Tons Of Ore Research Articles

შქმერის საბადო/მადანგამოვლინების გლაუკონიტიანი ქვიშების კვლევა გამდიდრებადობაზე

The article presents the results of studying the enrichment of glauconite sands of the Shkmeri deposit, taking into account the material composition and textural-structural features of the sample, the enrichment technology provides for washing/deslimation of the initial sample and magnetic separation of the sandy fraction. The developed enrichment technological scheme makes it possible to obtain 270 kg of concentrate with iron oxide content of 16% from 1 ton of ore.

Characterization of medium and small-scale gold processing operations, wastewaters, and tailings in the Arequipa region of Peru

Gold cyanidation facilities in the Arequipa Region of Peru are challenged by the availability and quality of water for processing in an arid environment. The facilities reuse decant water which recycles residual cyanide but also undesirable constituents. To understand the impact of intensive water recycling on cyanide and metals concentrations, we collected barren water, decant water, and tailings samples from six gold cyanidation facilities with ore capacities of 10–430 tons per day. Processing facilities in Arequipa recycle all effluents, with decant waters making up 58 ± 11 % of process waters. Decant water contained non-target metals: copper (394 ± 161 mg/L), iron (59 ± 34 mg/L), and zinc (74 ± 42 mg/L). In addition, decant water mean free and complexed cyanide concentrations were 534 ± 129 mg/L and 805 ± 297 mg/L, respectively. Complexed cyanide concentrations remained more constant than free cyanide concentrations with 786 ± 299 mg/L for barren water and 805 ± 297 mg/L for decant water. Cyanide mass balances showed between 21 % and 42 % of unaccounted free cyanide from the start of gold cyanidation and discharge to the tailings storage facility (TSF). Free cyanide estimated losses due to volatilization were 0.8 kg and 2.5 kg of hydrogen cyanide per ton of ore processed at barren water pH of 10.1 and 9.7. Together these results indicate two acute hazards: 1) volatilization of free cyanide during processing and 2) loading and retention of cyanides and metals into TSFs. This study elucidates the extent of uncontrolled vapor phase cyanide release during gold processing operation and contaminant concentrations in the tailings storage facilities. The data highlights the need for improvement oversight, accountability, and regulation of gold processing facilities practicing intensive recycling and zero discharge.

Assessing the Economic Value of Copper Mineral Resources in Ta Phoi Area, Lao Cai Province

Copper ore is one of the minerals that play an important role in the economic development of Lao Cai province. However, this is a non-renewable resource with high risk and great environmental impact in the mining process. Therefore, it is necessary to study and evaluate the economic value of mineral resources, creating a basis for planning the process of exploration, exploitation, rational use of resources, and environmental protection. This paper evaluates the economic value of mineral resources using resource assessment techniques. The total reserves and identified resources are 21,473 thousand tons of ore, corresponding to 160,278 tons of copper. In the case of using level 122 reserves, the identified resources is 16,412 thousand tons of ore, corresponding to 129,433 tons of copper. The forecasted resources are approximately 41,050 thousand tons of ore, which is equivalent to 198,235 tons of copper. The accompanying minerals, with a resource level 333, include 6.34 tons of gold (Au) and 24.39 tons of silver (Ag). The results show that copper content in the area is varied from 0.01% to 9.18% with an average of 1.50%, and the ore grade is changed from poor to medium. The distribution of copper ores is relatively uniform to very uneven, with the largest concentration found in the Ta Phoi area. The calculated potential recovery value (GTNth) and unit area value (URV) of copper minerals in the study area are substantial, with the highest URV is observed in the Ta Phoi area and the lowest one is obtained in the Coc San area. During the extraction process, the investor should consider recovering accompanying elements such as gold and silver to enhance the mine's economic value.

Geological features of the Zn-Pb prospect in the Bou-Izourane district (Morocco)

The Zn-Pb mineralization in the Bou-Izourane district, located in the High Atlas Mountains of Morocco, contains estimated reserves of 40 200 tons of ore with an average grade of 20% Zn and 3.5% Pb. It is developed on N–S to NNW–SSE-trending faults that cut Liassic carbonate marl deposits. The paragenetic mineral sequence consists of galena, sphalerite and late-stage calcite. Oxidation phases of galena into cerussite and sphalerite into smithsonite are common in the Bou-Izourane ore, linked to the infiltration of meteoric waters and the oxidation of these sulphides. The Zn-Pb mineralization runs parallel to the fluorite veins associated with the igneous rocks of Tamazeght, but no petrographic or field relationship has been demonstrated between these two mineralizations (i.e., Zn-Pb and fluorite). The distribution of rare earth elements and yttrium (REY) in the Zn-Pb mineralization of Bou-Izourane shows a notable similarity with the Mississippi Valley Type (MVT) mineralization of the Central High Atlas of Morocco, although the concentrations more closely resemble those of REY in fluorite linked to the magmatic-hydrothermal activity of Tamazeght. However, the analysis of their distribution in post-fluorite calcite and post-Zn-Pb calcite reveals a strong concordance, suggesting that these two calcites are associated with the same phase and have a common origin. The classification of the Zn-Pb prospect in Bou-Izourane remains controversial, fluctuating between an MVT-type mineralization, similar to most Zn-Pb mineralizations in the Central High Atlas of Morocco, and a mineralization linked to the magmatic-hydrothermal activity of Tamazeght, which could provide heat and metallogenic material. Characterizing the Zn-Pb ore of Bou-Izourane is crucial for the future exploration of zinc and lead deposits in the High Atlas of Morocco and could advance the development of Zn-Pb mining in the region, from artisanal exploitation to professional mining

