cim magazine june/july 2007

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February/février 2006 www.cim.orgJune/July • juin/juillet 2007 www.cim.org Masteringthe global market

A hard look at corporate social responsibility

Coup d'oeil sans complaisance sur la responsabilité sociale

des sociétés

NovaGoldhits the big time

Le gros lot pour NovaGold

07hosting the 6th International Copper/Cobre Conference

Conference of Metallurgists

PRELIMINARY PROGRAM

Cheers to 50 years of mining excellence

© 2007 Sandvik Mining and Construction

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 Construction345 Patton Drive SW • Atlanta, GA 30336 • 800.826.7625 • 404.589.3800 www.sandvik.com • [email protected]

100 Magill Street • Lively, ON P3Y 1K7 • 705.692.5881www.sandvik.com • [email protected]

18476 07SAND16845.indd 1 5/8/07 11:18:20 AM

Editor-in-chief Heather [email protected]

Assistant Editor Andrea [email protected]

Technical Editor Joan TomiukPublisher CIM

Published 8 times a year by CIM855 - 3400 de Maisonneuve Blvd. West Montreal, QC, H3Z 3B8Tel.: (514) 939-2710; Fax: (514) 939-2714 www.cim.org; Email: [email protected]

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. 202Richmond Hill, Ontario L4B 1J2Tel.: (905) 886-6640; Fax: (905) 886-6615www.dvtail.com <http://www.dvtail.com> Account Managers: (905) 886-6641Joe Crofts [email protected] ext. 310Janet Jeffery [email protected] ext. 329Randy Grunfeld [email protected] ext. 315

This month’s coverPhoto 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 inarticles or in any discussion appearing in its publications.

Printed in Canada

4 CIM Magazine n Vol. 2, Nº 4

On your mark

As the CIM Conference and Exhibition came to a close this past May 2, wehad some pretty grand ideas that the pace of work would calm down abit, allowing us to regroup and assume the pace of a long distance run-

ner—one without the breakneck speed of a sprinter. However, we quickly real-ized we were fooling ourselves.

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

Everywhere you turn, remarkable things are happening throughout theindustry. 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 brightfuture for mining. Suppliers and consultants are making their mark on the inter-national playing field. Our special section on Exporting and the global market,beginning on page 12, highlights the challenges and golden opportunities ofdeveloping your business abroad. And this heightened level of productivity isbeing achieved with a focus on responsible practices, beyond that recognized bythe public at large. There are studies to prove it: Explorers on the front lines, onpage 44, covers the findings of a study of human rights complaints and corpo-rate social responsibility of the mining industry around the world.

Through it all, CIM’s role is to help foster knowledge sharing and enable net-working. Our conferences are key events towards these goals, and the next one,the Conference of Metallurgists hosting Copper 2007, will be an internationalevent bringing the best of the business together in Toronto this August.Congratulations to the conference organizers and MetSoc staff—I look forwardto the event; the breadth of knowledge encompassed in the technical programis outstanding.

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

Enjoy the summer!

Heather EdnieEditor-in-chief

June/July 2007 5

26Feature22 NovaGold: major developments

made green by C. Hersey

28 NovaGold : de grands développements verts

42 Explorers on the front lines—the truth behind human rights complaintsand 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 lesdroits de le personne et la responsabilité sociale des entreprises minières

News10 Alcoa launches new clean technology11 Gibraltar expansion underway by H. Ednie

Exporting and the global market12 Living the high life—international experience adds spice to Canadians’ careers by D. Zlotnikov15 Taxes for the Canadian abroad by D. Zlotnikov18 Exporting Canadian mining expertise around the globe by H. Eve Robinson20 Getting it there: some challenges of equipment logistics and export by D. Zlotnikov

Columns30 Mining Lore by A. Nichiporuk31 HR Outlook by L. Chatigny32 MAC Economic Commentary by P. Stothart34 Eye on Business by J. Lewis35 The Supply Side by J. Baird36 Innovation Page by T. Skinner and G. Winkel38 Standards by D. McCombe39 Engineering Exchange by H. Weldon98 Voices from Industry by V. Goncalves 41 Student Life by B.W. Haley

CIM News51 CIM welcomes new members51 CIM student poster winners52 New scholarship and more at CMMF AGM52 Obituaries

Conferenceof Metallurgists 2007

hosting the 6th InternationalCopper/Cobre Conference

Preliminary programon page

42

History84 The Basalt Controversy IV (Part 18) by R.J. Cathro87 The Chilean Mill or Trapiche by J.G. Watt

Technical Section89 This month’s contents

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

6 CIM Magazine n Vol. 2, N° 4

president’s notesGuiding the performance of CIM

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 lookforward 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 atten-tion to business ethics and good governance (the Sarbanes-Oxley world). CIM, in the not-for-profit world, is no differentin that while we might not have the same business drivers, we are nonetheless under similar obligations in our account-ability to our shareholders—our members.

A number of good governance activities were initiated during the past year to ensure we meet new standards as wellas ensuring our members have the utmost confidence in our executive team and CIM Council. Our Council (in effect, ourboard of directors) is ultimately responsible for the performance of CIM, its societies, and branches. So it was incumbentupon us to become educated in the good governance needs of our business going forward. We invited help from Mel Gillof Synergy Associates, a professor of the elements of good governance at Queen’s University. He has pointed us in theright 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 andCouncil members. To have a seat on Council carries with it a responsibility for directing the affairs of CIM. But it goesbeyond that, as we want our Council members to be comfortable in the role they have and to enjoy the comraderie oftheir peers. Being on Council is a voluntary role and we intend to make it a positive experience for all. It’s also a leader-ship role, with the chance to make a difference. A position on Council means setting an example and being a role modelfor 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 theresource industry and, in particular, CIM within the industry. We at CIM want to continue to work hard to support individ-ual and corporate members. Working with you, we believe we will have the continuing opportunity for knowledge transferand just being better at what we do.

Bonjour à tous les membres del’ICM. Voici la première d’une série dechroniques que j’aurai le plaisir d’écrireau cours de la prochaine année. Je me

propose de communiquer avec vous tout comme l’a fait notre prési-dent sortant, François Pelletier, durant l’année qui vient de s’é-couler. Merci François pour ton excellent travail!

Au cours des dernières années, le monde des affaires a procédé à de nombreux changements dans le but derefléter l’attention accrue qui doit être accordée à l’éthique des affaires et à la bonne gouvernance (conformément auxdispositions de la loi fédérale américaine Sarbanes-Oxley). Même si l’ICM est un organisme sans but lucratif, il ne peutse soustraire à ces lignes de bonne conduite. En effet, même si l’ICM ne poursuit pas les mêmes objectifs d’affairesque les entreprises privées, il demeure tout de même imputable envers ses « actionnaires », ou si vous préférez sesmembres.

À ce sujet, mentionnons qu’un bon nombre d’initiatives de bonne gouvernance ont été mises de l’avant au cours dela dernière année pour nous assurer que nous répondions à ces nouvelles normes et que nos membres aient une con-fiance inébranlable envers notre équipe de direction et le Conseil de l’ICM. Après tout, c’est notre conseil d’administra-tion qui, ultimement, est responsable du rendement de l’ICM, de ses sociétés et de ses sections. Il nous a donc fallunous renseigner sur les besoins de bonne gouvernance qui se rattachent à nos activités pour que nous puissions con-tinuer de progresser. Ainsi, nous avons demandé de l’aide à Mel Gill, de Synergy Associates, qui enseigne les règles debonne gouvernance à l’université Queen’s. Il nous a indiqué les chemins à prendre pour atteindre notre objectif qui estde 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 etresponsa bilités de nos employés et des membres du Conseil. Tout membre du Conseil a la responsabilité de dirigerles affaires de l’ICM. Bien sûr, nous tenons aussi à ce que les membres du Conseil soient à l’aise dans leur rôle etprofitent de la camaraderie de leurs pairs. Être membre du Conseil est une activité bénévole et nous voulons que cetteactivité soit une expérience enrichissante pour tous les intéressés. Les membres du Conseil ont un rôle de leadershipà jouer et la chance de faire la différence. Être membre du Conseil signifie donner l’exemple et être un modèle de rôlepour nos leaders de demain.

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

Assurer la bonne marche de l’ICMmot du président

Jim PopowichCIM President Président de l’ICM

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“I’ve told you to store your flotation-frothersamples at the mill… not here beside

my dishwasher soap.”

CIM memberstake notice!

Go to www.cim.organd click on 'Update your

membership profile.'

QPs under discussionDear Editor:

I have a comment regarding your excellent article describingthe role of Qualified Persons. The emphasis on the qualificationsand knowledge of the QPs is very important and applies equallywell for patent filing. It is possible for the inventor or QP to bemisquoted making the patent invalid. While patents are not avaluable portion of valuation, they are very important for fundraising.

Best Regards,James W. ReevesGeneral Partner, 3R Associates

CIM Branch makes a differenceDear Mr. Don Croteau,

Thank you so much for your generous donation to theSudbury Regional Science Fair. We were the recipients of youraward and we are extremely grateful. We look forward to usingyour funding to advance and improve our project.

You may be interested in knowing that we are moving on toNational Science Fair, which is being held in Truro, NS. Thanksto your contribution, the future looks bright for young engi-neers/scientists like us.

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

The CIM Directory willnow be published with theDecember/January issue ofCIM Magazine.

You have until August 15to update your membership profile.

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Movin’ on upChen new president

Jinsheng Chen was appointed presi-dent of West Hawk’s China operations.Formerly with Asian American CoalCompany, Chen will be responsible forChina activities and be involved in thedevelopment of the Colorado East andNorthwest Territories coal gasificationprojects.

Pelletier becomes president and CEO

CIM Past President François Pelletierwas named president and CEO ofQuébec Cartier Mining Company. Heheld numerous positions since joiningQCM in 1976, and had most recentlybeen promoted to COO last October.Pelletier takes on this new position fol-lowing the retirement of JacquesChabanier.

Roberts signs onAurora Energy Resources appointed

John Roberts to the position of vicepresident, environment. Roberts wasdirector of environment and energy atthe Conference Board of Canada priorto joining Aurora.

Gammon Lake appoints CEORussell Barwick, former executive

vice president and COO of WheatonRiver Minerals–Goldcorp, accepted theposition of CEO and director of theboard of Gammon Lake Resources.

New at SouthwesternGiovanni Susin was appointed vice

president, finance, and CFO ofSouthwestern Resources. He has beenwith the company since 2000. The latestaddition to Southwestern ResourcesBOD is Patrick Downey, formerly presi-

dent, CEO, and director of ViceroyExploration. Downey was also recentlyappointed to Sutcliffe Resources’ boardof directors.

New position for MontpellierLouis Montpellier became Red

Dragon Resources’ new corporate secre-tary. He has been an advisor to the min-ing industry for more than 25 years.

Advisory board’s new membersHard Creek’s advisory board wel-

comed three new members. R. StuartAngus was managing director of merg-ers and acquisitions at EndeavorFinancial. Tom Milner is president ofCorriente Resources and has 30 years’experience as a mining engineer. MikeYoung brings 45 years’ experience in themining industry.

Alcoa has launched an innovativenew technology at its Kwinana aluminarefinery in Western Australia that hasthe potential to deliver significant globalgreenhouse gas benefits and will con-tribute to a reduction in the aluminumindustry’s environmental footprint.

Alcoa’s ‘Carbon Capture’ system is aresidue treatment process that involvesmixing bauxite residue, a byproduct ofthe aluminum-making process, withcarbon dioxide. This locks up large vol-umes of CO2 that would otherwise bereleased into the atmosphere. TheKwinana carbonation plant will lock up70,000 tons of CO2 per year, the equiv-alent of eliminating the emissions of17,500 automobiles.

As part of its ongoing commitmentto reduce its global emissions, Alcoahas plans to deploy the technology toits nine alumina refineries worldwide.Deployment across the company’s

Alcoa launches new clean technologyoperations in Australia alone couldpotentially save 300,000 tons of CO2annually.

The ‘Carbon Capture’ system wasdeveloped by Alcoa’s TechnologyDelivery Group, the company’s globalrefining research and development unit,based in Australia. Bauxite residue is amixture of minerals, the by-product ofwhen alumina is removed from bauxite.Although it is thoroughly washed, theresidue retains some alkaline liquor andrequires long-term storage. By mixingCO2 into the bauxite residue, its pHlevel is reduced to levels found natu-rally in alkaline soils. A second sustain-ability benefit is the improvement ofenvironmental properties of theresidue, which means it also can bebeneficially used as road base, buildingmaterials, or to improve soil.

Alcoa plans to share the technologywithin the aluminum industry. CIM


Giving backCaterpillar donates chopper

Back in 2005, Orange CountyChoppers fabricated the ‘CATChopper’ (actually, it was two bikes)for Caterpillar. Since then, the bikeshave been used to help raise money fornumerous charities. One lucky charity,the Victory Junction Gang Camp forseriously ill children, was recently therecipient of one of the choppers.

Employees give backLast year was record breaking for

ATCO Employees Participating inCommunities, who raised almost $1.5million for Alberta charities and com-munities. Over 450 charities and com-munities throughout the provincebenefited from the 2006 campaign. Aswell, through the ATCO EmployeeVolunteer Recognition Program, thecompany donates $150 for every 50hours of volunteer work.

news

news

Taseko Mines Limited hasannounced a Phase II expansion of theGibraltar Mine to further increasemilling capacity, complementing thePhase I expansion now underway.

Ongoing drilling has indicated thatsignificant mineral resources will beupgraded to reserves in the near future.As a result, Gibraltar has begun detailedengineering to add capacity to the PhaseI expansion, ultimately increasing theGibraltar concentrator throughput to55,000 tons per day when complete.

The $40 million Phase II expansionwill include adding crushing and regrindcapacity, additional flotation cells, andtailings and ancillary system upgrades. Itwill be developed in conjunction withand as a continuation of the Phase Iexpansion. The ore processing capacityof the concentrator will increase from36,750 tpd to 46,000 tpd by the end of2007, reaching 55,000 tpd by late 2008.Early procurement, securing deliverytimes of key equipment, will be essentialto ensure timely completion.

“The continued modernization andexpansion of the Gibraltar Mine is areflection of its long reserve life,” saidRussell Hallbauer, president and CEO,Taseko Mines. “We are effectively build-ing a new, modern 55,000 tpd mine andconcentrator with our Phase I and PhaseII expansions for about $130 millionincluding equipment and associatedinfrastructure, with no interruption tocurrent copper and molybdenum pro-duction. When these two expansionsare complete, Gibraltar is expected toproduce, on average, 120 millionpounds of copper (in concentrate andcathode) and 1.4 million pounds ofmolybdenum annually over its pro-jected mine life.”

Located in south-central BritishColumbia near the city of WilliamsLake, the 36,000 ton per day GibraltarMine was originally developed in 1972by Placer Development, the predecessorto Placer Dome. Having closed in 1998

Gibraltar expansion underwayby Heather Ednie

(then owned by Boliden) due to lowcopper prices, Gibraltar Mine wasacquired by Taseko a year later andoperations resumed in 2004 amidstrong market conditions for both cop-per and molybdenum.

The Gibraltar site covers approxi-mately 109 square kilometres and con-

sists primarily of 251 mineral claims and30 mining leases. It contains seven sepa-rate mineralized zones. With well-devel-oped infrastructure, the property isaccessible by a combination of highwaysand paved roads, and is close to a rail net-work for shipment of copper concen-trates to the port of North Vancouver. CIM

AchievementsA century already?

The celebrations have begun. AMECis commemorating 100 years of busi-ness in Canada.

Global Mining Law FirmFor the third straight year, Fasken

Martineau DuMoulin LLP was namedGlobal Mining Law Firm by Who's WhoLegal. This recognition is due to its highlevel of expertise and dedication to clientsuccess. As well, Michael J. Bourassa,Albert C. Gourley, Charles L.K. Higgins,David H. Searle, and John S.M. Turnerwere recognized for outstanding contri-butions to the mining practice.

QNS&L employees receiveaward

The Railway Association of Canadaawarded two Quebec North Shore and

Labrador Railway employees with theSafety Innovation Project Award. CarolDerosby, senior operator maintainer,and Serge Maltais, maintainer operatormechanical 2, suggested adding astretcher-access door to rail changers totransport injured workers.

Howdy, partnerESRI named Geosoft a 2007 Business

Partner of the Year. The company waschosen for its contributions to the geo-graphic information systems industry.

Energy efficientNick Strus, a maintenance planner

at Diavik, was awarded the 2006Energy Efficiency Award by ArcticEnergy Alliance. He was recognizedfor his efforts in reducing haul truckidling times.

June/July 2007 11

Operations at Gibraltar

activities are outside of Canada; they’rein South Africa, Australia, and SouthAmerica,” said Reid. A major projectcan last as long as two years, from theconcept stage all the way to construc-

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

“We do often visit other compa-nies,” Martin continued, “so if you’vemade that initial contact you can callthem up and say ‘we’d like to come andvisit, have a tour, have some discus-sions …’ That really increases theiroverall effectiveness and value to theorganization. The process of knowl-edge exchange at the corporate levelcan be greatly smoothed through thesepersonal networks.”

Tom Reid, global director of market-ing and communications at Hatch,agrees and offered some impressiveexamples.

“Look at the major areas of theworld where we weren’t [present] andthen suddenly were. South Africa, forexample—we’ve met some great part-ners there, and we’re now doing one ofthe largest infrastructure projects inthe world.” All this, Reid said, is due toknowing the right people, who Hatchhas worked with in the past.

“We have worked on projects andfound our kind of people: very capableand very professional. The same thinghappened in Australia; that’s how wecame to buy BHP Engineers from BHPBilliton. We bought the whole place,and that was 12 offices and 900employees.”

Hatch, a major EPCM (engineering,procurement, and construction man-agement) firm based in Mississauga,Ontario, does a lot of personnel move-ment around the globe. “Most of our

The Alumar alumina refinery in Brazil is expandingto 3.5 million metric tonnes per year from 1.4 mil-

lion mtpy. Hatch, as EPCM manager, is providingmore than 300 people from its offices in Brazil,

Australia, and Canada. The owner-clients areAlcan, Alcoa, and BHP Billiton.

Around the middle of the workday,Rudy Zdravlje takes a break for, as heterms it, “a thorough mixing session.”This isn’t a typical way one woulddescribe a cafeteria lunch, but then thisisn’t a typical work setting. Zdravlje is aCanadian mining engineer currentlyworking at the Antamina copper andzinc mine in the mountains of Peru,roughly 4,000 metres above sea level.

The mine is a joint project, co-owned by four major investors: TeckCominco (22.5%), BHP Billiton andXstrata plc (33.75% each), andMitsubishi Corporation (10%).Zdravlje and his colleague, GiorgioAkiki (who, at the time of writing, wasout of communication range, raftingthe Apurimac River), are two TeckCominco engineers working in Peru ona year-long “secondment.”

The secondment, explained DebbieMartin, manager of talent attractionand development, Teck Cominco, is aprofessional exchange program. A TeckCominco engineer is sent for a one-year project placement to an operationsuch as the one in Peru or the Pogogold mine near Delta Junction, Alaska.In turn, an engineer from that sitecomes over to the appropriate TeckCominco operation. The secondmenthas tremendous value not just for theemployee, but for Teck Cominco aswell, Martin pointed out.

“Exposure to a different language orculture helps our people round outtheir experience and skills,” Martinsaid. “What they absorb in one of ouroperations, they can carry to othersand share that with their colleagues.”

“As a company that’s a partner ofchoice in the industry, cross-culturalawareness and training is important toTeck Cominco in fostering strongemployees and strong organizations,”

Living the high lifeInternational experience adds spice to Canadians’ careersby Dan Zlotnikov

exporting & the global market



tion and commissioning. Most person-nel get brought in as the need for theirskill arises, but “at the top of it all,there’d be a project manager who’d bethere for the duration.” Needless to say,all this travel adds up to an enormousjuggling act. “We have meetings once aweek where we talk about nothing butthe resources and moving them aroundthe world or moving the work aroundthe world,” explained Reid.“Sometimes it’s easier to move the

work than to move the people.” Butpeople still get moved around, and inimpressive numbers. “We just recentlymoved a team from Australia toCanada and I think it was upwards of200 people that were moved.” Some ofthese employees were returning from aprevious posting to Australia, but thenumber is still very impressive.

Overall, Hatch employees areexcited to have the opportunity to goand work in foreign countries. “One of

our very first major overseas projectswas the Richards Bay Mineral projectin Richards Bay, South Africa, in theearly 1970s. We sent about 15 fami-lies.” The project lasted almost twoyears, and the employees and theirfamilies stayed there for the duration.

To say that these families’ experi-ence was positive would be an under-statement. “Every single person thatI’ve interviewed that was on that par-ticular project all say they wish theycould go back to South Africa, theyloved it so much,” recalled Reid.

June/July 2007 13

“Sometimes it’s easier to move the work

than to move the people.”—T. Reid


This reaction is not limited to theemployees of Hatch. Four months intohis year-long stay, Rudy Zdravlje isalready thinking about going back toPeru. He’s also happy with his linguis-tic achievements. “Now that I am fairlyfluent in Spanish, and I should be veryfluent by the time I return to Canada, Ican definitely see myself visiting moreSpanish-speaking countries.” But,

always open to new experiences, headded, “then again, I might feel liketrying another language.”

Teck Cominco tries to offer this kindof professional development experienceto people early on in their career, wherepossible. “When employees areyounger, they typically have greaterpersonal flexibility and desire to takeon a challenge like this,” Martin added.

Reid pointed out that on the per-sonal side, not everyone can simplypack up and leave the country for ayear or more. “Some people can’tleave because their spouse is terriblysick, and they just can’t pick up thefamily and move off to some remotearea of the world,” he explained. “Buta lot of the younger people want theadventure, they love the idea of it, thewhole excitement around it, sothey’re the ones who get these greatopportunities.”

Adventure seems to be just theword to describe Zdravlje’s experi-ences. When asked about the mostmemorable moments of his time inPeru, his reply was “hiding from asnowstorm in a glacier cave at 3:00 inthe morning somewhere above 5,000metres with a broken crampon and aheadlamp refusing to work.”Memorable, no doubt! Also, possibly

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

At Teck Cominco, Martin said, theones selected to go abroad are what shedescribes as “high-potential employ-ees.” These are the people with boththe technical knowledge and abilityand the leadership skills Teck Comincois hoping to help develop. Otherimportant qualities are flexibility, sen-sitivity to the local culture, and an out-going personality.

When it comes to supporting theirpersonnel abroad, both Teck Comincoand Hatch do quite a bit. TeckCominco provides language coursesbefore the trip, and more languagetraining and language immersionwhile the employee is onsite. It alsoprovides some training of a more phys-ical nature.

As Zdravlje described it, during a“mock kidnapping in the Colombianjungle, during our nighttime escape Iran full steam into some not-so-mockbarbwire.” Despite this mishap (or pos-sibly because of it), he said that “haz-ardous environment training was aninvaluable experience.”

Companies like Hatch and TeckCominco help smooth the transition tothe new setting. A tax expert, forinstance, can save the employee time,money, and frustration. A securitycompany can ensure the safety of thestaff who work in the less stableregions of the planet. Both companiesprovide housing assistance, in varyingforms, as well.

Unavoidably, there are cultural dif-ferences, which can crop up in themost unexpected and often humorousplaces. As Zdravlje has discovered,sauces and stews in Peru are placedbeside, not on top of, the rice.“Apparently Peruvians will fork theirrice then sauce or vice versa when eat-ing, whereas I need my sauce thor-oughly mixed with my rice.” Despitehis continually improving Spanish,Zdravlje has yet to convince the cafete-ria staff that he really means it when heasks for the sauce to be put on top ofthe rice. For the time being, he willcontinue to have a “mixing session”come lunchtime.

Sometimes, though, culture shockhappens by accident. “When I first gotto camp I accidentally put thisPeruvian hot sauce on my fruit salad,”recounted Zdravlje. The end resulttasted so good that he couldn’t getenough of it. “I have a hot fruit saladwith almost every lunch now.” But thisdish may have repercussions for futureCanadian visitors. “I just hope theydon’t think this [the fruit salad withhot sauce] is a Canadian thing.”

Zdravlje has little to offer in the wayof advice for other Canadians who mayend up in a similar situation; for him,half the fun is figuring it out as he goes.He did offer this warning: “Definitelydon’t plan on shipping anything to meetyou; pay for the extra stowed luggage.”

And please, try the fruit salad. CIM


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


June/July 2007 15

Taxes for the Canadian abroadby Dan Zlotnikov

There’s no shortage of Canadiansworking outside of Canada’s borders.This is especially true in the miningindustry, with its tendency for long-term projects and the need to go wherethe deposits are, regardless of politicalboundaries.

Whether you’ve been sent on along-term work project outside ofCanada or have developed a taste forthe expatriate life, you should keepinformed of the implications such astatus carries with it, not the least ofwhich are the financial implications inyour dealings with the governments.Or, simply put, taxes.

Cleo Hamel, senior tax analyst withH&R Block, was kind enough to offersome pointers.

While most of the conversation cen-tred on tax treaties between Canadaand other nations, the first point ofnote is not connected to any treaty atall—this is the overseas employmenttax credit. This credit applies toCanadians working for Canadian com-panies, but living outside of the coun-try, and all persons in that situation areeligible for the credit in some measure.“When you’ve been out of the country,you are exempt from tax for the num-ber of days that you are out of thecountry. So although you may have taxwithheld from your income, when youfile your taxes, in most cases they [peo-ple eligible for the overseas employ-ment credit] get every shred of taxthey’ve ever paid.” This primarily hap-

pens with workers in the oil and gasindustry, Hamel said.

Back among the jungle of taxtreaties…

The important thing to keep inmind, said Hamel, is that “the mainpurpose of the tax treaty is to preventany double taxation.” This is true for alltreaties, but how this goal is achievedmay differ greatly. “Some treaties areonly set out to say that any incomeearned in that country is only consid-ered on a Canadian tax return and willonly be taxed in Canada and anyincome taxes collected in that countrywill be subject to a foreign tax credit inCanada. Others will actually have itemsin them that limit the amount of taxthat can be withheld from that other



country.” These treaties also limitwhich income you can be taxed on inthat foreign country. “Specifically, onlyemployment income.”

Each tax treaty determines not onlyhow much and where you can be taxed,but also where you must file a tax returnin the first place. The first step in findingout the answer is to determine whetheryou are, in fact, a Canadian resident.This is not an idle question, as theanswer will be used to determine whereyou have to file a tax return, whose taxlaws take precedence, and even whichincome you must declare on whichreturn. The question is also not as clear-cut as it sounds at first. “Some peoplethink that by leaving, they become anon-resident and don’t have to file,” saidHamel. The government, however, seesit in a different light. By simply assumingyou don’t have to file taxes in Canadawhile living elsewhere, you are runningthe risk of serious complications.

“If you leave and come back after anumber of years, it gets really techni-cal,” Hamel said. “The governmentwants to know where’ve you been, whyhaven’t you filed, where’s all this money,and how did you live…” In the end,you won’t only have to file returns forall the years you’ve missed (which isalready a far greater headache), but youwill also have to pay taxes on all of themissed years. To make matters worse,“there may not be any foreign tax cred-its available,” said Hamel, at whichpoint you really will have been double-taxed; once by the country you’ve beenliving in and once by Canada.

So is the solution to keep on the safeside, and file every year, regardless ofwhere you are? Not exactly. There arethree classifications of “resident” thatCanada uses specifically for peoplespending prolonged periods of time

outside of Canada. The first, and sim-plest, is “deemed resident,” used todescribe persons who, despite residingand working outside of Canada’s physi-cal boundaries, are considered to be liv-ing and working in Canada. This pri-marily applies to embassy and militarypersonnel, and their immediate family.

The second classification is “factualresident” and is somewhat trickier. Youare considered a factual resident if youare living and working outside ofCanada, but are planning on returning,and have maintained residential tieswith Canada. What constitutes resi-dential ties may differ from case tocase, but the most common examples,as listed on the Canadian RevenueAgency (CRA) website, are a home, aspouse or common-law partner, ordependants who remain in Canada.The more vague factors, which may ormay not be counted as residential tiesare Canadian bank accounts, aCanadian driver’s license, and socialties such as memberships in variousrecreational or religious organizations.If you wish for more details on thistopic than you’d ever imagined possi-ble, you may want to consult a CRApublication titled “Determination of anIndividual’s Residence Status,” alsoknown by the ever-catchy name of “IT-221,” currently in its third revision.

But the plot thickens! If you are afactual resident, but you then establishresidential ties in another country, andit is one with which Canada has a taxtreaty, you may be declared a “deemednon-resident” for income tax purposes.In such an event, you are subject to acompletely different set of rules, as faras the CRA is concerned. The most sig-nificant difference is that instead ofhaving to report your worldwideincome on the Canadian tax return,

you must only report income fromCanadian sources. Even among those,most investment-type sources need notbe declared because, Hamel explained,“the bank will withhold non-residencytax, and your tax liability to Canadawill be dealt with.” But the definitionof what constitutes residential ties isn’tconstant; those are defined individuallyin each and every tax treaty betweenCanada and the relevant country.

To ensure you make the best of thesituation, Hamel suggested you speak toa tax specialist in the foreign countrywhere you find yourself. “There aretimes where being a resident of Canadais beneficial because of the foreign taxcredit, whereas sometimes you are betteroff becoming a non-resident of Canadaand becoming a resident of that coun-try.” As with so many other financial sit-uations, the answer is, “it depends.”

One general “tie-breaker” rule Hamelreferred to in particular is the 183-dayrule. “If you have lived outside ofCanada for more than half a year, work-ing abroad, you are considered a part-year resident, entitled to things like theoverseas employment tax credit. WithinCanada, we have the NorthernResidency, where if you’ve been living inthe northern-most parts of the country,you’re entitled to a northern residencyallowance if you’ve been living there forsix months or more. Generally, sixmonths is the time frame.”

Hamel added that even if youbelieve you are only required to filetaxes in Canada, you may find thatCanadian accountants lack the practi-cal experience in dealing with the for-eign country in your case. “It’s alwaysharder for us to tell you what someother country is doing if we don’t havepractical experience with their sys-tem,” she said. This is something you

Full name What it is Abbreviated NameCanadian Residents Abroad Overview pamphlet for all Canadians living or travelling abroad T4131Determination of Residency Inquiry form to be sent to the CRA, asking them to make NR73Status (Leaving Canada) a judgment on your statusDetermination of an The official CRA interpretation of the residence status rules IT-221Individual’s Residence StatusEmigrants and Income Tax Income tax guide for non-residents and deemed non-residents T4056

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

While some tax systems work in waysvery similar to Canada, others will sur-prise you with their, no pun intended,foreignness. “There are some countriesthat don’t do tax returns. There, your taxliability is dealt with from your pay andyou don’t do a tax return at the end of theyear like we do in Canada. Or you’ll havea situation where their calendar year isnot when they do taxes; it might be Mayto April.” Even in the United States,things aren’t always obvious. “With theUS, Medicare and state taxes do notaccount for anything in Canada whenyou get a return. You may get a credit forthem in the US, but you don’t in Canada.So you have to apply to the US to getthem back, with a special application.”

But while they are separate and differ-ent, the tax systems are not completelydisconnected from each other. Hamel

used the United Kingdom as an exam-ple. “We receive information from theBritish government that tells the CRAwho received money, and how muchthey received. So they do have a point oflooking, and of course the CRA will thendouble-check.” This is not limited toCanada’s relations with the UK. “We dotalk with other countries, there’s a lot ofinformation passing [back and forth].Unfortunately, people will sometimesthink ‘I’m working abroad, no one’sgoing to know about it.’ Not the case.”

While your tax accountant may notalways be familiar with the intricaciesof the relevant tax treaty, you may beable to get some advice from a differentvenue. If your company sends a lot ofpeople to a particular country, Hamelsuggested you seek advice in the com-pany’s accounting or payroll depart-ment. They might not help you do yourtaxes, but they will more than likelyknow what you should be prepared for.

