Freeport Indonesia A. Zarantorello, F. Sahureka, and A. Nugraha

Paper 1054—15:25 Innovations in twin belt compliant mold casting technology R. von Gal

Paper 0707—16:40 Flotation copper recovery from the converter slag of the Sarcheshmeh Khatoonabad smelter A. Eslami and S. Banisi

Paper 1038—15:50 Recrystallation of copper wire rod J. Schmidt

Paper 0718—17:05 Metallurgical assessment of the scavenger stage in a copper concentrator C. Cortés and V. Conejeros Paper 0709—17:30 Current directions in modernization of polish copper ores concentrators A. Wieniewski, B. Skorupskam, and Z. Smieszek

Sustainable Development, HS&E, and Recycling, Incorporating the 4th Waste Processing and Recycling Symposium CU SESSION 23 >>> SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT II

Sponsors: The Environmental Society of CIM, the Environment Section of MetSoc, MMIJ, GDMB, and IIMCh Chairs: TBA Room: Alberta—15:00 Paper 0928—15:00 Involving communities and measuring the impacts D. Aloi Paper 0929—15:25 Community development at Anglo American’s Chagres smelter C. Clark Paper 0933—15:50 Sustainable development perspectives of RTB”Bor” copper mines after the consolidation Z. Eks

Cu2007:

The World’s Largest Copper Conference 70

Paper 1029—16:15 Overview on contirod wire-rod plant operations in Sarkuysan T. Ediz Paper 1030—16:40 Operating experience of copper and acid recovery from rod pickling solution using EMEW® technology at Phelps Dodge, El Paso Works D. Fenton

Tuesday, August 28, am Light Metals in Transport Applications COM SESSION 25 >>> ADVANCED MATERIALS AND PROCESSING

Sponsors: Light Metals Section of MetSoc and TMS Chairs: TBA Room: Confederation 3—9:50 Paper 1122—9:50 Effect of preheating temperature on the combustion synthesis of TiC/Al2O3 composites I. Zaki, M.M. Yonis, and M.B. Morsi Paper 1124—10:10 Combustion synthesis of TiC/Al2O3 composite and its oxidation behaviour Z.I. Zaki, M.M. Younis, and M.B. Morsi Paper 1126—10:30 Investigation of the sintering fundamentals of magnesium powders P. Burke, D. Fancelli, and G.J. Kipouros Paper 1138—10:50 In-situ production of Al/Al203 composite M. Meratian and M. Hosseini Paper 1164—11:10 Creep properties of an over-aged Al2024 composite reinforced with SiC particles prepared by hot powder extrusion N. Bakhshi Zadeh, S.M. Seyed Reihani, F. Khomamizadeh, and A. Aryanpour CIM Magazine n Vol. 2, Nº 4

Paper 1129—11:30 A new rheoforming processing of semi-solid aluminum alloys J.-L. Tang, X.-C. Qi, P.-F. Feng, S.-S. Li, and D.-B. Zeng

Paper 1098—10:40 Changing corporate structure of the global copper industry M. Ericsson and D. Brett

Paper 1169—11:50 The effect of mechanical activation of Al-Mn powder on the dissolution behavior of Al-Mn compacts in molten aluminum R. Molaie, M. Soltanieh, and M.R. Aboutalebi

Paper 1094—11:05 Prospecting the future: meeting human resources challenges in the minerals and metals industry P. Hébert

Paper 1135—12:10 Effect of mechanical and thermal conditions of SIMA process on final microstructural and mechanical properties of Az91 magnesium casting F. Khomammizadeh and H.D. Ashkezari

Paper 1081—11:30 A venture capital perspective on junior exploration companies C.A. Moscoso and A. Ebensperger

Light Metals in Transport Applications COM SESSION 26 >>> DEFORMATION

Sponsors: Light Metals Section of MetSoc, TMS Chairs: TBA Room: Confederation 5—9:50 Paper 1123—9:50 Effects of deformation and recrystallisation on the microstructure and hardness of commercial–purity aluminum Z. Huda and O.S. Peng

Hydrometallurgy, in honour of John Dutrizac, Incorporating the 37th Annual Hydrometallurgy Meeting CU SESSION 28 >>> PROCESS DEVELOPMENT II

Sponsors: Hydrometallurgy Section of MetSoc, IIMCh, MMIJ, GDMB, and EPD of TMS Chairs: TBA Room: Tudor 7—9:50 Paper 0979—9:50 Hydrometallurgy of copper sulfide concentrates—an update V. Ramachandran, V.I. Lakshmanan, and P.D.Kondos

Paper 1143—10:10 Natural aging kinetics and XRD characterization of intermetallics in AA6111 aluminum G.K. Quainoo and S. Yannacopoulos

Paper 1009—10:15 Recovery of copper from oxide waste by leaching, ion exchange, and electrowinning G.B. Harris, C.W. White, and Z. Liu

Paper 1153—10:30 Hardening and softening in Mg-Al-Ca and Mg-Al-Sr alloys at elevated temperatures Z. Trojanová and P. Lukáã

Paper 1021—10:40 The boleo copper-cobalt-zinc-manganese project D. Dreisinger, W. Murray, E. Norton, K. Baxter, M. Holmes, and R. Molnar

Paper 1161—10:50 Effect of intermediate temperature rolling and annealing on the microstructure and tensile behaviour of AZ31 magnesium alloy F. Zarandi, S. Yue, R. Verma, and E. Essadiqi

Paper 1011—11:05 Simplified copper production from primary concentrates: the direct electrorefining of white metal/matte M. Olper, M. Maccagni, and R. Matusewicz

Paper 1163—11:10 Effect of crystallographic texture on the formability of AZ31 alloy near room temperature H. Li, E. Hsu, J. Szpunar, and R. Verma Paper 1174—11:30 Substructural changes in aluminum subjected to reversing strain paths H.J. McQueen, A. Balakrishnan, and G. Avramovic Paper 1183—11:50 High-temperature deformation of Fe3Al A. Shen and H.J. McQueen

Economics and Markets CU SESSION 27 >>> ECONOMICS AND MARKETS II

Sponsors: The Management and Economics Society of CIM, MMIJ, GDMB, and IIMCh Chairs: TBA Room: Confederation 5—9:50 Paper 1100—9:50 Title to be announced D. Rodier Paper 1096—10:15 Senior financing for major copper projects P. Reimnitz

Paper 0975—11:30 Hydrometallurgical process for treating copper concentrates at Sumitomo Metal Mining S. Asano, M. Imamura, K. Takeda, K. Ando, and N. Nagase

Hydrometallurgy, in honour of John Dutrizac, Incorporating the 37th Annual Hydrometallurgy Meeting CU SESSION 29 >>> LEACHING II

Sponsors: Hydrometallurgy Section of MetSoc, IIMCh, MMIJ, GDMB, and EPD of TMS Chairs: TBA Room: Tudor 8—9:50

The Carlos M. Díaz Symposium on Pyrometallurgy CU SESSION 31 >>> PC CONVERTING I

Sponsors: Non-Ferrous Pyrometallurgy Section of MetSoc, MMIJ, GDMB, IIMCh, and EPD of TMS Chairs: TBA Room: Algonquin—9:50 Paper 0830—9:50 A theory for the slopping resulting of gas injection in Peirce-Smith and Teniente converters M. Rosales V., C. Léon, R. Fuentes, A. Valencia, and A. Moyano Paper 0846—10:15 Simulation in the primary metals industry K. Concannon and E. Tackie

Paper 1013—9:50 Solution redox potential-dependence of chalcopyrite leaching in chloride solutions K. Yoo, J. Lee, N. Hiroyoshi, R. Diaz Alorro, and M. Tsunekawa

Paper 1154—10:40 Daily production planning efforts at Phelps Dodge Miami smelter V. Ushakov and P. Bogdan

Paper 0968—10:15 Experimental prediction of the potential range to leach chalcopyrite in acidic ferric sulphate media G. Viramontes-Gamboa, B.F. Rivera-Vásquez, and D.G. Dixon

Paper 0871—11:05 Study of effective parameters on splash phenomenon in a PeirceSmith converter M.R. Sarhardy, M. Ashouri, H. Nanavari, and S.H. Mansouri

Paper 0996—10:40 Redox potential measurement and control in chalcopyrite heap leaching N. Hiroyoshi, M. Tsunekawa, H. Okamoto, R. Nakayama, and S. Kuroiwa

Paper 0815—11:30 Computer simulation of the early stages of blown in a Peirce-Smith converter G. Plascencia, M.A. Barrón, J. González, C. López, and D. Jaramillo

Paper 1023—11:05 The influence of Fe3+/Fe2+ redox couple on chalcopyrite leaching E.M. Córdoba, J.A. Muñoz, M.L. Blázquez, F. González, and A. Ballester

The Carlos M. Díaz Symposium on Pyrometallurgy

Paper 0982—11:30 Interaction of silver ions with sulfide minerals with special emphasis on the chalcopyrite/pyrite galvanic couple J.A. Muñoz, D.B. Dreisinger, W.C. Cooper, and S.K. Young

Electrowinning and Electrorefining Incorporating the 37th Annual Hydrometallurgy Meeting CU SESSION 30 >>> ER PLANT PRACTICES AND DESIGN I

Sponsors: Hydrometallurgy Section of MetSoc, MMIJ, GDMB, IIMCh, and EPD of TMS Chairs: TBA Room: Library—9:50 Paper 0745—9:50 Copper refining electrolysis at high current densities with conventional technology A. Castillo Atenas Paper 0754—10:15 The effect of inactive glue batches identified by using the collamat system P. Stantke Paper 0757—10:40 35 years of the refinery of the KGHM copper plant Glogow S. Orzecki

CU SESSION 32 >>> ALTERNATIVE/OTHER TECHNOLOGIES I

Sponsors: Non-Ferrous Pyrometallurgy Section of MetSoc, MMIJ, GDMB, IIMCh, and EPD of TMS Chairs: TBA Room: British Columbia—9:50 Paper 0833—9:50 New approaches for treatment the blister copper at the Codelco Norte smelter M. Rosales, A. Moyano, C. Caballero, and J. Font Paper 0800—10:15 MPV reactors cleaning from oxides mush by the reduction and slagging with calcium carbide A. Warczok, J. Liu, A. Vahed, D. Hall, and L. Molino Paper 0837—10:40 Develop new reductants for Inco multi-purpose vessels J. Liu, D. Hall, L. Molino, R. Makela, D. Wong, A.E.M. Warner, and S.A. Argyropoulos Paper 0847—11:05 Modeling of the direct-to-copper flash smelting process M. Kucharski Paper 0880—11:30 Recovery of valuable metals from Turkish copper converter flue dust Y.A. Topkaya, A. Geveci, and E. Gerceker

Paper 0760—11:05 Operations control in ISA process tank houses C. Phan Paper 0771—11:30 Recent improvements at Hitachi refinery M. Matsuda

72

CIM Magazine n Vol. 2, Nº 4

The Carlos M. Díaz Symposium on Pyrometallurgy CU SESSION 33 >>> FEED PREPARATION/MATERIALS HANDLING, FUELS/GASES

Sponsors: Non-Ferrous Pyrometallurgy Section of MetSoc, MMIJ, GDMB, IIMCh, and EPD of TMS Chairs: TBA Room: Quebec—9:50

Paper 0911—10:15 Recirculation of Chilean copper smelting dust with high impurity contents to the smelting process H. Sano Paper 0914—10:40 Exploring metal recycling business in China K. Soga

Paper 0799—9:50 Copper smelter projects: installation and operation of large Kumera steam dryers S. Chen and H. Mansikkaviita

Paper 0915—11:05 Life cycle methodology and its future for copper L.B. Tikana

Paper 0795—10:15 Industrial gases for copper production A. Deneys

Paper 0916—11:30 Using LCA to support decision-making and sustainable plant design in primary copper production M. Ali

Paper 0838—10:40 Study of elemental sulfur formation in the fluid bed dryer baghouse J. Liu, R. Yotingco, B. Macnamara, A.E.M. Warner, and A. Vahed

Downstream Fabrication and Applications

Paper 0831—11:05 Automatized flux feeding into the Teniente converter G. Guzmán D., Z. Gómez U., and C. Jerez S.

