Blogs

What Can an XRF Analyze

No sure what a portable XRF can analyze, do, detect, assay and read?  Here is the list of the the Olympus Innov-X Systems Delta can do. A Delta Premium can do everything if you have the right calibrations loaded onto it. Attached is a Delta Product Descriptions that will act like a menu of sorts. Scrolling down will show you what calibrations

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Why are Chile and the world going back to underground mining?

The world of mining is going back to where it all begun: underground. According to the experts, the need to preserve the environment and the birth of new technologies are causing big companies to move back to underground mining. The trend is quite notorious in Chile, but is quickly spreading to other countries. Juan Carlos Guajardo, head of the Centre

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Philippines launches project against the dangerous use of mercury in small-scalle mining

The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (Unido) teamed up with the Philippine government to fight for the elimination of mercury use in artisanal and small-scale mining in the country. The project is entitled “Improve the Health and Environment of Artisanal and Small-scale Gold Mining [ASGM] Communities in the Philippines by Reducing Mercury Emission”. The main goal is to establish a formal

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Niton XRF Calibration Factors

On the Niton XRF, calibration factors are used to adjust for consistently high or consistently low readings from the XRF analyzer. They are calculated by graphing the data points created by plotting the percentage of each element as indicated by standard samples, against the percentage of each element as reported by the XRF analyzer. Then the linear regression function is

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Activox Process for Refractory Gold

It was a proprietary and licensed process. Is essentially low temperature/low pressure oxidation.   I think patent may have expired, which is why I refer to it as low temp/low pressure rather than Activox.  It was developed for Nickel extraction but can also be applied to refractory gold extraction.

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Rosia Montana project approved after 14 years of negotiations

After 14 long years of debate and negotiations, the Romanian ruling Social Democratic Party has approved a proposal for a legislation that will allow the Canadian mining company Gabriel Resources to proceed with the Rosia Montana mine project. The parliament will vote the new bill in September. That being said, Romania is preparing itself to become the co-owner of Europe’s largest

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High zinc levels are poisoning the New River

The historic New River, which flows through central Appalachia – across North Carolina and West Virginia, in Virginia (USA) -, is showing signs of high levels of zinc that is poisoning the water and polluting the nearby land. New evidence has arisen, but the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is not acting to solve the problem. This watercourse, one of the most

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How will NASA mine an asteroid: step by step pictures

Table of ContentsStep 1Step 2Step 3Step 4 If you think that mining an asteroid is something that won’t happen for several decades, you’re probably wrong. NASA is betting so much in this possibility that they just released a small guide that explains how the process will happen. The agency recently released some new photos and even a video animation depicting its

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Canadian company uses satellites to monitor and measure mining sites from space

Did you know it’s already possible to monitor and measure mining sites from space? That’s right. Thanks to the advances in imaging satellites and data processing technology, the industry has evolved into a point where it can successfully monitor mines from thousands of miles away. Recently, the president and founder of the Canadian company PhotoSat wrote an article about this issue, which was

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Eight people arrested during Sami protest against iron mine in Sweden

The indigenous Sami population has been trying to preserve their way of life and culture by protesting against the creation of an iron mine in northern Sweden. The project belongs to the British company Beowulf Mines. The police was called last Wednesday (21) to end a blockade of around 50 people, among locals and Sami. Eight people were detained for crimes varying

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SAP wants to build a digital mining enterprise vision for the African sector

The process of automation in the African mining sector has been a hot topic for a while. Mining Examiner has published some articles about this issue, but there are new technologies out there that can help reduce the difficulties the industry is facing. The software giant SAP is working on solutions for the mining sector in Africa, which holds up to

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Itronics new technologies will update the procedures used in silver-gold and copper mines

The company Itronics Inc. has recently announced it’s updating its technology developments and plans “with a focus on potential applications for silver-gold mines that have a silver to gold ratio exceeding 4 to 1 in the ore”, it’s possible to read on the firm’s website. According to the Nevada-based business, its technology may also “prove to be applicable to certain copper-gold-silver

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The consequences of the Marikana massacre one year later