June/July 2007 17

But above all, “do your homework,so that at least when you come backyou know what records you need tokeep.” It is far better to determinewhich treaties, rules, and regulationswill apply to you before going, thanto come back home and have toscramble for paperwork that is thou-sands of kilometres away. This maymean making special arrangements.“Some people will say ‘all I get isinvoices, the money goes straightinto my account in Canada. I don’tactually see all of that.’ You want tomake sure all your paperwork is inplace, so that when you file, you haveall your records.”

To find the appropriate forms, interpreta-tion bulletins, and general informationgo to the Canadian Revenue Agency web-site at www.cra-arc.gc.ca and search forthe short-form name of the form, such asNR-73.

CIM


Canada’s experienced workforce inthe minerals industry is wellrespected and internationally recog-nized. Many Canadian companiescurrently send geoscience profession-als to countries around the world,where their expertise has become ahot commodity. Globalization of theminerals industry has mobilized themining workforce from a variety ofcountries such as Australia, Britain,and New Zealand. Canada’s miningtalent remains in high demand. Inlooking at some of the factors thathave led to Canada’s internationalsuccess, we can identify how to main-tain a competitive edge as the demand

for mineral resources and trained pro-fessionals continues to grow.

Canadian companies have built upexpertise in the mining sector throughexperience and progressive mining orexploration. “Canadians are acquaintedwith high technology and are open toinnovations,” explained Hani Mitri, thedirector of mining at McGill Universityand a professor in the Department ofMining, Metals, and MaterialsEngineering. “We use advanced explo-ration techniques and develop modernextraction and mining methods. We arealso leaders in environmental wastemanagement, and maintain awarenessof sustainable developments.”

The importanceof investment alsoplays a role in nur-turing this expertise.Canada has one ofthe largest marketsfor resource proper-ties. Companies allover the world arelooking to be listedin the Canadianmarketplace on the Toronto StockExchange (TSX).Regulations requirea certain amount ofdue diligence, whichsupports the use oflocal qualified pro-fessionals. “We are aresource-rich coun-try with the technol-ogy, professionalwork ethics, andpolitical stability to attract biginvestors,” Mitristated.

Canada’s geolog-ical and geographi-cal diversity have

provided the training grounds for awell-experienced workforce. “Peopleget different training and educationdepending on the needs of the localmarket,” said Mitri. Universities tend tofocus mining education on relevantareas of the industry, which variesdepending on location. For example, onthe east coast of the United States, thereare more coal resources and, as a result,professionals trained in this region arespecialized in underground coal mining.In much of Canada, there is a greatemphasis on metal mining and explo-ration, which happens to have a largeglobal market.

There is an increased demand formetals worldwide. Industrialization ofcountries such as China and India hasled to more development, whichrequires mineral resources. Thesecountries play a significant role inincreasing the demand for global min-ing. Consulting companies offeringgeological and engineering expertise,such as Watts, Griffis and McOuat(WGM), have operated in as many as120 to 130 countries.

“As an international consulting firm,we send people to all parts of the world.Canadians are very well respected andare often specifically sought after,” saidJoe Hinzer, president of WGM. Theglobal demand has resulted in a mobileworkforce of experts, who are able tolend their already streamlined proce-dures and methods to clients seeking todevelop mines. This can result in moreefficient projects, beginning at the ini-tial phases.

“Some of the most rewarding proj-ects have been where we helped localgovernments to establish infrastructuredevelopment,” explained Hinzer. “Wewere able to set up appropriate miningregulations, operations, land claim own-ership, and tracking procedures.” Anexample of this was in Saudi Arabia,

Exporting Canadian mining expertisearound the globeby H. Eve Robinson


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able to work internationally with rela-tive ease, they can experience restric-tions working within Canada. In orderto practice geoscience, one has to beregistered in that particular province.

“Unless I happen to be registered ineach province, it is easier for me to workoverseas than it is to work in an adja-cent province,” explained Hinzer. “I cansupervise a project in virtually any partof the world, but I need permission togo to Manitoba or Quebec.”

If a professional is unable to get per-mission to work in another province,they are required to go through theentire registration process and pay fees.These internal issues are relevant toCanada’s global reputation because itcan deter investors. In a news releasefrom CAMESE in August 2006, Bairdemphasized the importance of strength-ening Canada’s international image asan industry leader and exporter.

“Foreign [companies] will increas-ingly see Canada asa great place toinvest, … [will]preferentially useCanadian miningproducts and serv-ices, and come toCanada to work inthe industry at atime when humanresources arescarce.”

In order to con-tend with mobi-lized workforcesfrom other coun-tries, Canada needsto maintain a com-petitive advantagein the global mar-ket. “Canada has tocontinue develop-ing cutting-edgetechnologies thatwill enable us toincrease productiv-ity and lower min-ing and processingcosts while main-taining workerhealth, safety stan-


where WGM worked closely with localclients to database the country’s metalresources, recruit personnel, andsmoothly manage development.

Other countries with developedminerals industries are similarly send-ing people all over the world.Australia, New Zealand, the UnitedStates, and South Africa are also majorexporters of mining expertise.However, not all countries with min-ing industries can compete on a globalscale. “There are other countries withgood mining expertise, such asRussia,” said Jon Baird, managingdirector of the Canadian Associationof Mining Equipment and Services forExport (CAMESE). “Russia has noshortage of mining specialists, butthey have been working for decades ina system that is not efficient. In com-parison, Western Europe is highlydeveloped, but does not have a strongmining industry. These countries lackthe highly experienced labour pools tosend people around the world doing[mining] contracts.”

To continue competing on a globalmarket, Canada will soon have toaddress issues of recruitment and demo-graphics within the mining industry.The mining industry is cyclical so thatvirtually on a decade basis, there is lowrecruitment at the beginning, increasingjob opportunities by mid-decade, andhigh recruitment at the end.

“Students are not entering the field ofmining early in the decade,” explainedBaird. “By the time they complete theirtraining, there are few jobs available.”

It takes approximately four to tenyears to train highly skilled technicalpeople for mining. “If there is a negativeimage of mining or negative job poten-tial, then those trained people will notgo into the field and might relocate toother areas,” Hinzer added. Combinedwith a baby boomer demographic that issoon to reach retirement, Canada couldpotentially lose a large portion of itsworkforce.

Another issue that could affectCanada’s competitive edge in the globalmarket is inter-provincial mobilization.While professionals in the industry are

June/July 2007 19

dards, and protecting the environment,because that is what sets us apart fromthe rest of the world. This can only beachieved by a strong and committedpartnership between universities orother resource centres and the industry,”said Mitri.

CAMESE’s call to action similarlystates, “For the Canadian mining indus-try to have the biggest possible impactinternationally, we must marshal com-panies, associations, local and regionaleconomic development groups, andprovincial, territorial, and federal gov-ernments to work together in a com-mon marketing effort.”

“The world is changing and global-izing,” Baird noted. “It does not standstill, and neither should we. WhileCanada is well respected around theworld as strong in the mining field, ourcompetitors for mining investment andtrade are well organized and recognizewhat is at stake on the world scene.” CIM


When it comes to mining, Canada isa world-class player. “There are twothings Canadians are considered num-ber one at, and that’s hockey and min-ing,” said Ungad Chadda, director oflisted issuer services with TSX VentureExchange. What being number onetranslates into financially is this. “Ofevery dollar raised on the planet in min-ing, 37 to 40 cents is done on the TSXand TSX Venture.” Canada also boasts awhopping 1,274 mining companies,which, according to Chadda, is morethan any other country in the world.

With such an excellent reputation, it’sno surprise that Canadian skills andproducts are in demand in other coun-tries. You will find Canadian profession-als working on projects anywhere fromthe mountains of Peru to the mostremote parts of the Siberian forests to themuch warmer Australian outback.Getting to—and working in—theseremote locations is a challenge, but manyfind it very rewarding and worthwhile.

But getting the staff to these sites iseasy, when you compare it to the chal-lenges of delivering the equipment,which can range “from electronicequipment to transformers to minehoists to ball mill components to loco-motives,” said Simon Trillwood, presi-dent of specialist packaging firmTOPAX. With some of the larger piecesof machinery TOPAX has packagedweighing in at 140,000 pounds, it’stime to call in the experts.

When it comes to sourcing theequipment, most mining firms go to anEPCM (engineering, procurement, andconstruction management) firm. Thesubcontractor usually brings theexpertise of many previous (or current)projects, has the advantage of long-term relationships with suppliers andlogistics companies, and assumes asizeable portion of the risk. The EPCMfirm will usually find work with further

Getting it there: some challenges of equipment logistics and exportby Dan Zlotnikov

subcontractors, breaking up theprocess between a specialist freight for-warder/logistics company and a pack-aging company.

The equipment can come fromalmost anywhere, said Mark Faesecke,national project manager forKuehne+Nagel, a global logistics com-pany. “Once the EPCM or miningclient has provided us with a list ofequipment and the locations at whichit is to be picked up, we will work withlocal packaging companies to get theequipment packaged and ensure aproper delivery stream to the site.” Theprocess of orchestrating proper deliv-ery is a complex net and the conditionsen route are frequently far from ideal.

“I was watching a documentary onTV,” recounted Trillwood, “and theywere showing a road at a place in Africawhere we’d sent a crate two monthsbefore. And there was this five-tontruck, up to the bed in a pothole.” It’sno surprise that Faesecke says that inKuehne+Nagel’s experience, “it’s veryhelpful to know and work with thelocal specialists hand-in-hand.”

The packager, like almost everyoneelse in the business, is stressed fortime. “Scheduling is a very seriousissue in our business,” said Trillwood.“People don’t think about packaginguntil the orderis ready to goon the truck.Our ordersdon’t tend to go out a year down theroad. Our orders tend to be this month,next month, or maybe even this week.”

This makes it difficult to plan. EdPerdue, sales manager at BrentPackaging, a company specializing inwood crating, agrees. For machineryorders, he said, “we only get a one- totwo-day lead time, because they neverthink about crating it. Ever. And thatorder can be anything from a 4x4x4

foot crate to a piece of machinery that’s20x8x8 feet and weighs 25,000pounds.”

Everything in the business is beingdone on such tight constraints for tworeasons. The first is the simple realitythat “every day the order isn’t up andrunning at the mine site, the project islosing money,” said Faesecke. The sec-ond, equally important reason is thefact that most of the time, the equip-ment is going to very remote locations.

Kim Bell, manager of global logisticsat the Hitachi-GMC plant in Guelph,Ontario, explained that if a cratemisses the ship, it sits on the dockwaiting for the next one. The Guelphplant is currently supplying EuclidEH4500-2 trucks, weighing in at346,000 pounds each without body, tothe Lumwana copper project in SouthAfrica, and the next ship on the sched-ule isn’t tomorrow or the day after, it’sa month away.

Worse yet, explained Bell, “the partthat arrives in Durban sits there, wait-ing for it, because it needs to clear cus-toms together.”

But really, “manufacturer’s site toport to ship to mine site” is a very sim-ple case. Trillwood’s company has han-dled far more exciting scenarios—onesthat involve cargo being moved from a

ship at sea in the middle of a stormonto a barge, to be taken inland via theriver during the monsoon season. Thisis why it’s crucial, as Trillwoodexplained, to “pack for the toughest legof the journey.” The real trick is in fig-uring out just what that leg will meanfor your crate.

Somewhat unexpectedly, a large por-tion of TOPAX business isn’t destinedfor remote locations abroad. “It might


The process of


sound like a surprising answer,” saidTrillwood, “but a lot of the develop-ments up in the Northwest Territoriesare in extreme conditions and requiremuch of the same type of packaging asthey would for export.” This meansshipping on the seasonal ice road andthe already tight deadlines become evenmore so, for both shipper and packager.

Jim Taggart, co-owner of the heavy-haul company SPI InternationalTransportation, spoke about deliveringorders to northern Alberta and havingto deal with “the ‘spring road dance,’ as

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

As the scenery changes, so do regu-lations. While most of the world is sub-ject to IPPC (International PlantProtection Compliance) regulations,there are other, country- and region-specific restrictions the cargo may besubject to. Frequently it’s not obvious.“You could have a piece of equipmentgoing from Canada to Dubai,” saidTrillwood, “and it might be subject to

the British packaging safety regula-tions.” The only way to be safe is toask, and to then be able to meet theserules as the need arises.

Even with experts working on everystage of the process, unexpected delayscan, and likely will, happen. The ques-tion is how much time and money itwill take to correct for these delays. Bychoosing the right partners in yourlogistics process, you can make suresuch delays are kept to a minimum andare resolved in the quickest and leastcostly way possible. CIM

June/July 2007 21

is a complex netand the conditions en route are

frequently far from ideal.

orchestrating proper delivery

NovaGold:

23

by CAROLYN HERSEY

In a world where ‘green’ is the new black, mining companies aremaking a conscious effort to employ more environmentally responsi-ble techniques and give back to the communities in which they work.NovaGold has tried to be an industry leader for responsible miningfrom the very beginning, and they aren’t about to jump off the band-wagon anytime soon.

NovaGold originally traded under a different symbol under differ-ent management, but the company was essentially shelved back in1997. In 1998, Rick Van Nieuwenhuyse and his partner, GregJohnson, both senior geologists working for Placer Dome Inc., pairedup in search of interesting properties to get a company going. Theywere already familiar with Donlin Creek, and established a joint ven-ture for the project with Placer Dome. Thus, today’s NovaGold wasborn. The company currently has four major projects—NomeOperations, Galore Creek, Donlin Creek, and Ambler—well on theirway throughout Alaska and British Columbia, all of which are ‘green’in their own sense.

NOME OPERATIONS

The first of NovaGold’s major projects, Nome Operations, is situ-ated in Alaska. It consists of three smaller projects: Rock Creek, BigHurrah, and Nome Gold. Construction for Rock Creek and Big Hurrahbegan in August of 2006, immediately upon receiving major permits.The projects are located partially on 14,000 acres of privateNovaGold land, and partially on 20,000 acres leased from the BeringStraits and Sitnasuak Native Corporations. Employment opportunitieswill be made available for approximately 135 people, and NovaGoldand Alaska Gold held numerous public meetings from 2003 to 2006to ensure the community had the chance to ask questions, give opin-ions, and voice any concerns. Rock Creek is expected to produceabout 100,000 ounces of gold per year. The Big Hurrah deposit is asmaller but higher grade satellite deposit, and ore from it will betrucked to the Rock Creek mill facility for processing, thus enhancingthe overall economics of the project. When both are up and running,

greenmajor developments

made

Nome Operations

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

Nome Gold, the third property in the Nome Operations trio, isone of the largest sources of construction aggregate on the PacificRim. The property contains a Measured and Indicated Resource of 1.6million ounces of gold and an additional Inferred Resource of 250,000ounces. In the past 100 years, the Nome alluvial deposits producedalmost 5 million ounces of gold from shallow sand-and-graveldeposits. The Nome goldfields were profitably mined solely as an allu-vial 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 $3million in annual cash flow over the past six years. With these mas-sive sand-and-gravel aggregate resources, NovaGold sees potential toexpand its aggregate business well beyond its existing western Alaskamarket. The company is also examining the potential to restart allu-vial gold production, aiming to produce 25,000 ounces of gold annu-ally and several million tonnes of sand-and-gravel co-product. A littlerecycling goes a long way.

GALORE CREEK

The second of NovaGold’s extensive line of projects is GaloreCreek. The 215,000-acre property is located within the historic StikineGold Belt of northwestern British Columbia, and is currentlyNovaGold’s main project in Canada. On May 23, NovaGold and TeckCominco announced a 50-50 partnership that will invest US$2 billionto build Galore Creek. Galore Creek will be developed as a large-scale,open-pit, copper-gold mine, one of the biggest and highest gradeundeveloped porphyry-related copper-gold deposits in North

America. Based on a feasibility study released by NovaGold inOctober 2006, the project is expected to produce more than 432 mil-lion pounds of copper and 400,000 ounces of gold equivalent(341,000 ounces of gold and 4 million ounces of silver) in its first fiveyears of production. Production is expected to start in 2012.NovaGold received its environmental assessment certificate for theproject from the province of British Columbia in February 2006 and isnow in the final phases of permitting and federal approval, with con-struction targeted for the second quarter of 2007.

The Galore Creek construction team, which consists of 37 indi-viduals with decades of industry experience each, is making finalpreparations to begin construction upon board of directors’approval. Construction has been planned in two phases. Phase 1will focus on providing access to the Galore Creek Valley, includingthe construction of mine access roads, bridges, access tunnels, andconcentrate and diesel pipelines. This first phase is anticipated totake 24 months, with access to the Galore Creek Valley in the sec-ond half of 2009. Phase 2 of construction places more emphasis onmine facilities and earthworks. Plans include construction of mineinfrastructure, a tailings dam, and open-pit stripping and processplant facilities.

The Galore Creek project is located within the traditional territory ofthe Tahltan Nation, with whom NovaGold has forged a very strong part-nership, ensuring mutual benefits and collaboration throughout the proj-ect. On February 10, 2006, NovaGold entered into a comprehensiveParticipation Agreement with the Tahltan Nation, guaranteeing that bothparties work together for mine planning, mine operation, and environ-mental protection. In return, NovaGold will provide training and educa-tion programs for the Tahltan people, including preferential hiring andestablishing a scholarship fund, which granted ten awards in 2006. Theywill also contribute financially to the Tahltan Heritage Trust Fund, whichwill be used to mitigate any adverse social and cultural impacts resultingfrom the project’s development. The Galore Creek project has received

broad support from local communities, FirstNations groups, and the British Columbia and

Alaska governments. The project will bring signif-icant economic benefits and create employmentopportunities for many communities in north-western BC. NovaGold also purchased CoastMountain Power in August of last year, a ‘green’power company under BC Hydro’s Green PowerInitiative. Through the Coast Mountain acquisi-tion, NovaGold secured one of the largest per-mitted run-of-river hydroelectric power projectsin British Columbia. NovaGold would like topower Galore Creek using environmentallyresponsible technology, and is looking into doingthe same for both Ambler and Donlin Creek.

DONLIN CREEK

Ranking as one of the world’s largestundeveloped gold deposits, Donlin Creekcould be one of only a handful of gold minesworldwide that produces over one million


Unloading equipment at Galore

June/July 2007 25

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

Regardless of who gets what, NovaGold believes there is consider-able potential to expand the gold resource at Donlin Creek and thatthe Donlin asset holds considerable value for NovaGold shareholders.The property contains a Measured and Indicated Resource estimatedat 16.6 million ounces of gold and an Inferred Resource estimated at17.1 million ounces of gold. NovaGold will update this resource esti-mate once all assay results from Barrick’s 92,000-metre drill cam-paign have been received and tabulated. Barrick has budgeted US$87million for the project in 2007, with the focus of continuing to expandthe deposit and converting resources to Proven and ProbableReserves.

Staying true to their corporate values, NovaGold is taking care toensure the project moves along in an eco-friendly fashion. The DonlinCreek Joint Venture is examining the possibility of using local poweralternatives for the project, including alternative energy sources suchas wind cogeneration, to reduce environmental impacts and alleviatepotential future global energy price increases. “The current mine sce-narios focus on near-surface ore zones that would be amenable tolarge-scale, low-cost, open-pit mining methods,” the company web-site states. “The gold ore would be crushed, finely ground, and thenfed to a flotation circuit to separate the gold-bearing sulphide miner-als from the rock. The high-grade sulphide concentrate would be oxi-dized using pressure oxidation in an autoclave. The gold would thenbe leached from the oxidized residue and recovered with activatedcarbon 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 fur-ther improve overall gold recoveries, refine the layout and design of

Donlin Creek could be one of

only a handful of gold mines worldwide

that produces over one million

ounces of gold annually.

the mine facilities, and, of course, continue their environmental base-line studies.

AMBLER

The Ambler project, although still at the exploration stage, alreadycontains multiple promising prospects. It was first discovered in thelate 1960s by Rio Tinto’s subsidiary, Bear Creek Exploration, who, aftermuch hard work, discovered the Arctic deposit, a high-grade vol-canogenic massive sulphide (VMS) belt. Further work was halted in

Donlin Creek Lewis-Acma resource and camp


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

lion ounces of silver, with additional base metals totalling 3.2 billionpounds of copper, 4.4 billion pounds of zinc and 640 million poundsof lead. NovaGold is earning up to a 51 per cent interest in the proj-ect 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 ensureminimal damage to the environment. Along with NANA Corporation,the Northwest Arctic Borough, and the State of Alaska, NovaGold iscurrently discussing and evaluating various options regarding trans-portation alternatives, specifically identifying opportunities for syner-gies in the region. They’ve also completed a study of different poweralternatives for Ambler; energy supply such as wind or hydroelectriccogeneration 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. Thecompany has been included in the Standard and Poor’s TSX EthicalCanadian Company index since 2004, and works constantly to retainits status as a company committed to responsible, eco-friendly min-ing. The company is committed to environmental reclamation and hasa strong history of developing good relationships with First Nationsand Native American communities. NovaGold tries to keep its eightcore values in mind with every decision it makes: respect, integrity,safety, accountability, empowerment, communication, growth, andsustainability. NovaGold has survived in the business because itsshareholders believe in the company and its commitment to operat-ing successfully, profitably, and responsibly. Many employees havejoined NovaGold because of their firm beliefs in ‘green’ mining; greatvalues paired with great people have made NovaGold the company itis today. NovaGold is dedicated to the communities in which it worksas well as its shareholders, and is always sure to consider the voicesand opinions of everyone involved before starting a project.

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

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

Equipment:• Komatsu trucks

• Komatsu hydraulic shovels

• Komatsu WA1200 loader

• Sandvik rotary blastholedrills

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

Edmonton, AB 780-454-0101

Elkford, BC

Fort McMurray, AB

Port Coquitlam, BCTranswest Mining Systems, Division of KCL West Holdings Inc.

w w w . t r a n s w e s t m i n i n g . c o m

Supporting WesternCanadian Mines


NovaGold :de grands

développements

deux premiers a débuté en août 2006, dès l’obtention des principauxpermis. Les projets sont situés en partie sur les 14 000 acres de ter-rains appartenant à NovaGold et en partie sur 20000 acres loués descorporations autochtones de Bering Straits et de Sitnasuak. NovaGoldet Alaska Gold ont tenu de nombreuses consultations publiques entre2003 et 2006 afin de permettre aux communautés de poser desquestions et de souligner leurs préoccupations.

Rock Creek devrait produire environ 100000 onces d’or par année.Le gisement de Big Hurrah est plus petit, mais il a une teneur plushaute; ce minerai sera acheminé par camion au concentrateur deRock Creek pour le traitement. Lorsqu’elles seront en production, RockCreek et Big Hurrah seront les premières mines de « roches dures »à ciel ouvert dans la péninsule de Seward. Lorsque la productiondébutera au troisième trimestre de 2007; NovaGold passera de l’ex-ploration/développement à la production.

Nome Gold, la troisième propriété du trio, possède des ressourcesmesurées et indiquées de 1,6 million d’onces d’or et les ressources

Dans un monde où « vert » signifie rentable, les com-pagnies minières s’efforcent d’utiliser des techniquesécologiques et de redonner aux communautés danslesquelles 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 travaillantpour Placer Dome Inc. recherchaient des propriétés intéressantesdans le but de fonder une compagnie. Connaissant déjà bien DonlinCreek, ils ont formé une coentreprise avec Placer Dome. Ce fut la re -naissance de NovaGold. Quatre projets majeurs, tous verts, démarrentactuellement en Alaska et en Colombie-Britannique.

EXPLOITATIONS NOME

La compagnie Nome Operations, située en Alaska, comporte troisprojets : Rock Creek, Big Hurrah et Nome Gold. La construction des

June/July 2007 29

inférées atteignent 250 000 onces. Durant le dernier siècle, les gise-ments alluvionnaires ont produit près de 5 millions d’onces d’orprovenant de gisements peu profonds de sable et gravier. Les champsaurifères de Nome produisaient environ 25 000 onces d’or alluvion-naire par année, jusqu’en 1998, alors que l’exploitation a fermé en rai-son des bas prix de l’or. Cette mine est l’une des plus grandes sources

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

GALORE CREEK

La propriété de 215000 acres Galore Creek est située dans la cein-ture aurifère de Stikine dans le nord-ouest de la Colombie-Britannique. Galore Creek sera développée comme mine à ciel ouvertde cuivre-or; elle sera parmi les gisements cuivre-or porphyrique lesplus grands et à plus haute teneur en Amérique du Nord. Selon uneétude de faisabilité présentée en octobre 2006, le projet devrait pro-duire plus de 432 millions de livres de cuivre et 400 000 oncesd’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 capitauxsont estimés à 2 milliards de dollars; la construction devrait débuteren 2007 et la production en 2012. NovaGold est actuellement dansles phases finales d’obtention des permis.

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

Le projet Galore Creek est situé dans le territoire traditionnel desTahltans, avec lesquels NovaGold a établi un très fort partenariat, assu -rant bénéfices mutuels et collaboration. Selon une entente, les deuxparties travailleront ensemble à la planification de la mine, à l’exploitationet à la protection de l’environnement. NovaGold fournira de la forma -tion et des programmes d’éducation, incluant l’embauche préférentielleet l’établissement d’un fonds de bourses. Le projet Galore Creek jouit du soutien des communautés locales, des groupes des PremièresNations et des gouvernements de la Colombie-Britannique et del’Alaska. NovaGold a aussi acheté Coast Mountain Power, une compa -gnie «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 encorenon développés pouvant produire plus d’un million d’onces d’or par

année. Anciennement une co-entreprise NovaGold/Placer Dome,Barrick en a obtenu la gestion lorsqu’elle a acquis Placer Gold en2006. Barrick détient une option d’acquisition et elle pourrait avoir40% de plus dans le projet en complétant certaines étapes-clés avantla mi-novembre 2007. Comme NovaGold détient 70% de Donlin, unelutte semble à l’horizon. Si Barrick rencontre les étapes-clés,

NovaGold ne conservera que 30 % de Donlin, mais elleentend bien conserver sa part actuelle et la gestion du pro-jet.

La propriété de Donlin Creek a des ressources mesuréeset indiquées estimées à 16,6 millions d’onces d’or et desressources inférées estimées à 17,1 millions d’onces d’or.NovaGold mettra ces estimations à jour lorsque les résultatsde la campagne de forage de 92000 m effectuée par Barrick

seront entrés et présentés. Barrick a mis 87M$US de côté pour le pro-jet en 2007 dans le but d’agrandir le gisement et de convertir lesressources en réserves prouvées et probables.

Fidèle à ses valeurs corporatives, NovaGold s’assure que le projetrespecte l’environnement; les possibilités d’utiliser des sources d’é -nergie telles que le vent sont étudiées afin de réduire les impacts envi-ronnementaux et d’atténuer les futures augmentations mondiales duprix de l’énergie. Les scénarios actuels ciblent les zones de mineraiprès de la surface qui pourraient être exploitées à ciel ouvert, à grandeéchelle et à faible coût. Le minerai serait concassé, finement broyé etacheminé à un circuit de flottation pour séparer les minéraux sulfurésaurifères de la gangue. Le concentré sulfuré à haute teneur seraitoxydé sous pression dans un autoclave. L’or serait ensuite lixivié etrécupéré par du charbon activé dans un procédé standard de lixivia-tion au carbone (CIL). Ce procédé permettait de récupérer environ90% de l’or. NovaGold veut aussi explorer des possibilités d’améliorerla récupération.

AMBLER

Bien qu’au stade d’exploration, le projet Ambler semble déjàprometteur. Il a été découvert à la fin des années 1960 par Bear CreekExploration, une filiale de Rio Tinto. Les travaux ont été arrêtés par desrevendications territoriales entre les Premières Nations américaines,l’état de l’Alaska et des intérêts fédéraux. Cette querelle a duré plusde 20 ans et, lorsqu’elle a été réglée, ce sont les bas prix des métauxqui ont nui au développement. La ceinture de sulfures massifs vol-canogènes est riche en métaux précieux, mais elle a été peu explorée;NovaGold croit cependant qu’elle présente un immense potentiel. Cegisement contient une ressource historique estimée à 800000 onces d’oret 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 compagnieverte et elle travaille constamment pour développer de bonnes rela-tions avec les communautés autochtones et garder son statut decompagnie engagée à exploiter écologiquement. Dans le mondeactuel où la planète semble crouler sous nos pieds, il est réconfortantde savoir que des compagnies comme NovaGold s’efforcent derespecter l’environnement et de redonner aux communautés. CIM

June/July 2007 29

IMG 0298

verts

“Beautiful British Columbia”—sim-ple and to the point. The province ishome to some of the most beautifulscenery Canada has to offer, and theinnumerable outdoor enthusiasts whoflock there year after year are a testa-ment to the motto’s accuracy. However,amidst this natural wonder is someharsh terrain and challenging environ-mental conditions that the miningindustry has faced. Unfortunately, theoperators and workers of the Granducmine in the 1950s and 1960s foundout just how extreme the conditionscould get.

Nestled in the Pacific Cordillera inBritish Columbia, just south of theAlaskan border, is Granduc mine. It islocated almost 40 kilometres inlandfrom the ice-free port of Stewart, a townnear the head of the Portland Canal,where the winters are long and cold,and about 800 to 900 inches of snow falleach season.

The first group of prospectors arrivedin Portland Canal on May 4, 1898, fromSeattle; the first gold stakes wereclaimed the following year. To accom-modate the sudden influx of prospec-tors, the town of Stewart was built at thehead of Portland Canal. Following theKlondike gold rush in the late 1890s,Stewart’s population reached 10,000.

In 1906, gold properties were discov-ered and a 75-ton-per-day mill wasquickly built. As prospecting effortsincreased along with mining for gold,copper, and silver-lead-zinc, it becamenecessary to create a second and thirdtown site—the Portland Canal Districtand Hyder. The site of the futurePremier mine was staked in 1916 by PatDaly. Suffering the same fate as othermining boom towns, Stewart’s popula-tion dipped to a mere 17 residents by

Breathing new life into Granduc mineby Andrea Nichiporuk

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

In 1951, while working forHelicopter Explorations Co. Ltd., BCprospectors Tom McQuillan and EinarKvale staked claims on outcrops andadjoining areas. The property wasoptioned to Granby ConsolidatedMining, Smelting and Power Co. the fol-lowing year; exploration and develop-ment began. And, in 1953, NewmontMining Corporation joined in theunderground work. The mine wasleased to Newmont and AmericanSmelting and Refining Company, andGranduc Operating Company was theoperator. Development began inSeptember of 1964 when the companybegan driving an almost 18-kilometretunnel from the Leduc area to the futureconcentrator facilities at Tide Lake.Camps were erected at both ends.

Disaster strikesA region used to heavy snow falls, 16

feet of snow fell on the area in the sec-ond week of February in 1965. Shortlyafter, on February 18, 1965, at 10:16a.m., an avalanche ripped down amountain side above the Portal camp ofthe Granduc mine. The mine’s radiooperator had just enough time to sendout a short ‘mayday’ message before helost connection. Within hours, civilian,military, and police rescue teams fromacross Canada and the United Statesbraved 50 to 70 mile-an-hour winds toget to Granduc. The slide had split intwo; on the heavier side, the Portalcamp was wiped out, but on the otherside, the impact was less. Workers wereable to dig themselves out of the snow.One of them, a carpenter named EinoMyllyla, was buried for almost 80 hours

until a bulldozer uncovered the snowand ice that trapped him. Apparently, hecould hear helicopters landing abovehim. In total, 26 men died that day.

Entering productionWhen mining resumed, the crews

advanced work in the tunnel at anunprecedented rate. A permanent campand a concentrator were built at TideLake and a 51-kilometre road was builtto Stewart. The town was growing—accommodations, schools, a communitycentre, etc. were built. By November1970, work was completed, in the endcosting $115 million. Three monthslater, the first load of copper concen-trates was shipped to Japan, and by Juneproduction had reached 5,000 tons perday.

The mine continued operating until1978, but was forced to shut down tem-porarily due to low copper prices; workpicked back up in 1980. However, in1984, it closed for good. During the 13years of operation, the mine’s produc-tion totaled 15.2 million tonnes of ore.

A second windGranduc mine has rejoined the land

of the living. In 2004, Bell Resourcespurchased Granduc with the intentionof bringing it back into production, andan underground drilling program is cur-rently underway. CIM


MAC

factsCanadian diamond exports

totalled some $1.6 billion

in 2005, three times greater

than exports of 1999.