CU SESSION 36 >>> SHAPE CASTING, TESTING, AND PREPARATION

Sponsors: SME, MetSoc, MMIJ, and GDMB Chair: U. Hoffman, Wieland-Wrke AG Room: Toronto—10:15

Paper 0862—11:30 Startup and operational optimization oxygen plant Oxial™ Caletones Copper smelter – El Teniente division of Codelco Chile P. Reyes F., B. Martinich, R. Maluenda, and P. Adell

Paper 1034—10:15 Prevention of oxide formation on stored copper rod G. Spence

Mineral Processing

Paper 1043—10:40 Innovations in the field of non-ferrous metal processing M. Schwarze

CU SESSION 34 >>> DEWATERING AND MINERAL CHARACTERIZATION

Sponsors: Canadian Mineral Processing Society of CIM, Mineral Science and Engineering Section of MetSoc, MMIJ, GDMB, and IIMCh Chairs: TBA Room: Confederation 6—9:50 Paper 0716—9:50 Filter.Sim: A new tool to optimize industrial filtering plants L.E. Gutiérrez, J.M. Menacho, and E.E. Peñaloza

Paper 1051—11:05 Testing technology in the copper semi-finished products industry S. Theobald Paper 1044—11:30 Macrosegregation in continuous casting of phosphor bronze— impact on properties and modeling of formation M. Gruber-Pretzler

Paper 0717—10:15 Optimization of the filter cake humidity for an electrolytic mud filter press P. Belley and F. de la Durantaye Paper 0703—10:40 Ore characterization and the value of QemSCAN C. Hamilton, C. Martin, and J. Zhou Paper 0704—11:05 QemSCAN characterization of selected ore types for plant optimization R. Zahn, W. Baum, R. Magnuson, D. Jensen, and P. Thompson

Sustainable Development, HS&E, and Recycling, Incorporating the 4th Waste Processing and Recycling Symposium CU SESSION 35 >>> SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT III

Sponsors: The Environmental Society of CIM, the Environment Section of MetSoc, MMIJ, GDMB, and IIMCh Chairs: TBA Room: Alberta—9:50 Paper 0910—9:50 Past and future cycles of copper, regional and global T. Graedel and M. Gerst

June/July 2007

73

Tuesday, August 28, pm Light Metals in Transport Applications COM SESSION 37 >>> ALLOYS PROPERTIES AND APPLICATIONS

Sponsors: Light Metals Section of MetSoc and TMS Chairs: TBA Room: Confederation 3—13:40 Paper 1160—13:40 The role of aluminium for energy and greenhouse gas savings in transport M. Bertram and K. Buxmann Paper 1191—14:00 Effect of alloying additions on the development of texture and residual strain in plane-strain compression of magnesium alloys D.G. Sediako, M.A. Gharghouri, and R.B. Rogge Paper 1140—14:20 The effect of T7351 heat treatment on the mechanical and SCC properties in aluminum AA7075 alloys M. Esmailian Paper 1165—14:40 Grain refinement of B206 aluminum–copper alloy N. Dahata, C. Ravindran, F.H. Samuel, and T.W. Gustafson Paper 1167—15:00 Mechanical properties and corrosion resistance of some creep resistant magnesium alloys S. Amira, N. Giguère, D. Dubé, R. Tremblay, and E. Ghali Paper 1136—15:40 Effect of T6 heat treatment on mechanical properties of AZ91+RE magnesium alloy K. Meshinchi Asl, A. Tari, and F. Khomamizadeh Paper 1157—16:00 Evaluation of equi-axed grain structure in sima processed AS21 magnesium alloy M.B. Karimi, M.H. Heidary, and F. Khomamizadeh Paper 1127—16:20 Mechanical properties of semi-solid A356 alloy formed by thixoforming process S. Tahamtan, M.A. Golozar, F. Karimzadeh, and B. Niroumand Paper 1133—16:40 Mechanical properties of A356 thixoformed alloy produced by SIMA process A.F. Boostani, B. Niroumand, F. Karimzadeh, and M.A. Golozar

Economics and Markets CU SESSION 38 >>> ECONOMICS AND MARKETS III

Sponsors: The Management and Economics Society of CIM, MMIJ, GDMB, and IIMCh Chairs: TBA Room: Banff 1-263—13:40 Paper 1089—13:40 The copper miracle: fundamentals and non-fundamentals’ analysis for 2003-2006 J.I. Guzmán

Paper 1087—14:30 Macro trends in copper consumption G.A. Campbell Paper 1088—14:55 Long term outlook for supply and demand for copper G. Lagos Paper 1093—15:40 Copper prices, currencies and global growth P. Mohr Paper 1097—16:05 The impact of emerging markets on copper supply and demand— the case of India and China M. Ruhrberg Paper 1082—16:55 Competitive strategies of primary copper produce RS, 1999–2005 C.A. Moscoso and A. Ebensperger

Hydrometallurgy, in honour of John Dutrizac, Incorporating the 37th Annual Hydrometallurgy Meeting CU SESSION 39 >>> IMPURITY CONTROL AND RECOVERY I & II

Sponsors: Hydrometallurgy Section of MetSoc, IIMCh, MMIJ, GDMB, and EPD of TMS Chairs: TBA Room: Tudor 7—13:40 Paper 0976—13:40 Hydrometallurgical processing of gold bearing copper enargite concentrates C.G. Anderson and L.G. Twidwell Paper 0986—14:05 Studies on the leaching of tennantite, tetrahedrite and enargite in acidic sulphate and chloride media P.A. Riveros and J.E. Dutrizac Paper 0945—14:30 Arsenic immobilization and metal recovery from El Teniente smelter dust R. Ichimura, H. Tateiwa, C. Almendares, and G. Sanchez Paper 0953—14:55 Characterization of flue dusts from a copper smelter furnace, copper recovery and arsenic inertization A. Morales, M. Cruells, A. Roca, and R. Bergó Paper 1020—15:40 Differences in the removal of antimony (III) and antimony (V) from copper electrolytes using ion exchange P.A. Riveros, J.E. Dutrizac, and R. Lastra Paper 1007—16:05 Recovery of bismuth from the pm discharge solution process development at Kennecott Utah copper refinery D. Kim and S. Wang Paper 1003—16:30 Osmium and rhenium in copper ores of Kazakhstan Z.S. Abisheva, A.N. Zagorodnyaya, and N.S. Bekturganov

Paper 1083—14:05 After reaching the peak how far and how fast is the descent?

D. Davidson

74

CIM Magazine n Vol. 2, Nº 4

Hydrometallurgy, in honour of John Dutrizac, Incorporating the 37th Annual Hydrometallurgy Meeting CU SESSION 40 >>> LEACHING III (13:40 – 15:20); TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT I (15:20 – 16:55)

Sponsors: Hydrometallurgy Section of MetSoc, IIMCh, MMIJ, GDMB, and EPD of TMS Chairs: TBA Room: Tudor 8—13:40 Paper 0940—13:40 Acid generation by in-situ sulfur biooxidation for copper heap leaching P.G. West-Sells, S.C. Bouffard, A.F. Tshilombo, and A. Bruynesteyn Paper 0947—14:05 Bioleaching of chalcopyrite by the thermophilic archaean acidianus brierleyi in batch and continuous-flow stirred tank reactors Y. Konishi, N. Saitoh, and T. Nomura Paper 1181—14:30 Applications for biogenic sulphide reagent for copper recovery in copper and gold hydrometallurgical operations R.W. Lawrence, P.B. Marchant, M. Bratty, and D. Kratochvil

Paper 0779—14:55 Ventanas refinery: continuous improvement using conventional technology R. Abel Paper 0786—15:40 Electrolytic copper refining—2007 world tankhouse operating data M. Davenport Robinson and K. Demetrio Paper 1171—16:05 Development of electrorefining processes in the polish copper smelters W. Baranek Paper 1177—16:30 Control of impurities—overview of the short bed ion exchange technique and Phelps Dodge El Paso case study M. Sheedy and P. Pajunen Paper 1185—16:55 Process improvements at Kennecott Utah Copper refinery S. Wang

The Carlos M. Díaz Symposium on Pyrometallurgy CU SESSION 42 >>> PC CONVERTING II

Paper 0949—14:55 Bioleaching of fine low grade copper ores M. Oliazadeh, G. Jozanikohan, Z. Manafi, S.A. Seied Bageri, A.R. Shahverdi, and A. Oliazadeh

Sponsors: Non-Ferrous Pyrometallurgy Section of MetSoc, MMIJ, GDMB, IIMCh, and EPD of TMS Chairs: TBA Room: Algonquin—13:40

Paper 0998—15:40 On-line free acidity measurement of Cu and other base metal containing solutions M. Huang and V.G. Papangelakis

Paper 0875—13:40 Review of high pressure tuyere injection I.E. Hills, C. Harris, and A.E.M Warner

Paper 0970—16:05 Ferrous chloride oxidation using oxygen or ozone: stoichiometry, gas efficiency, and application J. Jara, S. Zuttah, M. Meimari, and D. Hewitt Paper 1002—16:30 Ore characterization, alteration coding and plant feed control in copper operations as directed by routine semi-automated mineralogical analysis D. Allen, B. Baber, S. Eady, and W. Baum

Electrowinning and Electrorefining, Incorporating the 37th Annual Hydrometallurgy Meeting CU SESSION 41 >>> ER PLANT PRACTICES AND DESIGN II

Sponsors: Hydrometallurgy Section of MetSoc, MMIJ, GDMB, IIMCh, and EPD of TMS Chairs: TBA Room: Library—13:40 Paper 0773—13:40 Expansion projects at Tamano refinery T. Maruyama Paper 0776—14:05 Reclaiming of used ion exchange resins at DM water unit in refinery plant of Sarcheshmeh Copper Complex M. Behrouz Paper 0777—14:30 Modernization of tankhouse technology in Boliden Harjavalta Oy Copper refinery in Pori K. Pienimaki

June/July 2007

Paper 0842—14:05 Implementation of Air Liquide Shrouded Injector (ALSI) Technology at the Thai copper industries smelter J. Kapusta, N. Wachgama, and R. Pagador Paper 0857—14:30 Technology and operational improvements in tuyere punching, silencing, pyrometry, and refractory drilling equipment M.J. Marinigh Paper 0853—14:55 Porous plug stirring of thick slag covered matte bath M. Barati, C. Harris, and S. Clarke Paper 0884—15:40 Changes in the slag converters chemistry due to the Southern Peru Ilo smelter modernization J. Suárez Condezo, and E. Herrera Alarcón Paper 0823—16:05 METTOP process control and regulation system I. Filzwieser Paper 0797—16:30 A thermochemical model of the Peirce-Smith copper converter: part I. slag making stage N. Aminizadeh and S.H. Mansouri Paper 0798—16:55 A thermochemical model of the Peirce-Smith copper converter: part II. blowing copper stage N. Aminizadeh and S.H. Mansouri

75

CU SESSION 43 >>> ALTERNATIVE/OTHER TECHNOLOGIES II

Paper 0804—15:40 Slag reduction and cleaning with calcium carbide A. Warczok, G. Riveros, R. Parada, and R. Bonifaz

Sponsors: Non-Ferrous Pyrometallurgy Section of MetSoc, MMIJ, GDMB, IIMCh, and EPD of TMS Chairs: TBA Room: British Columbia—13:40

Paper 0828—16:05 Estimating thermodynamic properties of slags by empirical methods J.W. Matousek

The Carlos M. Díaz Symposium on Pyrometallurgy

Paper 0822—13:40 Outokumpu blister smelting processes—clean technology standards I.V. Kojo, M. Lahtinen, and E. Peuraniemi Paper 0817—14:05 Study into feasibility of basic modernization of a copper smelter using the roasting-smelting flow diagram for treatment of sulphide feed materials A.V. Tarasov and V.M. Paretsky Paper 0803—14:30 Roasting kinetics of industrial molybdenite concentrates T. Marin, G. Riveros, A. Warczok T. Utigard, and S. Jara Paper 0794—14:55 Copper roast segregation process: a promise to be fulfilled and a challenge for material handling technology A. del Campo A. and F. Cabrejos M. Paper 0888—15:40 Flash smelting furnace of the KGHM Glogów copper plant—technological and process challenges as a driving force of its continuous modernization Z. Gosty´nski and D. Haze Paper 0872—16:05 Alternative to improve the traditional Chinese copper smelter S. Demetrio and J. He

The Carlos M. Díaz Symposium on Pyrometallurgy CU SESSION 44 >>> SLAG CLEANING

Sponsors: Non-Ferrous Pyrometallurgy Section of MetSoc, MMIJ, GDMB, IIMCh, and EPD of TMS Chairs: TBA Room: Quebec—13:40 Paper 0808—13:40 Evolution furnace rotatory slag cleaning. Caletones smelter–El Teniente division–Codelco Chile C. Carrasco, G. Duarte, and J. Araneda Paper 0845—14:05 Slag cleaning of Outokumpu direct-to-blister flash smelting slags J. Tuominen, Y. Anjala, and P. Björklund Paper 0883—14:30 Intensive electrodynamic slag cleaning A. Warczok, G. Riveros, T. Marin, R. Degel, J. Kunze, and H. Oterdoom Paper 0801—14:55 Computer simulator of slag cleaning in an electric furnace A. Waczok, G. Riveros, R. Degel, J. Kunze, and H. Oterdoom

Paper 0882—16:30 Slag cleaning in circular and rectangular electric furnaces A. Warczok, G. Riveros, R. Degel, J .Kunze, and H. Oterdoom Paper 0877—16:55 Investigation of the silica slag of Norddeutsche Affinerie’s flash furnace T. Loos

Mineral Processing CU SESSION 45 >>> FLOTATION OPTIMIZATION I & II

Sponsors: Canadian Mineral Processing Society of CIM, Mineral Science and Engineering Section of MetSoc, MMIJ, GDMB, and IIMCh Chairs: TBA Room: Confederation 6—13:40 Paper 0719—13:40 Forcing air into self-aspirating flotation machines C.O. Gomez, C. Acuña, J.A. Finch, F. Cortés-López, and G. Berkowitz-Arendt Paper 0721—14:05 Using gas dispersion measurements to optimize the operation of tank cells in the Cu/Mo separation circuit at Highland Valley Copper mine J.R. Hernandez-Aguilar and S. Reddick Paper 0722—14:30 Characteristics of modern copper flotation circuits S. Schwarz, D. Alexander, and R. Coleman Paper 0723—14:55 Impact of frother on bubble production and behaviour in the pulp zone C. Acuna, J. Nesset, J. Quinn, and J.A. Finch Paper 0724—15:40 Measurement of wide bubble size distributions in flotation columns operated with jet-type spargers W. Kracht, C.O. Gomez, and J.A. Finch Paper 0725—16:05 Relationships between process conditions and froth stability in a copper rougher-scavenger bank G. Bartolacci, M. Ourriban, A. Lockhart, F. Michaud, A. Faucher, D. Knuutila, J. Finch, A. Fortin, and G. Goyette Paper 0726—16:30 Optimization of froth washing system in columns in rougher flotation circuits M. Massinaei, M. Oliazadeh, M. Kolahdoozan, M. Noaparast, and A. Oliazadeh