Four days ago, the world pointed the first anniversary of the police massacre that killed 34 platinum miners in the northern town of Marikana, South Africa. The disaster happened last year, on August 16, and also wounded over 75 people. “The attack reminded many people of the massacres inflicted by white supremacist forces during the apartheid era, except this time it was

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Australian software reduces coal-stockpiling hazards and increases safety

How can the mining companies effectively diminish some safety risks? Well, the firm Immersive Technologies has an idea: the SimControl 4.6, the latest version of the software used to control advanced equipment simulators released last May. The company that supplies surface and underground equipment simulator to the global mining industry updated its software to specifically address the issue of safety in

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Nautilus Minerals’ flagship Solwara 1 might be closer to dive its toes in Papua New Guinea’s sea

Nautilus Minerals has gone through some bad times over the last year. The difficulties that are affecting the firm are mainly related to a commercial dispute that started in June of 2012 and involves the company and the government of Papua New Guinea. The most affected project was Nautilus’ flagship Solwara 1, linked to a deep sea mining project in the country’s

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AngloGold Ashanti presents its new mining technology: it mines “all gold, only gold, all the time”

AngloGold Ashanti announced a new “game-changing technology” that can safely mine “all of the gold, only the gold, all the time”, said the firm’s new CEO Srinivasan Venkatakrishnan. There’s no drill and blast. Effectively it removes the seismic impact, brings a safe working environment, eliminates dilution and brings all of the gold out. AngloGold Ashanti recently announced it’s cutting 2,000 non-mining jobs. The decision

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10 Biggest write-downs of 2013 summer

Table of Contents1.  Barrick Gold Corp.2. Newcrest Mining3. AngloGold Ashanti4. Kinross Gold5. GoldCorp6. Newmont Mining7. African Barrick Gold8. Osisko Mining9. Alacer Gold10. Polymetal International Quarterly results are coming up, so it’s time to talk about some write-downs: in this case, the top ten of this summer. It’s not the best time for the mining companies, with gold hitting new record lows this past quarter and commodity prices generally dropping,

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Changes in New South Wales mining assessments can boost corruption

The Government of New South Wales, in Australia, is preparing changes for minings assessments that could attract the increase of corruption, says the NSW Greens group. The changes recently announced are more focused on the economic benefits and that is raising general concern in the country. John Kaye, NSW Greens MP, claims these alterations will re-create a Labor’s coal-development at all costs type of mentality:

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Colorado Springs Republican wants coal mining companies operating near streams

Doug Lamborn, Colorado US Rep., is fighting to lift restrictions that keep coal mining companies from operating within 100 feet of watercourses. The bill proposed by the Colorado Springs Republican, also sponsored by the Ohio Republican Bill Johnson, talks about two different kinds of waste. It wants to prevent the “waste of taxpayer resources” by cutting regulations that are meant to prevent “mining waste” from running

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Innovative technology makes its debut in Khanyisa power project

The Khanyisa power project, under development in South Africa, will be the first project of its kind in the region to use the innovative circulating fluidised-bed (CFB) technology. The news was revealed at a workshop promoted by the Fossil Fuel Foundation, attended by the project manager Julian Eslait, who works for the company Anglo American Thermal Coal (AATC). Indeed, although CFB technology has already been internationally proven,

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Roping HydroCyclone -Bad Operation

HydroCyclone Roping – Incorrect Cyclone Operation is often caused by too high a volume feeding into the cyclone. If the apex capacity is exceeded a condition known as roping may occur. Normally, the underflow sprays out of the apex. When roping occurs, the air core inside the apex collapses and the spiraling motion is almost lost. The discharge looks like a

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Hydrocyclone Efficiency Curves

The Hydrocyclone Efficiency Curves are affected by many operating factors such as feed density, apex and vortex sizes and feed pump pressure.  These factors will cause your cyclone classification to operate correctly, in roping or spraying mode.  Everyone knows or has seen an “Ideal Cyclone Efficiency Curve” VS an actual real life hydrocyclone Efficiency Curves?  I attach one here below (thanks

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