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The newsletter of Metallurgical Society of The AusIMM | Vol 2 2011
In this edition: IOM3 Award Winners 2011 | Graduate Program Best Practice Guidelines | Call for papers—gold processing Comminution efficiency | AMMOP | The Bulletin call for contributors | MetSoc committee | Twitter | Events
Graduate Program Best Practice Guidelines – Call for reviewers
Best practice
The Guidelines are the initiative of The AusIMM‟s former
Education and Career Opportunities Task Force with input
from The AusIMM‟s technical societies and leading
technical professionals. The AusIMM is proud to promote its
Graduate Program Best Practice Guidelines as an industry
standard and as an initiative aimed to assist companies with
the retention of staff – particularly staff in the formative
stages of their careers. The Guidelines should also act as a
career planning tool for Graduate and Student Members of
The AusIMM who are entering their first professional roles
in the minerals industry.
At the recent New Leaders‟ Conference in Newcastle, it was
announced that a review of this document would be
undertaken with the updated Guidelines ready for 2012. In
keeping with this, The AusIMM would like to make a call to
all AusIMM members to look over the document and
accompanying example timelines and provide comments and
suggestions.
All material can be found on The AusIMM website:
www.ausimm.com.au/content/default.aspx?ID=231
Please note that there are two parts to the Guidelines:
Section A – General elements of a graduate program; and
Section B – Discipline specific elements.
Please email your submission to [email protected] no
later than 30 September 2011.
The recipients of 2011 IOM3 medals and awards for papers
published in “Mineral Processing and Extractive
Metallurgy” (TransIMM Section C) during 2009 and 2010 are
given below. The set of three journals which comprise the
Transactions are a joint publication of IOM3 and the AusIMM. It
is particularly pleasing that one of the winning papers this year
(that for an author under 35) was authored in Australia and relates
to a study at an Australian mine (Kanowna Belle Gold Mine). This
paper was originally presented in Perth at MetPlant 2004.
Billiton Gold Medal
This medal is for the best paper published in Transactions C:
Mineral Processing and Extractive Metallurgy (MPEM). The
medal was awarded to L Andrews and P C Pistorius, for their
paper, 'Nickel, copper and cobalt distributions and equilibria in
Anglo Platinum furnace slags', Mineral Processing and Extractive
Metallurgy (Trans IMM C), Vol 119, No 2, pp 52-59, 2010.
In this paper the authors tackled a major industrial problem - metal
losses in slag - with a combination of powerful modern
instrumental analytical techniques and classical thermodynamic
calculations to interpret a complex high temperature system. They
were able to show the fundamental reasons why the efforts of the
process operators to recover metal losses by slag cleaning had been
largely ineffective.
Mann Redmayne Award
This award is given to the author of the best paper published in the
any of the Transactions of the Institute (A, B or C) who is a non-
corporate member under 35 years of age. It was awarded to Natalie
Chapman for the paper: N Chapman, K Prince, P Evans, F
Radke, P Hayward and N Lester 'Identifying gold losses through
application of SIMS technology', Mineral Processing and
Extractive Metallurgy (Trans IMM C), Vol 119, No 4, pp 242-246,
2010.
This paper reported a multi-facetted study of gold losses in an
operating plant in order to chart a route to plant improvement.
Traditional metallurgical and mineralogical data on plant products
were combined with measurement using advanced instrumental
techniques (SIMS) to identify the morphology of gold losses within
different types of particles in the two main plant products studied
from the Kanowna Belle Gold Mine. The data obtained pointed
the way to plant and process changes which could result in
improved recoveries. The study was innovative in the combination
of techniques used and was able to reach conclusions of potential
practical significance.
More information about the IOM3 2011 awards for published work
can be found on their website: www.iom3.org/content/award-
winners-2011
IOM3 Award Winners 2011
Page 2
Gold processing
The March 2012 issue (change from December 2011) of
Mineral Processing and Extractive Metallurgy
(TransIMM C) will be devoted to papers on gold processing
either in Australia or by Australian companies or embodying
Australian expertise. This follows on last year‟s December
issue with an Australian focus which presented a selection of
some of the best papers from the recent MetPlant conferences.
Papers for such an issue could potentially include papers on
such topics as:
Australian design practice for gold production;
Mineralogical and laboratory evaluation of gold
ores to define their likely processing
characteristics;
laboratory studies for process selection or process
improvement;
in-plant studies to improve the performance or
control of existing operations;
assessment of factors controlling the viability of
leaching of low grade orebodies;
techniques of heap leaching;
review of the specific factors relating to processing
which may influence viability of local Australian
gold resources;
alternative leachants;
use of resins in gold extraction; and
advances in gold smelting practice.