8

Full abstracts and program updates available online 76

CIM Magazine n Vol. 2, Nº 4

Paper 0727—16:55 Decentralized control of a three-phase pilot flotation column: a 3x3 system M. Maldonado, J. Chirinos, A. Desbiens, R. del Villar, and C. Dúchense

Process Control, Optimization and Six Sigma CU SESSION 46 >>> SIX SIGMA, LEAN MANUFACTURING, AND IMPROVED MANAGEMENT

Sponsors: EDP of TMS, MetSoc, MMIJ, GDMB, and IIMCh Chairs: TBA Room: Saskatchewan—13:40 Paper 0991—13:40 Morenci hydrometallurgical process improvement—application of Six Sigma in process improvement R. Blosser and B. Sircy Paper 0993—14:05 Innovations in hydrometallurgical performance management: heap leaching solvent extraction and electrowinning plants O.A. Bascur, R. Linares, and L. Yacher Paper 1004—14:30 Process management innovations at Sociedad Minera Cerro Verde–Peru G. Velarde Paper 1058—14:55 Using the Six Sigma approach towards a metallurgical project: nickel loss reduction and general improvements to the raglan rougher flotation circuit C. Ciriello and J.-D. Fournier Paper 1065—15:40 Increasing competitiveness in the Atlantic Copper Metallurgical Complex R. Fernández-Gil and J. Hurtado Paper 1068—16:05 Managing assets using performance supervision M. Ruel Paper 1078—16:30 Metallurgical balance as a management tools in processing plants V. Valenzuela Paper 1187—16:55 Lean/Six Sigma—unique applications in the mining and metals sector K. Kelton and B. Chertow

Sustainable Development, HS&E, and Recycling, Incorporating the 4th Waste Processing and Recycling Symposium CU SESSION 47 >>> SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IV

Sponsors: The Environmental Society of CIM, the Environment Section of MetSoc, MMIJ, GDMB, and IIMCh Chairs: TBA Room: Alberta—13:40 Paper 0920—13:40 Evaluation of USES-LCA for deriving characterization factors for metals—evaluating copper bioaccumulation in aquatic risk assessment W. Adams

Paper 0921—14:05 Summary of the EU voluntary copper risk assessment K. Delbeke , I. Schoeters, T. Gerschel, W. Adams, R. Gaunt, P. Van Sprang, M. Vangheluwe, M. Vandenbroele, D. Heijerick, F. Verdonck, A. Vanhyfte, H. Cross, S. Sadhra, A. Wheatley, R. Binetti, L. Attias, S. Marchini, B. Pennelli, E. Testai, P. Di Prospero Fanghella, and M. Rubbiani Paper 0924—14:30 Methodogy for aquatic hazard classification of massive metal forms: the copper case P. Rodrigues Paper 0925—14:55 Recent approach to recyling business in Naoshima smelter and refinery A. Kaneda Paper 0901—15:40 Feasibility of generating sulphur impregnated activated carbon using petroleum coke and flue gases from a copper smelter E. Morris Paper 1113—16:05 Control of acid mine drainage by means of immobilizing agents, electrochemical study on a grain mold S. Hadzi Jordanov, A. Dimitrov, and P. Paunovic Paper 0900—16:30 Designing and implementing of noise control method due to ball charge in primary ball mill division E. Zadeh Paper 0913—16:55 A new method of scorodite synthesis under atmospheric condition in sulphate solution N. Takashi

Downstream Fabrication and Applications CU SESSION 48 >>> DEVELOPMENT AND CHARACTERIZATION OF ALLOYS

Sponsors: SME, MetSoc, MMIJ, and GDMB Chairs: K. Sadayappan, CANMET Room: Toronto—13:40 Paper 1049—13:40 Development of copper foil products for PCBS M. Sakamoto Paper 1048—14:05 Development of a new low lead alloy for plumbing applications M. Sadayappan Paper 1070—14:30 Development of lead free copper alloy “ECOBRASS® K. Oishi Paper 1045—14:55 Development of high-perfomance copper alloy wire “EFTEC 194W” D. Takahashi Paper 1042—15:40 Manufacturing and mechanical properties of ultrafine grained, oxide dispersion strengthened copper U. Martin Paper 1035—16:05 Atomization and spray forming of Cu and Cu-6Sn H. Henein Paper 1102—16:30 OHMIC resistance control for copper tarnishing process D.M. Bastidas

June/July 2007

77

Wednesday, August 29, am Light Metals in Transport Applications CU SESSION 49 >>> PRIMARY PRODUCT AND LIGHT METALS I

Paper 0959—10:40 Copper sulfate pentahydrate production at Phelps Dodge Sierrita Inc. G.T. Fisher and J.L. Beck

Sponsors: Light Metals Section of MetSoc and TMS Chairs: TBA Room: Confederation 3—9:50

Paper 0974—11:05 Hydro-geochemistry of in-situ leaching—an integrated approach to management of solution mining S. Orr and A. Getahun

Paper 1137—9:50 Chemical and physical characterization of bauxite residue (red mud) for concrete making M.G. Davoodi, H. Nikraz, and E. Jamieson

Paper 0994—11:30 New hydrometallurgical technology for processing of copper concentrates T. Velea, V. Predica, and L. Gherghe

Paper 1142—10:15 Microwave pretreatment of bauxite ores T. Lu, C.A. Pickles, and S. Kelebek Paper 1162—10:40 The bauxite resource potential of Siberia Not available Paper 1146—11:05 Kinetics of aluminium Gallam corrosion in Bayer liquor A. Senyuta Paper 1121—11:30 Airflows through openings of smelter buildings exposed to crosswinds E. Dernedde

Hydrometallurgy, in honour of John Dutrizac, Incorporating the 37th Annual Hydrometallurgy Meeting CU SESSION 50 >>> TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT II

Sponsors: Hydrometallurgy Section of MetSoc, IIMCh, MMIJ, GDMB, and EPD of TMS Chairs: TBA Room: Tudor 7—9:50 Paper 0973—9:50 Hydrocopper for treating variable copper concentrates L. Haavanlammi, K. Hietala, and J. Karonen Paper 0956—10:15 Copper leaching from IOCG ore and concentrates M. Xiao Bo, H. Watanabe, Y.Takasaki, T. Okura, M. Tamura, J. Seong-Jin, H. Nakamura, and Y. Kida

Hydrometallurgy, in honour of John Dutrizac, Incorporating the 37th Annual Hydrometallurgy Meeting CU SESSION 51 >>> LEACHING IV

Sponsors: Hydrometallurgy Section of MetSoc, IIMCh, MMIJ, GDMB, and EPD of TMS Chairs: TBA Room: Tudor 8—9:50 Paper 0988—9:50 Matching theory and practice in heap leaching processes J.M. Menacho, L.E. Gutiérrez, and P.A. Chávez Paper 0980—10:15 Impact of heap operational changes on Zaldivar copper production S.C. Bouffard and D. Flores Godoy Paper 0941—10:40 Agglomeration for copper heap leaching K.A. Lewandowski and S.K. Kawatra Paper 0939—11:05 Acid curing and agglomeration J. Lu, D. Dreisinger, and P. West-Sells Paper 1010—11:30 Searching for the optimal heap leach application rate O. Bernal and G. Velarde

Electrowinning and Electrorefining, Incorporating the 37th Annual Hydrometallurgy Meeting CU SESSION 52 >>> EW AND ER PLANT PRACTICES AND DESIGN

Sponsors: Hydrometallurgy Section of MetSoc, MMIJ, GDMB, IIMCh, and EPD of TMS Chairs: TBA Room: Library—9:50 Paper 0746—9:50 Trends in copper refining technology J. Standen T. Paper 0772—10:15 Status and improvement plans in Inco’s electrowinning tankhouse M. Sabau Paper 1178—10:40 The advantages of concurrently designing and engineering copper solvent extraction and electrowinning plants G. Karcas and H. Laitala Paper 0787—11:05 Electrolytic copper electrowinning—2007 world tankhouse operating data M. Robinson

78

CIM Magazine n Vol. 2, Nº 4

Paper 0785—11:30 Spence: the newest electrowinning tankhouse in the world A. Pangbourne, M. Eamon, and M. Ferrera

Electrowinning and Electrorefining, Incorporating the 37th Annual Hydrometallurgy Meeting CU SESSION 53 >>> FUNDAMENTALS/MODELING II

Sponsors: Hydrometallurgy Section of MetSoc, MMIJ, GDMB, IIMCh, and EPD of TMS Chairs: TBA Room: York—9:50 Paper 0768—9:50 Modeling the temperature dependence of selected variables relevant to the operation of a copper electrowinning cell based on reactive electrodialysis L. Cifuentes Paper 0769—10:15 The effect of impurities on cell performance and on the quality of electrodeposits obtained at high current densities in a copper electrowinning cell based on reactive electrodialysis L. Cifuentes Paper 0774—10:40 Synergistic effect of polymer additives and chloride ion on copper electrorefining H. Kuboyama Paper 0775—11:05 Codeposition behavior of impurities in copper electrowinning from cuprous chloride solution H. Nakano Paper 0781—11:30 Fluid motion characteristics with gas injection for copper electrorefining at high current density Y. Hanada

The Carlos M. Díaz Symposium on Pyrometallurgy CU SESSION 55 >>> CONTINUOUS CONVERTING I

Sponsors: Non-Ferrous Pyrometallurgy Section of MetSoc, MMIJ, GDMB, IIMCh, and EPD of TMS Chairs: TBA Room: British Columbia—9:50 Paper 0861—9:50 Latest developments with copper ISASMELT™ P. Arthur Paper 0829—10:15 Converting using ISASMELT™ technology J.S. Edwards and G.R.F. Alvear F. Paper 0868—10:40 The Ausmelt continuous copper converting (C3) process R. Matusewicz and S. Hughes Paper 0834—11:05 Pilot-scale evaluation for the Codelco continuous converting process A. Moyano, C. Caballero, R. Mackay, P. Morales, and J. Font

The Carlos M. Díaz Symposium on Pyrometallurgy CU SESSION 56 >>> OFF GAS HANDLING I

Sponsors: Non-Ferrous Pyrometallurgy Section of MetSoc, MMIJ, GDMB, IIMCh, and EPD of TMS Chairs: TBA Room: Quebec—9:50 Paper 0854—9:50 Regenerable SO2 scrubbing for copper smelters: an update C. Harris and J. Sarlis

The Carlos M. Díaz Symposium on Pyrometallurgy CU SESSION 54 >>> VESSEL INTEGRITY I

Sponsors: Non-Ferrous Pyrometallurgy Section of MetSoc, MMIJ, GDMB, IIMCh, and EPD of TMS Chairs: TBA Room: Algonquin—9:50 Paper 0813—9:50 Kennecott Utah smelter rebuild—10 million tonnes of concentrate smelted D. Janney, B. Foster, R. Burton, and D.G. Kennedy Paper 0890—10:15 Refractory performance and campaign life extension of the reverberatory furnace at HBMS in Flin Flon J. Cooper et al.

Paper 0878—10:40 Advanced monitoring: Tapblock diagnostic system P. Tracy, R. MacRosty, Q. Zhao, L. Gunnewiek, and T. Gerritsen Paper 0841—11:05 Optimization of refractory lining design and installation practice to reduce vessel downtime and maximize performance of anode refining vessels A.J. Rigby, M. Wiessler, and C. Richeson

June/July 2007

79

Paper 0863—10:15 Fluid-dynamic study of the gas handling system at Caletones smelter P. Reyes F., B. Martinich, S. Rojas G., and R. Bustamante M.