HR outlook

June/July 2007 31

This year’s show also featured a vir-tual reality theatre sponsored byGoldcorp and produced by MIRARCO,from Laurentian University in Sudbury.The 3-D presentation brought studentsdown into a mine and showed themfirst hand what the mining experienceis all about. The show also demon-strated the variety of high-technologyand high-paying careers that are avail-able in mining.

Over 400 students were brought inby bus from schools in and around theMontreal area for the show. Studentsparticipated in the “Amazing MineChallenge,” designed and delivered byLaura Clinton and her team fromMining Matters at the Prospectors andDevelopers Association of Canada(PDAC). The chal-lenge required par-ticipants to com-plete activities andanswer questionsat each pavilionand record theinformation in apassport designedspecifically to helpyouth learn aboutmining and thinkabout how miningcontributes to ourdaily lives.

All visitors whocompleted a ballotwere eligible for adraw to winprizes, generouslydonated by spon-sors, such as: onecustom-designednecklace set withnatural goldnuggets designedand provided byPlacer Gold; twotrips for two tovisit the Agnico-

For thethird year ina row, theMining inSociety Showand CareerFair tookplace in con-junction withCIM’s annualconference.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 youngCanadians between the ages of 16 and35 said they knew about the miningindustry. Fourteen per cent said theyknew a little and three per cent knew alot, which is really low, given the sig-nificant contributions mining makes toCanada’s economy every year.

That’s where Mining in Societycomes in. The show was organizedthrough a partnership between theMining Industry Human ResourcesCouncil (MiHR) and CIM. The under-lying objective of Mining in Society isto change perceptions about theindustry and attract more workers tothe sector.

This year’s show targeted youngadults from high school, CEGEP, col-lege, and university, who are now, orwill soon be, deciding what programsthey want to take and the career paththey wish to follow. MIS welcomedclose to 3,000 visitors and the CareerFair, over 4,000, over the three-dayperiod, including students, teachers,parents, and job seekers.

Mining in Society brought visitorson a walk through the mining cycle,with six different pavilions showcasingthe various stages of mining: explo-ration, mining, processing, sustain-ability, products and fabrication, aswell as education.

Mining outreach to urban youthby Laurie Chatigny, manager of marketing and communications,Mining Industry Human Resources Council

Kni

ghtProviding quality environmental and engineering

services to mining projects worldwide

• Baseline EnvironmentalStudies

• Environmental Assessment

• Waste/Water Management

• Tailings Disposal

• Heap Leach Pads

• Cold Regions Engineering

• Hydrology/Hydrogeology

• Open Pit Stability

• Mine Reclamation

wwwww.knightpiesold.com

Knight PiésoldC O N S U L T I N G

Eagle LaRonde Mine in Abitibi,Quebec; one trip with Via Rail fromIAMGOLD; one ounce of gold fromGoldcorp; a bicycle, bike helmet andjersey from Louis Garneau; an iPodnano; and a Nintendo DS.

Mining in Society would not havebeen possible without the participa-tion of countless individuals and organizations that offered theirtime, resources, and money to makethe show a success. Special thanksgo to our major sponsors: Alcan,Goldcorp, Ministère des Ressourcesnaturelles et de la Faune du Québec, PDAC, IOC, IAMGOLDCorporation, GOODKEY ShowServices Ltd., and Québec CartierMining Company. CIM

MAC economic commentary


Canada. On a micro scale, the city ofFort McMurray has grown from a pop-ulation of some 20,000 two decadesago to 75,000 today. The 200,000 jobsthat have been created in the oil sandsover the past decade is of similar mag-nitude to the job losses seen within thecentral Canadian manufacturing sec-tor—in effect creating a job cushion forthe entire country.

From a fiscal perspective, the oiland gas industry as a whole paid over$26 billion to Canadian governmentsin 2006—in the form of royalties,lease bids, income taxes, and otherpayments. These flows are a principalreason why the Alberta governmentcan afford to send rebate cheques toeach resident and why the Canadiangovernment can increase programspending by eight per cent (as inBudget 2007) without going intodeficit. While it is very difficult to dis-tinguish the fiscal flows from oil sandsversus conventional oil and gas, it isevident that the oil sands will be con-tributing an increasing proportion ofthese total payments over the comingyears as more projects reach the post-payout full royalty stage and as thesedimentary basin conventionalreserves decline.

In terms of regional economicimpact, most of the activity resultingfrom oil sands investment will flow toAlberta and Saskatchewan. However, asestimated by the Canadian EnergyResearch Institute, some $102 billionin GDP and 1.1 million person-years ofactivity will occur in Ontario due to oilsands investment during 2000–2020.This is an average of 50,000 jobs peryear in Ontario—in equipment andother supply industries. Lesser benefitswill accrue to other regions.

With respect to benefits to aborigi-nal Canadians, oil sands companieshave awarded an estimated $1.5 bil-

lion worth of contracts to local aborig-inal companies over the past decade.These contracts are increasing eachyear—in 2005 alone, $315 million incontracts were awarded to local abo-riginal companies.

These economic benefits are likelyto continue for many years to come, asproduction from Alberta’s oil sandsprojects is projected to increase fromone million barrels per day in 2006 to4.7 million in 2025. Most of this out-put will continue to be directed toexport markets in the United Statesand, perhaps some day, southeast Asia.

As is the case with any economicactivity, however, the benefits of the oilsands projects are not without envi-ronmental consequence. This generalrule is doubly true in the energysphere, where coal combustion con-tributes to air pollution, with atten-dant health consequences, and wherenuclear energy presents risks ofradioactive waste stored in the midstof populated areas. Even energy tech-nologies presently favoured by govern-ments and environmental lobbyists,such as wind and ethanol, raise seriousquestions about reliability, space,visual pollution, subsidy costs, andfood price shocks. In the case of NorthAmerican ethanol today, it is unclearwhether the fuel is even greenhousegas positive with respect to gasoline ina life cycle analysis.

In the case of the oil sands, the areaof greenhouse gas emissions presentlycaptures the most attention with envi-ronmental groups, the media, andpoliticians. Given the growth patternand assuming existing technology, it isestimated that GHG emissions from oilsands projects will increase by five-fold during the 2003 to 2020 time-frame. In this scenario, it is evidentthat a significant investment ofresources will be required by the oil

The oil sands: where economy meets environmentby Paul Stothart, vice president, economic affairs, Mining Association of Canada

Arguably the single most signifi-cant development in the Canadianeconomy over the past decade hasbeen the emergence of the western oilsands as a creator of jobs, exports,tax revenues, and wealth.Technological advances since the1970s have made the recovery andprocessing of oil sands financiallyfeasible. Increases in world oil prices,from the $20 to $30 level of decadespast to the $60 to $70 range today,have further enhanced the economicviability of these projects. Politicalrhetoric about Canada as “an energysuperpower” and talk of “reserveslarger than Saudi Arabia’s” speak tothe emergence of the oil sands.

It is difficult to over-state the magni-tude of this development. On a macroscale, it has served to increase wealthand economic activity in western

sands companies, over a long period oftime, if GHG emissions are going to bebrought close to stabilization.

During this past period of rapidgrowth, oil sands companies havebeen investing in innovative ways toreduce energy use. For example,between 1990 and 2004, Syncrudereduced per barrel GHG emissions by14 per cent, reflecting investments innew technology and new equipment.Suncor has also posted strongimprovements in energy efficiency. As

well, the oil sands operations have sig-nificantly reduced their total releasesof substances such as mercury, sul-

phur dioxide, lead, arsenic, and cad-mium during this period.

While annual improvements in effi-ciency will presumably continue, thesewill not bring oil sands operationsclose to a position of stabilization, letalone reduction of overall GHG emis-sions. Order-of-magnitude improve-ments will only be seen if major invest-ments can be made in carbon capture

and storage technology and if alternatepower and thermal sources such asnuclear energy are brought to the

region. The fed-

eral govern-ment, for itspart, mustdevelop areasonableand achiev-able GHGtarget andtimeline for

oil sands operations, as part of abroader plan that provides flexibilityto the industry and that engages allCanadians in a solution. As well, thegovernment must provide a competi-tive tax regime and support the tech-nological developments and imple-mentations needed to furtherimprove the GHG performance of ourgrowing industries. CIM

MAC economic commentary

June/July 2007 33

a significant investmentof resources will be required by the oil sandscompanies … if GHG emissions are going to

be brought close to stabilization.

eye on business

By now, themining indus-try has becomequite familiarwith NationalI n s t r u m e n t 43-101 which,among otherthings, pro-vides that anypublic state-ment or writ-ten disclosure

made by an issuer (public or private)containing scientific or technical infor-mation concerning a material miningproperty must, among other things,include thesupport of thedisclosure bythe filing of atechnical report authored by a‘Qualified Person,’ who must consent inwriting to such filing (a “Consent”).Extracted portions or references to rele-vant portions of such reports are alsooften included in annual disclosurereports (the AIF and Form 40-F inCanada and the United States, respec-tively) as well as in a prospectus oroffering memorandum, and certain ofsuch inclusions also require Consentsfrom both the QP and his/her employer.

Some consultants are becomingincreasingly sensitive to their potentialliability based on third-party reliance onsuch published information. Any reluc-tance, delay, or refusal by either the con-sultant or the QP to grant Consents canbe a source of various degrees of heart-burn to a mining company.

The concept of standing behind andbearing legal liability for one’s profes-sional opinion lies at the root of profes-sional service, whether the professionalis an accountant, lawyer, geologist, orengineer. However, in this post-Enronera, the cost/benefit of incurring suchliability is being revisited from a busi-ness rather than a professional perspec-

The trouble with consentsby Josh Lewis, Fasken Martineau DuMoulin (Vancouver)

tive, with the result being an increasedtrend of professionals seeking to limittheir liability. Professional consultantshave always recognized their liabilityto their customers and factored thatrisk and the cost of professional insur-ance into their fees. The current con-cern is that securities regulators, inefforts to protect the interest of thepublic, have expanded the scope of theconsultant’s liability beyond that of itsclient. The publication of this technicalinformation is designed to enable aninvestor to make an informed invest-ment decision, and hence reliance bysuch investor on the accuracy of suchinformation is implicit. Where one

finds reliance, it is often a short legalstep to liability. Considering, in thecase of publicly traded companies, thewide distribution of the information,one might sympathize with a consul-tant’s concern at the exponentiallyexpanded scale of its potential liability.

It is always easier to address some-thing in advance and, in the case ofConsents, the negotiation of the contractgoverning the consultancy is the pre-ferred time to address the obligation ofthe consultant to the company to pro-vide, in a timely manner, those Consentsrequired under securities regulations andto provide a back-up QP in the event thatthe original author becomes unavailableto the consultant. Companies shouldanticipate that performance of such obli-gations may result in additional fees. Theassistance of legal counsel in articulatingthe contractual rights and obligations canbe well worthwhile if it provides thecompany with traction to ensure thatappropriate Consents are provided asand when required.

Unfortunately, in many circum-stances the consultancy contract has

been long ago negotiated and signedand does not anticipate or adequatelyaddress the granting of Consents. Insuch circumstance, the issuer shouldanticipate the possibility of reluctanceon the part of its consultant to grantConsents. Such issuer is faced with thevariously unattractive options of eitherraising the issue with the consultant inadvance before any Consent isrequired, with the aim of attaining con-tractual clarity through amendment ofthe contract, or alternatively taking therisk that Consents, when requested,may be resisted, but hopefully theissuance or the wording can be suc-

cessfully negotiated when and if arefusal arises.

Caution should be especiallyacknowledged in the case of a boughtdeal, short-form prospectus financingsince regulatory time frames are cur-rently severely compressed. One of thecommon complaints of consultants isthe last-minute nature of Consentrequests and, while the regulatory timeframe is short, companies shouldextend the courtesy to their consult-ants in communicating the need forConsents at the earliest time possible.The core issue is that delays, let alonerefusal, in the providing of Consentscan spell disaster to a financing.

Certainly, clarity on the matterwould be best achieved by refinementof the securities regulations pertainingto Consents. Mining companies andconsultants alike, many of whom haverecently faced this issue, are encour-aged to jointly lobby their regulatorsfor a pragmatic regulatory solution.Meanwhile, however, the industry isleft with the unenviable task of strug-gling with the current mess. CIM


Delays, let alone refusal, in the providing of Consentscan spell disaster to a financing.

June/July 2007 35

the supply side

full 50 per cent.” The money would bespent, in part, on “aggressive market-ing and promotion of Canada andCanadian products abroad.”

Sandra Pupatello, Ontario’s trademinister, says, “Since the feds won’t doit, we’re doing it,” in an article inEmbassy on February 14. She wasreferring to the fed’s closing of foreignoffices while Ontario is opening them.A lack of federal initiative means theprovinces must keep Canada globallycompetitive, although this is moreexpensive than national approachesand leads to fractionization of theCanadian brand.

Canada is lacking sectoralapproaches to export trade promotion,wherein industrial sectors preparestrategies and implement them, withthe support of the federal government.We are falling behind other developedcountries, like Australia, that are betterorganized than we are. For mining,CAMESE calls for a strategy to “BrandCanada in the World of Mining” toenhance: 1) investment in this country;2) acceptance of Canadian explorersand developers working abroad; 3)exports of mining goods and services,and 4) the numbers of students andworkers coming to Canada to partici-pate in mining in this country. CIM

Opposition trade critics were quickto point out that the March 19, 2007federal budget did not add moreresources to the international tradedepartment to help promote Canadaabroad. Because the trade lobby is weakand because few votes are to be gainedon the trade issue, this is not surprising,given that the budget was designed forpolitical electoral purposes.

Earlier this year, the governmentclosed four consulates in Russia, Italy,and Japan. These closures come at atime when many believe that Canadashould be diversifying its export mar-kets away from the United States, towhom we currently ship over 85 percent of our exports. More profoundly,the budget lacks a broad, overall visionof the need to enhance our productiv-ity, which has been lagging behindmany other countries.

On April 18, Embassy, Canada’s for-eign policy newsweekly, reported onunconfirmed indications that Canadawill close another 19 foreign missions.The rumour was not denied by an offi-cial within Foreign Affairs MinisterPeter McKay’s department, which isstruggling to deal with a $142.8 mil-lion cut to its budget. Ask any exporterthat travels and does business in for-eign countries and he or she will tellyou how useful the Canadian TradeCommissioner Service is. Yet only 25per cent of Canadian diplomats aredeployed abroad, the lowest proportionof any G8 country.

As I write this, the federal govern-ment’s Standing Committee onInternational Trade is wrapping up areport on their study of how the gov-ernment can improve Canada’s tradepolicy, started last October. Some rec-ommendations have been released,including asking government to“increase its current expenditures ontrade negotiation and promotion by a

This issue of CIM Magazine isdevoted to exports. Indeed, Canada’smining industry contributes mightily toour nation’s economy and export per-formance. Mining’s $42 billion contri-bution to Canada’s GDP includes $10billion in mining extraction and $32 bil-lion in mineral processing and manufac-turing. A full 80 per cent of this produc-tion was exported in 2005, worth 14 percent of the total value of all Canadianexports in that year. Further, 60 per centof total railway freight revenue and 70per cent of total port volume was due tomined commodity shipments. Wouldwe have railways and ports if we did nothave mines?

Canada’s overall trade performancewas strong in 2006, but was showingsome signs of weakness. Exports grewby 1.1 per cent to $524 billion, butimports grew 4.2 per cent, leaving thetrade surplus at $37 billion, down $14billion from 2005. Note that miningindustry exports are about 90 per cent ofour trade surplus. When and if com-modity prices weaken and if the US mar-ket takes a downturn, Canada may wishthat it had embarked on a trade promo-tion and trade diversification strategy.

The federal governmentignores export tradeby Jon Baird, managing director, CAMESE

A page for and about the supply side ofthe Canadian mining industry

MAC

factsThe 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.

innovation page

As computing and network tech-nology evolved over time, it soonbecame apparent that a common set oftechnology standards was required toprovide the interconnectivity of newsoftware applications, irrespective oftheir origin. This flexibility hasallowed technology users to effectively“plug and play” to creatively apply dif-ferent software solutions to meet theirunique needs.

Connectivity and technology standards for the surface mining industryby Tim Skinner, president, SMART Systems Group and Gord Winkel, vice president, Aurora Bitumen Production, Syncrude Canada Ltd.

A similar capability is needed in sur-face mining equipment. The expandinguse of computing and network tech-nology in the surface mining industryon large mining equipment and formine control has been beneficial forefficiency and productivity improve-ments. Full utilization of all potentialcomputing applications, quick speed ofdelivery, and cost-effective operations,however, also require that a common

standard be adopted for mobile miningequipment control and informationsystems. Recently, a movement beganwithin the North American miningindustry to address and improve thesituation.

The initiative was based on the fol-lowing observations concerning sup-plier-computing product strategiesrelated to mine equipment systems:• Some strategies were based on pro-

viding proprietary technologies thatwere incompatible with other indus-try standard technology available inthe market.

• This in turn required higher costsand effort to develop, implement,integrate, and operate these prod-ucts to realize their benefits.

• It also resulted in duplication ofeffort and systems at a mine, orbetween mines, to achieve the bene-fits, and often also resulted in solu-tions that were unique and not non-transferable to other operations,again resulting in higher costs.

• And there initially wasn’t a lot ofcoordination between mines andreceptivity among suppliers toaddress the above situation.Given the previous, the stage was

set for mining customers and suppliersto realize an opportunity for workingcollaboratively in a proactive and openmanner beneficial to all when it cameto leveraging mine equipment controland information systems more effec-tively into the future.

The initiative to standardize thesesystems had some initial hurdles toovercome. The issue of proprietary ver-sus standard technology solutions hasbeen an ongoing issue in many indus-tries for years. Computing and networkindustry standards using “off the shelfcomponents” are beneficial due to cost,reliability, systems integration, global


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innovation page

inter-operability, multi-vendor accom-modation, reduced developmental andmaintenance support costs and time,buying power, staff productivity, andelimination of redundancy and duplica-tion. Said another way, the cost and timeshould be in putting the technology towork, not trying to make it work.

Prior to this initiative, there hadbeen frequent communicationsbetween vendors and individual min-ing companies concerning a more stan-dardized approach for utilizing minetechnology systems. Many individualmining companies interested in thissubject began talking with each otherand learning that they had commonissues and views. At the CIM confer-ence in 2005 in Toronto, an informalmeeting of mining companies resultedin an agreement to pursue and explorethe matter. This was followed by amore formal meeting, resulting in thedevelopment of a vision statement andscope, and a communication plan forthe original equipment manufacturers(OEMs), original technology manufac-turers (OTMs), and the mining indus-try. The initiative was folded under theauspices of the Surface MiningAssociation for Research andTechnology (SMART), and a formal let-ter to the OEMs and OTMs was devel-oped and distributed. The next stepconsisted of directly contacting theOEMs and OTMs to discuss the initia-tive. In addition, technical mining rep-resentatives met to develop the origi-nally sought-after technology stan-dards representing the needs of the sur-face mining industry. This work wascompiled into a final report to docu-ment the achieved objectives.

The OEMs and OTMs were mostlyreceptive and open to this initiative.The participants understood the bene-

fits of a standard for mine equipmentinformation systems and were gener-ally receptive with all expressing a will-ingness to support the work. In manycases, actions were underway to sup-port the initiative, and work was beingdone to understand the full implica-tions for mine operators. A legitimateconcern the OEMs expressed was pro-

tection of their IP software controlalgorithms and related data. The OEMsalso tested the commitment by themining industry to ensure their effortswere utilized and worthwhile. Finallythere was also an interest by OEMs tofurther work with the mining industryand possibly estab-lishing a joint stan-dards group.

Engagement ofmining operatorsand firms was key toimplementing thisinitiative. Becausethe developed stan-dards for mineequipment controland informationsystems are nowdeveloped, movinginto an operationalphase requires thesestandards to bespecified in the pro-curement cycle fornew equipment.

Innovation doesnot occur in onegiant leap. It isachieved throughincremental stepsbuilding on eachother with the sup-port of multipleparticipants. Thereare some specialparticipants that

must be recognized on this initiative:Mark Bartlett and Freeport-McMoRanCopper & Gold Inc., Elk Valley CoalCorporation, Jon Peck at Queen’sUniversity, and Tom Demorest and theSMART group. Without these individ-uals, companies, and industry effortsand support, this initiative would nothave progressed.

The work tostandardize mineequipment infor-mation systemswill becomei n c r e a s i n g l yimportant ascomputing and

network technology will continue to sig-nificantly improve mobile mining equip-ment through intelligence, not iron. Themining community has, through thisinitiative, once again demonstrated theirability to collaborate and make innova-tive improvements. CIM

June/July 2007 37

Innovation does not occur in one giant leap. It is achieved through incremental steps

building on each other with the support of multiple participants.

standards

There are a number of importantdates that must be disclosed when aQualified Person (QP) is preparing atechnical report for securities purposes.The dates are discussed in NI43-101and 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 isbasically the cut-off date for the infor-mation that is included in the technicalreport. The effective date should beclose to the signature date. If there istoo long a period between these dates,the QP runs the risk of new materialinformation becoming available andthen the technical report would nolonger be current. The effective date isdisclosed on the title page of the reportand on the signature page.

If a technical report needs to berevised to correct problems or disclo-sure deficiencies identified by the reg-

Dates in technical reportsby Deborah McCombe, executive vice president and geological consultant, Scott Wilson, Roscoe Postle Associates

ulators, the QP will normally need toinclude a revision date on the titlepage of the report to distinguish therevised version from the original ver-sion. In these circumstances, the regu-lators will request that the originaldate of the report remain on the titlepage and the revised date will bebelow it. When a technical reportmust be revised, the QP must resignand date the signature page of thereport and provide a new certificateand consent.

The effective date of the MineralResources and Mineral Reserves esti-mate is the date when these estimatesare current. This is usually the cutoffdate for data to be included in the esti-mate. It may precede the effective dateof the report by a considerableamount of time because of the amountof work required to complete aMineral Resources or MineralReserves estimate.

The signature date of the report isthe date that the report is actuallysigned by the QP. Part 5.2 of NI43-101refers to this as an execution date,while Item 24 of the Form NI43-101F1refers to this date as the date of signa-ture. The signature date goes on thesignature page of the report, which isgenerally the last page.

The date of the most recent per-sonal inspection is disclosed in thecertificate of the QP, which is dis-cussed in Section 8.1(1) of NI43-101.The QP must disclose in his/her cer-tificate whether they visited the site ornot. At least one of the QPs who isinvolved in the preparation of thetechnical report must visit the site.The most appropriate QP(s) must visitthe site. For example, if the technicalreport describes an operating minewith a history of metallurgical recov-ery issues, we would expect the metal-lurgical engineer to visit the site.Often a QP has visited a particularproperty in the past and asks the reg-


ulators if a new site visit is necessary.If there has been new material infor-mation on the property, such as adrilling program, the QP must make acurrent site visit.

The certificate of the QP is actuallya separate document from the technicalreport. Generally, when the report isfirst prepared, the certificate isincluded with the report and is dated atthat time. However, if the technicalreport is still current, the issuer mayneed that technical report at a latertime to support disclosure in anotherrequired filing. At that time, the QPwill have to file a new certificate withthe current date. Section 8.1(1)(i) ofNI43-101 requires the QP to certifythat, as of the date of the certificate, tothe best of his/her knowledge, informa-tion, and belief, the technical reportcontains all scientific and technicalinformation that is required to be dis-closed to make the technical report notmisleading.

The consent of the QP contains sev-eral dates. The QP must disclose thedate of the document that he/she hasread, the date of the technical reportthat supports the disclosure in the doc-ument, and the date when the QP signsthe consent. When the filing of a tech-nical report is triggered, the QP isrequired to provide a consent.Therefore, the date of the consent willdepend on that timing. CIM

MAC

factsSeventy 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.

engineering exchange

AMEC is an interna-tional project manage-ment and services com-pany that designs,delivers, and supportsmining industrial andinfrastructure projectsworldwide. For morethan a decade, AMEChas provided completedesign services to virtu-ally all of the world’smajor mine developersand operators, as wellas mid-sized miningcompanies, juniors,and lending institu-tions. Just about any-where you find dia-monds in Canada,you’ll find AMEC engineers.

AMEC has providedeverything from explo-ration and testworkservices, through tocomprehensive engi-neering, procurement,and construction management (EPCM)and environmental services, for most ofthe diamond mines under developmentin Canada. AMEC was there when thevery first Canadian diamonds werebrought to the surface at BHP Billiton’sEKATI mine and, responsible for EPCM,played an integral role.

AMEC is currently providing EPCMservices for the Victor Diamond projectin Ontario under an alliance agreementwith De Beers. Since the early explo-ration phase, AMEC’s earth and envi-ronmental specialists have played a keyrole in the approvals/permitting process,with the federal EA and three ProvincialClass EAs completed without a hitch.Experienced individuals consulted withthe First Nations communities, over-coming hurdles and paving the way toEA approval. The six AMEC employeesfrom the Mississauga office involved in

AMEC—leaders in responsible practiceby Haidee Weldon

this aspect of the project earned theAMEC Spring 2004 Excellence in ClientService award. With AMEC’s assistance,the Victor project has provided employ-ment for 600 people from First Nationsand other northern Ontario communi-ties during its construction phase.

Not just a diamond specialistAMEC’s expertise extends beyond

the diamond industry. Take the Pogoproject, situated 85 miles southeast ofFairbanks, Alaska. Pogo posed manychallenges as a greenfield undergroundmine and processing facility in a remotearea of environmental sensitivity. Jointowners Teck Cominco and Sumitomoplaced top priority on environmentalstewardship for this project.

AMEC engineers successfullydesigned and oversaw the building ofthe Pogo project. By minimizing envi-

ronmental impact, Pogo met its goals ofaddressing long-term land sustainabilityand maximizing acceptability by theAlaskan public.

One of Pogo’s notable design aspectsis a surface gold mill for recoverythrough gravity concentration, flota-tion, and cyanide leaching. Comparedto traditional whole ore leaching, apply-ing a high gravity concentration effortfollowed by flotation reduces theamount of material to be leached bycyanide.

Keeping the environment in mind,AMEC paid special attention to waterand waste management. An innovativetailings system eliminated the need fora tailings pond at Pogo. The waste isdivided into two parts: material withany residual cyanide from processing,or potentially reactive, naturally occur-ring sulphides mixed with cement for

June/July 2007 39

Victor construction site

disposal as low-permeability pasteunderground. The rest of the tailingsmaterial is filtered and dry-stacked in asurface storage facility. At the end ofmine operations, the dry-stack tailingswill be reclaimed, minimizing environ-mental impact.

The Goodpaster River passesdirectly through the Pogo propertyand is the natural drainage river forthe site, posing yet another engineer-ing challenge. AMEC used MonteCarlo simulation to determine theprobability distributions of water flowsin a project-specific water model. Themodel was used to estimate dischargerates and water quality under variousconditions. Process water, mine water,surface water, and runoff, as well asdry-stack runoff, were all incorporatedin the containment and treatmentstrategy. The gold plant maximizes theuse of recycled water, drastically cut-ting down the need to add fresh water by using hose pumps instead of stan-

dard centrifugalslurry pumps.This technologyhas helped toreduce theamount of waterrequiring treat-ment and dis-charge.

The collectionsystem for minedrainage, surface,and runoff waterwas designed toprevent untreatedwater from enter-ing the GoodpasterRiver. All waterfirst passesthrough the treat-ment facility thatremoves contami-nants before dis-charging into theriver. The facilityincludes a high-density sludgeprocess to achieveenhanced co-pre-cipitation of metalsincluding arsenic;

lime softening, and recarbonation toremove calcium and magnesium.

Plans are already in place for recla-mation once operations cease at Pogo.It is intended to re-establish the desig-nated post-mining land for wildlifehabitat and recreation. This will bedone by reclaiming and stabilizing anyareas that have been disturbed byexploration activities, stabilizing andprotecting soil from erosion by windand water, and establishing long-termself-sustaining vegetation and mini-mizing long-term closure require-ments. Re-establishing the wildlifehabitat is expected to take five to fif-teen years, first by stimulating thegrowth of early successional vegeta-tion and stands of aspen. These willthen provide a habitat for moose andother game, ruffed grouse, voles, andraptors.

The overall footprint of Pogo issmall by design. The mill and watertreatment facilities have compact andspace-efficient layouts, predominantlyorganized in a single narrow bench.AMEC has helped to ensure thatPogo’s legacy will be how manyounces of gold it produced in its minelife, not a story of what was leftbehind. CIM


East view of the Pogo project

student life

June/July 2007 41

The teamscompeting in the2007 CanadianMining Gameswere posed twoquestions: “Whathave companiesbeen overlookingin their recruit-ment process?”

and “What can they do to make thecommunities they operate out of moreappealing to young engineers?” Thesequestions were the focus of the seminarcompetition. Teams from 12 mininguniversities prepared their responsesand nominated a representative topresent to the judges at the openingbanquet. The competition was judgedby very intrigued representatives fromthe Rio Tinto Group: IOC, Diavik, QIT,and QMP.

Students have had first-hand expo-sure to the advancements made in cor-porate recruitment. The labour short-age generated by the rapidly expandingmining industry has forced companiesto maximize their recruitment process.This has generated unprecedentedopportunities for young engineers.Incentives such as signing bonuses,relocation packages, stock options,and, of course, higher salaries havebecome the norm. For many students,this year’s seminar competition was thefirst time they were asked, “What areyou looking for?”

The speakers of the seminar compe-tition had varying perspectives on whatcompanies had been overlooking. Asuccessful recruitment program needsto be comprehensive. Given the natureof the problem, the recruitment processshould begin with university enrolmentand end with ensuring jobs that offeropportunities for personal and profes-sional development. Increasing univer-sity enrolment would help alleviate thelabour shortage. University programscan be developed through student bur-

What are we looking for?by Bernard W. Haley, mining engineering undergraduate, McGill University

saries, donations for facility improve-ments, and, of course, industry involve-ment. Industry involvement takes theform of internships, corporate presenta-tions, and technical seminars. It isimportant to offer students the opportu-nity to become acquainted with compa-nies before making their employmentdecisions.

The formal recruitment processshould be a two-way street, offeringcompanies and students alike the oppor-tunity to make educated decisions basedon the other’s credentials and culture.The process should be diverse, includinginterviews, information sessions, andeven site visits. A site visit is an opportu-nity for companies to form relationshipswith their candidates. Furthermore, can-didates gain an understanding of theoperation, meet their possible co-work-ers, and experience the community theywould live in. Recruitment should be anopportunity for highly motivatedemployees to promote the highlights ofthe job and community.

Ultimately, it is the job that willattract an engineer. Employment pack-ages should offer competitive salaries,benefits, and a relocation frameworkfor employees and their families.Support should also be provided forfinding employment for spouses intheir field of expertise. Young engi-neers are looking for systems in placethat offer them the ability to plan fortheir future with the company, eitherformal E.I.T programs or planningsessions with supervisors. Prospectswithin the company are imperative,but the attractiveness of the commu-nity is also a deciding factor.

It only takes a quick glance overCanada’s mining operations to realizethat many, if not most, are located invery remote areas. The second seminarquestion faced the challenge of recruit-ing engineers from Canada’s large citiesfor work in remote communities.Although each presentation was

unique, one commonality could bedrawn between all of them: youngengineers are looking for communitieswith both culture and infrastructure.

Each community’s culture is unique;it is derived from the people in it andcannot be duplicated elsewhere. Inorder to develop a community’s cul-ture, it’s the company’s responsibility toplay an active role in it. The responsi-bility of the company begins by devel-oping the community’s infrastructure.Adequate housing, health care, educa-tion, and recreational services are cru-cial to the lives of employees and theirfamilies. Only once these basic needsare met can the culture of a communityflourish.

Companies should stimulate theircommunity’s culture with social pro-grams developed by employees. Socialprograms should be frequent anddiverse, and may include events liketeam sports, trips, and dinners.Company goals in the communityshould emphasize sustainable develop-ment and promote employee involve-ment. Part of the communities’ sustain-able development should be throughcharitable programs set up to help theless fortunate.