This list is not intended to be either restrictive or exhaustive but
to indicate the breadth of scope which would be acceptable. A
broad review of Australian gold processing practice would be
most welcome.
Papers which have been published in local conferences may be
considered as well as material which has not been presented
previously. Papers of most interest would be those with content
of broad significance and preferably of a practical nature.
Papers need to be submitted by early December and would
preferably be forwarded either to myself at
Members of The AusIMM can readily access the journal via The
AusIMM web site and further information about the journal,
including Instructions for authors can be seen at
www.editorialmanager.com/mpm and www.maney.co.uk/
index.php/journals/mpm.
Call for papers – special issue of Mineral Processing and Extractive Metallurgy: Australian gold processing
by Philip Stewart MAusIMM, Co-editor, Mineral Processing and Extractive Metallurgy
Comminution
In the 1939 edition of Principles of Mineral Dressing A M Gaudin
wrote, „In view of the large fraction of crushing and grinding costs
represented by energy, it is clear that crushing and grinding
efficiencies are among the most important of the subjects of interest
to mineral-dressing engineers‟.
Considering the creation of new surfaces he concluded that „crushing
and grinding efficiencies range from a small fraction of one per cent
to a very few percent‟. He went on to state „in any event, this field of
study promises to be one of the most fruitful, theoretically and
practically, in the whole of mineral dressing.‟
Step forward 72 years to 2011 and there is the newly formed
Coalition for Eco-Efficient Comminution (CEEC
www.ceecthefuture.org ). In the words of Chair Elizabeth Lewis-
Gray:
„CEEC International Ltd has been established by the mining
industry, for the mining industry. Comminution is a topic that should
be understood and discussed in the board rooms and senior executive
offices of every mining company in the world.
„Why? Because crushing and grinding has a significant impact on the
operating cost and energy consumption of the mining industry. In
Australia, for example, energy consumption by comminution is
estimated to represent between 5-10% of the country‟s total power
consumption. A study undertaken by the US Dept of Energy in the
1980s indicated that this process represented 3-4% of power
consumption in the states. These are big numbers. This is not a
debate that should be relegated to the technical and engineering
meeting rooms and halls of academia.‟
CEEC represents perhaps the most concerted effort ever to collect
the knowledge and experience of the industry and harness it to the
task of reducing the energy costs of comminution per tonne of ore
mined (and not just per tonnes of ore milled – as Rob Morrison says
on the website „the most efficient way of breaking rock is not to
break it at all‟).
CEEC is supported by patron Owen Hegarty and steered by a
distinguished Board. The challenge is ours to contribute to CEEC
and rise to the challenge of designing, building and operating more
efficient comminution circuits. For more information:
www.ceecthefuture.org
Comminution efficiency – a new focus
by Peter Tilyard FAusIMM
CEEC Board members
Chair
Elizabeth Lewis-Gray, Gekko Systems Pty Ltd
Directors
Dr Wayne Stange, AMIRA International Ltd
Dr Mike Daniel, CMD Consulting Pty Ltd
Dr Zeljka Pokrajcic, WorleyParsons Ltd
Prof Tim Napier-Munn, Julius Kruttschnitt Mineral Research Centre
In the last issue of the MetSoc News, an update was provided on
The AusIMM‟s landmark publication Australasian Mining and
Metallurgical Operating Practices (AMMOP), which at the time
was in the planning phase – working to seek cooperation from
mining companies throughout Australasia.
Since then, the Project Team has been working closely with key
companies including Rio Tinto (Principal Sponsor) and BHP
Billiton (Major Sponsor), to commence engagement of principal
authors and begin liaising directly with authors at their respective
sites. Each site will be given a deadline of two months in which
to complete their submission.
Our next steps will be to reach out to all of the Major Sponsors
(Anglo American, AngloGold Ashanti, BHP Billiton, MMG,
Newcrest, Newmont and Xstrata) as well as Project Sponsors
AMC Consultants, Atlas Iron, Ausenco, Centennial Coal, Gold
Fields, Iluka, Lycopodium, Ok Tedi, Sandvik, Wesfarmers and
Western Areas to commence writing the requisite material. We
will then be communicating more broadly with the remaining
target sites, seeking site-by-site operational and technical
information for a total of over 230 significant operations across
Australasia. An Authors’ Kit has been put together, which
includes guidelines and a template for submissions, a style guide
and a worked example paper from Northparkes Mines in NSW.