Paper 1056—11:30 Effect of multiple lifts on mineral extraction, inventory and cash flow A. Guzman, R. Randolph, and E. Scheffe

Paper 1108—10:40 The ALSTOM seawater FGD process C.M. Sagedahl

Paper 1057—11:55 Silica removing from cooling water and recovery of blowdown M. Behrouz, E. Yosefnia, and M. Shaneh Saz Zadeh

Paper 0793—11:05 The metallurgical sulfuric acid plant design, operating and materials considerations 2007 update of new equipment and systems L.J. Friedman and S.J. Friedman

Sustainable Development, HS&E, and Recycling, Incorporating the 4th Waste Processing and Recycling Symposium

Paper 0864—11:30 Multivariate projection methods applied to the contact section of a sulphuric acid plant P. Reyes, B. Martinich, F. Condore, and L.G. Bergh

Mineral Processing CU SESSION 57 >>> COMMINUTION PRACTICE

Sponsors: Canadian Mineral Processing Society of CIM, Mineral Science and Engineering Section of MetSoc, MMIJ, GDMB, and IIMCh Chairs: TBA Room: Confederation 6—9:50 Paper 0728—9:50 Energy calculations for SAG grinding of a sulfide copper ore A.E.C. Peres and P.E.C. Pereira Paper 0729—10:15 Effect of blast modifications in semiautogenous grinding plant of Codelco Chile Andina G. Titichoca, L. Magne, G. Pereira, G. Andrades, and P. Molinet Paper 0730—10:40 New strategy development for changing SAG mill liners K.G. Markkola, J. Soto, G. Yañez, and H. Jimenez Paper 1176—11:05 Super fine grinding of copper concentrates for pressure leach processing by Phelps Dodge S. Williams, J. Gillaspie, D. Mathern, and J. Wilmot

CU SESSION 59 >>> SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT V

Sponsors: The Environmental Society of CIM, the Environment Section of MetSoc, MMIJ, GDMB, and IIMCh Chairs: TBA Room: Alberta—9:50 Paper 0909—9:50 Engineering biological processes for metal removal for using wetlands A. Mattes Paper 0749—10:15 Electronic treatment of highly contaminated effluents from copper smelters S. Stopic Paper 0714—10:40 Real behaviour of thickened tailings C. Cano Paper 1016—11:05 State-of-the-art management technologies for contaminated soils and groundwater with focus on the copper industry A. Bezama and M. Sanchez Paper 0904—11:30 Numerical information system supporting safe management of copper post-flotation tailings reservoir—“Zelzny Most” Poland ´ ´ W. Swidzi´ nski, W. Swierczy´ nski, K. Janicki, and A. Naguszewski

Downstream Fabrication and Applications Process Control, Optimization, and Six Sigma CU SESSION 58 >>> CONTROL, AUTOMATION, AND PROCESS

Sponsors: EDP of TMS, MetSoc, MMIJ, GDMB, and IIMCh Chairs: TBA Room: Saskatchewan—9:50 Paper 0700—9:50 Use of wireless technology and vision’s systems to improve processes, maintenances and mineral movement in mining plants H. Salamanca, A. Sanchez, P. Escobar, and J. Tapia Paper 0742—10:15 Robotic applications in mining process, a small investment and great profits in the short term H. Salamanca, F. Ramirez, L. Baeza, and C. Rodíguez

CU SESSION 60 >>> FURNACE AND CASTING INNOVATIONS

Sponsors: SME, MetSoc, MMIJ, and GDMB Chairs: J. Schmidt; J. Hugens, North American Manufacturing Company, Ltd. Room: Toronto—9:30 Paper 1031—9:30 Production and performance of casting moulds for copper anodes F. Shulz Paper 1055—10:15 Application of SPALTM (Surface Protection by Air Liquide) technology at riverside brass and Aluminum Foundry Limited M.l. Bouet

Paper 1060—10:40 P-D central analytical service center; step change technology E. Best

Paper 1053—10:40 Investigation of alternative materials for the burner system on the shaft furnace T. Stergiou

Paper 1018—11:05 Supervisory control project of a copper solvent extraction pilot plant L. Bergh, E. Lucic, and F. Zuleta

Paper 1039—11:05 Designing and implementing a maintenance program with SAP in the Paranapanema group J.R. Pacheco

80

CIM Magazine n Vol. 2, Nº 4

Paper 1022—11:30 New concepts in refractory linings for copper shaft furnaces 1997–2007 B. Huffman Paper 1040—11:55 Topics relative to filtration for continuous cast copper and aluminum J. Scalise

Wednesday, August 29, pm Light Metals in Transport Applications COM SESSION 61 >>> PRIMARY PRODUCT OF LIGHT METALS II

Sponsors: Light Metals Section of MetSoc and TMS Chairs: TBA Room: Confederation 3—13:40 Paper 1152—13:40 GHG reduction at Baie-Comeau Søderberg plant Y. Bilodeau Paper 1148—14:05 Isothermal thermal gravimetric analysis of magnesium chloride hexahydrate during rapid heating S. Kashani-Nejad and R. Harris Paper 1141—14:30 Deoxidation of titanium dioxide compressed pellets by the FFC Cambridge process N.K. Jabber Paper 1168—14:55 Controlled precipitation of nesquehonite (MgCO3•3H2O) by the reaction of MgCl2 with (NH4)2CO3 at 303K Y. Wang, Z. Li, and G. Demopoulos

Hydrometallurgy, in honour of John Dutrizac, Incorporating the 37th Annual Hydrometallurgy Meeting CU SESSION 62 >>> TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT III

Sponsors: Hydrometallurgy Section of MetSoc, IIMCh, MMIJ, GDMB, and EPD of TMS Chairs: TBA Room: Tudor 7—13:40 Paper 0960—13:40 Correcting for scale-up phenomena in heterogeneous material processing M.L. Free Paper 1005—14:05 The rate of gold dissolution in concentrated cupric chloride solutions R. von Bonsdorff, J. Aromaa, O. Forsén, and M.H. Barker Paper 1012—14:30 Solution management at Mantoverde Division of Anglo American Chile U. Troncoso, C. Pérez, and G. Zárate Paper 1182—14:55 Modern stainless steel for leaching plants J. Olsson, A. Bergquist, and S. Ekman

Hydrometallurgy, in honour of John Dutrizac, Incorporating the 37th Annual Hydrometallurgy Meeting CU SESSION 63 >>> FUNDAMENTAL STUDIES

Sponsors: Hydrometallurgy Section of MetSoc, IIMCh, MMIJ, GDMB, and EPD of TMS Chairs: TBA Room: Tudor 8—13:40 Paper 0946—13:40 Bacterial leaching of a copper ore containing activated pyrite Z. Manafi, S.A. Seyed Baghery, and R. Atash Dehghan Paper 1024—14:05 Effect of copper monosulphide at nickel-copper concentrates hightemperature hydrometallurgical refining l.V. Chugaev, N.A. Berezkina, and Y.M. Shneerson Paper 0954—14:30 Copper behavior peculiarity in the process of metals cementation dissolution in CuSO4 solution: metallic nickel case L.V. Volkov, M.I. Kalashnikova, and J.M. Shneerson Paper 0984—14:55 Study of kinetics and chemistry of the oxidative leaching of copper sulphide intermediate product of hydrometallurgical operation J.M. Shneerson, A.Y. Lapin, and T.Y. Kositskaya

Electrowinning and Electrorefining, Incorporating the 37th Annual Hydrometallurgy Meeting CU SESSION 64 >>> EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES

Sponsors: Hydrometallurgy Section of MetSoc, MMIJ, GDMB, IIMCh, and EPD of TMS Chairs: TBA Room: Library—13:40 Paper 0748—13:40 Utilization of cell voltage and temperature data of wireless cell sensors in copper refinery monitoring, control and maintenance A. Rantala Paper 0755—14:05 An update of recent applications of molecular recognition technology (MRT) in the copper industry S.R. Izatt Paper 0765—14:30 Electrolytic copper deposition and oxidation from ammoniacal alkaline solution containing solution containing copper (I) K. Koyama Paper 0767—14:55 Electrodeposition behavior of dendritic copper from aqueous copper (I) chloride solution containing condensed sodium halides K. Murase Paper 0780—15:40 Adding value to LIX / SX / EW operations by recovering copper from bleed, raffinate and other plant streams R.E. Dixon Paper 0784—16:05 Pilot test of EM-EW® technology application to copper electrorefinery bleed streams with high arsenic content L. Byszynski Paper 0789—16:30 Ion exchange for electrolyte purification in copper electrowinning and electrorefining R. Shaw

Paper 0789—16:55 An innovative wireless electrolytic cell monitor powered by ultralow bus voltage E. You

Electrowinning and Electrorefining, Incorporating the 37th Annual Hydrometallurgy Meeting CU SESSION 65 >>> SLIMES/PURIFICATION

Sponsors: Hydrometallurgy Section of MetSoc, MMIJ, GDMB, IIMCh, and EPD of TMS Chairs: TBA Room: York—13:40 Paper 0759—13:40 Anode slime leaching and tellurium removal at Atlantic Copper refinery R. Ramirez Paper 0762—14:05 Upsets on antimony content in electrolytic copper produced at Caraiba Metais I. Marcelo Santos Moraes Paper 0763—14:30 Studies on bismuth content variations in the Caraíba Metais’ electrolytic copper J. Luiz Rodrigues Bravo Paper 0764—14:55 Mineralogical characterization of a conventional copper refinery anode slimes treatment circuit T.T. Chen and J.E. Dutrizac Paper 1186—15:40 Processing of high nickel slimes at CCR refinery J. Stafiej Paper 0752—16:05 A novel sustainable process for anodic slime purification E. Roman, R. Alvarez P., J. Guzmán M., V. Carrasco T., and M. Cifuentes M.

The Carlos M. Díaz Symposium on Pyrometallurgy CU SESSION 66 >>> VESSEL INTEGRITY II

Sponsors: Non-Ferrous Pyrometallurgy Section of MetSoc, MMIJ, GDMB, IIMCh, and EPD of TMS Chairs: TBA Room: Algonquin—13:40 Paper 0811—13:40 Improved handling of high heat fluxes through copper castings with cast-in copper tubes in pyrometallurgical furnaces C. Oehler Paper 0796—14:05 Recycling of waste magnesia chrome bricks to produce refractory castable used at Sarcheshmeh copper complex furnaces A. Rahimi, F. Arianpour, and F. Golestani-Fard Paper 0820—14:30 Slag freeze layer formation in an electric smelting slag F.J. Guevara and G.A. Irons

The Carlos M. Díaz Symposium on Pyrometallurgy CU SESSION 67 >>> CONTINUOUS CONVERTING II

Sponsors: Non-Ferrous Pyrometallurgy Section of MetSoc, MMIJ, GDMB, IIMCh, and EPD of TMS Chairs: TBA Room: British Columbia—13:40 Paper 0806—13:40 Some topics in chemistry of direct or continuous copper converting K. Yamaguchi and A. Yazawa Paper 0893—14:05 Relationship between slag chemistry and optimum operating conditions for the Noranda process reactor P. Coursol, Y. Prevost, M. Zamalloa, and P.J. Mackey Paper 0858—14:30 Molybdenum recovery from copper smelter slags F. Parada, J.C. Carrasco, A. Reghezza, J. Zúñiga, C. Caballero, and M. Sánchez

The Carlos M. Díaz Symposium on Pyrometallurgy CU SESSION 68 >>> OFF GAS HANDLING II

Sponsors: Non-Ferrous Pyrometallurgy Section of MetSoc, MMIJ, GDMB, IIMCh, and EPD of TMS Chairs: TBA Room: Quebec—13:40 Paper 0860—13:40 The acid plant expansion and energy saving at Toyo copper smelter N. Kubo, Y. Isshiki, H. Satou, and H. Kurokawa Paper 0812—14:05 Thermal transportation properties of copper flash smelting flue dust E. Nurminen Paper 0826—14:30 Production of anhydrite from limestone with smelter gases in a three-stage fluidized bed reactor I. Wilkomirsky, G. Godoy, M. Vera, R. Parra, and F. Parada Paper 0814—14:55 Recent smelting and acid plant operation at Saganoseki smelter F. Hashiuchi, H. Chida, and H. Nakata

The Carlos M. Díaz Symposium on Pyrometallurgy CU SESSION 69 >>> FIRE REFINING

Sponsors: Non-Ferrous Pyrometallurgy Section of MetSoc, MMIJ, GDMB, IIMCh, and EPD of TMS Chairs: TBA Room: Confederation 5—13:40 Paper 0819—13:40 The paipote continuous fire refining process G. Riveros, A. Warczok, T. Utigard, T. Marin, H. Schwarze, D. Smith, J. Sanhueza, and A. Balochi Paper 0835—14:05 RAF copper production process improvement at the Caletones smelter D. Cordero, J. Font, C. Carrasco, F. Figueroa, and J. Bobadilla Paper 0840—14:30 Interactive 3D modeling of the refractory lining of an anode refining vessel A.J. Rigby

82

CIM Magazine n Vol. 2, Nº 4

Paper 0855—14:55 The elliptical anode furnace – a metallurgical comparison—part one M. Potesser, U. Zulehner, H. Rinnhofer, and H. Antrekowitsch Paper 0856—15:40 The elliptical anode furnace – an economical and technical compariso—part two M. Potesser, U. Zulehner, H. Rinnhofer, and H. Antrekowitsch Paper 0802—16:05 Kinetics of a liquid copper oxidation and reduction in a packed bed A. Warczok, G. Riveros, T. Marin, T. Utigard, H. Wastawino, and C. Puga Paper 0879—16:30 Experimental study for deoxidation of liquid copper with substoichimetric O2/CH4 flames T. Marin and T. Utigard

Mineral Processing CU SESSION 70 >>> COMMINUTION OPTIMIZATION I & II

Sponsors: Canadian Mineral Processing Society of CIM, Mineral Science and Engineering Section of MetSoc, MMIJ, GDMB, and IIMCh Chairs: TBA Room: Confederation 6—13:40 Paper 0732—13:40 SABC circuit energy consumption optimization K.G. Markkola, J. Soto, G.Yañez, H. Jimenez, and L. Tapia Paper 0733—14:05 SAG mill operation optimization for different type of ore base on a “virtual geologist” L. Tapia and E. Lizama Paper 0735—14:30 Power analysis process of milling in semiautogenous mills A. Gutiérrez, L. Magne, and A. Ortiz Paper 0741—14:55 Towards AG/SAG/ball mill on-line performance prediction?