Companies are responsible for facil-itating the development of communi-ties, but ultimately it is the responsibil-ity of employees to contribute to creat-ing the lifestyle and culture they want.

So, what are we looking for? Youngengineers are looking for the companythat not only offers them the best salaryand benefits, but the best lifestyle. Thebest way to promote lifestyle is to letcommunity and corporate culturesspeak for themselves. Cultures basedon enthusiasm, creativity, and open-mindedness are sure to prevail.

The seminar event of the 17th annualCanadian Mining Games was an oppor-tunity for students to express their per-spective on current issues and for compa-nies to gain insight into our culture. CIM

In response to a parliamentary report on corporatesocial responsibility, the Government of Canada, led by theDepartment of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT), hasrecently hosted four roundtables on the practice of the Canadianextractive sector in developing countries. The roundtables were heldin Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, and Montreal, from June to November2006, and involved non-government organizations, industry associa-tions, experts, and members of civil society. If you own or work for aCanadian mining or exploration company, this was definitely not themost comfortable place to be sitting. A majority of the presentationsdescribed miners as greedy, focused on the pay dirt, and at bestuncaring (at worst criminally culpable) about the heinous impacts oftheir activities on impoverished local populations abroad. So what isthe truth behind the headlines? What are the drivers of conflict situ-ations involving Canadian companies overseas? The Prospectors andDevelopers Association of Canada (PDAC) commissioned us to findout (Odell & Silva, 2006) and we present a summary of our analysisand results here1.

June/July 2007 43

1 This article is based on a report developed for PDAC. Points of view or opinions stated in this article are those of theauthors 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*

by Carol Odell and Ana Carolina Silva


OUR MISSIONOur mission consisted of scanning the Internet for the highest

profile controversies and conflicts involving Canadian mining andexploration abroad, to devise a sample of 15 case studies that repre-sented a variety of conflict drivers and a range of geographic loca-tions.

We also ensured that case studies approximately paralleled thefocus of the Canadian mineral portfolio abroad (Natural ResourcesCanada, 2005) and involved all development phases of the mine lifecycle: exploration, permitting, construction, and operations. Time con-straints led to our final sample including only 11 case studies, whichare represented on the map.

For each case study, we weighted publicly available informationfrom company websites with the reports of field visits and urgentactions of environmental NGOs such as MiningWatch, AmnestyInternational, Greenpeace, and their local counterparts. We also foundmore independent voices in the form of reports from United Nationscommissioners, European parliamentary observers, the World Bank’scompliance advisory ombudsman, and some less radical non-govern-mental organizations like Transparency International.

We summarized our findings and sent them to the companies forcomment. The aim was to build a balanced view of each case study,contextualized in an understanding of the political, economic, andsocial situation including any relevant recent trends. Particularweight was given to independent sources that had gathered empiri-cal evidence through talking to companies and communities in thefield.

DRIVERS OF CONTROVERSYOnce we’d sorted out what was happening on the ground, our

task was to determine what was driving the controversies. We dividedthe drivers into:• Contextual drivers—features of the political, social, and environ-

mental setting, which the company had no direct control over butmight need to build strategies to address; and

• Company practice drivers—actions more closely controlled by thecompany, 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 asmany mining companies have found out, complexities in these set-tings come from many sides. Some examples of contextual driversthat played a significant role in shaping the outcomes and the riskenvironment for the project are:1. Governance domain

Host governments played significant roles in many of these situ-ations and the general characteristics of governance and regulatoryframework was important in aggravating conflicts in most situations.

• High corruption: The vast majority (9) of the countries where con-flicts occurred exhibited high to very high levels of perceived cor-ruption according to Transparency International’s CorruptionPerceptions Index. Corruption impedes the flow of benefits frommines to local communities and creates a low-trust environmentfor mines to operate in.

• Recent regulatory changes (10) promoted foreign investment andsecure land tenure for mining, which were not always in line withinternational best practices in environmental and social manage-ment. These were often accompanied by poor environmental reg-ulatory capacity (7) in early project development, which createddoubts for communities over governmental ability and willingnessto protect communities and their environments.

• Militarization and impunity were present in seven cases, leading toa greater tendency for violent action by the police and armedforces. All of the problems in the case studies involved actions car-ried out by government agents rather than by agents under directsupervision of the company.

2. Social domain

The social domain is characterized by pre-existing social issuesthat the companies encountered during the exploration and miningactivities. Important drivers included the presence of:• Artisanal miners (3): Informal small-scale miners presented

challenges to larger scale operations, as the two groups com-pete directly for the same resources. As artisanal miners areoften illegal, they create challenges for concession owners indevising appropriate resettlement approaches and engagementstrategies.

• Indigenous people (5): The status of indigenous rights variesaround the world. Controversies centred on the interpretation ofrequirements for consent and consultation required by interna-tional conventions and between national governments andindigenous groups. In addition, collective land rights were also anissue, which caused controversy, especially in relation to resettle-ment.

• Subsistence farmers (8): Presence of legislation favouring miningcaused concern over the impacts of traditional livelihoods and, asa rule, these impacts are not well understood by governments andcompanies.

• High levels of mining environmental dread (6): Worldwide, theperception of mining companies tends to be of a highly pollutingindustry. Lack of understanding of modern mining practices caneasily be manipulated and misunderstood. The use of cyanide ingold mining appeared particularly likely to cause problems of per-ception.

• Legacy issues (4): Many concessions that were the focus of con-troversies had a history of poor practice, and several companies

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

June/July 2007 45

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

3. Media and NGOs

The power of perception and the media also proved to be impor-tant drivers of conflict in more than half of our case studies. Whatmade these important issues were two things:• The amount of misinformation about mining environmental

issues—especially the fear over acid rock drainage and the use ofcyanide that exists generally.

• The willingness of some NGOs to distort information and ignorevery considerable efforts companies were directing towardssocially responsible practices.

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

MATCHING COMPANY PRACTICE TO CONTEXT

We did find cases of Canadian-registered companies that did notappear to place enough emphasis on building relationships with localpeople and ensuring that there was a balance between impacts andbenefits 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 appropriatepractices to the contextual issues they faced.

Community engagement was clearly a priority for most compa-nies; however, unsuccessful engagement strategies aggravated atleast seven cases. Key challenges included: identification of the fullrange of stakeholders; timing and transparency of the processes; andeffective communication concerning the technical aspects of proj-ects. Sometimes groups that didn’t initially appear to be impactedturned out to have important concerns or strong political allies. Onthe other hand, successful engagement practice was a mitigator infour cases.

Managing security in situations of militarization and impunityproved to be a developing art (and is also one around which bestpractice guidelines are constantly evolving). Cases involving securityabuses committed by government agents showed that it is not nec-essary for company employees to be directly involved in humanrights abuses for the company to be widely suspected of complicity.However, there were some leading-edge practices demonstrated bycompanies that had encountered challenges in this area includingpioneering approaches to Human Rights Impact Assessment and col-laborating with indigenous rights groups to build capacity in humanrights protection among all army personnel operating in the area.

Although environmental issues appeared at first sight to be driv-ing many conflicts, on closer inspection, only two cases seemed trulyto be driven by environmental concerns. In many cases, the environ-mental complaint appeared to surface because it was seen as morelegitimate than underlying concerns over the distribution of benefits.Good environmental practice was identified as a mitigator of conflictin two cases.

We also observed many companies struggling to manage corrup-tion, design and implement resettlement plans, and mitigate environ-mental impacts. They found that these issues are difficult to get com-pletely right and that relatively small failures can create big problems.

On a more positive note, development practice appeared to havea mitigating effect in eight cases. Successful strategies includedassisting communities to develop governance and civic engagementcapacity, 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 specificallyselected for the high profile of criticisms against them was the levelof excellence of practice we observed. Several companies we studiedmet or exceeded best practice guidelines in security practices, in localdevelopment planning initiatives (often with assistance from devel-opment NGOs and in concert with government agencies and com-

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


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

In these cases, either the companies had responded effectively tocomplaints from local stakeholders or in fact (in some cases) theimputed causes for concern had neverexisted and complaints appeared to haveemerged as a result of outside interferenceand political concerns. In either case, therewas no recognition by some NGOs of theconsiderable successes of many of the com-panies in providing both short- and long-term benefits to the communities aroundtheir mining operations.

WEBSITES THAT GIVE THE COMPANY VIEW EFFECTIVELY

A key challenge that we found in ourresearch was that most companies providelittle information on their websites to counter the amount of misin-formation being spread about their projects. Companies’ risk commu-nication strategies need to be cognizant of the power of misinforma-tion in shaping public perception and distorting facts.

There were, however, companies that had made our investigativetask very easy. They had easily navigable websites, menus that walkedus through the key issues at their sites, and their responses. They hadfull text copies of environmental impact studies and resettlementplans available for download, and they had links to independent doc-uments about their projects. The best sites were available in local lan-guages and some even included quotations from their opponents. Wealso found investment sites that recognized the value of these piecesof 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 informa-tion from various sources and to identify misrepresentations aboutthe company. It swept away the images of contaminated pristinerural villages and replaced them with a reality of 2,000 years of poorlymanaged communist mining, which would be left considerablycleaner. This company had already invested $9 million in restoringRoman mining galleries and had one of the most impressive resettle-ment packages we had ever seen.

THE WAY FORWARDClearly, action is needed on a number of fronts if Canadian com-

panies are to be supported in their efforts to implement responsiblemining practice. When operating in foreign jurisdictions, companiesare often in situations where responsible practice is not the norm andthe playing field seems to favour less responsible companies.

A key desire expressed by companies was for the Canadian gov-ernment to support the host governments where they do business, inthe form of capacity building and implementation of regulations thatsupport responsible companies. There are already examples ofCanadian support for improved environmental and social protectionabroad, such as the PERCAN initiative in Peru.

The site-specific nature of social responsibility and human rightsissues suggest that voluntary approaches will, for the present, bemore satisfactory in most cases than legal instruments. A variety ofapproaches for overcoming challenges faced by Canadian explorationand mining companies have been identified during the roundtableprocess, and we discuss some of these instruments in our written sub-

mission (Odell & Silva, 2006). For instance, an ombudsman may rep-resent a viable mechanism for addressing complaints against compa-nies over their practices abroad. This mechanism would provide inde-pendent assessment of situations in which sources of misinformation

and underlying issues could potentially be uncovered. An ombudsmanapproach could also assist companies that are unfairly accused ofpoor practice by some NGOs.

Overall, we noted that all of the case studies involved importantcontextual drivers. In all but one of the situations, poor governance,including corruption, played an important factor. On February 10 thisyear, the Canadian government announced official support for theExtractive Industries Transparency Initiative—a World Bank initiativethat requires mining and exploration companies to publish details ofall payments made to public bodies in association with their projectswithin the national jurisdiction (Department of Finance, 2007). It isan important step in the fight against the corruption that is attractedto the revenues of mining. Canada also donated funds to assist devel-oping nations to implement the initiative.

Also in this vein, companies have demonstrated an increasinginterest in improved information to better understand the socialand political risks of the situations they operate in. There are manyinternational standards and principles out there, for example: IFCPerformance Standards, OECD Guidelines, Voluntary Principles onSecurity and Human Rights, the Global Reporting Initiative, and theEquator Principles. Because no standard meets all criteria, it wouldbe desirable to draw from different standards sets in order todevelop a comprehensive CSR framework that could address therealities of today. This would enable companies to design moreeffective approaches to their site-specific situations and, at thesame time, encourage flexibility and ethical practice while avoidingunnecessary 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 practicemanaged by PDAC. The PDAC has also moved forward with the develop-ment of a management framework for applying good corporate socialresponsibility (CSR) practice in the specific context of mining explorationand development. This was unveiled in a short course prior to the PDACconference in March and was enthusiastically discussed by participants.

Echoing the above, the final report from the roundtables wasreleased on March 29 this year. Key recommendations include thedevelopment of a Canadian CSR framework based initially on existinginternational standards and new reporting requirements. In addition,there will be a new ombudsman to provide advice and fact-findingservices regarding Canadian companies, backed up by a tripartite

On a more positive note,development practice appeared to have

a mitigating effect in eight cases. Successful strategies included assisting communitiesto develop governance and civic engagement capacity, participatory planning, and infrastructure development.

June/July 2007 47

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

Overall one thing is clear—Canadian extractive companies areunder the spotlight and it is up to them to show the world that it ispossible to develop successful mining projects responsibly. As some ofour 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 areachieving and learning around the world about how to mine in waysthat bring benefits rather than hardship to local communities.

REFERENCESDepartment of Finance (2007). Canada’s new government supports an interna-tional initiative to improve governance in resource-rich countries. News release.

National Roundtable on Corporate Social Responsibility (2007). Advisory groupreport of the National Roundtables on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)and the Canadian extractive industry in developing countries: Department ofForeign Affairs and International Trade Canada (DFAIT). Available athttp://geo.international.gc.ca/cip-pic/current_discussions/csr-roundtables-en.asp.

Natural Resources Canada (2005). 2004 mining yearbook: Canada’s globalmining presence. Toronto: Natural Resources Canada.

Odell, C., & Silva, A.C. (2006). Mining exploration, corporate social responsibil-ity 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.

CIM

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

Carol Odell is an independent consultantworking with mining companies, governments,and communities impacted by/benefiting frommining operations. Currently a doctoral candi-date at the Norman B. Keevil Institute ofMining Engineering at the University of BritishColumbia researching the environmental andsocial outcomes of mining operations, she isundertaking doctoral fieldwork with a networkof communities neighbouring mining opera-tions in Peru.

Ana Carolina Silva is an independent con-sultant based in Vancouver, Canada, with expe-rience in a variety of projects in Canada andLatin America related to environmental impactassessments, risk management, policy analysis,and multi-stakeholder consultation. Currentlyin the final stages of her PhD at the Norman B.Keevil Institute of Mining Engineering at theUniversity of British Columbia, Carolina hasbeen involved with the development of eco-nomic, social, and environmental indicators forevaluating the life cycle impacts of metals.

Ana Carolina Silva

Carol Odell

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


En réaction à un bulletin parlementaire sur la responsabi litésociale des entreprises, le Gouvernement du Canada, par l’entremisedu ministère des Affaires étrangères et du Commerce international(MAECI), a récemment tenu quatre tables rondes sur les pratiques dessociétés canadiennes du secteur de l’extraction dans les pays endéveloppement. Ces tables rondes ont été tenues à Vancouver, àCalgary, à Toronto et à Montréal, de juin à novembre 2006; ellesimpliquaient des organisations non gouvernementales (ONG), desassociations industrielles, des experts et des membres de la sociétécivile. Si vous étiez propriétaire d’une compagnie minière oud’exploration canadienne ou si vous travailliez pour une tellecompagnie, la situation n’était pas confortable. La majorité desprésentations décrivait les compagnies minières comme étant rapaceset âpres au gain et, au mieux, insensibles (au pire, criminellementresponsables) concernant les impacts odieux de leurs activités sur lespopulations locales appauvries à l’étranger. Alors, quelle est la vérité

Les explorateursaux premières lignes

La vérité sur les plaintes concernant les droits

de la personne et la responsabilité sociale

des entreprises minières

par Carol Odell et Ana Carolina Silva

derrière ces manchettes? Quels sont les moteurs des situationsconflictuelles impliquant les compagnies canadiennes? L’Associationcanadienne des prospecteurs et entrepreneurs (PDAC) nous amandatées pour le découvrir (Odell & Silva, 2006)1; nous présentons iciun sommaire de notre analyse et de nos conclusions2.

NOTRE MISSIONNotre mission était de rechercher dans l’Internet les controverses et

les conflits les plus significatifs impliquant des compagnies minièrescanadiennes. Nous nous sommes aussi assurées que toutes les phasesdu cycle minier étaient incluses. L’échantillon final comporte 11 études

1 Voir texte anglais pour les références.2 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.

June/July 2007 49

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

SOURCES DE CONTROVERSESNous avons trouvé deux principales sources de controverses : les

sources contextuelles, soit les paramètres politiques,sociaux et environnementaux sur lesquels les compa -gnies n’avaient aucun contrôle direct, et les pratiquesdes compagnies, soit les actions contrôlées par lescompagnies qui ont contribué à une situation de con-flit ou qui l’ont atténuées.

Les sources contextuelles se subdivisent en troisdomaines :

Les gouvernements hôtes jouent un rôle importantdans le domaine de la gouvernance et les caractéris-tiques générales de gouvernance et de cadre réglemen-taire aggravaient souvent les conflits.

Corruption : la vaste majorité (9) des pays oùavaient lieu des conflits montraient une très grandeperception de corruption. La corruption entrave le fluxde bénéfices des mines vers les communautés localeset crée un environnement de méfiance.

Changements réglementaires récents : Dix payspromouvaient des investissements étrangers et desrégimes fonciers sécurisés qui n’étaient pas toujourscompatibles avec les meilleures pratiques environ-nementales et de gestion sociale. Les communautésdoutent ainsi de la capacité et de la volonté des gou-vernements à les protéger.

Militarisation et impunité : Sept cas conduisaientvers une tendance à des actions violentes de la part de la police et desforces armées. Tous les problèmes dans les cas à l’étude impliquaientdes actions effectuées par des agents gouvernementaux plutôt quepar des agents sous la surveillance directe de la compagnie.

Le domaine social est caractérisé par des enjeux sociaux préex-istants :

Mineurs artisanaux (3) : Des mineurs exploitent à petite échelle lamême ressource que les grandes compagnies; ils travaillent souventillégalement, compliquant les stratégies de réinstallation et d’em-bauche.

Populations autochtones (5) : Le statut des personnesautochtones varie grandement. Les controverses touchent l’interpré-tation du consentement exigé par les conventions internationales. Lespropriétés foncières collectives compliquent aussi les questions deréinstallation.

Agriculture de subsistance : Les législations en faveur de l’ex-ploitation minière affectent les modes de vie traditionnels; les gou-vernements et les compagnies comprennent souvent mal les impacts.

Peur élevée des environnements miniers : Les mines sontperçues mondialement comme une industrie grandement polluante.Le manque de compréhension des méthodes modernes d’exploitationpeut être facilement manipulé. L’utilisation de cyanure causerait lesplus gros problèmes de perception.

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

Dans le domaine des médias et des ONG, le pouvoir de perceptionest aussi une importante source de conflit dans plus de la moitié descas, notamment :

La désinformation quant aux questions d’environnement minier– surtout la peur du drainage minier acide et de l’utilisation de cya-nure.

Fausses informations : Quelques ONG faussent les informationset ignorent les efforts des compagnies d’exploitation d’utiliser despratiques socialement responsables.

PRATIQUES DES COMPAGNIESCertaines compagnies enregistrées au Canada ne semblaient pas

mettre assez d’emphase sur les relations avec les populations localeset l’équilibre entre les impacts et les bénéfices aux communautés.L’engagement communautaire est clairement une priorité pour la plu-part des compagnies; cependant, les manques à cet égard touchaientsurtout l’identification des intervenants, la séquence et la trans-parence des procédés et des communications efficaces concernant lesaspects techniques des projets. Il arrivait parfois que des groupes quine semblaient pas affectés avaient des préoccupations sérieuses oude forts alliés politiques.

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Les stratégies de communication des risques des sociétés minières doivent tenir compte de la façon dont lesexperts et les travailleurs comprennent les risques liés à l’environnement. Photo fournie par Ana Carolina Silva*


La gestion de la sécurité s’est avérée être un art. Des cas d’abus desécurité par des agents gouvernementaux ont démontré que les com-pagnies pouvaient être soupçonnées de complicité même si sesemployés n’étaient pas directement impliqués. Certaines compagniesjouaient un rôle d’avant-garde en travaillant avec les groupesindigènes pour les droits de la personne.

Seulement deux cas de conflit découlaient directement de préoc-cupations environnementales; les plaintes environnementales fai-saient surface parce qu’elles semblaient plus légitimes que les enjeuxsous-jacents de distribution des bénéfices. De plus, plusieurs compa -gnies travaillaient fort pour gérer la corruption, les plans de réinstalla-tion et les impacts environnementaux; elles ont découvert que desmanquements même relativement mineurs peuvent créer de grosproblèmes.

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

SITES WEB QUI DONNENT L’HEURE JUSTELes sites Web de la plupart des compagnies fournissent peu d’in-

formation pour contrer les désinformations qui circulent concernantleurs projets. Les compagnies doivent être conscientes du pouvoir dela désinformation à former la perception du public et à fausser lesfaits. Par contre, plusieurs compagnies ont des sites Web faciles à na -viguer; elles y présentent des copies des études d’impact environ-nemental et des plans de réinstallation.

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

ALLER DE L’AVANTLes compagnies canadiennes se retrouvent souvent dans des

situa tions où les pratiques responsables ne sont pas la norme. Ellesvoudraient que le Gouvernement canadien soutienne les gouverne-ments où elles ont des intérêts par le développement des capacités etla mise en place de réglementations qui supportent les compagniesresponsables. L’initiative PERCAN au Pérou est un bon exemple.

Les questions de responsabilité sociale et de droits de la personnesont souvent spécifiques à un site; dans de nombreux cas, lesapproches 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 pourtraiter des plaintes contre les compagnies en fournissant une évalua-tion indépendante des situations.

Le 10 février dernier, le Gouvernement canadien a annoncé qu’ilsoutenait officiellement l’Initiative relative à la transparence desindustries extractives – une initiative de la Banque mondiale qui exigeque les compagnies d’exploration et d’exploitation publient tous lesdétails des paiements effectués à des agences publiques dans le cadrede 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 marsdernier. Les principales recommandations comprennent le développe-

ment d’un cadre pour la Responsabilité sociale des entreprises baséesur les normes internationales existantes et sur les nouvelles exi-gences de divulgation.

Une chose est toutefois claire – les entreprises canadiennes d’ex-traction sont sous les feux de la rampe et elles doivent montrer aumonde qu’il est possible de développer des projets miniers demanière responsable, en apportant des bénéfices plutôt que des pro -blèmes aux communautés locales. CIM

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

L’agriculture de subsistance est la principale activité de nombreuses commu-nautés à proximité de chantiers et projets miniers. Photo fournie par IanThompson, On Common Ground*

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

CIM welcomes new members

A look back in time35 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 HantsportOperations (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 FederalDepartment of Energy, Mines and Resources. The school received $92,000in the first year of a five-year study of slope stability factors in mining exca-vations.

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

cim newsCIM Student Posterwinners

The CIM Student Poster competitionat the CIM Conference and Exhibitionin Montreal was a demonstration of thehigh calibre of individuals studying infields related to our industries. Thougha handful were selected as winners, theoverall poster display was a message toindustry that its operations of tomorrowwill be in good hands.

This year’s winners were:

GraduateFirst place: Oliver Coté-Mantha,PhD Candidate, UQACThe Polymetallic MineralizationSystem of the Line Lake Area,Chibougamau, QuebecSecond place: Geoff Capes,PhD Candidate, University ofSaskatchewanDevelopment and Application of

Empirical Design Tools for Open StopeDesign at the Xstrata Zinc George FisherMine, Mount Isa, Queensland, AustraliaThird place: Ned A. Jalil,Master’s, Queen’s UniversityBell Copper Property

UndergraduateFirst place: Devin Wilson, Queen’sUniversityMaximizing the NPV ofan Open Pit throughRamp Placement andSequencingSecond place:Joe Brunelle,Queen’s UniversityResource Estimation of Messina’s“Boomerang” DepositThird place: Maarten Van Koppen,Queen’s UniversityAnsil Deposit Revisited

Congratulations to this year’s winners!

Oliver Coté-Mantha

Ansley, Dan, British ColumbiaArmstrong, Edward, USAAune, Jim, ManitobaBader, Adrian J., AlbertaBeaufils, Alexandre, QuébecBrisebois, Pete M., AlbertaBroddy, Tom, British ColumbiaBrosig, Daniel, OntarioBrown, Ivan, AlbertaBrown, Jami, OntarioCase, Cory, QuébecChan, Stanley S.C., QuébecColwell, Trevor, Nova ScotiaDarling, George B., OntarioDe Guise, Andre, NewfoundlandDel Hoyo, Carlos H., British ColumbiaDiFabrizio, Jeffrey Mitchell, QuébecDixon, Dennis, OntarioDregischan, Marty, OntarioDuff, Oryan, ManitobaEvangelista, Dario, QuébecFitch, Amanda, QuébecFontaine, Michel, QuébecFrye, William (Art), British ColumbiaFurlong, Amanda, OntarioFuzi, Ryan, British ColumbiaGandush, B., MongoliaGoad, Bruce, British ColumbiaHaig, Peter, AustraliaHeck, Michael, British ColumbiaHolben, Rob, SaskatchewanHoque, Mohammad Zahirul, OntarioJeffs, Tracey, OntarioJoncas, Luc, QuébecKeats, Willie, Newfoundland and LabradorKgoboko, Francisco Malesela, BotswanaKoufos, Katarina, QuébecLacaille, Andre, Québec

Lamontagne, Eric, QuébecLeSergent, Cliff, AlbertaLovas, Dustin, AlbertaMacLeod, Bryan, SaskatchewanMcCarthy, Robert, British ColumbiaMcCleery, Jason, British ColumbiaMcMullen, Pierre, OntarioMichaud, Xavier D., Nova ScotiaMillington, Barry, Nova ScotiaMing, Sun Xi, ChinaMohamed, Bouna Aly, QuébecMorin, Éric, QuébecMurphy, F. Marlin, British ColumbiaNewton, Andrew, Nova ScotiaNolan, Glenn K., OntarioPolk, Allen, British ColumbiaPottle-Fewer, Karen, Newfoundland

and LabradorRamcharan, Andrew J., USAReeb, Terri-Lynn, AlbertaRicci, Sebastien, QuébecRomero, Antonia, ColumbiaSlade, James, AlbertaSmith, Vanessa, QuébecSong, Xinyu, ChinaSwain, Nicole, SaskatchewanSzwedska, Nicolas, QuébecTeskey, Dennis, OntarioTremblay, Michel, QuébecVakasovich, Jim, AlbertaWang, Huajian, OntarioWilliams, Jasmine, QuébecWilliamson, Cathy, SaskatchewanWoods, Jeffrey, USAXu, Tao, AlbertaZhu, Guotao (Tom), OntarioZhu, Zhi Jun, Québec

June/July 2007 51

Devin Wilson

The Canadian Mining andMetallurgical Foundation held itsannual general meeting at the CIMConference and Exhibition in Montrealon May 1. As is the norm, education wasthe key focus of the meeting and a newscholarship was announced.

“The Foundation would like to getmore people involved, and to thatextent we were very pleased with thefirst-ever proxy response for our annualmeeting that was held during the CIMconference in Montreal,” said CMMFchairman Glenn Clark.

New bylaws have been accepted forthe CMMF—Clark said they are a revi-sion of the original bylaws created whenthe Foundation received its charter in1972. Very little has been changed fromthe original, however, they have beenmade politically correct. A couple itemshave been better defined, such as whoconstitutes a member of the Foundationand has the right to vote. “With the newbylaws, anyone that has donated at least$25 over the last three years is a votingmember of the Foundation,” explainedClark.

At the meeting, Joshua Leon, dean,Faculty of Engineering, Dalhousie, andPierre Lafleur, director of studies andtraining, and Bernard Lamarre, presi-dent, École Polytechnique presentedinsights on the problems of studentenrollment today, and a lively discus-sion ensued. “Unfortunately, thereseems to be no simple answer to attract-ing students,” Clark added. As one steptowards drawing students to minerals-related programs, a new scholarship isbeing set up by the Foundation in thememory of the late Don Hurd, a long-time supporter who very generously lefta substantial bequest to the Foundation.

The Foundation is now at a stagewhere it has the opportunity to do morein the line of education, both directlywith the students and members of CIM,as well as education for the public onthe benefits of the minerals industry to

Canada and society. “The Foundationwould like to be able to expand on theseideas further and there seems to be noend to the needs of the community,”Clark said.

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

income from a million dollars is notwhat it used to be, as everything is somuch more expensive. So a new goal of$10 million has been set, to enable moresupport for educational programs.

Clark has been a director of theFoundation for some time, having firstjoined from his past position asChairman of the CIM EducationCommittee. “Originally, the Foundationcarried out limited programs that werefunded by donations, mostly from LifeMembers, however it did not allow theFoundation to be very active,” herecalled. Two years ago when the presi-dent resigned his position, Clark was

Joseph Wilfrid Comeau became amember of CIM in 1959 and a lifemember in 1998. He passed away onApril 25, 2007.

Alan George Perry joined CIM in1967 and became a life member in1993.

Eric Alfred Swanson became a CIMmember in 1953 and a life memberin 1985.

ObituariesCIM expresses its sincere condolences to the families and friends of the

following members:

honoured to be nominated. “Especiallyat that time, when it appeared that wewere going to have more money to workwith,” he added. “I have been interestedin the role we can play in educating thestudents and the community in generalregarding the resource industries, espe-

cially mining. I feel that if possible,everyone should give back to the com-munity and if I can help, then that iswhat I will do.”

Clark was quick to highlight there’s awhole group of dedicated people givingtheir time to running the Foundation.“The directors all volunteer their timeand expenses to be on the Board ofTrustees,” he said. “We are helpedimmensely by the staff at CIM, especiallyby Serge Major, our energetic and effec-tive Secretary-Treasurer, who also volun-teers his time to the Foundation. Withoutthe help from CIM, it would be difficult toget as much done as we do.” CIM

Tragically on May 17, Frank andJoe Grieco, along with pilot Max

Hudson, were killed in a plane crash.Frank and Joe were general managersof P.R. Engineering and long-timeactive members of CIM. Joe joinedCIM in 1975 and Frank, in 1982. Inhonour of Frank, a past chair of theCIM Toronto Branch, the CIM/CMPAnnual Golf Day has been renamedthe Frank Grieco Memorial.


cim news

New scholarship and more at CMMF AGM

“I feel that if possible, everyone should give back to the community”

— G. Clark

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

February 24 to 28, 2008

www.cim.org/memo2008

2020

2020

towards

Workingtogether

versTravaillerensemble

Le succès d’une conférence repose en majeure partie sur la qualitédes présentations qui y sont offertes. C’est sous le thème deTravaillons ensemble vers 2020 que les experts en exploitation etmaintenance minière sont appelés à venir partager leur expertise surdifférents 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 3sessions qui se dérouleront en parallèle. Les présentations seront de30 minutes, incluant une période de questions. Vous êtes donc invitésà soumettre vos articles par le biais du site internet. Les résumésdevront nous parvenir au plus tard le 24 août 2007.

The success of a conference is directly related to the quality of thepresentations offered. The conference theme Working TogetherTowards 2020 invites operations and maintenance experts to sharetheir expertise on various subjects such as:

Production

Maintenance

Improvement, innovation, and research

The three-day technical program will be divided into three parallelsessions. Presentations are limited to 30 minutes, including a questionperiod. Submit your articles directly through our website; please noteabstracts must be received no later than August 24, 2007.

June/July 2007 53

Upcoming 2007 Seminars• Mineral project evaluation techniques and applications: From conven-

tional methods to real options September 11–14, MontrealMichel Bilodeau, McGill University, Canada and Michael Samis, AMEC,Canada

Learn the basics of economic/financial evaluation techniques, as well as thepractical implementation of these techniques to mineral project assess-ments. Learn:

• How to gain a practical understanding of economic/financial evaluationprinciples.

• How to develop the skills necessary to apply these to support mineral proj-ect decisions.

• About the real options approach to valuing mining projects.

• Geostatistical mineral resource/ore reserve estimation and meeting thenew regulatory environment: Step by step from sampling to grade controlSeptember 24–28, MontrealMichel 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/reservesthrough state-of-the-art statistical and geostatistical techniques. Learn howto:

• Apply geostatistics to predict dilution and adapt reserve estimates to thatpredicted dilution.

• Learn how geostatistics can help you categorize your resources in an objec-tive manner.

• Understand principles of NI43-101 and SME Guide.

• Theory and practice of sampling particulate materials October 1-3, MontrealDominique 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 aboutthe consequences of bad sampling and the difficulties of good sampling.

• The unsuspected amplitude of economic ramifications of poor sampling.