The Project Team is currently seeking the support of members to
volunteer to review and/or assist in preparation of papers for
inclusion in AMMOP. Members who are interested in becoming
involved, and who can offer their assistance in reviewing papers
or being a sub-author, are asked to please fill out the following
form at: www.ausimm.com.au/content/docs/reviewer_sub-
author_nomination_form.pdf, and send to the Project
Coordinator, Stephanie Omizzolo, via:
[email protected] We expect to commence the first
round of reviews later this year.
Over the next 12 months, as papers start to come through for
AMMOP and are reviewed, we will be working hard to ensure
that this edition is the best resource guide on mining and
metallurgical practices in Australasia.
The last time AMMOP was updated and compiled was in 1993,
and the first edition prior to this was produced in 1980. This
latest edition, expected to be released early 2013, is sure to be a
success and provide an invaluable reference volume for all
industry practitioners.
A PowerPoint presentation outlining the AMMOP project can be
viewed at www.ausimm.com.au/content/docs/
the_ammop_presentation_2011.pdf. For further information
about AMMOP, including sponsorship, or on how you can
contribute as a writer, reviewer, or regional liaison, please contact
the Project Coordinator or any of the AMMOP Project Team.
Project Team
Rob Burns, Project Leader, [email protected]
John Rankin, Volume Editor, [email protected]
Jenni Stiffe, AusIMM Director of Communication and
Publishing, [email protected] Stephanie Omizzolo, Project Coordinator,
AMMOP – Moving forward with collaborations; call for expressions of interest for reviewers by Stephanie Omizzolo, Project Coordinator, The AusIMM
4 Page 3
AMMOP
The editorial team will soon be sourcing material
for the December edition of The Bulletin and
invites you to submit article proposals for the
following features:
Northern Territory
Risk management
Drilling and blasting
Metal production
Gold
If you would like to submit an article, please
email [email protected] with an article
synopsis of between two and five sentences
giving an outline of the article proposed and
highlighting the feature the article is intended for.
Articles do not necessarily have to fit into our
features, but ones that do will be prioritised. The
booking deadline for articles is 1 October. New online version
Check out the newly launched online version of
The AusIMM Bulletin at :
www.ausimm-bulletin.com
The AusIMM Bulletin – Call for contributions
The Bulletin
The Project Team is currently seeking the support of members to volunteer to review and/or assist in preparation of papers for inclusion in AMMOP.
MetSoc committee:
David Pollard (Chair) [email protected]
Peter Tilyard (Vice Chair) [email protected]
Dean David [email protected]
Rod Elvish [email protected]
Dr Rod Grant [email protected]
Roger Jackman [email protected]
Greg Martin [email protected]
Dr Andrew Newell [email protected]
Dr Philip Stewart [email protected]
Simon Donegan [email protected]
Contacts
The AusIMM MetSoc committee and contacts
Secretariat and AusIMM contact:
Donna Edwards (Secretariat)
Coordinator, Member Services
Page 4
Social Media
Events, conferences and workshops
Events
World Gold Conference 2011 Conference dates: 2–5 October 2011
Location: Montreal, Canada
www.metsoc.org/com2011/
Eighth International Heavy Minerals
Conference 2011 Conference dates: 5–6 October 2011
Location: Perth, WA
www.ausimm.com.au/heavyminerals2011/
Second International Future Mining
Conference 2011 Conference dates: 22-23 Novemeber 2011
Location: Sydney, NSW
www.ausimm.com.au/futuremining/
Narrow Vein Mining 2012 Conference Dates: 26 - 27 March 2012
Location: Perth, WA
www.ausimm.com/narrowveinmining2012
Project Evaluation 2012 Conference dates: 24-25 May 2012
Location: Melbourne, VIC
www.ausimm.com.au/projectevaluation2012/
Calling for papers
The AusIMM International Uranium
Conference 2012 Conference dates: 13-14 June 2012
Location: Adelaide, SA
Sampling 2012 Conference dates: 21-22 August 2012
Location: Perth, WA
www.ausimm.com.au/sampling2012
The AusIMM New Leaders’
Conference 2012 Conference dates: 2-3 October 2012
Location: Ballarat, VIC
11th AusIMM Mill Operators’
Conference 2012 Conference dates: 29-31 October 2012
Location: Hobart, Tasmania
www.ausimm.com.au/milloperators2012/ Calling for papers
The AusIMM is not responsible as a
body for the facts and opinions
advanced in this publication.
The AusIMM joins Twitter
The AusIMM has launched a
twitter account. This will allow
members to be kept up to date on
all the latest AusIMM news,
events, updates and activities. So
do make sure you follow us.
Our twitter account can be located
here:
www.twitter.com/TheAusIMM