P. Radziszewski, S. Martins, B. Picard, and S. Caron Paper 0734—15:40 Balance of feed split to ball mills in parallel E. You, L. Cruz, D. King, and C. Veloo Paper 0736—16:05 Multivariable analysis and dynamic monitoring of the grinding process L. Yacher and J. Sanzana Paper 0737—16:30 Dynamic simulation and model based real-time optimization of SAG mills using genetic algorithms L. Magne, G. Acuña, J. Salazar, and F. Cubillos Paper 0738—16:55 Ball mill overload detection D. Sbarbaro

Process Control, Optimization, and Six Sigma CU SESSION 71 >>> PYROMETALLURGICAL PROCESS IMPROVEMENTS

Sponsors: EDP of TMS, MetSoc, MMIJ, GDMB, and IIMCh Chairs: TBA Room: Saskatchewan—13:40 Paper 1062—13:40 Reducing copper losses in the Mitsubishi process: a pyrometallurgical approach F. Tanaka Paper 1067—14:05 Tuyere pressure frequency measurement in a copper converter M. Kreuh, M. McEwan, P. Lind, P. Mackey, and H. Halsall-Whitney Paper 1063—14:30 Hydrogen sensor for molten copper N. Fukatsu, N. Kurita, K. Katahira, and T. Ohshima Paper 1072—14:55 Mass and energy balances for metallurgical gas handling system in Chagres smelter P. Durán R., R. Bustamante, and A. Avila Paper 1075—15:40 Advances in furnace monitoring: instrumentation R. MacRosty, S. Nitschke, T. Gerritsen, C. Crowe, and N. Voermann Paper 1076—16:05 Understanding vessel integrity, a study of the thermo-mechanical behaviour of refractory lining segments T. Prietl, O. Zach, and B. Drew Paper 1074—16:30 Integrity monitoring of Falconbridge Kidd Creek Mitsubishi 3-line furnaces using multivariate methods P. Nelson, A. Hyde, M. McEwan, and D. Sandoz

Sustainable Development, HS&E, and Recycling, Incorporating the 4th Waste Processing and Recycling Symposium CU SESSION 72 >>> SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT VI

Sponsors: The Environmental Society of CIM, the Environment Section of MetSoc, MMIJ, GDMB, and IIMCh Chairs: TBA Room: Alberta—13:50 Paper 1105—13:40 The copper recovery from cupric oxide catalysts by plasma reduction process I. Imris Paper 0896—14:05 A novel process in the integral processing of residues and effluents generated in the copper industry A. Robles Paper 0905—14:30 Water availability for mining usage in northern Chile, a challenging scenario M. Marchese Paper 0908—14:55 Desalinization technologies R. Niechcial Paper 0964—15:20 Development of wasteless technology of copper extraction from sulphides O. Gulzhan

June/July 2007

83

history The Basalt Controversy IV (Part 18)

by R.J. “Bob” Cathro, Chemainus, British Columbia

“The formation in 1835 of the Geological Survey, which was the first ... of any country, (followed) the ‘Heroic Age of Geology’, when the foundations of the Science were laid down by Hutton, Werner and William Smith and consolidated by Cuvier and Lamarck. Its early days coincided with the ‘Golden Age of Geology’, when such Masters as Lyell, Sedgwick, Murchison, Buckland and De la Beche accomplished wonders in strenuous pioneering field-work and made many great discoveries” (Smith, 1936).

John Playfair

84

Even while Werner was at the height of his influence as the leader of the Neptunists (see Part 16), a few German geologists had attempted, without success, to challenge his ideas on the origin of basalt. One of the first was Rudolf Erich Raspe (1771), who recognized that columnar basalt along the lower Rhine River was volcanic (Sigurdsson, 1999, p. 142-143). He is better known as the author of ‘Baron Münchausen’s Narrative of his Marvellous Travels.’ Another serious critic was one of Werner’s first students, J.K.W. Voigt, who disputed his interpretation of the Scheibenberg basalt (Sigurdsson, 1999, p.

117; see Part 16).

As time went by and many locations were found in France, Italy, and Britain, where volcanic and granitic rocks could be observed cutting sediments and each other, Werner’s ideas on basalt became more suspect. Even worse, some of his most famous students became advocates rather than critics of Vulcanism as they travelled the globe and began to realize that the field evidence didn’t support what they had been taught. These included: Leopold von Buch, probably Werner’s most illustrious protégé (Sigurdsson, 1999, p. 123); Jean Baptiste Barthelémy de Lessups, who observed active volcanoes in Kamchatka in 1790; Alexander von Humboldt, who witnessed the eruption of Cotopaxi in Ecuador in 1803 and wrote classic descriptions of the natural history of South America; and William Maclure, who published the first geological map of the United States in 1809. By the time of Werner’s death in 1817, his theories about the ‘universal formation’ and the sedimentary origin of basalt were badly tarnished and rejected by everyone except Robert Jameson.

In the years following Hutton’s death in 1797, the task of explaining his theory more clearly and defending his reputation from his critics fell to the two friends from the University of Edinburgh who had accompanied him on the 1788 trip to Siccar Point, John Playfair and Sir James Hall (see Part 17). Playfair has been called Hutton’s Boswell, after the great author and diarist James Boswell (1740-1795) who wrote the great biography of Samuel Johnson. In addition to being a mathematician, he was a dedicated amateur geologist and a fine writer. Gould (1987a, p. 93) judged him to be even better, perhaps, than the great 19th century geologists and literary stylists Charles Lyell and T.H. Huxley. Playfair published an articulate and simplified explanation of Hutton’s ideas called ‘Illustrations of the Huttonian Theory’ in 1802.

Hall, a fine chemist, performed an equally important function, although he had to wait until after Hutton died because he was so opposed to anything but fieldwork. Hall conducted an elegant series of tests, believed to be the first examples of experimental geology, in order to prove Hutton’s contention that basalt was derived from the cooling of molten rock. He melted 15 samples of basalt from Scotland, England, and the continent and showed that they produced glass when cooled quickly, but yielded a granular structure like basalt when cooled slowly (Ashworth, 2004, p. 76). His next series of 500 experiments, which took six years to complete (in 1805), proved that limestone would not disintegrate if heated to 1,000°C, as it would at surface, if it was under a pressure equivalent to a 2,700 m column of seawater (Repcheck, 2003, p. 170-173). “Hall proved… that it was quite reasonable to believe that… basalt, greenstone and whinstone in the neighbourhood of Edinburgh were ultimately of volcanic origin” (Flett, 1937, p. 12).

Although he was only interested in the history of the earth and never mentioned mineralization, we can see with the benefit of hindsight that Hutton had an enormous impact on our understanding of the origin of ore deposits. And yet, CIM Magazine n Vol. 2, Nº 4

economic geology modern academics still dismiss his contributions, as in this example written by an eminent paleontologist, evolutionary biologist, and essayist on natural history: “Hutton had precious little impact on the practice of geology … his theory remained on a periphery of speculation; the doers of geology largely ignored his contribution and went about their work” (Gould, 1987b, p. 79).

The Geological Society of London, founded in 1807, played a vital role in the advancement of geological knowledge in Great Britain; its Transactions contain a series of classic memoirs that are its foundation stones.

The founders decreed that the emerging science of geology needed hard data from the field, not theories and interpretation, and banned all theoretical discussion from their meetings. This was actually written into the procedures of

Geology was becoming something more than a hobby for wealthy amateurs; it was developing into an integral part of natural philosophy the society. The membership included members of the peerage, Members of Parliament, great landowners, bankers, and “Anglican gentlemen, who viewed the Geological Society as their intellectual home” (Gould, 1987b, p. 85). They were able to exert considerable influence on the government. Geology was becoming something more than a hobby for wealthy amateurs; it was developing into an integral part of natural philosophy. The leading professors were Adam Sedgwick at Cambridge and William Buckland at Oxford.

The society chose the stratigraphic research program (the geological time scale) as its focus, defining the primary task of geology as “unravelling the sequence of actual events in time, using the key to history that had just been developed to the point of general utility by Cuvier (in the Paris Basin) and William Smith (in southern England)—the distinctively changing suite of fossils through time” (Gould, 1987c, p. 152). Fortunately, the sequences in these regions are relatively simple and undisturbed and “the time scale was established in an amazingly fruitful burst of research during the first half of the nineteenth century. … By 1850, history had been ordered June/July 2007

in a consistent, worldwide sequence of recognizable, unrepeated events, defined by the ever-changing history of life, and recorded by a set of names accepted and used in the same way from New York to Moscow” (Gould, 1987b, p. 7677). In 1859, the society awarded its highest honour, the Wollaston Medal, to Charles Darwin, who served as secre- Thomas De la Beche tary from 1837 to 1841.

Another important development was the founding of the Geological Survey of Great Britain in 1835, which provided the first opportunity for steady employment for geologists outside the universities and the mining industry. Most of this section on the survey is derived from Flett (1937). The Survey, which became the model for most similar government agencies worldwide and the source of the future leaders for most of those in the British colonies and dominions, was extremely fortunate in its early leadership. Sir Henry Thomas De la Beche (1796-1855) served as the first director from 1835 to 1855 and was succeeded by Sir Roderick Impey Murchison (1792-1871) between 1855 and 1871.

De la Beche, who became director at the age of 39, had grown up in Devonshire and Dorset in a military family and lacked the wealth to work as a gentleman scientist. He had travelled widely outside the country, was fluent in several languages, and had a natural aptitude for field mapping and geological cartography, of which he was a pioneer. Because of his strong interest in economic geology and his ability to collaborate well with mining engineers, he began his mapping in the more complex geology of Cornwall and Devon before moving to southern Wales, which was important for its coal resources. It was there that he met a self-taught employee of a coal company whose accurate and detailed maps were ahead of anything being produced in England up to that time. The employee was Canadian-born William E. Logan (1798-1875), who had attended the University of Edinburgh for one year and then worked for ten years in London for his family as a bookkeeper before moving to Wales in 1828 to work for the family coal mining company.

He became the founder of the Geological Survey of Canada in 1842, with a strong recommendation from De la Beche.

In 1855, the 63-year-old Murchison was at the height of his fame and was, with the possible exception of Lyell, regarded as the leader of British geology. He had defined the Silurian and Permian periods and was co-founder of the Devonian. He was “an aristocratic old soldier, … selfassured and curt almost to the point of egomania” (Gould, 1987b, p. 87), and proud of his Highland roots. Murchison was also described as a diligent and excellent scientist, although his field methods were considered to be rapid and superficial. His high social standing, substantial wealth, 85

economic geology personal friendship with influential politicians and members of the aristocracy, and forceful but genial personality made him an eminently successful administrator. Unfortunately, he had little interest in the economic applications of geology, which had been of prime importance to De la Beche, nor was he much concerned with the education of students of mining and T.A. Rickard metallurgy. De la Beche, who had established three sister organizations, The School of Mines (the prefix Royal was added about 1862), the Mining Record Office, and the Museum of Practical Geology, had wanted to pattern the school after the well-known academies in Saxony and France.

With the leading universities, learned societies, and geological surveys in Europe so focused on stratigraphy and paleontology, the study of economic geology was restricted to small groups working in relative isolation in Cornwall, Saxony, Scandinavia, France, and elsewhere. The situation in England in the middle of the 19th century has been summarized by Rickard (1910, p. 479) as follows: “In England, the detection of fossils and the correlation of strata absorbed the attention of geologists to the exclusion of investigation into the nature of mineral aggregates that are the object of mining. Indeed, not only did geology give the cold shoulder to mining but when geologists condescended to be interested in mineral deposits, they made blunders highly perplexing even to those willing to accept scientific aid. Thus Murchison rashly enunciated the generalization that the Silurian rocks were particularly favourable to gold veins, basing this broad statement on his knowledge of the Ural region; and when gold was discovered in Australia in slate and sandstone of Silurian age, he congratulated himself on the confirmation of his dictum. Later, he interpreted the scanty data at his disposal as warranting the inference that deep mining in the solid quartz rock is usually unprofitable. No wonder that the miner looked askance at the geologist, so that there was a lack of co-operation between the young science and the venerable industry. Moreover, the idea obtained in England that geology stooped to commercialism when she concerned herself with mining.

The notion long persisted that science suffered by becoming utilitarian; the geologist deemed hunting for fossils more becoming than the search for ore; and this tradition in effect prevented English geologists from attempting to unravel the complexities of ore occurrence. A notable example is afforded by the Geological Society. … In its records will be found … the principles that constitute the very foundations of the science. … Yet the sum total of information concerning ore deposits to be found in the (Transactions) is negligible. Englishmen as 86

geologists occupy a position second to none; as contributors to the study of ore deposits they are nowhere. … I impute the poverty of result entirely to the fact that men of culture have deemed it undignified to make a commercial use of scientific knowledge.”

A dramatic change in attitude was needed if economic geology was ever going to break out of this period of disinterest. The triggering event took place in January 1848, although nobody could have foreseen how a placer gold discovery on the Pacific coast of North America could have such momentous results. CIM

REFERENCES 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).

Flett, J.S. (1937). The first hundred years of the Geological Survey of Great Britain. London: His Majesty’s Stationery Office.

Gould, S.J. (1987a). James Hutton’s theory of the earth. In Time’s arrow, time’s cycle: myth and metaphor in the discovery of geological time. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.

Gould, S.J. (1987b). The power of narrative. In An urchin in the storm: essays about books and ideas. New York: W.W. Norton & Company.

Gould, S.J. (1987c). Charles Lyell, historian of time’s cycle. In Time’s arrow, time’s cycle: myth and metaphor in the discovery of geological time. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.

Raspe, R.E. (1771). A short account of some basaltic hills in Hassia. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London, 61, 580-583.

Repcheck, J. (2003). The man who found time: James Hutton and the discovery of the earth’s antiquity. Cambridge: Perseus Publishing.