STRATEGIC RISK QUANTIFICATION

and MANAGEMENT for ORE RESERVES

and MINE PLANNING

Upcoming 2008 Seminars

• Applied risk assessment for ore reserves and mine planning: Conditionalsimulation for the mining industryMay, MontrealRoussos Dimitrakopoulos, McGill University, Canada

• Strategic risk management and applied optimization in mine designMay, MontrealDavid Whittle, BHP Billiton, Australia; Roussos Dimitrakopoulos, McGillUniversity, Canada; and Manuel Arre, Gemcom Software Int., Canada

• Computer simulation and animation for the mining industry: Minedesign, mine planning and equipment selection June, MontrealJohn Sturgul, University of Idaho, USA

2007PROFESSIONALDEVELOPMENTSeminar Series

For information please contact:Delores LaPrattDepartment of Mining, Metals and Materials EngineeringMcGill University, Montreal, QCEmail: [email protected]: 514.398.4755, ext. 089638Fax: 514.398.7099Website: www.cim.org

For registration please contact:Chantal MurphyMeeting Coordinator, CIMSuite 855, 3400 de Maisonneuve Blvd., WMontreal, QC H3Z 3B8Email: [email protected]: 514.939.2710, ext. 1309Fax: 514.939.2714Website: www.cim.org

Mining Engineering


CIM EVENTSThe 46th Conference of Metallurgists (COM 2007)and the 6th International Copper/Cobre Conference(Cu2007) August 25-29Toronto, OntarioContact: Brigitte Farah, MetSoc of CIMTel.: 514.939.2710, ext. 1329Fax: 514.939.9160Email: [email protected]

Calgary Branch Technical Meetingwith Guest SpeakerSeptember 12Calgary, AlbertaContact: Andrew HickinbothamTel.: 403.267.3891Email: [email protected]

World Gold 2007In conjunction with AusIMM and SAIMMOctober 22-24Cairns, AustraliaContact: Alison McKenzie, AusIMMTel.: +61.3.9662.3166Fax: +61.3.9662.3662 Email: [email protected]: www.ausimm.com

CMP40th Annual Canadian Mineral Processors Operators’Conference/40e Conférence des minéralurgistes du CanadaJanuary 22-24, 2008Ottawa, OntarioContact: Janice Zinck Tel.: 613.995.4221Fax: 613.996.9041Email: [email protected]: www.c-m-p.on.ca

MEMOMaintenence Engineering-Mine Operators’ Conference/Colloque sur l’ingénierie de maintenance et les exploitationsminièresFebruary 24-28, 2008Val-d’Or, QuébecContact: Chantal Murphy, CIMTel.: 514.939.2710, ext. 1309Fax: 514.939.2714Email: [email protected]

CIM Conference and Exhibition—Edmonton 2008May 4-7, 2008Edmonton, AlbertaContact: Chantal Murphy, CIMTel.: 514.939.2710, ext. 1309Fax: 514.939.2714Email: [email protected]

AROUND THE WORLD9th SGA Biennial MeetingAugust 20-24Dublin, IrelandContact: Gerry StanleyTel.: +353.1.6677188Email: [email protected]

Discrete Element Methods ‘07August 27-29Brisbane, AustraliaContact: B.A. WillsTel.: +44.7768.234121Fax: +44.1326.318352Email: [email protected]: www.min-eng.com/conferences

Equator Principles & IFC Performance StandardsImpacts on Mining Projects & FinanceAugust 29London, United KingdomContact: Mehrdad NazariTel.: 715.355.0141Email: [email protected]

Precious Metals ‘07August 30Brisbane, AustraliaContact: B.A. WillsTel.: +44.7768.234121Fax: +44.1326.318352Email: [email protected]: www.min-eng.com/conferences

Modular Course in Structure, Tectonics, and MineralExploration (field-based)September 1-15Sudbury, OntarioContact: Bruno LafranceTel.: 705.675.1151, ext. 2264Fax: 705.675.4898Email: [email protected]

IV Mining Plant Maintenance Meeting—MAPLA 2007September 5-7Viña del Mar, ChileContact: Amada PlazaTel.: +56.2.652.1521Fax: +56.2.652.1570Email: [email protected]: www.mapla.cl

SIMINERA 2007 September 18-21San Juan, Argentina Contact: Axel ArancibiaTel.: 54.11.4328.5886 Fax: 54.11.4328.5859 Email: [email protected]: http://www.siminera.com.ar

Canadian Dam Association 2007 Annual Conference September 22-27St. John’s, NewfoundlandContact: Paul PorterTel.: 709.726.4490Fax: 709.726.4499Email: [email protected]: www.cda.ca C

AL

EN

DA

R

June/July 2007 55

CIM Conference and ExhibitionEdmonton, AlbertaMay 4 to 7, 2008

Call for papers

The CIM Conference and Exhibition is your opportunity to shareknowledge 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, oppor-tunities for innovation, and developments of the minerals industry inCanada and globally through five focused streams.

People Human resources, community relationships,partnership development

Projects Expansions, new operations under constructionor recently entered into production, improve-ment projects

Processes Technology development and improvement formineral processing, and effective ideas on howto ‘do things better’ for a healthier bottom lineand a richer environment

Places Exploration camps, hotbeds of mining activity,and getting the needed equipment and suppliesto site

Products New equipment and cleaner energy and commodities

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

Abstract submission deadline is September 30.

2008

www.cim.org/edmonton2008

Congrès et Salon commercial de l’ICMEdmonton, Albertadu 4 au 7 mai

Demande de communications

Le Congrès et Salon commercial de l’ICM est l’occasion par excellence departager des connaissances et des idées avec vos collègues de toutel’industrie minérale. Vous pouvez soumettre des résumés dès maintenantpour le congrès de l’an prochain à Edmonton, en Alberta. Le programmetechnique reflètera les principaux défis, occasions d’innovation etdéveloppements de l’industrie minérale au Canada et à travers lemonde, répartis selon cinq volets principaux.

Les gens : les ressources humaines, les relations avec lescommunautés, le développement de partenariats

Les projets : les expansions, les nouvelles exploitations enconstruction ou qui viennent d’entrer en produc-tion, les projets d’amélioration

Les procédés: le développement et l’amélioration des technologiesde traitement des minerais et des idées efficacessur comment «faire mieux» pour de meilleurs béné-fices et un environnement plus en santé

Les lieux : les camps d’exploration, les points chauds del’activité minière et le transport des équipementset des approvisionnements requis aux sites

Les produits : les nouveaux équipements ainsi que des biens etde l’énergie plus propres

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

La date de tombée des résumés est le 30 septembre.

2008

www.cim.org/edmonton2008

You are invited to the 46thAnnual Conference ofMetallurgists, Canada’s foremostannual meeting on minerals, met-als, and materials, which will beheld from August 25 to 30, 2007,at the Fairmont Royal York Hotelin Toronto, Ontario.

This year’s conference promises tobe a major event as COM2007

has the unique honour, for the first time since 1991, to host the InternationalCopper–Cobre Conference (Cu2007) with the 37th Annual HydrometallurgyMeeting of the Hydrometallurgy Section of MetSoc.

Cu2007, with its eight symposia on the theme of copper, is co-organized by six lead-ing international professional societies: MetSoc of CIM, IIMCh of Chile, GDMB ofGermany, MMIJ of Japan, and TMS and SME, both of the United States.

Cu2007 will bring together global leadership in business, operations, technology, andresearch from around the world for this unique forum that only occurs every fouryears. Plenary speakers will be senior executives of Xstrata Copper, NorddeutscheAffinerie, Nippon Mining, Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc., Teck Cominco, andIIMCh. Technical sessions, with approximately 330 technical presentations, will addresskey issues in: economics and markets; mineral processing; electrowinning and elec-trorefining; pyrometallurgy (The Carlos M. Díaz Symposium); hydrometallurgy (TheJohn 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 met-als in transport applications, a topic well suited to southeastern Ontario, a major cen-tre of both the aerospace industries.

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

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

A conference to be remembered!

Chris Twigge-MoleceyCu2007 Conference Chair

Joël KapustaCOM2007 Conference Chair


www.cu2007.orgwww.metsoc.org/com2007

Co-organizing Societies

Premium

Corporate

Event

Benjamin Berrigan,Sponsors and Contributors

Thanks to oursponsors

Companions ProgramThe conference has prepared daily tours from the bustling city to the countryside of Niagara Falls.

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

This tour will highlight Toronto’s landmarks. Startingoff in Toronto’s financial district, the tour includes avisit to the tallest freestanding building in the world,the CN Tower. Then, it’s off to Yorkville for lunchbefore continuing on with the City Discovery Tourthrough a patchwork of distinctive neighbourhoods(such as Kensington Market, China Town, and LittleItaly) that are home to 2.5 million people, whoamong them speak over 100 languages.

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

Travel by luxury motorcoach while enjoying insightful commentary en route toNiagara including historical, cultural, and geographical highlights of this spectacu-lar region. Enjoy the scenic drive along the Niagara Parkway and through the pic-turesque, 19th century town of Niagara-on-the Lake. If time permits, there willbe time for shopping.

Toronto Shopping Frenzy Wednesday, August 29Time: 9:00 am – 1:00 pmCost: $30.00 per person

The first stop is the Sherway Gardens, a suburban shopping paradise which willplease 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 partici-pants the exclusivity of a butler on-call service, which will allow you to call a tourescort to secure any purchased gifts so you may continue shopping at yourleisure.

Maureen Stubina,Companions Program Coordinator

June/July 2007 59

Yasuo Tamura,Representative of Japan

Akio Fuwa, Representative of Japan

Norbert L. Piret, Representative of Germany


Nathan Stubina,Short Courses

Representatives

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

AGM and Awards Luncheon On Monday, August 27, the society will hold its Annual GeneralMeeting and will honour its outstanding members by presentationof the Society Awards. The luncheon, sponsored by Air Liquide,will feature the inauguration of the new Metallurgical Society pres-ident.

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

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

Copper Banquet On Tuesday evening, August 28, the Cu2007 OrganizingCommittee invites you to the traditional Copper Banquet, whichis sponsored by Norddeutsche Affinerie AG.

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

Electrowinning and Electrorefining of CopperThis two-day course will review topics concerned withthe EW and ER of copper, and will contain a panel discus-sion at the end of the session.

Industrial Energy ManagementThis two-day course is designed to develop a betterunderstanding of approaches related to the identification,quantification, and analysis of energy management oppor-tunities. Case studies will be presented and participantsare encouraged to raise energy management issues con-cerning their facilities. This course would be beneficial tocorporate and plant managers, engineers and technolo-gists involved in the development and implementation ofenergy management and/or environmental pollution con-trol programs, and in the implementation of energy man-agement strategies.

Pyrometallurgy of Copper with a Focus on ConvertingThis two-day course provides an overview of recentadvances in the field of PS converting and new develop-ments in continuous converting. Associated topics such asgas cleaning and process economics will also be discussed.The course is designed for plant personnel, plant manage-ment, consultants, and researchers interested in this topic.

The Hydrometallurgy of Copper ConcentratesThe objective of this two-day course is to discuss newdevelopments in the area of copper concentrate leachingand associated technologies. Learn about new develop-ments and “network” with others who have similar tech-nical/commercial interests.

Processing of Aqueous Effluents in the CopperIndustryThis intensive one-day course is designed for plant oper-ating engineers and environmental personnel working inthe copper industry. It is intended to provide a basicunderstanding and overview of the various aspects ofaqueous effluent treatment as applied to day-to-dayoperation of waste water treatment facilities. This coursewill also be of particular interest to environmental man-agers, plant operators, researchers, and chemists.

ProceedingsHardcover bound proceedings for the major sym-posia will be available for sale at the conferencebookstore during the meeting. Orders can be pre-paid through the conference registration form; forthose not attending the conference, there is a $40per book charge for shipping and handling.

RegistrationDelegate registration fees include admission to the technical

sessions and a copy of the conference program guide. Banquet tickets must bereserved and are on a first come–first served basis. Additional fees may applydepending on your registration category (see registration form for further details).

Ron Schonewille, Publications

Industrial ToursIndustrial tours will take place on Thursday and Friday following the technicalsessions of the conference. Tours include transportation, flights, accommoda-tions, and meals where indicated (see exact schedule and inclusions on thewebsite). For additional information on all tours, please contact Sina Kashani-Nejad at [email protected].

Pyrometallurgy Tour 1Kidd Creek Smelter, Xstrata, TimminsHorne Smelter, Xstrata, Rouyn-Noranda

Pyrometallurgy Tour 2Sudbury Smelter, XstrataCopper Cliff, CVRD Inco, Sudbury

Hydrometallurgy TourCCR Refinery, Xstrata, MontrealCanadian Electrolytic Zinc (CEZ), Salaberry-de-ValleyfieldKidd Creek, Xstrata (Copper), Timmins

Recycling TourBrampton Electronics Recycling, XstrataHydrometallurgical Test Facility, CVRD Inco, Mississauga Brigitte Farah, Meeting and

Administration and Ronona Saunders,Publications and Publicity

June/July 2007 61

Organizing Committee

COM2007 Conference ChairJoël Kapusta, Air Liquide Canada Inc.

Cu2007 Conference ChairChris Twigge-Molecey, Hatch

Cu2007 Technical Program ChairMichael Collins, Dynatec Corporation

COM2007 Light Metals Symposium ChairMihriban O. Pekguleryuz, McGill University

Industry Liaison Chair Michael King, Falconbridge TechnologyCenter

Short CoursesNathan Stubina, Barrick Gold Corporation

Sponsors and Contributors Benjamin Berrigan, SNC Lavalin Engineers

& Constructors Inc.

Industrial ToursSina Kashani-Nejad, Hatch

Trade ShowAdrian Deneys, Praxair, Inc.

Poster Session CoordinatorCharles Jia, University of Toronto

PublicationsRon Schonewille, Sudbury Smelter

Business Unit

Audio Visual and UniversityAccommodationsEric Morris, University of Toronto

Companions Program CoordinatorMaureen Stubina

Representatives of JapanAkio Fuwa, Waseda University Yasuo Tamura, Japan Mining Industry

Association

Representatives of ChileEnrique Miranda, Instituto de Ingenieros

de Minas Leopoldo Contreras, Chilean Institute

of Mining Engineers

Representatives of GermanyNorbert L. Piret, Piret & Stolberg Partners

Consulting Engineers Juergen Zuchowski, GDMB

Representative of SMEJohn L. Uhrie, Freeport-McMoRan Copper

& Gold Inc.

Representative of TMSRob Stephens, EPD Chair,

Teck Cominco Metals Ltd. (TrailOperations)

MetSoc StaffBrigitte Farah, Meeting and AdministrationRonona Saunders, Publications and Publicity

Adrian Deneys, TradeShow

The Metals 2007 Trade ShowWith 40 exhibitors, the Metals TradeShow 2007 is open on Monday,August 27, and Tuesday, August 28.Located within the Fairmont RoyalYork, it will incorporate the poster ses-sion displays and Metals Trade Showcocktail.

3MAir LiquideAuburn GroupBUEHLERCESLCIMCorroco InternationalIndustrial Co. Ltd.Decisioneering Inc.Eco-Tec Inc.Falcon FoundryGecamin Ltd.HatchHeath & SherwoodIBC TechnologiesIMP GroupJOGMECLAROX

Limpact International McGill UniversityMetalexMettopOutotec (Canada) Ltd.PI InternationalPraxairQuadra ChemicalsRHI AGRomquest TechnologiesSGS Minerals ServicesTecnologias Cobra S.A.TMSUniversité LavalVULCAN RefractoriesWorley Parsons CanadaXstrata Technology

Exhibitors include:

Eric Morris, Audio Visualand UniversityAccommodations

This historical metallurgypresentation and box

lunch is free and will beheld on Tuesday,

August 28, and is opento all delegates.

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

A limited number of seats are available, so act fast! No reservations required; first come, first served.62 CIM Magazine n Vol. 2, Nº 4

Visitwww.metsoc.org/com2007

for more information

Student Travel Financial assistance is available to supportstudent travel to the conference for theauthors of posters or papers. Only CIMstudent members qualify for this assis-tance. Please use the online StudentTravel Request form at www.metsoc.organd send your request for funding,including an abstract of your acceptedpaper/poster, to Brigitte Farah [email protected].

Poster SessionPapers from various fields of minerals,metals, and materials research and tech-nologies will be presented at the generalposter session on Monday, August 27.

Charles Jia, Poster SessionCoordinator

June/July 2007 63

Plenary SessionsDelegates are invited to attend the plenary sessions eachmorning. 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 SMEChairs: J. Kapusta, Air Liquide, M. King, Xstrata, and C. Twigge-Molecey, HatchRoom: Canadian—8:00

Paper 1097—8:00Technology and sustainability—keys tounlocking the next generation of copper proj-ectsC. Sartain, chief executive, Xstrata Copper

In recent years, market pressures have been building on companies todevelop the next era of mining projects to follow the previous boom incopper projects of the mid 90s. However the response from the industryhas been slow in coming, and somewhat muted. It is clear that there sim-ply have not been the obvious quality projects waiting to be rapidly devel-oped. Many of the known undeveloped copper projects have particularcharacteristics that have previously prevented their development, includingmineralogical complexity in the orebodies, environmental challenges orparticularly difficult geographic locations. This paper describes how the cop-per division of an international mining company, Xstrata plc, is preparing toprogressively develop an impressive pipeline of projects, armed with anarray of proprietary technologies and with a strong approach towards sus-tainable development and community engagement. The approach beingtaken is enabling Xstrata to complement its acquisitive corporate philoso-phy with a management emphasis on project development and operationaloptimization and enhancement.

Paper 1098—8:45Meeting the challenge—prospect of the Europeancopper industryW. Marnette, chairman, Norddeutsche Affinerie AG

Copper demand is booming. New epicentres with strong dynamic eco-nomic growth have arisen in China and other emerging markets.Furthermore, Europe contributes to higher copper demand due to positiveeconomic growth. China and India are therefore expanding their smelterindustries, with the backing of a coordinated policy of global raw materialsourcing, which includes investments in raw material deposits and state-runmeasures to support their international trade and competition. Likewise,Europe faces scarcity of copper raw materials. The copper industry inEurope shows excellence in environmental protection and technical leader-ship. Recycling has always been an important sector. This is based on therecycling know-how which exists in the European sector. However, Europestill relies on importing a considerable amount of raw materials from foreigncountries. As a result, the global competition for copper and copper rawmaterials has increased. Tough competition as regards industrial location andcosts, the emergence of corporate concentrations and the use of protec-tionist trading practices by countries like China and India, which distort themarkets, now determine the picture. Hence, a copper smelter in Europe isforced to develop tailor-made concepts to safeguard and improve its inter-national competitive position. It is imperative that this is also accompaniedby improved conditions on the local level and a European raw material pol-icy which takes account of the changed situation on the world market.

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

Sponsors: MetSoc, IIMCh, GDMB, MMIJ, TMS, and SMEChairs: C. Twigge-Molecey, Hatch, andA. Fuwa, Waseda UniversityRoom: Canadian—8:00

Paper 1099—8:00Supply and demand, technological development,and future prospects of copper in AsiaM. Okada, president and CEO, Nippon Mining and Metals Co., Ltd.

The Asian copper situation is changing dramatically, especially in China andIndia. Greenfield and brownfield copper smelters are coming on streambased on modern technology developments. The future of the Asian cop-per industry is highly dependent on new copper mine developments.

Paper 1100—8:45Technology development in the copper industryJ.O. Marsden, senior vice president, technology and product development,Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc. (formerly Phelps Dodge MiningCompany)

Over the past decade, the copper industry has been through an extendeddownturn followed by several years of sustained high copper price. A num-ber of new technologies have been developed over the past 10 yearsaimed at reducing costs by decreasing energy, labor, and materials require-ments, or by increasing metal recovery. The energy intensity of differentcopper extraction routes and different technologies varies considerably andthis has a significant impact on the economics of extraction. Based on aver-age ore grade materials, the total energy for the extraction of copper typ-ically varies from about 24-26 MJ/lb (6.7-7.2 kWh/lb) for the mining, crush-ing, milling, flotation, smelting and refining route to about 14-16 MJ/lb (3.9-4.5 kWh/lb) for the mining, crushing, heap leaching, solution extraction andelectrowinning route. New technology developments are providing oppor-tunities for significant reductions in energy consumption for copper extrac-tion, 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 thesetechnology developments have been more successful than others, andmany hold great promise for application in the coming decade. This paperprovides an overview of the technology developments that have occurred,and explores the underlying reasons behind successful implementation.

Preliminary Technical Program

Monday, August 27, am

Light Metals in Transport ApplicationsCOM SESSION 1 >>> CASTINGS

Sponsors: Light Metals Section of MetSoc and TMSChairs: TBARoom: Confederation 3—9:50

Paper 1114—9:50Effect of superheat and section thickness on flow characteristicsfor thin section LFC of hypereutectic Al-Si alloyA. Haldar and C. Ravindran

Paper 1115—10:15Study of flow stoppage in hypereutectic Al-Si alloy in the lost foamcasting processA. Haldar and C. Ravindran

Paper 1125—10:40Influence of artificial cooling and pressure application on the metal-lurgical quality in the LPPM casting of aluminium A356F. Chiesa

Paper 1144—11:05Development and applications of microsegregation models forsolidifying light metallic alloysS. Uddin and M. Hasan

Paper 1147—11:30Novel foam processing in aluminum lost foam castingsS. Jagoo, C. Ravindran, and D. Nolan

Light Metals in Transport ApplicationsCOM SESSION 2 >>> CORROSION AND JOINING I

Sponsors: Light Metals Section of MetSoc, TMSChairs: TBARoom Confederation 5—9:50

Paper 1116—9:50Corrosion study of the skin and bulk of die-cast and thixocastAZ91D alloy in Cl- solution using electrochemical noise techniqueA.-M. Lafronta, D. Dubéa, R. Tremblaya, E. Ghalia, C. Blawertb, and W. Dietzelb

Paper 1118—10:15Microstructure and tensile properties of friction stir welded jointsof AZ31B magnesium alloyN. Afrin, D.L. Chen, X. Cao, and M. Jahazi

Michael Collins,Cu Technical Program Chair

Mihriban O. Pekguleryuz,COM2007 Light Metals Symposium Chair

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

Sponsors: MetSoc, IIMCh, GDMB, MMIJ, TMS, and SMEChairs: C. Twigge-Molecey, Hatch, andN. Piret, Piret & Stolberg Partners Consulting EngineersRoom: Canadian—8:00

Paper 1107—8:00Attracting and retaining professionals in miningand metallurgy—a high-tech industryD. Magoon, general manager, technology, Teck Cominco Ltd. and TowersPerrin Ltd.

The metals industry has enjoyed a resurgence in prices and demand forits commodities during the global surge in economic activity that beganin 2005. This success has brought with it an unprecedented demand forprofessionals in all sectors of our economy. Nowhere is that more truethan in the mining and metallurgy sectors. However, this welcomeimprovement follows on the heels of almost two decades of challengingmarkets for the mining and metallurgy. Our sector’s protracted eco-nomic slump created a paucity of demand for professionals that had sev-eral consequences. Our industry came to be viewed as a low –tech,uninteresting place to work. Low demand for professionals encouragedstudents to seek other career options. Reduced demand for graduates,coupled with diminished program funding by our sector, resulted in dra-matic shrinkage in university mining and metallurgy programs. This paperexplores the lessons to be learned from our recent economic historyand discusses some strategies for addressing our image issue. Attractingand retaining good employees is also strongly influenced by a company’sreputation and record as a good employer. This reality is very well illus-trated by the findings of an international survey undertaken by TowersPerrin in 2005 of 86,000 employees of mid-sized and large companies in16 countries. The key findings related to attracting and retaining employ-ees are presented. These findings are also discussed in the context oftheir specific applicability to the mining and metallurgy industry.

Paper 1102—8:45Human capital available for the development ofthe mining industry of the futureL. Contreras, president, Institutos de Ingenieros de Minas de Chile (IIMCh)

This study has as an objective to analyze and to propose actions toimprove the quantity and quality of the graduate education in the areaof mining industry, specifically of mining engineers, metallurgists, geolo-gists, to satisfy the expectations of professionals in the mining industry.Included are an analysis of the present scenario and the future demandsin countries like Chile and proposed plans for the Establishment ofEducational Initiatives, country policies and market forecast, vis-a-vis theexperience of Australia, South Africa, United Kingdom, Canada, and theUnited States.


Paper 0977—11:05Hydrometallurgical processing of Polymet Mining’s Northmetdeposit for recovery of Cu-Ni-Co-Zn-Pd-Pt-AuD. Dreisinger, K. Baxter, C. Fleming, J. Ferron, A. Mezei, J. Brown, and R. Molnar

Paper 1022—11:30The re-development of the Kov, Kananga, and Tilwezembe copper-cobalt deposits in the Democratic Republic of the CongoL. Treadgold and J. Parker

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

Sponsors: Hydrometallurgy Section of MetSoc, IIMCh, MMIJ, GDMB,and EPD of TMSChairs: TBARoom: Tudor 8—9:50

Paper 0957—9:50Copper solvent extraction—2007 world operating dataT. Robinson, W. Davenport, M. Moats, G. Karcas, S. Demetrio, and E. Domic

Paper 0961—10:15Customizing copper-iron selectivity using modified aldoximeextractants: pilot-plant evaluationK.C. Sole, K. Viljoen, B.K. Ferreira, M.D. Soderstrom, O. Tinkler, and L. Hoffmann

Paper 0955—10:40Copper leaching aids—compatibility with the copper solventextraction processG. Kordosky and M. Virnig

Paper 0963—11:05Degradation of copper solvent extraction reagents in the presenceof nitrate—contributing factorsG. Kordosky and M. Virnig

Paper 0989—11:30Modelling of two-phase flow in a solvent extraction pulsed columnM.P. Schwarz, J.M. Bujalski, W. Yang, J. Nikolov, and C.B. Solnordal

Electrowinning and Electrorefining, Incorporating the37th Annual Hydrometallurgy MeetingCU SESSION 6 >>> ANODES/CATHODES I

Sponsors: Hydrometallurgy Section of MetSoc, MMIJ, GDMB, IIMCh,and EPD of TMSChairs: TBARoom: Library—9:50

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

Paper 0751—10:15Tapered anodes for copper electrowinningE. Guerra

Paper 0758—10:40Optimization of the technological parameters for the copperelectro refining using interference microscopy and digital image analy-sisD. Zagidulin

June/July 2007 65

Paper 1119—10:40Effect of friction stir processing on the microstructure and micro-hardness of AZ31B magnesium alloyM. Fairman, N. Afrin, D.L. Chen, X. Cao, and M. Jahazi

Paper 1120—11:05Microstructural features of dissimilar friction stir welding of AZ31magnesium alloy to 2024 aluminum alloyC. Liu, D.L. Chen, S. Bhole, X. Cao, and M. Jahazi

Paper 1130—11:30Corrosion behavior of 6061 aluminum alloy weldment in chloridemediaZ. Nikceresht, F. Karimzadeh, and M.A. Golozar

Economics and MarketsCU SESSION 3 >>> ECONOMICS AND MARKETS I

Sponsors: The Management and Economics Society of CIM, MMIJ,GDMB, and IIMChChairs: TBARoom: Confederation 5—9:50

Paper 1086—9:50Real options for the valuation of mine assets: from an early stage ofexploration through the sequence of engineering phases to produc-tionE. Tulcanaza

Paper 1091—10:15Mining ore valuation by real option under uncertainty and riskM. Viera F.

Paper 1090—10:40The economics of the custom smelter and its importanceK. Kitazawa

Paper 1084—11:05Aplicación de un modelo de determinación de riesgos sobre vari-ables presupuestariasE. Alarcón and M. Marchese

Paper 1099—11:30Title to be announcedD. Galsandorj

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


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

Paper 1017—10:15Sulfate-based process flowsheet options for hydrometallurgicaltreatment of copper sulfide concentratesJ.O. Marsden and J.C. Wilmot

Paper 1008—10:40Recovery of copper from a massive polymetallic sulphide by highconcentration chloride leachingG.B. Harris, C.W. White, G.P. Demopoulos, and B. Ballantyne

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

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

Sponsors: Non-Ferrous Pyrometallurgy Section of MetSoc, MMIJ,GDMB, IIMCh, and EPD of TMSChairs: TBARoom: Algonquin—9:50

Paper 0810—9:50 (Keynote)The Copper-Cobre series of conferences: two decades of activediscussion of copper smelting technology practice and innovationC. Díaz and P. Mackey

Paper 0876—10:15 (Keynote)SO2 abatement from copper smelting operations: a 40-year perspectiveS.W. Marcuson

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

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

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

Sponsors: Non-Ferrous Pyrometallurgy Section of MetSoc, MMIJ,GDMB, IIMCh, and EPD of TMSChairs: TBARoom: British Columbia—9:50

Paper 0870—9:50Liquidus temperatures in calcium ferrite slags equilibrated withmolten copper at fixed oxygen partial pressuresS. Nikolic, P.C. Hayes, and E. Jak

Paper 1101—10:15Experimental investigations of phase equilibria for copper smeltingand converting silicate slags in the “Cu2O”-FeO-Fe2O3-CaO-SiO2system at controlled oxygen partial pressuresE. Jak, S. Nikolic, B. Zhao, H.M. Henao, and P.C. Hayes

Paper 0852—10:40Phase relations and precious metals distribution in the Cu-Fe-S-Asand Cu-Fe-S-Sb systems saturated with carbon at 1473 KL. Voisin and K. Itagaki

Paper 0851—11:05Study of the equilibrium between blister copper and oxide-silicatemelts containing Cu2, NiO, FeO(Fe2O3), SiO2L.B. Tsymbulov and N.A. Fedorova


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

Sponsors: Non-Ferrous Pyrometallurgy Section of MetSoc, MMIJ,GDMB, IIMCh, and EPD of TMSChairs: TBARoom: Quebec—9:50

Paper 0859—9:50Opportunities, problems and survival strategies reflected in recentdevelopments in the copper concentrate treatment and smeltingpractices at Vedanta’s Konkola Copper Mines in its smelting opera-tions in the Zambian copperbeltM. Syamujulu

Paper 0848—10:15Improving flexibility: recent developments at the Horne smelterP. Lind

Paper 0867—10:40Operational strategy at Chagres smelterR. Subiabre and R. Bonifaz

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

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

June/July 2007 67

Mineral ProcessingCU SESSION 10 >>> FLOTATION FUNDAMENTALS

Sponsors: Canadian Mineral Processing Society of CIM, MineralScience and Engineering Section of MetSoc, MMIJ, GDMB, and IIMChChairs: TBARoom: Confederation 6—9:50

Paper 0710—9:50Carrier-microencapsulation for suppressing floatability and oxida-tion of pyrite in copper mineral processingJ. Satur, N. Hiroyoshi, M. Ito, and M. Tsunekawa

Paper 0712—10:15Removal of arsenic content from copper concentrates by electro-chemical flotationH. Guo and W.T. Yen

Paper 0713—10:40Reduction of fine gangue entrainment in flotation of a copper oreM. Ourriban, G. Bartolacci, Y. Peng, P. Pelletier, J. Girard, H. Jang, and Q. Liu

Paper 1190—11:05Impact of stockpiling conditions on flotation kinetics and size bysize recovery of chalcopyriteB. Nanthakumar and S. Kelebek

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

Sponsors: The Environmental Society of CIM, the EnvironmentSection of MetSoc, MMIJ, GDMB, and IIMChChairs: TBARoom: Alberta—9:50

Paper 0897—9:50Mining Association of Canada’s Towards Sustainable MiningG. Peeling and P. Gratton

Paper 0927—10:15Engineering SD into industry: unlocking institutional barriersJ. Medvecka and P.J. Bangerter

Paper 0898—10:40A view in sustainable development of non-ferrous metals produc-tion technologyA. Fuwa

Paper 0934—11:05Sustainable development and auto-organizationF. Flores

Paper 0902—11:30Regulatory tendencies and abatement technologies used in theChilean copper industryM. Sanchez

Downstream Fabrication and ApplicationsCU SESSION 12 >>> HISTORY AND OVERVIEWS

Sponsors: SME, MetSoc, MMIJ, and GDMBChair: J. Hugens, North American Manufacturing Company, Ltd.Room: Toronto—10:50