Rickard, T.A. (1910). Geology applied to mining. San Francisco: Mining and Scientific Press, April 2 (479-481) and April 9 (516-518). (This paper was delivered at the Royal School of Mines, London, on March 4, 1910 as the Le Neve Foster Memorial Lecture).

Sigurdsson, H. (1999). Melting the earth: the history of ideas on volcanic eruptions. New York: Oxford University Press.

Smith, B. (1936). Prefatory Note. In J.S. Flett (Ed.), The first hundred years of the Geological Survey of Great Britain.

London: His Majesty’s Stationery Office.

CIM Magazine n Vol. 2, Nº 4

metallurgy The Chilean Mill or Trapiche

by James G. Watt, Comox, British Columbia

The Chilean mill or trapiche is still used in small-scale mining in Chile, Bolivia, Peru, and Argentina. It is a form of edge-runner mill with from one to four heavy wheels, or mullers, running in a circular U-shaped trough. The ore, which is generally hand-shovelled into the water-filled trough, is crushed by the weight of the revolving wheels. The bottom of the trough is protected by a steel-wearing ring or soleplate. Scrapers fixed behind each roller lift the ground ore off the soleplate and keep it in suspension. The resulting slurry exits the mill through a series of perimeter screens near the top of the trough. The mesh size, height above the soleplate, and length of the overflow screens determine the final grind size and daily throughput. It seems that the Chilean mill is a direct descendent of early Roman olive mills which were rotated by hand or animal traction. The ancient Chinese independently developed an identical machine, called shih nien, for grinding grain.

A section through a used two-roller trapiche in Andacollo, Chile

In the trapiche used today, a short horizontal axle connects the wheel(s) to a central vertical shaft that has mounted on it a bevelled crown gear driven by a pinion. A series of beltdriven pulleys connected to a motor via a jackshaft drive the horizontal main shaft on which the pinion is mounted.

While electric motors are most common, diesel and gasoline motors are also used. Motors are generally in the range of 5 to 25 hp. For ease of maintenance, the drive mechanism is normally mounted above the circular trough.

In Chile, rollers and troughs were originally made of carved rock. Near CopiapĂł, there is an abandoned quarry where semi-completed rollers and bowls can be seen.

Nowadays, old railway wagon wheels are the usual base framework for the runners; grinding balls, worn mill liners, or other suitable scrap iron are cemented in to attain the desired weight. The circular troughs are of welded steel plate or poured concrete.

Roman olive mill June/July 2007

The name â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Chilean millâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; probably reflects its widespread use in Chile from where it was introduced into neighbouring countries, rather than any claim to having originated there.

There was once a

town called Chilean Mill near Prescott, Arizona. Today, this is little more than a geographical spot as the trapiche from there is now in a museum in Jerome, Arizona. Likewise, the hamlet of Trapiche, about 85 kilometres north of La Serena, Chile, no longer depends on mining and no Chilean mills are in use there. The townspeople now cultivate carnations for the local and export market.

While it is not known when the trapiche was first used for crushing and grinding rock, it is probable that this use started in Spanish America. Agricola, in De Re Metallica, published in 1556, makes no mention of trapiches or similar machines for grinding ore. His description of milling devices is limited to several varieties of wind, water, human, or animal-driven mills with either one or two horizontally revolving millstones. The use of the trapiche in Chile is documented to at least 1732, and in 1803, there were 130 being used for grinding gold ore there. They have been used in Mexico and the United States since at least as early as 1882.

They were also used in the Nova Scotia gold fields during the early 1860s and in Australia at the Walhalla gold field in the mid-to-late 1860s.

Taggart (1927) gives a description of the Chilean mills that were common in plants in the United States in the early 20th century. The Frasers & Chalmers Company and the Bonnot Company both manufactured Chilean mills. Up until the early 1980s, Chilean mills were being used in two copper smelters in Arizona for grinding clay to make plugs for converters and reverbs. These machines were similar to the pan 87

metallurgy mill, used in English clay-brick factories, in that the pan or trough was rotated, causing the fixed wheels to turn.

The trapiche was the primary grinding machine in the American southwest copper industry during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, but was displaced by the widespread introduction of tube and ball mills. In Chile, it has been, and still is on a somewhat smaller scale, the main grinding machine at hundreds of small mines. According to the mayor of Andacollo, Chile, at mid-2006 there were nine milling plants operating in the area, with a total of 49 trapiches, down from the 55 plants with 295 trapiches working in 1970.

Increased copper prices spurred the development of the trapiche as a high-capacity (20 to 40 tonnes per day) primary grinding unit in copper milling. Grind fineness is sacrificed, however, with 80 per cent passing the equivalent of 65 mesh Tyler (212 microns) being the normal target. This is achieved with heavier wheels, each weighing between 2,500 and 3,000 kilograms, and by increasing the velocity of rotation to about 18 rpm. The resulting slurry discharges via perimeter screens to the flotation circuit. The mesh and the height of the screens above the soleplate control the grind fineness.

Discharge height is normally four to five inches above the soleplate. The approximately 30 per cent solids pulp density required and the higher capacity (20 to 30 kilograms per minute) make these units suitable for a conveyor belt feed system.

To further increase plant throughput, trapiches were put to use as secondary grinding machines. These were either in open circuit, treating the discharge from a primary grinding trapiche, or in closed circuit, with some type of hydraulic classifier. The characteristics of the regrind trapiche are similar to those of the grinding trapiche although with a steeper trough angle and a slower wheel velocity of around 14 rpm.

The Amalgamating Trapiche In the amalgamating trapiche, copper plates covered with mercury are suspended from the rim of the trough to hang in the slurry and recover the liberated gold particles through amalgamation. As well, free mercury is dispersed around the bottom of the trough to pick up additional gold from the slurry, increasing the total recovery.

Grinds of about 80 per cent passing 150-mesh Tyler (100 microns) are the norm, with roller weights of 1,000 to 1,500 kilograms and velocities of 11 to 13 rpm. Throughputs are around five to six tonnes per day per mill. Heavier wheels would cause disintegration of the free mercury on the bottom of the trough and the resulting extra fine globules would escape via the overflow discharge screen. Higher rotational velocities would cause centrifuging of the slurry, limiting 88

exposure of the suspended gold particles to the copper plates. Trough angles of around 45 degrees or more are the norm for amalgamating trapiches. The overflow discharge screens are normally 10 to 13 inches above the soleplate.

Slurry densities of around 16%, equivalent to a feed rate of around 31â &#x201E;2 kilograms per minute, are aimed for. Two shovellers can easily keep a bank of five or six trapiches operating continuously. The trapiche is periodically stopped and amalgam in the bottom of the trough is manually recovered for retorting. Today, the landscape of northern Chile is dotted with hundreds of old tailings piles, evidence of past trapiche operations. These are often contaminated with mercury. CIM The author would like to thank those friends and colleagues who supplied data, constructively criticized drafts of this paper, and offered helpful suggestions. Special thanks go to Wiston Rocher, Ed Rood, Jorge Ordenes, and Fathi Habashi.

Suggested Readings Anonymous (1803). Informe Presentado al Real Tribunal de Mineria en 1803. Annual Report Presented to the Royal Department of Mines in Chile in 1803.

Astudillo, S., & Rozas, C. (1984). El trapiche estructura y operacion. Thesis, Faculty of Engineering, Universidad de La Serena, Chile EgaĂąa, Juan.

Taggart, A.F. (1927). Handbook of mineral dressing. Wiley: New York.

Your Source For Metallurgy and Materials Science For more details visit:

www.metsoc.org or www.cmq-online.ca CIM Magazine n Vol. 2, NÂş 4

executive summaries

M E T A L L U R G Y

Spheroidization of a medium carbon HSLA fastener grade steel Medium carbon, low alloy, high-strength steels containing Ni, Cr, and Mo are used for the fabrication of various types of high-strength fasteners required for launch vehicle structures. Cold heading properties and response to hardening and tempering are essential requirements of the material for fabrication and application, respectively. In the absence of a suitable spheroidizing cycle for cold heading of medium carbon 3.8 Ni, 1.8 Cr, 0.3 Mo steel, experiments were carried out with theoretical understanding of the alloy system. This paper presents the experiments and results obtained after spheroidizing treatments carried out to optimize the process. Hardness measurements were carried out and microstructural studies were made to assess the spheroidization process and to determine the optimal spheroidization parameters, to achieve hardness in the range of 200-220 BHN. Spheroidized microstructures are classically obtained either by prolonged isothermal treatment of austenite structure below the lower critical transformation temperature or by overtempering a martensite structure. In both cases, carbides would coalesce to globular particles in a ferritic matrix.

High-strength, low alloy (HSLA) steels containing Ni-CrMo reportedly respond well to spheroidizing heat treatment.

However, the time increases due to various metallurgical reasons such as alloying elements, which reduce the lower critical temperature resulting in longer spheroidizing time due to low diffusion rates at lower temperature. The spheroidization process can be completed in less time by increasing the temperature. However, it may result in the reappearance of dissolved carbides as lamellae during cooling.

Experimentation Several experimental trials were carried out to get the maximum degree of spheroidization by both the routes, i.e. through prolonged soaking below the lower critical temperature and through over-tempering of supersaturated martensite (see table). Hardness measurements and microstructural characterization were performed after each treatment, and subsequent experiments were decided accordingly. In this way, a total of eight cycles have been tried during the course of the experiment.

R.K. Gupta, B.R. Ghosh, Mechanical Engineering Entity, Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, Trivandrum, India, D.N. Bhatia, Mishra Dhatu Nigam, Hyderabad, India, P.P. Sinha, Mechanical Engineering Entity, Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, Trivandrum, India 90

Description of heat treatment cycles Cycle No. C-1 C-2 C-3 C-4 C-5 C-6 C-7 C-8

Description Step cooling from 820°C to 600°C + isothermal soaking at 600°C for 8 hours + furnace cooling Intercritical annealing across 820°C to 650°C + prolonged soaking at 650°C for 40 hours + furnace cooling Intercritical annealing with step cooling across 820°C to 600°C + prolonged soaking at 650°C for 40 hours + furnace cooling Two-step prolonged soaking at 720°C for 10 hours plus 650°C for 40 hours and furnace cooling Slow cooling from 820°C to 675°C + prolonged soaking for 20 hours at 675°C + furnace cooling Prolonged soaking at 610°C for ~200 hours + air cooling Water quenching from 880°C + subzero treatment -70°C for 1 hour + prolonged soaking at 650°C for 40 hours + furnace cooling Air cooling from 880°C + prolonged soaking at 650°C for 40 hours + furnace cooling

Results and Discussions The first six cycles (C1 to C6) were tried through promoting the lamellar reaction to form pearlite and coalescence of carbides into spheroids by prolonged isothermal soaking.

Desirable results were obtained with respect to hardness in the range of 220 to 240 BHN. However, C1 to C6 cycles led to a relatively longer transformation time, which may be due to the slower rate of diffusion of solute atoms present in the carbides as compared to carbon atoms, and this becomes the rate-controlling factor for spheroidization.

An alternate approach was adopted (Cycle C7-C8) to obtain a martensitic structure prior to spheroidization, as it would help in the faster and uniform nucleation of spheroids in an over-tempered microstructure. It also resulted in the 220 to 240 BHN hardness of steel. Microstructural observation of the sample was very much similar to the first approach. This substantiated the acceleration of spheroidization in an acicular martensite structure during over-tempering.

Conclusions • Prolonged annealing below the lower critical temperature was found to be better than intercritical annealing for this alloy. However, the long soaking time is not the best production option.

• By over-tempering, the desired level of spheroidization could be achieved in full martensite structure, which could be obtained even without sub-zero treatment.

• The alloy was found to be of air hardening type, and the desired results could be obtained by air-cooling from austenitizing the temperature prior to over tempering.

Cycle C8 is the best commercial option.

CIM Magazine n Vol. 2, N° 4

executive summaries Gold recovery from waste activated carbonâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; a comparison between mechano-chemical pretreatment and charcoal augmented oxidation

In this research, two methods that augment combustion of waste-activated carbon are evaluated. These are mechanochemical activation before oxidation and direct combustion using charcoal as fuel. Mechano-chemical activation caused structural modifications of the waste carbon, which were measured by X-ray diffraction analysis. The quantitative changes in the crystallinity of the samples were determined by measuring the relative intensities at a specific lattice plane for the milled material (I) and an undisturbed reference standard (Io). The intensity ratio (I/Io), also known as the J-factor, decreased from a value of one for the undisturbed lattice to 0.56 after six hours vibration milling, which resulted in a reduction in the temperature for complete oxidation from above 700oC to 450oC.

Complete oxidation was also achieved at the same furnace temperature (450oC), for a combined sample of wasteactivated carbon and 25% by weight of wood charcoal.

Activated carbon does not contain sufficient volatile matter to sustain autogenous roasting. However, wood charcoal contains a good percentage of hydrocarbons and therefore readily sustains self-combustion and this augmented combustion of WAC at a low furnace temperature of 450oC. The ash content of the charcoal was 1.2% while that of the WAC was 11%. Therefore, the additional weight of ash due to the use of charcoal is not significant.

M E T A L L U R G Y

The use of activated carbon in recovering dissolved gold from solution has been embraced at virtually all gold processing plants worldwide. Technically, activated carbon may be added in the course of leaching, a process known as carbonin-leach (CIL), or after leaching in the carbon-in-pulp (CIP) process. CIL has advantages when carbonaceous materials are present in the ore since it brings about competitive adsorption between the added carbon and the preg-robbers.

Activated carbon may also be loaded into columns or up-flow contactors before the solution is passed through; it is referred to as carbon-in-column (CIC). The loaded carbon is then stripped and the gold recovered mainly by electrowinning. The carbon is reactivated, sized, and recycled. Activated carbon breaks into fragments during usage as a result of impact stresses against tank walls, screening, transportation, elution, and regeneration. Part of these fines (usually â&#x20AC;&#x201C;20 mesh) may be retrieved as waste-activated carbon (WAC). A worldwide survey shows that the WAC may contain from about 0.11 to 0.14 kg of gold per tonne of carbon. With its relatively high gold content, WAC represents a potential source of extra revenue. The methods that have been proposed for pretreating and/or recovering gold from waste carbon may be generally classified as follows: (1) incineration, (2) electrochemical, and (3) competitive adsorption.

The mass loss of almost 89% during oxidation resulted in the production of ash that was very rich in gold (3.2 kg/t).

Cyanidation of gold from the ash produced by both pretreatment processes was rapid. About 64% extraction was achieved within one hour for the vibration milled. Leaching progressed steadily and over 99% extraction was achieved after 20 hours. In a manner similar to that of the vibrationmilled sample, about 53% of gold was extracted within one hour from the ash produced by the combined sample of WAC and wood charcoal, and over 98% extraction was achieved after 20 hours.

For industrial application, economic analysis shows that the better pretreatment option is charcoal-augmented combustion of waste-activated carbon. With this technique, mixing and size reduction can be done in ball mills, which are readily available and have a lower energy requirement. The gold extraction efficiency is equally high. After oxidation, the ash could be leached in an online reactor by intensive cyanidation and the pregnant solution sent directly for electrowinning due to its high gold value.

R.K. Amankwah, University of Mines and Technology, Tarkwa, Ghana, and W.K. Buah, Energy and Resources Research Institute, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom June/July 2007

91

executive summaries

M E T A L L U R G Y

Mechanical properties and fatigue resistance of rails welded with the aluminothermic method The aluminothermic welding process is based on the highly exothermic reaction between iron oxide, alloying elements, and aluminium. The rails are previously preheated (900ºC) with skill to avoid the martensite-bainite structure from cooling quickly. Welding uses the KLK Spanish technology kit.

European Community regulations on standard tests to guarantee weld quality are: 1.

2.

3.

Hardness test 10/3,000 (250 ± 20 to 350 ± 20 HBW. Fully pearlitic rail structure. Martensite is not accepted.

The slow bend test gives the minimum load and the deflections allowed, according to the standards and profiles of the rail (see table).

Welds must support, as a minimum, an equivalent stress of around 60% of the rail’s tensile strength. The weld rail sample must withstand a minimum fracture load of 750 MPa in tension.

Fatigue produced by a repeated charge-discharge, simulating use, determines track and weld life. Observing shafts and wheel failures, Wöhler developed the standard test for fatigue determination and established the Wöhler laws.

The life of a material may be subject to statistical effects, calculable in occasions. Rail breakdown by fatigue can only be avoided by the preventive periodical replacement of track sections. Rail cracks can be: • • •

head cracks in the form of an oval spot (stain), of easy detection track usually breaks transversally; foot cracks with thumb-nail form, which are dark in colour, much more dangerous than the former; web to foot cracks, with parabolic contours.

The track should support 10*106 cycles of charge-discharge in all its welded rail-weld-rail unions. The standard fatigue test uses a 1,000 mm distance between supports, a load on two rolls spaced 50 mm. The slow bend test reveals gross defects in manufacturing: skin defects, macro and micro shrink cavities, segregations, porosity due to evolving gases in the process.

Loads (stresses) and deflections of six (3 by 2) different rails Shape Grade(MPa) Æ Rail size (kg/m) Ø UIC 54 UIC 60

700

900

1100

63 (tons) 493 (MPa) 75 (tons) 487 (MPa)

75 (tons) 587 (MPa) 90 (tons) 585 (MPa)

85 (tons) 665 (MPa) 102 (tons) 663 (MPa)

Deflection (mm) 9 9

Fatigue range arises from the experience of the statistical nature of the Wöhler test. The scattered points around a middle line are usually highlighted and fit a normal distribution. The Wöhler curve defined would include the range m ± s in which 68% of fatigue fractures should occur (m = fatigue limit and s = standard deviation, from the Wöhler curve).

Fatigue limit at 2*106 cycles is: m = 275 MPa; standard deviation, s = ±19.

The Locati method is preferred to the staircase method because it is simple, quick-operating, and very suitable for quality control of the welding process. By using this method, the following can be obtained: smf = 270 MPa, at 2*106 cycles.

Conclusions The aluminothermic kits investigated with the short preheat technology process are easy, safe, and fulfil the E.C. railroad regulations on aluminothermic welding. The welding process gives the homogeneity required by the most common rails, and has a similar hardness, soundness, and correct microstructure to that of the rails without martensite and bainite. They resist loads and allow greater strains as measured by the slow bend test and fatigue test required by railways.

The fatigue test of aluminothermic welded rails is highly suitable for the internal and external soundness—demonstration of the welded joint. The 50% fatigue limit and its standard deviation are 234 ± 19 MPa at 2*106 cycles, however, doing eight tests. The Locati method, with only one test, gives values (m = 270 MPa) very similar to those of the staircase method (E.C. standards).

The most frequent causes of fracture and fatigue in the aluminothermic welded rails tested are associated to a defective design of the weld collar web-foot union zone, softskinned zones with thickness greater than 0.5 mm, lack of fusion between rail-foot and the weld collar, and external defects in the lower rail-foot weld collar.

J.M. Duart, KLK Electro Materiales S.A., Asturias, Spain, J.O. García, J.I. Verdeja, and J.P. Sancho, University of Oviedo, Asturias, Spain 92

CIM Magazine n Vol. 2, N° 4

executive summaries Design considerations for mine waste management at the Meadowbank Gold Project

Operations will generate approximately 7 Mt of overburden soil and organic materials, 160 Mt of mine waste rock, and 20 Mt of tailings. The general absence of suitable construction materials at the site, and the logistics and cost associated with the transportation of materials to the site have necessitated an approach to waste management that is sensitive to the costs of the project and maximizes the use of mining generated waste products as construction materials.

The effective use of the mining generated waste products for construction purposes, in turn, relies on an understanding of the geochemical nature of the overburden, waste rock, ore, and tailings. In addition, as large portions of the main deposits at Meadowbank lie beneath the surface of the main lakes in the project area, significant lengths of de-watering dykes are required to be constructed early in the project life.

Consequently, the management of the waste products of mining at the project can be divided into two separate methods: 1) construction disposal methods utilizing disposal of mined materials into the de-watering dykes, tailings dyke, and airstrip; and 2) conventional disposal methods relying on surface waste dumps and freezing of the tailings storage facility.

Conventional Disposal The mine waste rock that is surplus to the construction requirements will be placed in conventional surface waste rock storage areas. Several options for the storage of mine waste rock were evaluated using an approach similar to a multiple accounts analysis, whereby key indicators relating to operational, economic, and environmental considerations were evaluated to assess which option was the most suitable for the specific project location and environment. A similar set of site selection criteria were developed to evaluate possible alternatives for disposal of the tailings, again considering environmental, operational, and economic factors. The preferred alternative for disposal of the tailings is into the natural basin of an arm of Second Portage Lake that will be dewatered so that mining can proceed. The tailings are predicted to freeze over time.

M I N I N G

The development of the project is faced with climatic challenges similar to those encountered at other mine sites in the North. Extreme temperatures, permafrost, and high winds pose challenges to development. Additional site-specific considerations include the presence of lakes, some of which overly the main deposits, and the absence of suitable construction materials. Along with the geographic and geotechnical constraints surrounding the site, the project will require a strategy of carefully sequencing the stripping and generation of waste products to be stored either by construction disposal methods into dykes and other construction-related facilities, or to be stored in conventional tailings and rock storage facilities.

Construction Disposal Several kilometres of de-watering dykes are required to allow the development of the open pits. Dyke construction will be scheduled from materials excavated in pre-stripping and pre-mining waste rock. The design of the dykes will optimize the use of waste rock material by selectively segregating material into either upstream or downstream rock fill embankments.

M E T A L

Cumberland Resources Ltd.*, is currently evaluating the development of the Meadowbank Gold Project located some 70 km north of Baker Lake/Qamanitâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;uaq, Nunavut, in the eastern Canadian Arctic region. The project currently consists of a series of gold-bearing deposits within relatively close proximity to one another. It is planned to mine these deposits primarily as a truck-and-shovel open pit operation using conventional gold milling and extraction. The mining plan indicates that approximately 20 Mt of ore will be mined over a mine life of eight to ten years.

Some of the mine wastes have the potential to generate acid rock drainage (ARD) and may be susceptible to metal leaching (ML) under neutral drainage conditions. Consequently, the proposed mine waste management strategy, to allow the waste dumps and the tailings storage area to freeze over time, is aimed at minimizing the potential for ARD generation and ML. Furthermore, utilizing mine waste, where possible, for the construction of the main infrastructure requirementsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;the de-watering dikesâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;will result in an overall reduction of the mine footprint area for the project, as requirements for additional quarry sites for the production of construction materials will be reduced or eliminated entirely.

C.J. Clayton, J.C. Cunning, A.J. Haynes, D.A. Hickson, Golder Associates Ltd., Burnaby, British Columbia, and B. Thiele, Cumberland Resources Ltd., Vancouver, British Columbia

* Cumberland Resources Ltd. and the Meadowbank Project have recently been purchased by Agnico-Eagle Mines Ltd. The volumes and tonnages reported are accurate for the time of writing and may be revised as the project progresses.

June/July 2007

93

executive summaries

I N N O V A T I V E

M I N I N G

T E C H N O L O G Y

Data mining mine data: truck-shovel fleet management systems The double effect of high commodity prices and improvements in information technology (IT) has resulted in more mining companies investing in IT. One of the traditional IT process control tools used in the mining industry is real time in-pit truck allocation control and monitoring systems, or Fleet Management Systems (FMS). These systems have been used to maximize the overall mine production by improving equipment utilization and reducing the production costs. Most modern operations monitor the in-pit operations using GPS and wireless communications that produce a massive amount of data. The data is used in real-time to calculate truck allocations using optimization algorithms and to generate reports, including production and machine health reports. With ongoing improvements in bandwidth, sensors, and computing power, modern systems are becoming more complex and generate increasingly more data.

However, human analysis by simple regression or table generation in spreadsheets is becoming unwieldy because the data sets and number of variables is becoming too large. A data warehouse (DW) is used in many sectors as a key piece of IT infrastructure to collect and manage extremely large data sets. Once stored in the warehouse, one can undertake analyses such as reports, online analytical processes (OLAP), or more complex analyses such as data mining (DM).

DM is a general term for applying algorithms, many of which pre-date the term data mining, to large data sets to ‘mine mountains of data to find nuggets of information.’ For example, packaged neural network algorithms within data mining software undertake the usual functions of a neural network, namely to estimate predictions then learn from the feedback to adjust the prediction model, which becomes increasingly more accurate as a result. Note, however, that in this application of DM, the neural network algorithms are applied to very large data sets.

This industry-funded project had two primary foci: first, to analyze and contrast the performance of each commercial FMS; and second, to undertake knowledge discovery in the database by mining the historical data to discover patterns that may benefit decision support.

Dependency network for truck waiting time

Two different FMSs were used in the study, necessitating the need for a common data structure. A star-schema data model was designed and populated with the historical data from both FMSs. After preparing the fact and dimension tables, OLAP cubes are created to be able to undertake preliminary analyses. Several data accuracy and structural issues were identified. Filters were used to either eliminate faulty records or fix the errors. Once the data was properly structured and largely cleaned of errors, the data mining could begin.

A data mining tool called a dependency network was used to analyze the importance of the different operational variables on particular performance measures. The figure illustrates the dependency network of these operational mine variables on ‘waiting time at the shovel’ (truck queue time) with some non-representative delays filtered out.

This paper describes the application of modern data mining techniques on truck dispatching systems in a real open pit hard-rock copper mine. The long-term benefits of this work are to identify strengths and improvement opportunities in truck assignment algorithms and to establish the skill sets and IT infrastructure needed to undertake more complex data-driven technology, such as a truck dispatcher trainer.

S. Dessureault, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, M. Yildirim, Caterpillar Inc., Tempe, Arizona, and M. Baker, CheckMark Consulting, Inc., Tucson, Arizona 94

CIM Magazine n Vol. 2, N° 4

emg abstracts

Exploration and Mining Geology Journal Volume 15â&#x20AC;&#x201D;Numbers 3 and 4 The Flat Landing Brook Zn-Pb-Ag Massive Sulfide Deposit, Bathurst Mining Camp, New Brunswick, Canada J.A Walker, New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources, Geological Surveys Branch, and D.R. Lentz, Department of Geology, University of New Brunswick The Flat Landing Brook Zn-Pb-Ag deposit of the Bathurst Mining Camp occurs within a narrow thrust-bound nappe containing felsic volcanic and volcaniclastic rocks of the Tetagouche Group.

Within the host nappe, the Tetagouche Group is represented by the Nepisiguit Falls Formation and the overlying Flat Landing Brook Formation. Hydrothermal alteration has affected most footwall rocks. In more intensely altered quartz- and feldspar-phyric volcaniclastic rocks of the Grand Falls member, feldspar destruction is accompanied by chlorite alteration, producing quartz-phyric rocks similar to those in the footwall of many Bathurst Camp deposits.