Paper 1050—10:50An overview of the international copper association’s pre-competi-tive R&D portfolio of copper-related technologiesH. Stillman

Paper 1036—11:15The antimicrobial properties of copper alloys and their potentialapplicationsH.T. Michels

Paper 1032—10:25A history of copper and wire drawing: the past 11,000 years andbeyondH. Pops

Monday, August 27, pm

Light Metals in Transport ApplicationsCOM SESSION 13 >>> CASTING II


Paper 1173—15:00A study on fillability, DAS, and microporosity in LFC of B206 aluminum – copper alloyN. Dahata, C. Ravindran, F.H. Samuel, and T.W. Gustafson

Paper 1156—15:25Determination of strain during hot tearing in aluminium alloys bydigital image correlationJ.B. Mitchell and S.L. Cockcroft

Paper 1158—15:50The effect of pressure depth on the globalization of AZ91 magne-sium alloyM.H. Heidary, M.B. Karimi, and F. Khomamizadeh

Paper 1139—16:15Effect of iron content on the formation of b-Al5FeSi and porosityin Al-Si eutectic alloysM.A. Moustafa

Paper 1170—16:40Generation of single crystal magnesium wires by a heated mouldcontinuous casting processY. Tajima, G. Motoyasu, H. Tae Kwon, H. Soda, and A. McLean

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


Paper 0965—15:00Copper extractant strength: the effect of substituents in the 3-posi-tion on hydroxyoxime performanceR.S. Forgan, D.K. Henderson, P.A. Tasker, F.J. White, J. Campbell, and R.M.Swart

Paper 1019—15:25Tailor-made crud treatment with 3-phase separating centrifugeT. Hartmann and J. Corbella

Paper 0983—15:50Interface level control in settlersM.F. Vancas

Paper 1000—16:15Optimization of Cu SX by control of the acidityB. Grinbaum

Paper 1189—16:40Non-dispersive solvent extraction of copper from ammoniacal solutionsM. Lurdes F. Gameiro, M. Rosinda C. Ismael, M. Teresa A. Reis, and JorgeM.R. Carvalho

Electrowinning and Electrorefining Incorporating the37th Annual Hydrometallurgy MeetingCU SESSION 17 >>> ANODES/CATHODES II


Paper 0770—15:00The effect of electrolyte composition on passivation of commercialcopper electrorefining anodesM. Moats

Paper 0790—15:25Problems developed on the electrolysis of copper anodes containinghigh nickel, lead, tin, and antimonyZ. Mubarok

Paper 1172—15:50Using multivariable analysis for cathode quality improvement inC.M. Dona Ines de Collahuasi electrowinning plantF. Romero

Paper 1103—16:15Review of anode casting—chemical anode qualityC. Wenzl, A. Filzwieser, H. Antrekowitsch, and G. Mori

Light Metals in Transport ApplicationsCOM SESSION 14 >>> CORROSION AND JOINING II


Paper 1132—15:00Evaluation of microstructure of Ti6Al4V weldment by artificial neu-ral networksF. Karimzadeh, A. Ebnonnasir, and A. Foroughi

Paper 1145—15:25Physical and thermo physical properties of chromate conversioncoatings on alclad-2024-T3 Al alloy for satellite applicationS. Hosseinpour and K. Shirvani

Paper 1151—15:50Friction stir processing of sand cast aerospace Ze41A-T5 magne-sium alloyX. Cao and M. Jahazi

Paper 1131—16:15Effect of heat treatment on the mechanical properties of Ti6Al4Valloy weldmentM. Heidarbeigy, F. Karimzadeh, A. Saatchi, and A. Tahvilian

Paper 1175—16:40Model of Al FSW nugget microstructure formation: piercing/extru-sion with subgrain growth behind pinH.J. McQueen, M. Cabibbo, and E. Evangelista

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


Paper 0971—15:00GALVANOX—a novel atmospheric leaching process for primarycopper concentratesD.G. Dixon and K.G. Baxter

Paper 1006—15:25Reaction product layer on chalcopyrite in cupric chloride leachingM. Lundström, J. Aromaa, O. Forsén, and M.H. Barker

Paper 1188—15:50Arsenic behaviour in copper pressure leaching by DynatecR. Kalanchey and M.J. Collins

Paper 1001—16:15Analysis of heap leach processes with modelling and simulationtoolsJ.E. Gebhardt, A. Hernandez, M. Cross, C.R. Bennett, and D. McBride

Paper 0967—16:40Evaluating copper sulfide leach practices with a heap leach modelG.P. Cooper, T. Robinson, C.R. Bennett, M. Cross, and J.E. Gebhardt

Visit www.metsoc.org/com2007and www.cu2007.org for program updates8


June/July 2007 69

Paper 0782—16:40Increasing anode thickness to optimize copper production at theKidd metallurgical divisionM.R. Coffin and A.R. Leggett

Electrowinning and Electrorefining Incorporating the37th Annual Hydrometallurgy MeetingCU SESSION 18 >>> FUNDAMENTALS/MODELLING I

Sponsors: Hydrometallurgy Section of MetSoc, MMIJ, GDMB, IIMCh,and EPD of TMSChairs: TBARoom: York—15:00

Paper 0747—15:00Monitoring the influence of additives on deposit morphology duringcopper refining using electrochemical noise techniqueF. Safizadeh

Paper 0753—15:25Numerical simulation of turbulent natural convection along a verti-cal plane electrodeS. Kawai

Paper 0761—15:50Finite element modelling of an electrolysis cellI.S. Laitinen

Paper 0756—16:15Fundamentals and effects of additives in copper electrorefiningM. Stelter

Paper 0750—16:40A high precise and accurate method for glue determination in cop-per electrorefining processE. Rezaei

The Carlos M. Díaz Symposium on PyrometallurgyCU SESSION 19 >>> IMPURITIES


Paper 0807—15:00Arsenic distribution in smelting via Teniente converterC.M. Acuna and M. Sherrington

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

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

Paper 0824—16:15Phase relations and activities of arsenic and antimony in the Cu-O-As and Cu-O-Sb systems at 1523KK. Yamaguchi, D.G. Mendoza, L. Voisin, and K. Itagaki

Paper 0836—16:40Thermodynamic assessment for arsenic in the slag cleaning electricalfurnaceJ. Font, A. Moyano, C. Caballero, A. Warczok, and K. Itagaki

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


Paper 0894—15:00Flexibility of the Outokumpu flash smelting for low- and high-gradeconcentrates—evaluation by CFD-modelingT. Ahokainen and J. Järvi

Paper 0818—15:25Transforming flash furnace feed and burner stability—poweringperformance and productivityG. Money

Paper 0887—15:50Numerical simulation of combustion phenomena in a flash smeltingfurnace considering collisions of concentrate particlesY. Sasaki, Y. Mori, T. Miura, and H. Aoki

Paper 0849—16:15Processing of copper sulphide ores and concentrates resulting inthe production of high-grade matte and rejected slag in one unit –two-zone Vaniukov’s furnaceM.V. Knyazev, A.G. Ryabko, L.B. Tsymbulov, and L. Sh. Tsemekhman

Paper 0850—16:40Pilot testing of a process developed for treatment of copper con-centrate with nickel content obtained in the course of high-gradematte separation resulting in blister copper production in a two-zone Vaniukov’s furnaceL.B. Tsymbulov, M.V. Knyazev, A.G. Ryabko, and L.Sh. Tsemekhman

The Carlos M. Díaz Symposium on PyrometallurgyCU SESSION 21 >>> PLANT UPGRADING II

Sponsors: Non-Ferrous Pyrometallurgy Section of MetSoc, MMIJ,GDMB, IIMCh, and EPD of TMSChairs: TBARoom Quebec—15:00

Paper 0886—15:00Teniente converter a decade of achievements at the Southern PeruIlo smelterE. Herrera and L. Mariscal

Paper 0889—15:25Operational optimization and capacity expansion in Jinlong Copperflash smelterZ. Jun

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

Paper 0844—16:15Paipote Smelter: in a continuous optimization processJ. Sanhueza, O. Rojas, and J. Carlos Vargas

Paper 0825—16:40New challenges facing Cumerio Med Pirdop plantP. Barrios, I. Vasilev, E. Marinov, T. Nikolov, L. Marinov, N. Naidenov, and D.Kirilov


Paper 0932—16:15Chagres smelter: a vision of optimizing the use of power, water,and reduction of CO2R. Subiabre

Paper 0917—16:40Material stewardship—towards the sustainable use of minerals andmetalsJ. Atherton

Downstream Fabrication and ApplicationsCU SESSION 24 >>> DOWNSTREAM FABRICATION AND APPLICATIONS

Sponsors: SME, MetSoc, MMIJ, and GDMBChairs: TBARoom: Toronto—15:00

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

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

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

Paper 1029—16:15Overview on contirod wire-rod plant operations in SarkuysanT. Ediz

Paper 1030—16:40Operating experience of copper and acid recovery from rod pick-ling solution using EMEW® technology at Phelps Dodge, El PasoWorksD. Fenton

Tuesday, August 28, am

Light Metals in Transport ApplicationsCOM SESSION 25 >>> ADVANCED MATERIALS AND PROCESSING


Paper 1122—9:50Effect of preheating temperature on the combustion synthesis ofTiC/Al2O3 compositesI. Zaki, M.M. Yonis, and M.B. Morsi

Paper 1124—10:10Combustion synthesis of TiC/Al2O3 composite and its oxidationbehaviourZ.I. Zaki, M.M. Younis, and M.B. Morsi

Paper 1126—10:30Investigation of the sintering fundamentals of magnesium powdersP. Burke, D. Fancelli, and G.J. Kipouros

Paper 1138—10:50In-situ production of Al/Al203 compositeM. Meratian and M. Hosseini

Paper 1164—11:10Creep properties of an over-aged Al2024 composite reinforcedwith SiC particles prepared by hot powder extrusionN. Bakhshi Zadeh, S.M. Seyed Reihani, F. Khomamizadeh, and A. Aryanpour

Mineral ProcessingCU SESSION 22 >>> FLOTATION: PLANT PRACTICE AND INNOVATIONS


Paper 0705—15:00Non-oxidative acidic treatment of copper sulfide concentrate inthe flotation circuitA. Luszczkiewicz, T. Chmielewski, A. Konieczny, and M. Kowalska

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

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

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

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

Paper 0718—17:05Metallurgical assessment of the scavenger stage in a copper con-centratorC. Cortés and V. Conejeros

Paper 0709—17:30Current directions in modernization of polish copper ores concen-tratorsA. Wieniewski, B. Skorupskam, and Z. Smieszek

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


Paper 0928—15:00Involving communities and measuring the impactsD. Aloi

Paper 0929—15:25Community development at Anglo American’s Chagres smelterC. Clark

Paper 0933—15:50Sustainable development perspectives of RTB”Bor” copper minesafter the consolidationZ. Eks

Cu2007:

The World’s LargestCopper Conference

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

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

Paper 1135—12:10Effect of mechanical and thermal conditions of SIMA process onfinal microstructural and mechanical properties of Az91 magnesiumcastingF. Khomammizadeh and H.D. Ashkezari

Light Metals in Transport ApplicationsCOM SESSION 26 >>> DEFORMATION

Sponsors: Light Metals Section of MetSoc, TMSChairs: TBARoom: Confederation 5—9:50

Paper 1123—9:50Effects of deformation and recrystallisation on the microstructureand hardness of commercial–purity aluminumZ. Huda and O.S. Peng

Paper 1143—10:10Natural aging kinetics and XRD characterization of intermetallics inAA6111 aluminumG.K. Quainoo and S. Yannacopoulos

Paper 1153—10:30Hardening and softening in Mg-Al-Ca and Mg-Al-Sr alloys at ele-vated temperaturesZ. Trojanová and P. Lukáã

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

Paper 1163—11:10Effect of crystallographic texture on the formability of AZ31 alloynear room temperatureH. Li, E. Hsu, J. Szpunar, and R. Verma

Paper 1174—11:30Substructural changes in aluminum subjected to reversing strainpathsH.J. McQueen, A. Balakrishnan, and G. Avramovic

Paper 1183—11:50High-temperature deformation of Fe3AlA. Shen and H.J. McQueen

Economics and MarketsCU SESSION 27 >>> ECONOMICS AND MARKETS II

Sponsors: The Management and Economics Society of CIM, MMIJ,GDMB, and IIMChChairs: TBARoom: Confederation 5—9:50

Paper 1100—9:50Title to be announcedD. Rodier

Paper 1096—10:15Senior financing for major copper projectsP. Reimnitz

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

Paper 1094—11:05Prospecting the future: meeting human resources challenges in theminerals and metals industryP. Hébert

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

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


Paper 0979—9:50Hydrometallurgy of copper sulfide concentrates—an updateV. Ramachandran, V.I. Lakshmanan, and P.D.Kondos

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

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

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


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


Paper 0830—9:50A theory for the slopping resulting of gas injection in Peirce-Smithand Teniente convertersM. Rosales V., C. Léon, R. Fuentes, A. Valencia, and A. Moyano

Paper 0846—10:15Simulation in the primary metals industryK. Concannon and E. Tackie

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

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

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

The Carlos M. Díaz Symposium on PyrometallurgyCU SESSION 32 >>> ALTERNATIVE/OTHER TECHNOLOGIES I


Paper 0833—9:50New approaches for treatment the blister copper at the CodelcoNorte smelterM. Rosales, A. Moyano, C. Caballero, and J. Font

Paper 0800—10:15MPV reactors cleaning from oxides mush by the reduction andslagging with calcium carbideA. Warczok, J. Liu, A. Vahed, D. Hall, and L. Molino

Paper 0837—10:40Develop new reductants for Inco multi-purpose vesselsJ. Liu, D. Hall, L. Molino, R. Makela, D. Wong, A.E.M. Warner, and S.A. Argyropoulos

Paper 0847—11:05Modeling of the direct-to-copper flash smelting processM. Kucharski

Paper 0880—11:30Recovery of valuable metals from Turkish copper converter fluedustY.A. Topkaya, A. Geveci, and E. Gerceker

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

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


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

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

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

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

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

Electrowinning and Electrorefining Incorporating the37th Annual Hydrometallurgy MeetingCU SESSION 30 >>> ER PLANT PRACTICES AND DESIGN I


Paper 0745—9:50Copper refining electrolysis at high current densities with conven-tional technologyA. Castillo Atenas

Paper 0754—10:15The effect of inactive glue batches identified by using the collamatsystemP. Stantke

Paper 0757—10:4035 years of the refinery of the KGHM copper plant GlogowS. Orzecki

Paper 0760—11:05Operations control in ISA process tank housesC. Phan

Paper 0771—11:30Recent improvements at Hitachi refineryM. Matsuda

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


Paper 0799—9:50Copper smelter projects: installation and operation of largeKumera steam dryersS. Chen and H. Mansikkaviita

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

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

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

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

Mineral ProcessingCU SESSION 34 >>> DEWATERING AND MINERAL CHARACTERIZATION


Paper 0716—9:50Filter.Sim: A new tool to optimize industrial filtering plantsL.E. Gutiérrez, J.M. Menacho, and E.E. Peñaloza

Paper 0717—10:15Optimization of the filter cake humidity for an electrolytic mud fil-ter pressP. Belley and F. de la Durantaye

Paper 0703—10:40Ore characterization and the value of QemSCANC. Hamilton, C. Martin, and J. Zhou

Paper 0704—11:05QemSCAN characterization of selected ore types for plant opti-mizationR. Zahn, W. Baum, R. Magnuson, D. Jensen, and P. Thompson

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


Paper 0910—9:50Past and future cycles of copper, regional and globalT. Graedel and M. Gerst

Paper 0911—10:15Recirculation of Chilean copper smelting dust with high impuritycontents to the smelting processH. Sano

Paper 0914—10:40Exploring metal recycling business in ChinaK. Soga

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

Paper 0916—11:30Using LCA to support decision-making and sustainable plant designin primary copper productionM. Ali

Downstream Fabrication and ApplicationsCU SESSION 36 >>> SHAPE CASTING, TESTING, AND PREPARATION

Sponsors: SME, MetSoc, MMIJ, and GDMBChair: U. Hoffman, Wieland-Wrke AGRoom: Toronto—10:15

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

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

Paper 1051—11:05Testing technology in the copper semi-finished products industryS. Theobald

Paper 1044—11:30Macrosegregation in continuous casting of phosphor bronze—impact on properties and modeling of formationM. Gruber-Pretzler

June/July 2007 73


Paper 1087—14:30Macro trends in copper consumptionG.A. Campbell

Paper 1088—14:55Long term outlook for supply and demand for copperG. Lagos

Paper 1093—15:40Copper prices, currencies and global growthP. Mohr

Paper 1097—16:05The impact of emerging markets on copper supply and demand—the case of India and ChinaM. Ruhrberg

Paper 1082—16:55Competitive strategies of primary copper produce RS, 1999–2005C.A. Moscoso and A. Ebensperger

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


Paper 0976—13:40Hydrometallurgical processing of gold bearing copper enargite con-centratesC.G. Anderson and L.G. Twidwell

Paper 0986—14:05Studies on the leaching of tennantite, tetrahedrite and enargite inacidic sulphate and chloride mediaP.A. Riveros and J.E. Dutrizac

Paper 0945—14:30Arsenic immobilization and metal recovery from El Tenientesmelter dustR. Ichimura, H. Tateiwa, C. Almendares, and G. Sanchez

Paper 0953—14:55Characterization of flue dusts from a copper smelter furnace, cop-per recovery and arsenic inertizationA. Morales, M. Cruells, A. Roca, and R. Bergó

Paper 1020—15:40Differences in the removal of antimony (III) and antimony (V) fromcopper electrolytes using ion exchangeP.A. Riveros, J.E. Dutrizac, and R. Lastra

Paper 1007—16:05Recovery of bismuth from the pm discharge solution processdevelopment at Kennecott Utah copper refineryD. Kim and S. Wang

Paper 1003—16:30Osmium and rhenium in copper ores of KazakhstanZ.S. Abisheva, A.N. Zagorodnyaya, and N.S. Bekturganov

Tuesday, August 28, pm

Light Metals in Transport ApplicationsCOM SESSION 37 >>> ALLOYS PROPERTIES AND APPLICATIONS


Paper 1160—13:40The role of aluminium for energy and greenhouse gas savings intransportM. Bertram and K. Buxmann

Paper 1191—14:00Effect of alloying additions on the development of texture andresidual strain in plane-strain compression of magnesium alloysD.G. Sediako, M.A. Gharghouri, and R.B. Rogge

Paper 1140—14:20The effect of T7351 heat treatment on the mechanical and SCCproperties in aluminum AA7075 alloysM. Esmailian

Paper 1165—14:40Grain refinement of B206 aluminum–copper alloyN. Dahata, C. Ravindran, F.H. Samuel, and T.W. Gustafson

Paper 1167—15:00Mechanical properties and corrosion resistance of some creepresistant magnesium alloysS. Amira, N. Giguère, D. Dubé, R. Tremblay, and E. Ghali

Paper 1136—15:40Effect of T6 heat treatment on mechanical properties of AZ91+REmagnesium alloyK. Meshinchi Asl, A. Tari, and F. Khomamizadeh

Paper 1157—16:00Evaluation of equi-axed grain structure in sima processed AS21magnesium alloyM.B. Karimi, M.H. Heidary, and F. Khomamizadeh

Paper 1127—16:20Mechanical properties of semi-solid A356 alloy formed by thixo-forming processS. Tahamtan, M.A. Golozar, F. Karimzadeh, and B. Niroumand

Paper 1133—16:40Mechanical properties of A356 thixoformed alloy produced bySIMA processA.F. Boostani, B. Niroumand, F. Karimzadeh, and M.A. Golozar

Economics and MarketsCU SESSION 38 >>> ECONOMICS AND MARKETS III

Sponsors: The Management and Economics Society of CIM, MMIJ,GDMB, and IIMChChairs: TBARoom: Banff 1-263—13:40

Paper 1089—13:40The copper miracle: fundamentals and non-fundamentals’ analysisfor 2003-2006J.I. Guzmán

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

June/July 2007 75

Hydrometallurgy, in honour of John Dutrizac,Incorporating the 37th Annual HydrometallurgyMeetingCU SESSION 40 >>> LEACHING III (13:40 – 15:20);

TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT I (15:20 – 16:55)


Paper 0940—13:40Acid generation by in-situ sulfur biooxidation for copper heap leach-ingP.G. West-Sells, S.C. Bouffard, A.F. Tshilombo, and A. Bruynesteyn

Paper 0947—14:05Bioleaching of chalcopyrite by the thermophilic archaean acidianusbrierleyi in batch and continuous-flow stirred tank reactorsY. Konishi, N. Saitoh, and T. Nomura

Paper 1181—14:30Applications for biogenic sulphide reagent for copper recovery incopper and gold hydrometallurgical operationsR.W. Lawrence, P.B. Marchant, M. Bratty, and D. Kratochvil

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

Paper 0998—15:40On-line free acidity measurement of Cu and other base metal con-taining solutionsM. Huang and V.G. Papangelakis

Paper 0970—16:05Ferrous chloride oxidation using oxygen or ozone: stoichiometry,gas efficiency, and applicationJ. Jara, S. Zuttah, M. Meimari, and D. Hewitt

Paper 1002—16:30Ore characterization, alteration coding and plant feed control incopper operations as directed by routine semi-automated miner-alogical analysisD. Allen, B. Baber, S. Eady, and W. Baum

Electrowinning and Electrorefining, Incorporating the37th Annual Hydrometallurgy MeetingCU SESSION 41 >>> ER PLANT PRACTICES AND DESIGN II


Paper 0773—13:40Expansion projects at Tamano refineryT. Maruyama

Paper 0776—14:05Reclaiming of used ion exchange resins at DM water unit in refin-ery plant of Sarcheshmeh Copper ComplexM. Behrouz

Paper 0777—14:30Modernization of tankhouse technology in Boliden Harjavalta OyCopper refinery in PoriK. Pienimaki

Paper 0779—14:55Ventanas refinery: continuous improvement using conventionaltechnologyR. Abel

Paper 0786—15:40Electrolytic copper refining—2007 world tankhouse operating dataM. Davenport Robinson and K. Demetrio

Paper 1171—16:05Development of electrorefining processes in the polish coppersmeltersW. Baranek

Paper 1177—16:30Control of impurities—overview of the short bed ion exchangetechnique and Phelps Dodge El Paso case studyM. Sheedy and P. Pajunen

Paper 1185—16:55Process improvements at Kennecott Utah Copper refineryS. Wang

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


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

Paper 0842—14:05Implementation of Air Liquide Shrouded Injector (ALSI)Technology at the Thai copper industries smelterJ. Kapusta, N. Wachgama, and R. Pagador

Paper 0857—14:30Technology and operational improvements in tuyere punching,silencing, pyrometry, and refractory drilling equipmentM.J. Marinigh

Paper 0853—14:55Porous plug stirring of thick slag covered matte bathM. Barati, C. Harris, and S. Clarke

Paper 0884—15:40Changes in the slag converters chemistry due to the Southern PeruIlo smelter modernizationJ. Suárez Condezo, and E. Herrera Alarcón

Paper 0823—16:05METTOP process control and regulation systemI. Filzwieser

Paper 0797—16:30A thermochemical model of the Peirce-Smith copper converter:part I. slag making stageN. Aminizadeh and S.H. Mansouri

Paper 0798—16:55A thermochemical model of the Peirce-Smith copper converter:part II. blowing copper stageN. Aminizadeh and S.H. Mansouri


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

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

Paper 0882—16:30Slag cleaning in circular and rectangular electric furnacesA. Warczok, G. Riveros, R. Degel, J .Kunze, and H. Oterdoom

Paper 0877—16:55Investigation of the silica slag of Norddeutsche Affinerie’s flash fur-naceT. Loos

Mineral ProcessingCU SESSION 45 >>> FLOTATION OPTIMIZATION I & II


Paper 0719—13:40Forcing air into self-aspirating flotation machinesC.O. Gomez, C. Acuña, J.A. Finch, F. Cortés-López, and G. Berkowitz-Arendt

Paper 0721—14:05Using gas dispersion measurements to optimize the operation oftank cells in the Cu/Mo separation circuit at Highland ValleyCopper mineJ.R. Hernandez-Aguilar and S. Reddick

Paper 0722—14:30Characteristics of modern copper flotation circuitsS. Schwarz, D. Alexander, and R. Coleman

Paper 0723—14:55Impact of frother on bubble production and behaviour in the pulpzoneC. Acuna, J. Nesset, J. Quinn, and J.A. Finch

Paper 0724—15:40Measurement of wide bubble size distributions in flotation columnsoperated with jet-type spargersW. Kracht, C.O. Gomez, and J.A. Finch

Paper 0725—16:05Relationships between process conditions and froth stability in acopper rougher-scavenger bankG. Bartolacci, M. Ourriban, A. Lockhart, F. Michaud, A. Faucher, D. Knuutila, J. Finch, A. Fortin, and G. Goyette

Paper 0726—16:30Optimization of froth washing system in columns in rougher flota-tion circuitsM. Massinaei, M. Oliazadeh, M. Kolahdoozan, M. Noaparast, and A. Oliazadeh

The Carlos M. Díaz Symposium on PyrometallurgyCU SESSION 43 >>> ALTERNATIVE/OTHER TECHNOLOGIES II


Paper 0822—13:40Outokumpu blister smelting processes—clean technology stan-dardsI.V. Kojo, M. Lahtinen, and E. Peuraniemi

Paper 0817—14:05Study into feasibility of basic modernization of a copper smelterusing the roasting-smelting flow diagram for treatment of sulphidefeed materialsA.V. Tarasov and V.M. Paretsky

Paper 0803—14:30Roasting kinetics of industrial molybdenite concentratesT. Marin, G. Riveros, A. Warczok T. Utigard, and S. Jara

Paper 0794—14:55Copper roast segregation process: a promise to be fulfilled and achallenge for material handling technologyA. del Campo A. and F. Cabrejos M.

Paper 0888—15:40Flash smelting furnace of the KGHM Glogów copper plant—tech-nological and process challenges as a driving force of its continuousmodernizationZ. Gostynski and D. Haze

Paper 0872—16:05Alternative to improve the traditional Chinese copper smelterS. Demetrio and J. He

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


Paper 0808—13:40Evolution furnace rotatory slag cleaning. Caletones smelter–ElTeniente division–Codelco ChileC. Carrasco, G. Duarte, and J. Araneda

Paper 0845—14:05Slag cleaning of Outokumpu direct-to-blister flash smelting slagsJ. Tuominen, Y. Anjala, and P. Björklund

Paper 0883—14:30Intensive electrodynamic slag cleaningA. Warczok, G. Riveros, T. Marin, R. Degel, J. Kunze, and H. Oterdoom

Paper 0801—14:55Computer simulator of slag cleaning in an electric furnaceA. Waczok, G. Riveros, R. Degel, J. Kunze, and H. Oterdoom

8Full abstracts and program updates available online

June/July 2007 77

Paper 0727—16:55Decentralized control of a three-phase pilot flotation column: a3x3 systemM. Maldonado, J. Chirinos, A. Desbiens, R. del Villar, and C. Dúchense

Process Control, Optimization and Six SigmaCU SESSION 46 >>> SIX SIGMA, LEAN MANUFACTURING, AND IMPROVED

MANAGEMENT

Sponsors: EDP of TMS, MetSoc, MMIJ, GDMB, and IIMChChairs: TBARoom: Saskatchewan—13:40

Paper 0991—13:40Morenci hydrometallurgical process improvement—application ofSix Sigma in process improvementR. Blosser and B. Sircy

Paper 0993—14:05Innovations in hydrometallurgical performance management: heapleaching solvent extraction and electrowinning plantsO.A. Bascur, R. Linares, and L. Yacher

Paper 1004—14:30Process management innovations at Sociedad Minera CerroVerde–PeruG. Velarde

Paper 1058—14:55Using the Six Sigma approach towards a metallurgical project:nickel loss reduction and general improvements to the raglanrougher flotation circuitC. Ciriello and J.-D. Fournier

Paper 1065—15:40Increasing competitiveness in the Atlantic Copper MetallurgicalComplexR. Fernández-Gil and J. Hurtado

Paper 1068—16:05Managing assets using performance supervisionM. Ruel

Paper 1078—16:30Metallurgical balance as a management tools in processing plantsV. Valenzuela

Paper 1187—16:55Lean/Six Sigma—unique applications in the mining and metals sec-torK. Kelton and B. Chertow

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


Paper 0920—13:40Evaluation of USES-LCA for deriving characterization factors formetals—evaluating copper bioaccumulation in aquatic risk assess-mentW. Adams

Paper 0921—14:05Summary of the EU voluntary copper risk assessmentK. 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—14:30Methodogy for aquatic hazard classification of massive metal forms:the copper caseP. Rodrigues

Paper 0925—14:55Recent approach to recyling business in Naoshima smelter andrefineryA. Kaneda

Paper 0901—15:40Feasibility of generating sulphur impregnated activated carbon usingpetroleum coke and flue gases from a copper smelterE. Morris

Paper 1113—16:05Control of acid mine drainage by means of immobilizing agents,electrochemical study on a grain moldS. Hadzi Jordanov, A. Dimitrov, and P. Paunovic

Paper 0900—16:30Designing and implementing of noise control method due to ballcharge in primary ball mill divisionE. Zadeh

Paper 0913—16:55A new method of scorodite synthesis under atmospheric conditionin sulphate solutionN. Takashi

Downstream Fabrication and ApplicationsCU SESSION 48 >>> DEVELOPMENT AND CHARACTERIZATION OF ALLOYS

Sponsors: SME, MetSoc, MMIJ, and GDMBChairs: K. Sadayappan, CANMETRoom: Toronto—13:40

Paper 1049—13:40Development of copper foil products for PCBSM. Sakamoto

Paper 1048—14:05Development of a new low lead alloy for plumbing applicationsM. Sadayappan

Paper 1070—14:30Development of lead free copper alloy “ECOBRASS®K. Oishi

Paper 1045—14:55Development of high-perfomance copper alloy wire “EFTEC194W”D. Takahashi

Paper 1042—15:40Manufacturing and mechanical properties of ultrafine grained, oxidedispersion strengthened copperU. Martin

Paper 1035—16:05Atomization and spray forming of Cu and Cu-6SnH. Henein

Paper 1102—16:30OHMIC resistance control for copper tarnishing processD.M. Bastidas

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

Paper 0974—11:05Hydro-geochemistry of in-situ leaching—an integrated approach tomanagement of solution miningS. Orr and A. Getahun

Paper 0994—11:30New hydrometallurgical technology for processing of copper con-centratesT. Velea, V. Predica, and L. Gherghe

Hydrometallurgy, in honour of John Dutrizac,Incorporating the 37th Annual HydrometallurgyMeetingCU SESSION 51 >>> LEACHING IV


Paper 0988—9:50Matching theory and practice in heap leaching processesJ.M. Menacho, L.E. Gutiérrez, and P.A. Chávez

Paper 0980—10:15Impact of heap operational changes on Zaldivar copper productionS.C. Bouffard and D. Flores Godoy

Paper 0941—10:40Agglomeration for copper heap leachingK.A. Lewandowski and S.K. Kawatra

Paper 0939—11:05Acid curing and agglomerationJ. Lu, D. Dreisinger, and P. West-Sells

Paper 1010—11:30Searching for the optimal heap leach application rateO. Bernal and G. Velarde

Electrowinning and Electrorefining, Incorporating the37th Annual Hydrometallurgy MeetingCU SESSION 52 >>> EW AND ER PLANT PRACTICES AND DESIGN


Paper 0746—9:50Trends in copper refining technologyJ. Standen T.