The Gold-Rich Louvicourt Volcanogenic Massive Sulfide Deposit, New Brunswick: A Kuroko Analogue in the Bathurst Mining Camp S.H. McClenaghan, D.R. Lentz, Department of Geology, University of New Brunswick, and C.J. Beaumont-Smith, Manitoba Geological Survey The Louvicourt Au-Ag-Cu-Zn-Pb sulfide deposit is hosted by a Middle Ordovician calc-alkaline sequence of aphyric rhyolite flows and associated fragmental rocks at the top of the Flat Landing Brook Formation. The deposit consists of two concordant lenses of semi-massive to massive sulfides, which represent a fold repetition of a single exhalative horizon. This syngenetic exhalative deposit is unique for the BMC with a high Pb/Zn and elevated Au and Ag contents. Its intimate relationship with an emergent felsic dome (Flat Landing Brook Formation), chlorite-silicate-oxide-sulfide exhalite (locally hematitic), and the abundance of barite are classical features of many of the Kuroko deposits.

The Orvan Brook Volcanogenic Massive Sulfide Deposit: Anatomy of a Highly Attenuated Massive Sulfide System, Bathurst Mining Camp, New Brunswick J.A. Walker, New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources, Geological Surveys Branch, D.R. Lentz, Department of Geology, University of New Brunswick, and S.H. McClenaghan, Department of Geology, University of New Brunswick The Orvan Brook deposit is one of several (Zn+Pb>>Cu)-rich sulfide deposits hosted by the Spruce Lake Formation in the northwestern part of the Bathurst Mining Camp. This parautochthonous deposit is hosted by a narrow band of highly deformed, locally graphitic shale that appears to conformably overlie felsic volcanic rocks of the Spruce Lake Formation. Host rocks show evidence of intense ductile deformation as well as later brittle deformation. Compositional layering and sulfide breccia textures in the sulfide body are interpreted to result from deformation or tectonic enhancement of original primary layering.

Lithogeochemistry and Hydrothermal Alteration at the Halfmile Lake South Deep Zone, a Volcanic-Hosted Massive Sulfide Deposit, Bathurst Mining Camp, New Brunswick L.K. Mireku, Tahera Diamonds Corp., and C.R. Stanley, Department of Geology, Acadia University The Halfmile Lake South Deep zone was discovered by Noranda Inc. (Exploration) as a result of a 3-D seismic survey in 1998 and the subsequent drilling of ten diamond-drill cores. The deposit consists of massive, breccia, and stockwork Pb-Zn-Cu sulfide minerals, and is hosted by a volcano-sedimentary sequence belonging to the overturned Ordovician Tetagouche Group. Epiclastic rocks and interbedded fine-grained felsic pyroclastic rocks dominate the stratigraphic footwall. The results from this study demonstrate that metamorphism and deforExcerpts taken from abstracts in EMG, Vol. 15., Nos. 3 and 4 mation have not significantly obscured Subscribeâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;www.cim.org/geosoc/indexEMG.cfm hydrothermal alteration signatures.

June/July 2007

95

cmq abstracts

Canadian Metallurgical Quarterly Volume 46—Number 2 Optimization of Copper Leaching from Ore Containing Malachite O.N. Ata and H. Yalap, Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Atatürk In this study, selective leaching of copper with NH3(aq) from ore containing malachite, SiO2, Al2O3 and Fe2O3 was optimized by using the Taguchi method. After determining the parameters and their levels affecting the leaching efficiency, the experiments were planned using an orthogonal array technique in an L25 array with six parameters. It was determined that aqueous ammonia is unsuitable for leaching ore containing malachite. The effect of CO2, (NH4)2CO3, (NH4)2SO4 and NH4CI on leaching malachite with NH3(aq) was investigated. It was determined that NH3(aq) + CO2(g) is suitable for leaching malachite. The second experimental design using NH3 (aq) + CO2 as a leaching reagent was planned by means of orthogonal array technique in an L18 array with seven parameters. Optimum leaching conditions for the second step were obtained as follows: temperature 42ºC, solid to liquid ratio 0.1 g.mL-1, concentration of NH3 2.5 M, mean particle size 0.3375 mm, stirring speed 600 rpm, flow rate of CO2 gas 61.64 mL.s-1 and a reaction time of 50 minutes. For these conditions, 97.3% of the leaching efficiency was obtained.

Henrian Activity Coefficient of Bi in Cu-Ni Mattes D.C. Lynch, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Arizona

Analysis of the activity coefficient (gBi) as a function of the trace element concentration reveals that the activity coefficient is independent of Bi content at weight percent less than 0.7. Unlike Cu-Fe mattes, the experimental results show that Ni, in a matte, can significantly reduce the volatility of Bi as represented by the low value of gºBi. Thermodynamic Analysis of the Selective Reduction of Electric Arc Furnace Dust by Hydrogen C.A. Pickles, Department of Mining Engineering, Queen’s University As a result of the remelting of automobile scrap in an electric arc furnace, about 1 to 2% of the charge is converted into a dust which is classified as a hazardous waste in most countries. In this research, the equilibrium module of Outokumpu HSC Chemistry® 5.1 was utilized to calculate the composition of the products resulting from the reaction of a control dust composition with hydrogen over the temperature range from 1273 to 1873 K and at atmospheric pressure (1 bar). The degree of separation of the nonferrous metals from the iron was quantified by utilizing the selectivity factors for zinc (bZn/Fe) and lead (bPb/Fe). The thermodynamic calculations show that both the gaseous metallic zinc and the lead can be effectively separated from the iron in oxide form for reactant ratios in the range of 0.005 to 0.0125 mole/gm and for temperatures above 1543 K. Under these conditions, the individual selectivity factors for zinc (log bZn/Fe) and lead (log bPb/Fe) varied in the range of 6 to 8 with combined zinc plus lead selectivity factors (log bZn/Fe + log bPb/Fe) in the range of 12 to 15.

A transpiration method was used to evaluate the Henrian activity coefficient of Bi gºBi) in Cu-Ni mattes. Values for the activity coefficient of Bi were evaluated at 1473 K as a function of the Cu/Ni molar ratio from 0 to 1 and as a function of the sulphur deficiency (defined as SD = XS – 1/2XCu – 2/3XNi, where Xi is the mole fraction of the ith species) from -0.1 to 0. The dependence of gºBi on both the Cu/Ni molar ratio and SD is represented by the equations gº (at SD = –0.04) = 2.12 + 0.58 . (Cu/Ni) + 1.16 . (Cu/Ni)2 Bi

and gºBi (at Cu/Ni = 0.5) = 3.19 + 14.8 . SD + 64.2 . SD2.

Excerpts taken from abstracts in CMQ, Vol. 46, No. 2.

Subscribe—www.cmq-online.ca

96

CIM Magazine n Vol. 2, N° 4

professional directory

In next month’s issue Au in August!

CORRIVEAU J.L. & ASSOC. INC. Land & Mining Surveyors GYRO & GPS SERVICES • SALES • RENTALS UNDERGROUND and SURFACE CONTROL • BOUNDARY and LEGAL SURVEYS • TOPOGRAPHIC SURVEYS • PHOTOGRAMMETRIC MAPPING 3D SCANNING and MODELLING • BOREHOLE DEVIATION • BATHYMETRIC SURVEYS 1085 - 3rd. Avenue Val d’Or, Quebec J9P 1T5 E-Mail: bureau@corriveaujl.com

The next issue of CIM Magazine will be worth its weight in… gold!

The Gold Issue will cover recent developments in gold production, including operations, technology, and processes. Who is doing what, and where? It’s an exciting time for this vibrant industry—watch for your next issue to discover the latest news.

Safety first!! The John T. Ryan trophies recognize the leading operations in Canada based on their safety records. How did this year’s winner achieve their stellar performance? Find out next month!

40 AMEC Americas Limited

Tel:(819) 825-3702 Fax:(819) 825-2863 Web: www.corriveaujl.com

OBC

Caterpillar Inc.

33 Goodkey Show Services Ltd. 3 Hatch Ltd. IBC

Imperial Oil

37 Klohn Crippen Berger Ltd. 31

Knight Piesold Consulting

17 Ledcor 36 Leica Geosystems Pty Ltd 19 Met-Chem Canada Inc. 97 Montana Tech - School of Mines & Engineering 26 Rain Coast Cranes & Equipment 25 Rescan Environmental IFC

Sandvik

ADVERTISERS

15 SME Tucson

June/July 2007

27 Transwest Mining Systems 18 Vancouver Island Conference Centre 9 Xstrata Process Control Centre 7 Xstrata Technology 97 Professional Directory Corriveau J.L./3D Survey & Scan Independent Mining Consultants

97

voices from industry

CIM presents

the vibrancy of the industry

by Victor Goncalves, president and chief analyst, WCMS newsletter

The CIM Conference and Exhibition, themed Energy and Mines, was greeted with cool May weather, but that must have been Mother Nature’s way of striking some balance to the red hot resource and metals market. The opening ceremonies were started with Montreal’s Highland Regiment’s bagpipers and with mining and political delegates. This was followed by a three-hour opening night of cocktails and dinner mixer in the exhibition. That was a great way to start what was going to be quite the successful CIM conference.

As a financial newsletter writer, I was seen as a little out of place in a conference that was primarily for service providers and engineering groups. I was there to keep up with what I call the supply side of the resource market. One would think that the supply side would be the end consumer, but in this case it is those who are supplying services to the exploration and mining companies.

One glaring conclusion came to my mind a very short time into the conference: there is a supply side shortage. I talked to a couple of consulting firms that did 43-101s, feasibility studies, and so forth, and they were all saying that they were inundated with work. This to me was a sign that this economic cycle was alive and well.

The attendance was fantastic—at lunch both days, there was barely any place to stand and eat, let alone sit and eat. Similarly, in the technical session rooms it was standing room only. Another sign that this economic cycle is in its early stages is there is still a lack of youth in the ranks of the service providers. The majority of the people are professionals that are very well experienced.

While walking up and down the aisles of the exhibition I couldn’t help but notice all the simulators for front-end loaders, bulldozers, and other machinery. Further, a surprising portion of the exhibitors were technology companies and software companies that had developed mining-specific products to maximize output and to minimize costly inputs such as labour. Some of the prevailing ones were GPS-based systems that would literally run a machine from the downtown Vancouver office.

Another theme was content management systems for inventories, time logs, and so on. This again is an indicator of another phenomenon that I had discussed in some of my articles in the www.wcmsnewsletter.com, relating to the relative scarcity. The resources are getting more and more costly to extract. This is due to two main reasons: inputs such as labour technology are getting more expensive and specialized.

The actual mineral is appearing in lower concentrations. This brings with it such things as higher strip rations and more waste, which adds up to higher extraction costs as well. Technology has been and will play a larger role in mining, and there are striking opportunities in that sector of the mining industry.

One other part of the conference that was very enlightening to attend were the technical papers. These were presentations from various companies that had projects in Quebec and beyond. They offered great insight into the exploration and mining dynamic and mineral abundance in Quebec and across Canada. As well, the Quebec provincial government has great tax incentives though flow-through shares for exploration work done in Quebec There are several prolific areas for mining such as the Val-d’Or camp, the Abitibi region, and more. Two particular subjects of note were the iron ore presentations and the nickel presentations.

They gave depth to some very robust sectors of the resource market. Adriana (ADI.V) and Baffin Island (BMI.V) both spoke about their iron projects, and Knight Resources (KNP.V) spoke about their Raglan nickel project, just to name a few. CIM 98

CIM Magazine n Vol. 2, N° 4

WINNING THE WAR ON ENGINE WEAR.

© Imperial Oil 2007. Esso and XD-3 Extra are trademarks of Imperial Oil Limited. Imperial Oil, licensee.

No matter what challenges your engine faces in the field, XD-3 Extra keeps you going.

Esso XD-3 Extra 15W40 in the API CI-4 Plus category will continue to deliver the outstanding wear protection that makes it Canada’s bestselling heavy-duty lubricant year after year. Esso XD-3 Extra is also available in an API CJ-4 formulation that achieves the highest level of performance in the history of the brand. Owners of both on-highway and offhighway equipment may choose the CJ-4 product for extra protection and easier inventory.

Which product is the best for your equipment? You make the choice. We’ll make the oil to keep it running smoothly! For more information, call 1-800-968-3776, or log on to www.imperialoil.ca.

That’s why there’s

DRIVEN TO INNOVATE

Innovation matters most when it takes you to higher levels of productivity, efficiency and safety. And Caterpillar is focused on developing new ways to make a real difference in your mining operation.

Haul road maintenance is critical to extending tire and component life on your mining trucks—and motor graders are the key to getting the most from your fleet. The new Caterpillar® M-Series Motor Graders are a monumental step forward in design innovation, making operation simple and comfortable, allowing operators to work more efficiently and cover more road.

M-Series Motor Graders are the first and only joystick-controlled motor graders on the market to completely eliminate the conventional levers and steering wheel. This reduces hand and arm movements by as much as 78%, resulting in less fatigue and more productive shifts. New lines of sight are open to improve visibility, while a completely redesigned cab puts controls in close reach to improve efficiency.

Caterpillar will continue to drive innovation to help you improve your haul roads and your mining operations.

CAT GLOBAL MINING www.cat.com

© 2007 Caterpillar All Rights Reserved CAT, CATERPILLAR, their respective logos, “Caterpillar Yellow” and the POWER EDGE trade dress, as well as corporate and product identity used herein, are trademarks of Caterpillar and may not be used without permission.