Paper 0772—10:15Status and improvement plans in Inco’s electrowinning tankhouseM. Sabau

Paper 1178—10:40The advantages of concurrently designing and engineering coppersolvent extraction and electrowinning plantsG. Karcas and H. Laitala

Paper 0787—11:05Electrolytic copper electrowinning—2007 world tankhouse operat-ing dataM. Robinson


Wednesday, August 29, am

Light Metals in Transport ApplicationsCU SESSION 49 >>> PRIMARY PRODUCT AND LIGHT METALS I


Paper 1137—9:50Chemical and physical characterization of bauxite residue (redmud) for concrete makingM.G. Davoodi, H. Nikraz, and E. Jamieson

Paper 1142—10:15Microwave pretreatment of bauxite oresT. Lu, C.A. Pickles, and S. Kelebek

Paper 1162—10:40The bauxite resource potential of SiberiaNot available

Paper 1146—11:05Kinetics of aluminium Gallam corrosion in Bayer liquorA. Senyuta

Paper 1121—11:30Airflows through openings of smelter buildings exposed to cross-windsE. Dernedde

Hydrometallurgy, in honour of John Dutrizac,Incorporating the 37th Annual HydrometallurgyMeetingCU SESSION 50 >>> TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT II


Paper 0973—9:50Hydrocopper for treating variable copper concentratesL. Haavanlammi, K. Hietala, and J. Karonen

Paper 0956—10:15Copper leaching from IOCG ore and concentratesM. Xiao Bo, H. Watanabe, Y.Takasaki, T. Okura, M. Tamura, J. Seong-Jin, H.Nakamura, and Y. Kida

Paper 0785—11:30Spence: the newest electrowinning tankhouse in the worldA. Pangbourne, M. Eamon, and M. Ferrera

Electrowinning and Electrorefining, Incorporating the37th Annual Hydrometallurgy MeetingCU SESSION 53 >>> FUNDAMENTALS/MODELING II


Paper 0768—9:50Modeling the temperature dependence of selected variables rele-vant to the operation of a copper electrowinning cell based onreactive electrodialysisL. Cifuentes

Paper 0769—10:15The effect of impurities on cell performance and on the quality ofelectrodeposits obtained at high current densities in a copper elec-trowinning cell based on reactive electrodialysisL. Cifuentes

Paper 0774—10:40Synergistic effect of polymer additives and chloride ion on copperelectrorefiningH. Kuboyama

Paper 0775—11:05Codeposition behavior of impurities in copper electrowinning fromcuprous chloride solutionH. Nakano

Paper 0781—11:30Fluid motion characteristics with gas injection for copper elec-trorefining at high current densityY. Hanada

The Carlos M. Díaz Symposium on PyrometallurgyCU SESSION 54 >>> VESSEL INTEGRITY I


Paper 0813—9:50Kennecott Utah smelter rebuild—10 million tonnes of concentratesmeltedD. Janney, B. Foster, R. Burton, and D.G. Kennedy

Paper 0890—10:15Refractory performance and campaign life extension of the rever-beratory furnace at HBMS in Flin FlonJ. Cooper et al.

Paper 0878—10:40Advanced monitoring: Tapblock diagnostic systemP. Tracy, R. MacRosty, Q. Zhao, L. Gunnewiek, and T. Gerritsen

Paper 0841—11:05Optimization of refractory lining design and installation practice toreduce vessel downtime and maximize performance of anode refin-ing vesselsA.J. Rigby, M. Wiessler, and C. Richeson

The Carlos M. Díaz Symposium on PyrometallurgyCU SESSION 55 >>> CONTINUOUS CONVERTING I


Paper 0861—9:50Latest developments with copper ISASMELT™ P. Arthur

Paper 0829—10:15Converting using ISASMELT™ technologyJ.S. Edwards and G.R.F. Alvear F.

Paper 0868—10:40The Ausmelt continuous copper converting (C3) processR. Matusewicz and S. Hughes

Paper 0834—11:05Pilot-scale evaluation for the Codelco continuous convertingprocessA. Moyano, C. Caballero, R. Mackay, P. Morales, and J. Font

The Carlos M. Díaz Symposium on PyrometallurgyCU SESSION 56 >>> OFF GAS HANDLING I


Paper 0854—9:50Regenerable SO2 scrubbing for copper smelters: an updateC. Harris and J. Sarlis

June/July 2007 79


Paper 1056—11:30Effect of multiple lifts on mineral extraction, inventory and cashflowA. Guzman, R. Randolph, and E. Scheffe

Paper 1057—11:55Silica removing from cooling water and recovery of blowdownM. Behrouz, E. Yosefnia, and M. Shaneh Saz Zadeh

Sustainable Development, HS&E, and Recycling,Incorporating the 4th Waste Processing andRecycling SymposiumCU SESSION 59 >>> SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT V


Paper 0909—9:50Engineering biological processes for metal removal for using wet-landsA. Mattes

Paper 0749—10:15Electronic treatment of highly contaminated effluents from coppersmeltersS. Stopic

Paper 0714—10:40Real behaviour of thickened tailingsC. Cano

Paper 1016—11:05State-of-the-art management technologies for contaminated soilsand groundwater with focus on the copper industryA. Bezama and M. Sanchez

Paper 0904—11:30Numerical information system supporting safe management of cop-per post-flotation tailings reservoir—“Zelzny Most” PolandW. Swidzinski, W. Swierczynski, K. Janicki, and A. Naguszewski

Downstream Fabrication and ApplicationsCU SESSION 60 >>> FURNACE AND CASTING INNOVATIONS

Sponsors: SME, MetSoc, MMIJ, and GDMBChairs: J. Schmidt; J. Hugens, North American ManufacturingCompany, Ltd.Room: Toronto—9:30

Paper 1031—9:30Production and performance of casting moulds for copper anodesF. Shulz

Paper 1055—10:15Application of SPALTM (Surface Protection by Air Liquide) tech-nology at riverside brass and Aluminum Foundry LimitedM.l. Bouet

Paper 1053—10:40Investigation of alternative materials for the burner system on theshaft furnaceT. Stergiou

Paper 1039—11:05Designing and implementing a maintenance program with SAP inthe Paranapanema groupJ.R. Pacheco

Paper 0863—10:15Fluid-dynamic study of the gas handling system at Caletonessmelter P. Reyes F., B. Martinich, S. Rojas G., and R. Bustamante M.

Paper 1108—10:40The ALSTOM seawater FGD processC.M. Sagedahl

Paper 0793—11:05The metallurgical sulfuric acid plant design, operating and materialsconsiderations 2007 update of new equipment and systems L.J. Friedman and S.J. Friedman

Paper 0864—11:30Multivariate projection methods applied to the contact section of asulphuric acid plantP. Reyes, B. Martinich, F. Condore, and L.G. Bergh

Mineral ProcessingCU SESSION 57 >>> COMMINUTION PRACTICE


Paper 0728—9:50Energy calculations for SAG grinding of a sulfide copper oreA.E.C. Peres and P.E.C. Pereira

Paper 0729—10:15Effect of blast modifications in semiautogenous grinding plant ofCodelco Chile AndinaG. Titichoca, L. Magne, G. Pereira, G. Andrades, and P. Molinet

Paper 0730—10:40New strategy development for changing SAG mill linersK.G. Markkola, J. Soto, G. Yañez, and H. Jimenez

Paper 1176—11:05Super fine grinding of copper concentrates for pressure leach pro-cessing by Phelps DodgeS. Williams, J. Gillaspie, D. Mathern, and J. Wilmot

Process Control, Optimization, and Six SigmaCU SESSION 58 >>> CONTROL, AUTOMATION, AND PROCESS


Paper 0700—9:50Use of wireless technology and vision’s systems to improveprocesses, maintenances and mineral movement in mining plantsH. Salamanca, A. Sanchez, P. Escobar, and J. Tapia

Paper 0742—10:15Robotic applications in mining process, a small investment andgreat profits in the short termH. Salamanca, F. Ramirez, L. Baeza, and C. Rodíguez

Paper 1060—10:40P-D central analytical service center; step change technologyE. Best

Paper 1018—11:05Supervisory control project of a copper solvent extraction pilotplantL. Bergh, E. Lucic, and F. Zuleta

Paper 1022—11:30New concepts in refractory linings for copper shaft furnaces1997–2007B. Huffman

Paper 1040—11:55Topics relative to filtration for continuous cast copper and alu-minumJ. Scalise

Wednesday, August 29, pm

Light Metals in Transport ApplicationsCOM SESSION 61 >>> PRIMARY PRODUCT OF LIGHT METALS II


Paper 1152—13:40GHG reduction at Baie-Comeau Søderberg plantY. Bilodeau

Paper 1148—14:05Isothermal thermal gravimetric analysis of magnesium chloridehexahydrate during rapid heatingS. Kashani-Nejad and R. Harris

Paper 1141—14:30Deoxidation of titanium dioxide compressed pellets by the FFCCambridge processN.K. Jabber

Paper 1168—14:55Controlled precipitation of nesquehonite (MgCO3•3H2O) by thereaction of MgCl2 with (NH4)2CO3 at 303KY. Wang, Z. Li, and G. Demopoulos

Hydrometallurgy, in honour of John Dutrizac,Incorporating the 37th Annual HydrometallurgyMeetingCU SESSION 62 >>> TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT III


Paper 0960—13:40Correcting for scale-up phenomena in heterogeneous material pro-cessingM.L. Free

Paper 1005—14:05The rate of gold dissolution in concentrated cupric chloride solu-tionsR. von Bonsdorff, J. Aromaa, O. Forsén, and M.H. Barker

Paper 1012—14:30Solution management at Mantoverde Division of Anglo AmericanChileU. Troncoso, C. Pérez, and G. Zárate

Paper 1182—14:55Modern stainless steel for leaching plantsJ. Olsson, A. Bergquist, and S. Ekman

Hydrometallurgy, in honour of John Dutrizac,Incorporating the 37th Annual HydrometallurgyMeetingCU SESSION 63 >>> FUNDAMENTAL STUDIES


Paper 0946—13:40Bacterial leaching of a copper ore containing activated pyriteZ. Manafi, S.A. Seyed Baghery, and R. Atash Dehghan

Paper 1024—14:05Effect of copper monosulphide at nickel-copper concentrates high-temperature hydrometallurgical refiningl.V. Chugaev, N.A. Berezkina, and Y.M. Shneerson

Paper 0954—14:30Copper behavior peculiarity in the process of metals cementationdissolution in CuSO4 solution: metallic nickel caseL.V. Volkov, M.I. Kalashnikova, and J.M. Shneerson

Paper 0984—14:55Study of kinetics and chemistry of the oxidative leaching of coppersulphide intermediate product of hydrometallurgical operationJ.M. Shneerson, A.Y. Lapin, and T.Y. Kositskaya

Electrowinning and Electrorefining, Incorporating the37th Annual Hydrometallurgy MeetingCU SESSION 64 >>> EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES


Paper 0748—13:40Utilization of cell voltage and temperature data of wireless cell sen-sors in copper refinery monitoring, control and maintenanceA. Rantala

Paper 0755—14:05An update of recent applications of molecular recognition technol-ogy (MRT) in the copper industryS.R. Izatt

Paper 0765—14:30Electrolytic copper deposition and oxidation from ammoniacal alka-line solution containing solution containing copper (I)K. Koyama

Paper 0767—14:55Electrodeposition behavior of dendritic copper from aqueous cop-per (I) chloride solution containing condensed sodium halidesK. Murase

Paper 0780—15:40Adding value to LIX / SX / EW operations by recovering copperfrom bleed, raffinate and other plant streamsR.E. Dixon

Paper 0784—16:05Pilot test of EM-EW® technology application to copper electrore-finery bleed streams with high arsenic contentL. Byszynski

Paper 0789—16:30Ion exchange for electrolyte purification in copper electrowinningand electrorefiningR. Shaw


The Carlos M. Díaz Symposium on PyrometallurgyCU SESSION 67 >>> CONTINUOUS CONVERTING II


Paper 0806—13:40Some topics in chemistry of direct or continuous copper convert-ingK. Yamaguchi and A. Yazawa

Paper 0893—14:05Relationship between slag chemistry and optimum operating condi-tions for the Noranda process reactorP. Coursol, Y. Prevost, M. Zamalloa, and P.J. Mackey

Paper 0858—14:30Molybdenum recovery from copper smelter slagsF. Parada, J.C. Carrasco, A. Reghezza, J. Zúñiga, C. Caballero, and M.Sánchez

The Carlos M. Díaz Symposium on PyrometallurgyCU SESSION 68 >>> OFF GAS HANDLING II


Paper 0860—13:40The acid plant expansion and energy saving at Toyo copper smelterN. Kubo, Y. Isshiki, H. Satou, and H. Kurokawa

Paper 0812—14:05Thermal transportation properties of copper flash smelting fluedustE. Nurminen

Paper 0826—14:30Production of anhydrite from limestone with smelter gases in athree-stage fluidized bed reactorI. Wilkomirsky, G. Godoy, M. Vera, R. Parra, and F. Parada

Paper 0814—14:55Recent smelting and acid plant operation at Saganoseki smelterF. Hashiuchi, H. Chida, and H. Nakata

The Carlos M. Díaz Symposium on PyrometallurgyCU SESSION 69 >>> FIRE REFINING

Sponsors: Non-Ferrous Pyrometallurgy Section of MetSoc, MMIJ,GDMB, IIMCh, and EPD of TMSChairs: TBARoom: Confederation 5—13:40

Paper 0819—13:40The paipote continuous fire refining processG. Riveros, A. Warczok, T. Utigard, T. Marin, H. Schwarze, D. Smith, J. Sanhueza, and A. Balochi

Paper 0835—14:05RAF copper production process improvement at the CaletonessmelterD. Cordero, J. Font, C. Carrasco, F. Figueroa, and J. Bobadilla

Paper 0840—14:30Interactive 3D modeling of the refractory lining of an anode refin-ing vesselA.J. Rigby

Paper 0789—16:55An innovative wireless electrolytic cell monitor powered by ultra-low bus voltageE. You

Electrowinning and Electrorefining, Incorporating the37th Annual Hydrometallurgy MeetingCU SESSION 65 >>> SLIMES/PURIFICATION


Paper 0759—13:40Anode slime leaching and tellurium removal at Atlantic CopperrefineryR. Ramirez

Paper 0762—14:05Upsets on antimony content in electrolytic copper produced atCaraiba MetaisI. Marcelo Santos Moraes

Paper 0763—14:30Studies on bismuth content variations in the Caraíba Metais’ elec-trolytic copperJ. Luiz Rodrigues Bravo

Paper 0764—14:55Mineralogical characterization of a conventional copper refineryanode slimes treatment circuitT.T. Chen and J.E. Dutrizac

Paper 1186—15:40Processing of high nickel slimes at CCR refineryJ. Stafiej

Paper 0752—16:05A novel sustainable process for anodic slime purificationE. Roman, R. Alvarez P., J. Guzmán M., V. Carrasco T., and M. Cifuentes M.

The Carlos M. Díaz Symposium on PyrometallurgyCU SESSION 66 >>> VESSEL INTEGRITY II


Paper 0811—13:40Improved handling of high heat fluxes through copper castings withcast-in copper tubes in pyrometallurgical furnacesC. Oehler

Paper 0796—14:05Recycling of waste magnesia chrome bricks to produce refractorycastable used at Sarcheshmeh copper complex furnacesA. Rahimi, F. Arianpour, and F. Golestani-Fard

Paper 0820—14:30Slag freeze layer formation in an electric smelting slagF.J. Guevara and G.A. Irons

Paper 0855—14:55The elliptical anode furnace – a metallurgical comparison—partoneM. Potesser, U. Zulehner, H. Rinnhofer, and H. Antrekowitsch

Paper 0856—15:40The elliptical anode furnace – an economical and technical compar-iso—part twoM. Potesser, U. Zulehner, H. Rinnhofer, and H. Antrekowitsch

Paper 0802—16:05Kinetics of a liquid copper oxidation and reduction in a packed bedA. Warczok, G. Riveros, T. Marin, T. Utigard, H. Wastawino, and C. Puga

Paper 0879—16:30Experimental study for deoxidation of liquid copper with substo-ichimetric O2/CH4 flamesT. Marin and T. Utigard

Mineral ProcessingCU SESSION 70 >>> COMMINUTION OPTIMIZATION I & II


Paper 0732—13:40SABC circuit energy consumption optimizationK.G. Markkola, J. Soto, G.Yañez, H. Jimenez, and L. Tapia

Paper 0733—14:05SAG mill operation optimization for different type of ore base on a“virtual geologist”L. Tapia and E. Lizama

Paper 0735—14:30Power analysis process of milling in semiautogenous millsA. Gutiérrez, L. Magne, and A. Ortiz

Paper 0741—14:55Towards AG/SAG/ball mill on-line performance prediction?P. Radziszewski, S. Martins, B. Picard, and S. Caron

Paper 0734—15:40Balance of feed split to ball mills in parallelE. You, L. Cruz, D. King, and C. Veloo

Paper 0736—16:05Multivariable analysis and dynamic monitoring of the grindingprocessL. Yacher and J. Sanzana

Paper 0737—16:30Dynamic simulation and model based real-time optimization ofSAG mills using genetic algorithmsL. Magne, G. Acuña, J. Salazar, and F. Cubillos

Paper 0738—16:55Ball mill overload detectionD. Sbarbaro

June/July 2007 83

Process Control, Optimization, and Six SigmaCU SESSION 71 >>> PYROMETALLURGICAL PROCESS IMPROVEMENTS


Paper 1062—13:40Reducing copper losses in the Mitsubishi process: a pyrometallurgi-cal approachF. Tanaka

Paper 1067—14:05Tuyere pressure frequency measurement in a copper converterM. Kreuh, M. McEwan, P. Lind, P. Mackey, and H. Halsall-Whitney

Paper 1063—14:30Hydrogen sensor for molten copperN. Fukatsu, N. Kurita, K. Katahira, and T. Ohshima

Paper 1072—14:55Mass and energy balances for metallurgical gas handling system inChagres smelterP. Durán R., R. Bustamante, and A. Avila

Paper 1075—15:40Advances in furnace monitoring: instrumentationR. MacRosty, S. Nitschke, T. Gerritsen, C. Crowe, and N. Voermann

Paper 1076—16:05Understanding vessel integrity, a study of the thermo-mechanicalbehaviour of refractory lining segmentsT. Prietl, O. Zach, and B. Drew

Paper 1074—16:30Integrity monitoring of Falconbridge Kidd Creek Mitsubishi 3-linefurnaces using multivariate methodsP. Nelson, A. Hyde, M. McEwan, and D. Sandoz

Sustainable Development, HS&E, and Recycling,Incorporating the 4th Waste Processing andRecycling SymposiumCU SESSION 72 >>> SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT VI


Paper 1105—13:40The copper recovery from cupric oxide catalysts by plasma reduc-tion processI. Imris

Paper 0896—14:05A novel process in the integral processing of residues and effluentsgenerated in the copper industryA. Robles

Paper 0905—14:30Water availability for mining usage in northern Chile, a challengingscenarioM. Marchese

Paper 0908—14:55Desalinization technologiesR. Niechcial

Paper 0964—15:20Development of wasteless technology of copper extraction fromsulphidesO. Gulzhan

historyThe Basalt Controversy IV(Part 18)by R.J. “Bob” Cathro, Chemainus, British Columbia

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 hisideas on the origin of basalt. One of the first was Rudolf Erich Raspe (1771), who rec-ognized 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 ofhis 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, wherevolcanic and granitic rocks could be observed cutting sediments and each other, Werner’sideas on basalt became more suspect. Even worse, some of his most famous studentsbecame advocates rather than critics of Vulcanism as they travelled the globe and beganto realize that the field evidence didn’t support what they had been taught. Theseincluded: Leopold von Buch, probably Werner’s most illustrious protégé (Sigurdsson,1999, p. 123); Jean Baptiste Barthelémy de Lessups, who observed active volcanoes inKamchatka in 1790; Alexander von Humboldt, who witnessed the eruption of Cotopaxiin Ecuador in 1803 and wrote classic descriptions of the natural history of SouthAmerica; and William Maclure, who published the first geological map of the UnitedStates in 1809. By the time of Werner’s death in 1817, his theories about the ‘universalformation’ and the sedimentary origin of basalt were badly tarnished and rejected byeveryone except Robert Jameson.

In the years following Hutton’s death in 1797, the task of explaining his theory moreclearly and defending his reputation from his critics fell to the two friends from theUniversity 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 biog-raphy of Samuel Johnson. In addition to being a mathematician, he was a dedicated ama-teur geologist and a fine writer. Gould (1987a, p. 93) judged him to be even better, per-haps, 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 ideascalled ‘Illustrations of the Huttonian Theory’ in 1802.

Hall, a fine chemist, performed an equally important function, although he hadto wait until after Hutton died because he was so opposed to anything but field-work. Hall conducted an elegant series of tests, believed to be the first examplesof experimental geology, in order to prove Hutton’s contention that basalt wasderived from the cooling of molten rock. He melted 15 samples of basalt fromScotland, England, and the continent and showed that they produced glass whencooled quickly, but yielded a granular structure like basalt when cooled slowly(Ashworth, 2004, p. 76). His next series of 500 experiments, which took six yearsto complete (in 1805), proved that limestone would not disintegrate if heated to1,000°C, as it would at surface, if it was under a pressure equivalent to a 2,700 mcolumn of seawater (Repcheck, 2003, p. 170-173). “Hall proved… that it wasquite reasonable to believe that… basalt, greenstone and whinstone in the neigh-bourhood of Edinburgh were ultimately of volcanic origin” (Flett, 1937, p. 12).

Although he was only interested in the history of the earth and never men-tioned mineralization, we can see with the benefit of hindsight that Hutton hadan enormous impact on our understanding of the origin of ore deposits. And yet,

“The formation in 1835 of theGeological Survey, which was

the first ... of any country,(followed) the ‘Heroic Age of

Geology’, when the foundationsof the Science were laid down by

Hutton, Werner and WilliamSmith and consolidated by

Cuvier and Lamarck. Its earlydays coincided with the ‘Golden

Age of Geology’, when suchMasters as Lyell, Sedgwick,

Murchison, Buckland and De laBeche accomplished wonders instrenuous pioneering field-work

and made many greatdiscoveries” (Smith, 1936).


John Playfair

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modern academics still dismiss his contributions, as inthis example written by an eminent paleontologist, evolu-tionary biologist, and essayist on natural history: “Huttonhad precious little impact on the practice of geology … histheory remained on a periphery of speculation; the doersof geology largely ignored his contribution and wentabout their work” (Gould, 1987b, p. 79).

The Geological Society of London, founded in 1807,played a vital role in the advancement of geologicalknowledge in Great Britain; its Transactions contain aseries of classic memoirs that are its foundation stones.The founders decreed that the emerging science of geologyneeded hard data from the field, not theories and inter-pretation, and banned all theoretical discussion from theirmeetings. This was actually written into the procedures of

the society. The membership included members of thepeerage, Members of Parliament, great landowners,bankers, and “Anglican gentlemen, who viewed theGeological Society as their intellectual home” (Gould,1987b, p. 85). They were able to exert considerable influ-ence on the government. Geology was becoming some-thing more than a hobby for wealthy amateurs; it wasdeveloping into an integral part of natural philosophy. Theleading professors were Adam Sedgwick at Cambridge andWilliam Buckland at Oxford.

The society chose the stratigraphic research program(the geological time scale) as its focus, defining the pri-mary task of geology as “unravelling the sequence ofactual events in time, using the key to history that had justbeen developed to the point of general utility by Cuvier(in the Paris Basin) and William Smith (in southernEngland)—the distinctively changing suite of fossilsthrough time” (Gould, 1987c, p. 152). Fortunately, thesequences in these regions are relatively simple and undis-turbed and “the time scale was established in an amaz-ingly fruitful burst of research during the first half of thenineteenth century. … By 1850, history had been ordered

in a consistent, worldwidesequence of recognizable, unre-peated events, defined by theever-changing history of life,and recorded by a set of namesaccepted and used in the sameway from New York toMoscow” (Gould, 1987b, p. 76-77). In 1859, the societyawarded its highest honour, theWollaston Medal, to CharlesDarwin, who served as secre-tary from 1837 to 1841.

Another important development was the founding of theGeological Survey of Great Britain in 1835, which providedthe first opportunity for steady employment for geologistsoutside the universities and the mining industry. Most ofthis section on the survey is derived from Flett (1937). TheSurvey, which became the model for most similar govern-ment agencies worldwide and the source of the future lead-ers for most of those in the British colonies and dominions,was extremely fortunate in its early leadership. Sir HenryThomas De la Beche (1796-1855) served as the first direc-tor from 1835 to 1855 and was succeeded by Sir RoderickImpey Murchison (1792-1871) between 1855 and 1871.

De la Beche, who became director at the age of 39, hadgrown up in Devonshire and Dorset in a military family andlacked the wealth to work as a gentleman scientist. He hadtravelled widely outside the country, was fluent in severallanguages, and had a natural aptitude for field mapping andgeological cartography, of which he was a pioneer. Becauseof his strong interest in economic geology and his ability tocollaborate well with mining engineers, he began his map-ping in the more complex geology of Cornwall and Devonbefore moving to southern Wales, which was important forits coal resources. It was there that he met a self-taughtemployee of a coal company whose accurate and detailedmaps were ahead of anything being produced in Englandup to that time. The employee was Canadian-born WilliamE. Logan (1798-1875), who had attended the University ofEdinburgh for one year and then worked for ten years inLondon for his family as a bookkeeper before moving toWales in 1828 to work for the family coal mining company.He became the founder of the Geological Survey of Canadain 1842, with a strong recommendation from De la Beche.

In 1855, the 63-year-old Murchison was at the height ofhis fame and was, with the possible exception of Lyell,regarded as the leader of British geology. He had defined theSilurian and Permian periods and was co-founder of theDevonian. He was “an aristocratic old soldier, … self-assured and curt almost to the point of egomania” (Gould,1987b, p. 87), and proud of his Highland roots. Murchisonwas also described as a diligent and excellent scientist,although his field methods were considered to be rapid andsuperficial. His high social standing, substantial wealth,

Geology was becomingsomething more than ahobby for wealthy amateurs; it was developinginto an integral part ofnatural philosophy

Thomas De la Beche

geologists occupy a position second to none; as contributors tothe study of ore deposits they are nowhere. … I impute thepoverty of result entirely to the fact that men of culture havedeemed it undignified to make a commercial use of scientificknowledge.”

A dramatic change in attitude was needed if economicgeology was ever going to break out of this period of disin-terest. The triggering event took place in January 1848,although nobody could have foreseen how a placer golddiscovery on the Pacific coast of North America could havesuch momentous results. CIM

economic geology


personal friendship with influ-ential politicians and membersof the aristocracy, and forcefulbut genial personality made himan eminently successful admin-istrator. Unfortunately, he hadlittle interest in the economicapplications of geology, whichhad been of prime importanceto De la Beche, nor was hemuch concerned with the edu-cation of students of mining andmetallurgy. De la Beche, whohad established three sisterorganizations, The School of Mines (the prefix Royal wasadded about 1862), the Mining Record Office, and theMuseum of Practical Geology, had wanted to pattern theschool after the well-known academies in Saxony andFrance.

With the leading universities, learned societies, and geo-logical surveys in Europe so focused on stratigraphy andpaleontology, the study of economic geology was restrictedto small groups working in relative isolation in Cornwall,Saxony, Scandinavia, France, and elsewhere. The situationin England in the middle of the 19th century has been sum-marized by Rickard (1910, p. 479) as follows:

“In England, the detection of fossils and the correlation ofstrata absorbed the attention of geologists to the exclusion ofinvestigation into the nature of mineral aggregates that are theobject of mining. Indeed, not only did geology give the coldshoulder to mining but when geologists condescended to beinterested in mineral deposits, they made blunders highly per-plexing even to those willing to accept scientific aid. ThusMurchison rashly enunciated the generalization that theSilurian rocks were particularly favourable to gold veins, bas-ing this broad statement on his knowledge of the Ural region;and when gold was discovered in Australia in slate and sand-stone of Silurian age, he congratulated himself on the confir-mation of his dictum. Later, he interpreted the scanty data athis disposal as warranting the inference that deep mining in thesolid quartz rock is usually unprofitable. No wonder that theminer looked askance at the geologist, so that there was a lackof co-operation between the young science and the venerableindustry. Moreover, the idea obtained in England that geologystooped to commercialism when she concerned herself withmining.

The notion long persisted that science suffered by becomingutilitarian; the geologist deemed hunting for fossils morebecoming than the search for ore; and this tradition in effectprevented English geologists from attempting to unravel thecomplexities of ore occurrence. A notable example is affordedby the Geological Society. … In its records will be found … theprinciples that constitute the very foundations of the science.… Yet the sum total of information concerning ore deposits tobe found in the (Transactions) is negligible. Englishmen as

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, Engineeringand Technology. Also available at www.lindahall.org/events_exhib/exhibit/exhibits/vulcan/about.shtml).

Flett, J.S. (1937). The first hundred years of the GeologicalSurvey of Great Britain. London: His Majesty’s StationeryOffice.

Gould, S.J. (1987a). James Hutton’s theory of the earth. InTime’s arrow, time’s cycle: myth and metaphor in the discov-ery of geological time. Cambridge: Harvard UniversityPress.

Gould, S.J. (1987b). The power of narrative. In An urchinin the storm: essays about books and ideas. New York: W.W.Norton & Company.

Gould, S.J. (1987c). Charles Lyell, historian of time’scycle. In Time’s arrow, time’s cycle: myth and metaphor in thediscovery of geological time. Cambridge: HarvardUniversity Press.

Raspe, R.E. (1771). A short account of some basaltic hillsin Hassia. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society ofLondon, 61, 580-583.

Repcheck, J. (2003). The man who found time: JamesHutton and the discovery of the earth’s antiquity. Cambridge:Perseus Publishing.

Rickard, T.A. (1910). Geology applied to mining. SanFrancisco: Mining and Scientific Press, April 2 (479-481)and April 9 (516-518). (This paper was delivered at theRoyal School of Mines, London, on March 4, 1910 as theLe Neve Foster Memorial Lecture).

Sigurdsson, H. (1999). Melting the earth: the history ofideas on volcanic eruptions. New York: Oxford UniversityPress.

Smith, B. (1936). Prefatory Note. In J.S. Flett (Ed.), Thefirst hundred years of the Geological Survey of Great Britain.London: His Majesty’s Stationery Office.

T.A. Rickard

metallurgy

The Chilean mill or trapiche is still used in small-scalemining in Chile, Bolivia, Peru, and Argentina. It is a form ofedge-runner mill with from one to four heavy wheels, ormullers, running in a circular U-shaped trough. The ore,which is generally hand-shovelled into the water-filledtrough, is crushed by the weight of the revolving wheels. Thebottom of the trough is protected by a steel-wearing ring orsoleplate. Scrapers fixed behind each roller lift the groundore off the soleplate and keep it in suspension. The resultingslurry exits the mill through a series of perimeter screensnear the top of the trough. The mesh size, height above thesoleplate, and length of the overflow screens determine thefinal grind size and daily throughput. It seems that theChilean mill is a direct descendent of early Roman olive millswhich were rotated by hand or animal traction. The ancientChinese independently developed an identical machine,called shih nien, for grinding grain.

In the trapiche used today, a short horizontal axle connectsthe wheel(s) to a central vertical shaft that has mounted on ita bevelled crown gear driven by a pinion. A series of belt-driven pulleys connected to a motor via a jackshaft drive thehorizontal main shaft on which the pinion is mounted.While electric motors are most common, diesel and gasolinemotors are also used. Motors are generally in the range of 5to 25 hp. For ease of maintenance, the drive mechanism isnormally mounted above the circular trough.

In Chile, rollers and troughs were originally made ofcarved rock. Near Copiapó, there is an abandoned quarrywhere semi-completed rollers and bowls can be seen.Nowadays, old railway wagon wheels are the usual baseframework for the runners; grinding balls, worn mill liners,or other suitable scrap iron are cemented in to attain thedesired weight. The circular troughs are of welded steel plateor poured concrete.

The name‘Chilean mill’probably reflectsits widespread usein Chile fromwhere it was intro-duced into neigh-bouring countries,rather than anyclaim to havingoriginated there.There was once a

town called Chilean Mill near Prescott, Arizona. Today, thisis little more than a geographical spot as the trapiche fromthere is now in a museum in Jerome, Arizona. Likewise, thehamlet of Trapiche, about 85 kilometres north of La Serena,Chile, no longer depends on mining and no Chilean mills arein use there. The townspeople now cultivate carnations forthe local and export market.

While it is not known when the trapiche was first used forcrushing and grinding rock, it is probable that this usestarted in Spanish America. Agricola, in De Re Metallica, pub-lished in 1556, makes no mention of trapiches or similarmachines for grinding ore. His description of milling devicesis limited to several varieties of wind, water, human, or ani-mal-driven mills with either one or two horizontally revolv-ing millstones. The use of the trapiche in Chile is docu-mented to at least 1732, and in 1803, there were 130 beingused for grinding gold ore there. They have been used inMexico and the United States since at least as early as 1882.They were also used in the Nova Scotia gold fields during theearly 1860s and in Australia at the Walhalla gold field in themid-to-late 1860s.

Taggart (1927) gives a description of the Chilean millsthat were common in plants in the United States in the early20th century. The Frasers & Chalmers Company and theBonnot Company both manufactured Chilean mills. Up untilthe early 1980s, Chilean mills were being used in two coppersmelters in Arizona for grinding clay to make plugs for con-verters and reverbs. These machines were similar to the pan

The Chilean Mill or Trapicheby James G. Watt, Comox, British Columbia

A section through a used two-roller trapiche in Andacollo, Chile

June/July 2007 87

Roman olive mill

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mill, used in English clay-brick factories, in that the pan ortrough was rotated, causing the fixed wheels to turn.

The trapiche was the primary grinding machine in theAmerican southwest copper industry during the late nine-teenth and early twentieth centuries, but was displaced bythe widespread introduction of tube and ball mills. In Chile,it has been, and still is on a somewhat smaller scale, the maingrinding machine at hundreds of small mines. According tothe mayor of Andacollo, Chile, at mid-2006 there were ninemilling plants operating in the area, with a total of 49trapiches, down from the 55 plants with 295 trapiches work-ing in 1970.

Increased copper prices spurred the development of thetrapiche as a high-capacity (20 to 40 tonnes per day) primarygrinding unit in copper milling. Grind fineness is sacrificed,however, with 80 per cent passing the equivalent of 65 meshTyler (212 microns) being the normal target. This is achievedwith heavier wheels, each weighing between 2,500 and 3,000kilograms, and by increasing the velocity of rotation to about18 rpm. The resulting slurry discharges via perimeter screensto the flotation circuit. The mesh and the height of thescreens above the soleplate control the grind fineness.Discharge height is normally four to five inches above thesoleplate. The approximately 30 per cent solids pulp densityrequired and the higher capacity (20 to 30 kilograms perminute) make these units suitable for a conveyor belt feedsystem.

To further increase plant throughput, trapiches were put touse as secondary grinding machines. These were either inopen circuit, treating the discharge from a primary grindingtrapiche, or in closed circuit, with some type of hydraulicclassifier. The characteristics of the regrind trapiche are simi-lar to those of the grinding trapiche although with a steepertrough angle and a slower wheel velocity of around 14 rpm.

The Amalgamating Trapiche

In the amalgamating trapiche, copper plates covered withmercury are suspended from the rim of the trough to hang inthe slurry and recover the liberated gold particles throughamalgamation. As well, free mercury is dispersed around thebottom of the trough to pick up additional gold from theslurry, increasing the total recovery.

Grinds of about 80 per cent passing 150-mesh Tyler (100microns) are the norm, with roller weights of 1,000 to 1,500kilograms and velocities of 11 to 13 rpm. Throughputs arearound five to six tonnes per day per mill. Heavier wheelswould cause disintegration of the free mercury on the bottomof the trough and the resulting extra fine globules wouldescape via the overflow discharge screen. Higher rotationalvelocities would cause centrifuging of the slurry, limiting

exposure of the suspended gold particles to the copperplates. Trough angles of around 45 degrees or more are thenorm for amalgamating trapiches. The overflow dischargescreens are normally 10 to 13 inches above the soleplate.Slurry densities of around 16%, equivalent to a feed rate ofaround 31⁄2 kilograms per minute, are aimed for. Two shov-ellers can easily keep a bank of five or six trapiches operatingcontinuously. The trapiche is periodically stopped and amal-gam in the bottom of the trough is manually recovered forretorting. Today, the landscape of northern Chile is dottedwith hundreds of old tailings piles, evidence of past trapicheoperations. These are often contaminated with mercury. The author would like to thank those friends and colleagues whosupplied data, constructively criticized drafts of this paper, andoffered helpful suggestions. Special thanks go to Wiston Rocher,Ed Rood, Jorge Ordenes, and Fathi Habashi.

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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 Egaña, Juan.

Taggart, A.F. (1927). Handbook of mineral dressing. Wiley:

New York.

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For more details visit:www.metsoc.org or www.cmq-online.ca

ForMetallurgyandMaterialsScience

Spheroidization of a medium carbonHSLA fastener grade steel

Medium carbon, low alloy, high-strength steels contain-ing Ni, Cr, and Mo are used for the fabrication of various typesof high-strength fasteners required for launch vehicle struc-tures. Cold heading properties and response to hardening andtempering are essential requirements of the material for fabri-cation and application, respectively. In the absence of a suit-able spheroidizing cycle for cold heading of medium carbon3.8 Ni, 1.8 Cr, 0.3 Mo steel, experiments were carried out withtheoretical understanding of the alloy system. This paper pres-ents the experiments and results obtained after spheroidizingtreatments carried out to optimize the process. Hardnessmeasurements were carried out and microstructural studieswere made to assess the spheroidization process and to deter-mine the optimal spheroidization parameters, to achieve hard-ness in the range of 200-220 BHN.

Spheroidized microstructures are classically obtainedeither by prolonged isothermal treatment of austenite struc-ture below the lower critical transformation temperature or byovertempering a martensite structure. In both cases, carbideswould coalesce to globular particles in a ferritic matrix.

High-strength, low alloy (HSLA) steels containing Ni-Cr-Mo reportedly respond well to spheroidizing heat treatment.However, the time increases due to various metallurgical rea-sons such as alloying elements, which reduce the lower criti-cal temperature resulting in longer spheroidizing time due tolow diffusion rates at lower temperature. The spheroidizationprocess can be completed in less time by increasing the tem-perature. However, it may result in the reappearance of dis-solved carbides as lamellae during cooling.

ExperimentationSeveral 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 tempera-ture and through over-tempering of supersaturated marten-site (see table). Hardness measurements and microstructuralcharacterization were performed after each treatment, andsubsequent experiments were decided accordingly. In thisway, a total of eight cycles have been tried during the courseof the experiment.

Description of heat treatment cycles

Cycle No. Description

C-1 Step cooling from 820°C to 600°C + isothermal soaking at 600°C for 8 hours + furnace cooling

C-2 Intercritical annealing across 820°C to 650°C + prolonged soaking at 650°C for 40 hours + furnace cooling

C-3 Intercritical annealing with step cooling across 820°C to 600°C+ prolonged soaking at 650°C for 40 hours + furnace cooling

C-4 Two-step prolonged soaking at 720°C for 10 hours plus 650°C for 40 hours and furnace cooling

C-5 Slow cooling from 820°C to 675°C + prolonged soaking for 20 hours at 675°C + furnace cooling

C-6 Prolonged soaking at 610°C for ~200 hours + air coolingC-7 Water quenching from 880°C + subzero treatment -70°C for

1 hour + prolonged soaking at 650°C for 40 hours + furnace coolingC-8 Air cooling from 880°C + prolonged soaking at 650°C for 40 hours

+ furnace cooling

R.K. Gupta, B.R. Ghosh, Mechanical Engineering Entity, VikramSarabhai Space Centre, Trivandrum, India,D.N. Bhatia, Mishra Dhatu Nigam, Hyderabad, India,P.P. Sinha, Mechanical Engineering Entity, Vikram Sarabhai SpaceCentre, Trivandrum, India

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Results and DiscussionsThe first six cycles (C1 to C6) were tried through promot-

ing the lamellar reaction to form pearlite and coalescence ofcarbides into spheroids by prolonged isothermal soaking.Desirable results were obtained with respect to hardness inthe range of 220 to 240 BHN. However, C1 to C6 cycles ledto a relatively longer transformation time, which may be dueto the slower rate of diffusion of solute atoms present in thecarbides as compared to carbon atoms, and this becomes therate-controlling factor for spheroidization.

An alternate approach was adopted (Cycle C7-C8) toobtain a martensitic structure prior to spheroidization, as itwould help in the faster and uniform nucleation of spheroidsin an over-tempered microstructure. It also resulted in the 220to 240 BHN hardness of steel. Microstructural observation ofthe sample was very much similar to the first approach. Thissubstantiated the acceleration of spheroidization in an acicu-lar martensite structure during over-tempering.

Conclusions• Prolonged annealing below the lower critical tempera-

ture was found to be better than intercritical annealingfor this alloy. However, the long soaking time is not thebest production option.

• By over-tempering, the desired level of spheroidizationcould be achieved in full martensite structure, whichcould be obtained even without sub-zero treatment.

• The alloy was found to be of air hardening type, and thedesired results could be obtained by air-cooling fromaustenitizing the temperature prior to over tempering.Cycle C8 is the best commercial option.

Gold recovery from waste activated carbon—a comparison between mechano-chemicalpretreatment and charcoal augmented oxidation

The use of activated carbon in recovering dissolved goldfrom solution has been embraced at virtually all gold process-ing plants worldwide. Technically, activated carbon may beadded in the course of leaching, a process known as carbon-in-leach (CIL), or after leaching in the carbon-in-pulp (CIP)process. CIL has advantages when carbonaceous materialsare present in the ore since it brings about competitiveadsorption between the added carbon and the preg-robbers.Activated carbon may also be loaded into columns or up-flowcontactors before the solution is passed through; it is referredto as carbon-in-column (CIC). The loaded carbon is thenstripped and the gold recovered mainly by electrowinning. Thecarbon is reactivated, sized, and recycled. Activated carbonbreaks into fragments during usage as a result of impactstresses against tank walls, screening, transportation, elution,and regeneration. Part of these fines (usually –20 mesh) maybe retrieved as waste-activated carbon (WAC). A worldwidesurvey shows that the WAC may contain from about 0.11 to0.14 kg of gold per tonne of carbon. With its relatively highgold content, WAC represents a potential source of extra rev-enue. The methods that have been proposed for pretreatingand/or recovering gold from waste carbon may be generallyclassified as follows: (1) incineration, (2) electrochemical, and(3) competitive adsorption.

In this research, two methods that augment combustionof waste-activated carbon are evaluated. These are mechano-chemical activation before oxidation and direct combustionusing charcoal as fuel. Mechano-chemical activation causedstructural modifications of the waste carbon, which weremeasured by X-ray diffraction analysis. The quantitativechanges in the crystallinity of the samples were determinedby measuring the relative intensities at a specific lattice planefor the milled material (I) and an undisturbed reference stan-dard (Io). The intensity ratio (I/Io), also known as the J-factor,decreased from a value of one for the undisturbed lattice to0.56 after six hours vibration milling, which resulted in areduction in the temperature for complete oxidation fromabove 700oC to 450oC.

R.K. Amankwah, University of Mines and Technology, Tarkwa,Ghana, andW.K. Buah, Energy and Resources Research Institute, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom

Complete oxidation was also achieved at the same fur-nace temperature (450oC), for a combined sample of waste-activated carbon and 25% by weight of wood charcoal.Activated carbon does not contain sufficient volatile matter tosustain autogenous roasting. However, wood charcoal con-tains a good percentage of hydrocarbons and therefore read-ily sustains self-combustion and this augmented combustionof WAC at a low furnace temperature of 450oC. The ash con-tent of the charcoal was 1.2% while that of the WAC was11%. Therefore, the additional weight of ash due to the useof charcoal is not significant.

The mass loss of almost 89% during oxidation resultedin the production of ash that was very rich in gold (3.2 kg/t).Cyanidation of gold from the ash produced by both pretreat-ment processes was rapid. About 64% extraction wasachieved within one hour for the vibration milled. Leachingprogressed steadily and over 99% extraction was achievedafter 20 hours. In a manner similar to that of the vibration-milled sample, about 53% of gold was extracted within onehour from the ash produced by the combined sample of WACand wood charcoal, and over 98% extraction was achievedafter 20 hours.

For industrial application, economic analysis shows thatthe better pretreatment option is charcoal-augmented com-bustion of waste-activated carbon. With this technique, mix-ing and size reduction can be done in ball mills, which arereadily available and have a lower energy requirement. Thegold extraction efficiency is equally high. After oxidation, theash could be leached in an online reactor by intensivecyanidation and the pregnant solution sent directly for elec-trowinning due to its high gold value.

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Mechanical properties and fatigueresistance of rails welded with thealuminothermic method

The aluminothermic welding process is based on thehighly exothermic reaction between iron oxide, alloying ele-ments, and aluminium. The rails are previously preheated(900ºC) with skill to avoid the martensite-bainite structurefrom cooling quickly. Welding uses the KLK Spanish technol-ogy kit.

European Community regulations on standard tests toguarantee weld quality are:

1. Hardness test 10/3,000 (250 ± 20 to 350 ± 20 HBW.2. Fully pearlitic rail structure. Martensite is not accepted.3. The slow bend test gives the minimum load and the

deflections allowed, according to the standards and pro-files of the rail (see table).

Welds must support, as a minimum, an equivalent stressof around 60% of the rail’s tensile strength. The weld railsample must withstand a minimum fracture load of 750 MPain tension.

Fatigue produced by a repeated charge-discharge, simu-lating use, determines track and weld life. Observing shaftsand wheel failures, Wöhler developed the standard test forfatigue 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 onlybe avoided by the preventive periodical replacement of tracksections. Rail cracks can be:

• head cracks in the form of an oval spot (stain), of easydetection track usually breaks transversally;

• foot cracks with thumb-nail form, which are dark incolour, much more dangerous than the former;

• web to foot cracks, with parabolic contours.

The track should support 10*106 cycles of charge-dis-charge in all its welded rail-weld-rail unions. The standardfatigue test uses a 1,000 mm distance between supports, aload on two rolls spaced 50 mm. The slow bend test revealsgross defects in manufacturing: skin defects, macro and microshrink cavities, segregations, porosity due to evolving gases inthe process.

Fatigue range arises from the experience of the statisti-cal nature of the Wöhler test. The scattered points around amiddle line are usually highlighted and fit a normal distribu-tion. The Wöhler curve defined would include the range m ± sin which 68% of fatigue fractures should occur (m = fatiguelimit and s = standard deviation, from the Wöhler curve).Fatigue limit at 2*106 cycles is: m = 275 MPa; standard devi-ation, s = ±19.

The Locati method is preferred to the staircase methodbecause it is simple, quick-operating, and very suitable forquality control of the welding process. By using this method,the following can be obtained: smf = 270 MPa, at 2*106

cycles.

ConclusionsThe aluminothermic kits investigated with the short pre-

heat technology process are easy, safe, and fulfil the E.C. rail-road regulations on aluminothermic welding. The weldingprocess gives the homogeneity required by the most commonrails, and has a similar hardness, soundness, and correctmicrostructure to that of the rails without martensite and bai-nite. They resist loads and allow greater strains as measuredby the slow bend test and fatigue test required by railways.The fatigue test of aluminothermic welded rails is highly suit-able for the internal and external soundness—demonstrationof the welded joint. The 50% fatigue limit and its standarddeviation are 234 ± 19 MPa at 2*106 cycles, however, doingeight tests. The Locati method, with only one test, gives val-ues (m = 270 MPa) very similar to those of the staircasemethod (E.C. standards).

The most frequent causes of fracture and fatigue in thealuminothermic welded rails tested are associated to a defec-tive design of the weld collar web-foot union zone, soft-skinned zones with thickness greater than 0.5 mm, lack offusion between rail-foot and the weld collar, and externaldefects in the lower rail-foot weld collar.

Loads (stresses) and deflections of six (3 by 2) different rails

Shape Grade(MPa) Æ 700 900 1100 Deflection Rail size (kg/m) Ø (mm)

UIC 54 63 (tons) 75 (tons) 85 (tons) 9493 (MPa) 587 (MPa) 665 (MPa)

UIC 60 75 (tons) 90 (tons) 102 (tons) 9487 (MPa) 585 (MPa) 663 (MPa)

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

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Design considerations for mine wastemanagement at the Meadowbank Gold Project

Cumberland Resources Ltd.*, is currently evaluating thedevelopment of the Meadowbank Gold Project located some70 km north of Baker Lake/Qamanit’uaq, Nunavut, in theeastern Canadian Arctic region. The project currently consistsof a series of gold-bearing deposits within relatively closeproximity to one another. It is planned to mine these depositsprimarily as a truck-and-shovel open pit operation using con-ventional gold milling and extraction. The mining plan indi-cates that approximately 20 Mt of ore will be mined over amine life of eight to ten years.

The development of the project is faced with climaticchallenges similar to those encountered at other mine sites inthe North. Extreme temperatures, permafrost, and high windspose challenges to development. Additional site-specific con-siderations include the presence of lakes, some of whichoverly the main deposits, and the absence of suitable con-struction materials. Along with the geographic and geotech-nical constraints surrounding the site, the project will requirea strategy of carefully sequencing the stripping and genera-tion of waste products to be stored either by construction dis-posal methods into dykes and other construction-relatedfacilities, or to be stored in conventional tailings and rockstorage facilities.

Operations will generate approximately 7 Mt of overbur-den soil and organic materials, 160 Mt of mine waste rock,and 20 Mt of tailings. The general absence of suitable con-struction materials at the site, and the logistics and cost asso-ciated with the transportation of materials to the site havenecessitated an approach to waste management that is sen-sitive to the costs of the project and maximizes the use ofmining generated waste products as construction materials.The effective use of the mining generated waste products forconstruction purposes, in turn, relies on an understanding ofthe geochemical nature of the overburden, waste rock, ore,and tailings. In addition, as large portions of the maindeposits at Meadowbank lie beneath the surface of the mainlakes in the project area, significant lengths of de-wateringdykes are required to be constructed early in the project life.Consequently, the management of the waste products of min-ing at the project can be divided into two separate methods: 1) construction disposal methods utilizing disposal of minedmaterials into the de-watering dykes, tailings dyke, andairstrip; and 2) conventional disposal methods relying on sur-face waste dumps and freezing of the tailings storage facility.

C.J. Clayton, J.C. Cunning, A.J. Haynes, D.A. Hickson,Golder Associates Ltd., Burnaby, British Columbia, andB. Thiele, Cumberland Resources Ltd., Vancouver, British Columbia

Construction DisposalSeveral kilometres of de-watering dykes are required to

allow the development of the open pits. Dyke constructionwill be scheduled from materials excavated in pre-strippingand pre-mining waste rock. The design of the dykes will opti-mize the use of waste rock material by selectively segregatingmaterial into either upstream or downstream rock fillembankments.

Conventional DisposalThe mine waste rock that is surplus to the construction

requirements will be placed in conventional surface wasterock storage areas. Several options for the storage of minewaste rock were evaluated using an approach similar to amultiple accounts analysis, whereby key indicators relating tooperational, economic, and environmental considerationswere evaluated to assess which option was the most suitablefor the specific project location and environment. A similar setof site selection criteria were developed to evaluate possiblealternatives for disposal of the tailings, again consideringenvironmental, operational, and economic factors. The pre-ferred alternative for disposal of the tailings is into the natu-ral basin of an arm of Second Portage Lake that will bedewatered so that mining can proceed. The tailings are pre-dicted to freeze over time.

Some of the mine wastes have the potential to generateacid rock drainage (ARD) and may be susceptible to metalleaching (ML) under neutral drainage conditions. Conse-quently, the proposed mine waste management strategy, toallow the waste dumps and the tailings storage area to freezeover time, is aimed at minimizing the potential for ARD gen-eration and ML. Furthermore, utilizing mine waste, wherepossible, for the construction of the main infrastructurerequirements—the de-watering dikes—will result in an over-all reduction of the mine footprint area for the project, asrequirements for additional quarry sites for the production ofconstruction materials will be reduced or eliminated entirely.

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* Cumberland Resources Ltd. and the Meadowbank Project have recentlybeen purchased by Agnico-Eagle Mines Ltd. The volumes and tonnagesreported are accurate for the time of writing and may be revised as theproject progresses.

Data mining mine data: truck-shovelfleet management systems

The double effect of high commodity prices and improve-ments in information technology (IT) has resulted in more min-ing companies investing in IT. One of the traditional IT processcontrol tools used in the mining industry is real time in-pit truckallocation control and monitoring systems, or Fleet Manage-ment Systems (FMS). These systems have been used to maximizethe overall mine production by improving equipment utilizationand reducing the production costs. Most modern operationsmonitor the in-pit operations using GPS and wireless communi-cations that produce a massive amount of data. The data is usedin real-time to calculate truck allocations using optimizationalgorithms and to generate reports, including production andmachine health reports. With ongoing improvements in band-width, sensors, and computing power, modern systems arebecoming more complex and generate increasingly more data.However, human analysis by simple regression or table genera-tion in spreadsheets is becoming unwieldy because the data setsand number of variables is becoming too large. A data ware-house (DW) is used in many sectors as a key piece of IT infra-structure to collect and manage extremely large data sets. Oncestored in the warehouse, one can undertake analyses such asreports, online analytical processes (OLAP), or more complexanalyses such as data mining (DM).

DM is a general term for applying algorithms, many ofwhich pre-date the term data mining, to large data sets to‘mine mountains of data to find nuggets of information.’ Forexample, packaged neural network algorithms within datamining software undertake the usual functions of a neuralnetwork, namely to estimate predictions then learn from thefeedback to adjust the prediction model, which becomesincreasingly more accurate as a result. Note, however, that inthis application of DM, the neural network algorithms areapplied to very large data sets.

This industry-funded project had two primary foci: first,to analyze and contrast the performance of each commercialFMS; and second, to undertake knowledge discovery in thedatabase by mining the historical data to discover patternsthat may benefit decision support.

Two different FMSs were used in the study, necessitatingthe need for a common data structure. A star-schema datamodel was designed and populated with the historical datafrom both FMSs. After preparing the fact and dimension tables,OLAP cubes are created to be able to undertake preliminaryanalyses. Several data accuracy and structural issues wereidentified. Filters were used to either eliminate faulty recordsor fix the errors. Once the data was properly structured andlargely cleaned of errors, the data mining could begin.

A data mining tool called a dependency network wasused to analyze the importance of the different operationalvariables on particular performance measures. The figure illus-trates the dependency network of these operational minevariables on ‘waiting time at the shovel’ (truck queue time)with some non-representative delays filtered out.

This paper describes the application of modern data min-ing techniques on truck dispatching systems in a real open pithard-rock copper mine. The long-term benefits of this workare to identify strengths and improvement opportunities intruck assignment algorithms and to establish the skill setsand IT infrastructure needed to undertake more complexdata-driven technology, such as a truck dispatcher trainer.

Dependency network for truck waiting time

S. Dessureault, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona,M. Yildirim, Caterpillar Inc., Tempe, Arizona, andM. Baker, CheckMark Consulting, Inc., Tucson, Arizona

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Exploration and Mining Geology JournalVolume 15—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 narrowthrust-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 andthe overlying Flat Landing Brook Formation. Hydrothermal alteration has affected most footwallrocks. In more intensely altered quartz- and feldspar-phyric volcaniclastic rocks of the Grand Fallsmember, feldspar destruction is accompanied by chlorite alteration, producing quartz-phyric rockssimilar 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-alkalinesequence of aphyric rhyolite flows and associated fragmental rocks at the top of the Flat LandingBrook 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 isunique for the BMC with a high Pb/Zn and elevated Au and Ag contents. Its intimate relationshipwith 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 theSpruce Lake Formation in the northwestern part of the Bathurst Mining Camp. This parautochthonousdeposit is hosted by a narrow band of highly deformed, locally graphitic shale that appears to con-formably overlie felsic volcanic rocks of the Spruce Lake Formation. Host rocks show evidence ofintense ductile deformation as well as later brittle deformation. Compositional layering and sulfidebreccia textures in the sulfide body are interpreted to result from deformation or tectonic enhance-ment 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 a3-D seismic survey in 1998 and the subsequent drilling of ten diamond-drill cores. The deposit consistsof massive, breccia, and stockwork Pb-Zn-Cu sulfide minerals, and is hosted by a volcano-sedimentarysequence belonging to the overturned Ordovician Tetagouche Group. Epiclastic rocks and interbeddedfine-grained felsic pyroclastic rocks dominate the stratigraphic footwall. The results from this study

demonstrate that metamorphism and defor-mation have not significantly obscuredhydrothermal alteration signatures.

emg abstracts

Excerpts taken from abstracts in EMG, Vol. 15., Nos. 3 and 4Subscribe—www.cim.org/geosoc/indexEMG.cfm

June/July 2007 95


Canadian Metallurgical QuarterlyVolume 46—Number 2

Optimization of Copper Leaching from Ore ContainingMalachiteO.N. Ata and H. Yalap, Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Atatürk

In this study, selective leaching of copper with NH3(aq) fromore containing malachite, SiO2, Al2O3 and Fe2O3 was optimized byusing the Taguchi method. After determining the parameters andtheir levels affecting the leaching efficiency, the experiments wereplanned using an orthogonal array technique in an L25 array withsix parameters. It was determined that aqueous ammonia isunsuitable for leaching ore containing malachite. The effect of CO2,(NH4)2CO3, (NH4)2SO4 and NH4CI on leaching malachite withNH3(aq) was investigated. It was determined that NH3(aq) +CO2(g) is suitable for leaching malachite. The second experimentaldesign using NH3 (aq) + CO2 as a leaching reagent was plannedby means of orthogonal array technique in an L18 array with sevenparameters. Optimum leaching conditions for the second step wereobtained as follows: temperature 42ºC, solid to liquid ratio 0.1g.mL-1, concentration of NH3 2.5 M, mean particle size 0.3375mm, stirring speed 600 rpm, flow rate of CO2 gas 61.64 mL.s-1 anda reaction time of 50 minutes. For these conditions, 97.3% of theleaching efficiency was obtained.

Henrian Activity Coefficient of Bi in Cu-Ni MattesD.C. Lynch, Department of Materials Science and Engineering,University of Arizona

A transpiration method was used to evaluate the Henrianactivity coefficient of Bi gºBi) in Cu-Ni mattes. Values for the activitycoefficient of Bi were evaluated at 1473 K as a function of theCu/Ni molar ratio from 0 to 1 and as a function of the sulphur defi-ciency (defined as SD = XS – 1/2XCu – 2/3XNi, where Xi is the molefraction of the ith species) from -0.1 to 0. The dependence of gºBi onboth the Cu/Ni molar ratio and SD is represented by the equations

gºBi (at SD = –0.04) = 2.12 + 0.58 . (Cu/Ni) + 1.16 . (Cu/Ni)2

and

gºBi (at Cu/Ni = 0.5) = 3.19 + 14.8 . SD + 64.2 . SD2.

Analysis of the activity coefficient (gBi) as a function of thetrace element concentration reveals that the activity coefficient isindependent of Bi content at weight percent less than 0.7. UnlikeCu-Fe mattes, the experimental results show that Ni, in a matte,can significantly reduce the volatility of Bi as represented by thelow value of gºBi.

Thermodynamic Analysis of the Selective Reduction ofElectric Arc Furnace Dust by HydrogenC.A. Pickles, Department of Mining Engineering, Queen’s University

As a result of the remelting of automobile scrap in an electricarc furnace, about 1 to 2% of the charge is converted into a dustwhich is classified as a hazardous waste in most countries. In thisresearch, the equilibrium module of Outokumpu HSC Chemistry®

5.1 was utilized to calculate the composition of the productsresulting from the reaction of a control dust composition withhydrogen over the temperature range from 1273 to 1873 K and atatmospheric pressure (1 bar). The degree of separation of the non-ferrous metals from the iron was quantified by utilizing the selec-tivity factors for zinc (bZn/Fe) and lead (bPb/Fe). The thermodynamiccalculations show that both the gaseous metallic zinc and the leadcan be effectively separated from the iron in oxide form for reac-tant ratios in the range of 0.005 to 0.0125 mole/gm and for tem-peratures above 1543 K. Under these conditions, the individualselectivity factors for zinc (log bZn/Fe) and lead (log bPb/Fe) varied inthe 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.

Excerpts taken from abstracts in CMQ, Vol. 46, No. 2. Subscribe—www.cmq-online.ca

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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

15 SME Tucson

27 Transwest Mining Systems

18 Vancouver Island Conference Centre

9 Xstrata Process Control Centre

7 Xstrata Technology

97 Professional DirectoryCorriveau J.L./3D Survey & Scan Independent Mining Consultants

In next month’s issueAu in August!

The next issue of CIM Magazine will be worth itsweight in… gold!

The Gold Issue will cover recent developments ingold production, including operations, technology, andprocesses. Who is doing what, and where? It’s anexciting time for this vibrant industry—watch for yournext issue to discover the latest news.

Safety first!! The John T. Ryan trophies recog-nize the leading operations in Canada based on theirsafety records. How did this year’s winner achieve theirstellar performance? Find out next month!

1085 - 3rd. Avenue Tel:(819) 825-3702Val d’Or, Quebec J9P 1T5 Fax:(819) 825-2863

E-Mail: [email protected] Web: www.corriveaujl.com

CORRIVEAU J.L. & ASSOC. INC.Land & Mining Surveyors

GYRO & GPS SERVICES • SALES • RENTALSUNDERGROUND and SURFACE CONTROL • BOUNDARY and LEGAL

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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 greetedwith cool May weather, but that must have been Mother Nature’s way of strikingsome balance to the red hot resource and metals market. The opening ceremonieswere started with Montreal’s Highland Regiment’s bagpipers and with mining andpolitical 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 wasgoing to be quite the successful CIM conference.

As a financial newsletter writer, I was seen as a little out of place in a conferencethat was primarily for service providers and engineering groups. I was there to keepup with what I call the supply side of the resource market. One would think thatthe supply side would be the end consumer, but in this case it is those who are sup-plying 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 inun-dated 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 tostand and eat, let alone sit and eat. Similarly, in the technical session rooms it wasstanding room only. Another sign that this economic cycle is in its early stages isthere is still a lack of youth in the ranks of the service providers. The majority ofthe people are professionals that are very well experienced.

While walking up and down the aisles of the exhibition I couldn’t help but noticeall the simulators for front-end loaders, bulldozers, and other machinery. Further, asurprising portion of the exhibitors were technology companies and software com-panies that had developed mining-specific products to maximize output and tominimize costly inputs such as labour. Some of the prevailing ones were GPS-basedsystems that would literally run a machine from the downtown Vancouver office.Another theme was content management systems for inventories, time logs, and soon. This again is an indicator of another phenomenon that I had discussed in someof my articles in the www.wcmsnewsletter.com, relating to the relative scarcity. Theresources are getting more and more costly to extract. This is due to two main rea-sons: inputs such as labour technology are getting more expensive and specialized.The actual mineral is appearing in lower concentrations. This brings with it suchthings as higher strip rations and more waste, which adds up to higher extractioncosts as well. Technology has been and will play a larger role in mining, and thereare striking opportunities in that sector of the mining industry.

One other part of the conference that was very enlightening to attend were thetechnical papers. These were presentations from various companies that had proj-ects in Quebec and beyond. They offered great insight into the exploration andmining dynamic and mineral abundance in Quebec and across Canada. As well,the Quebec provincial government has great tax incentives though flow-throughshares for exploration work done in Quebec There are several prolific areas formining such as the Val-d’Or camp, the Abitibi region, and more. Two particularsubjects 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, andKnight Resources (KNP.V) spoke about their Raglan nickel project, just to namea few. CIM

© Imperial Oil 2007. Esso and XD-3 Extra are trademarks of Imperial Oil Limited. Imperial Oil, licensee.

That’s why there’s

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Innovation matters most when it takes you to higher levels of productivity, efficiency and safety. AndCaterpillar 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—andmotor graders are the key to getting the most from your fleet. The new Caterpillar® M-Series MotorGraders 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 tocompletely 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 ofsight are open to improve visibility, while a completely redesigned cab puts controls in close reach toimprove efficiency.

Caterpillar will continue to drive innovation to help you improve your haul roads and your mining operations.

CAT GLOBAL MINING www.cat.com

DRIVEN TOINNOVATE

© 2007 Caterpillar All Rights ReservedCAT, 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.

cim magazine june/july 2007

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