Effect of Chloride and Ferrous Ions on Improving Copper Leaching from Black Copper Ores

Although the importance of black copper ores is well established, many topics remain to be studied. This manuscript describes the efforts to improve copper recovery from refractory ores on a pilot scale. Preliminary tests provided the water dose to form a stable and compact agglomerate of 89 L per ton of ore and an acid dosage of 40 kg per ton of ore. The column leaching method resulted in an effluent with 1.63 g/L Cu, a pH of 1.04, and a redox potential of 675 mV (average). Despite the similarities observed in the results, reductant agents were essential to dissolve the MnO4 present in the black copper ore. Thus, the best Mn extraction results were 67.7% using the MnO2:FeSO4 ratio of 1:3. Additionally, the kinetics of leaching are slower than in an industrial operation. The copper ore under study required more than 65 days of leaching to reach the maximum copper recovery. Finally, the total recovery of copper (including washing and resting time) indicates that the maximum value was reached for ore pretreated with NaCl, H2SO4, and FeSO4, concluding that the use of agents favored leaching.

Porphyry and Volcanogenic Massive Sulphide Ore Deposit in Canada

Canada is one of the leading countries in ore production that involves variety types of ore deposits. Among the significant ore deposits found in the country, porphyry and volcanogenic massive sulphide (VMS) deposits stand out as major contributors to the production of copper, gold, molybdenite, zinc, lead and many other essential minerals. Porphyry deposits are the major copper production in the country that are predominantly located in British Columbia, where subduction processes occur. While the overall mineral grade of porphyry deposits is relatively low, their immense tonnage makes them the largest reservoirs of copper in Canada. Notable porphyry mines such as Copper Mountain and Highland Valley Copper produce millions of tons of ore annually. On the other hand, VMS deposits, associated with volcanic activities, play a significant role in the production of zinc, copper, lead, gold, and silver. These deposits are distributed across Canada, with concentrations found in the Ontario and British Colombia. VMS deposits make up nearly a quarter of the country's copper production with significant mine sites including Kidd Mine and Windy Craggy. The future of the mining industry in Canada and the whole world should be focusing on sustainability. Sustainable mining recognizes the interconnectedness of environmental, social, and economic aspects and seeks to balance them for the benefit of present and future generations.

Exploratory Data Analysis of the Groundwater Contaminants at the Former Panna Maria Uranium Recovery Facility.

The former Panna Maria mill was a uranium recovery facility that operated from 1979 to December 1992. Sulfuric acid leach was used to process several tons of ore daily. Therefore, the groundwater was sampled at the site to monitor the concentration of background chemical pollutants. The purpose of this study was to perform exploratory data analysis to evaluate whether the arsenic, nickel, selenium, sulfate, and uranium concentrations were in accord with state-regulated groundwater drinking standards at the site. To accomplish this, a substitution method was used to replace concentration values that were below measurable ranges of well monitoring units. Additionally, random forest regression was employed to account for missing not-at-random values in the dataset. Groundwater samples collected in wells before the facility began operations were used to determine an upper bound on background pollutants consistent with US Environmental Protection Agency Standards. The upper tolerance limit comprising 90% of the groundwater sample at a confidence coefficient of 95% was used to establish alternate concentration limits for each chemical based on well data from the National Uranium Resource Hydrogeochemical and Stream Sediment Reconnaissance program. Results obtained in this analysis establish a baseline on the chemical concentrations in the background groundwater at the former Panna Maria mill.

Accelerating the Consolidation of Thickened Tailings Using Sand Co-Disposal

Only grams or kilograms of valuable resources are extracted for each tonne of ore processed, generating immense amounts of tailings. Returning tailings-containment dams to their equivalent pre-disturbance landscape state is many stakeholders’ acceptable management strategy. The depositing of thickened fluid fine tailings (FFT), which the industry has relied upon to develop geotechnically stable dry landscapes, has not materialised due to the low hydraulic conductivity of such placements. The addition of sand to thickened FFT is proposed to accelerate the consolidation of thickened FFT in a co-disposal scheme, and this study evaluates its impact. In the continuum of solid wastes from mining operations, sand is the next-larger-sized grade of solids after “fine” that is produced in high proportions. Blends of highly-plastic FFT and fine-grade sand tailings at varying sand-to-fine ratio (SFR) values were tested. Sand lowered the liquid limit but did not significantly affect the plastic limit of FFT. The changes in liquid and plastic limits for SFR ≥ 1 blends were under 5% of water content. The maximum unit weight for the co-disposal mixes was obtained at SFR 3. Despite increases in unit weights, hydraulic conductivity increased with increasing SFR, while the trend for compression rates was in the reverse order. Void ratio—effective pressure—hydraulic conductivity power law relationships at varying SFR were obtained from the consolidation measurements. The constitutive constants of these relationships were used to model settlement of 30 m deep pits over a 25-year period. For all the deposits studied, the dewatering converged to a maximum solids content characteristic of each SFR in the order 74, 85, 88, and 94% (w/w) for thickened FFT and SFRs 1, 2, and 3, respectively. The numerically calculated average solid contents of the deep-pit placements grew closer with increasing SFR becoming 59, 77, 82, and 86% (w/w), respectively. Balancing the consolidation-rate gains and the land footprint required for storage with SFR increase, the optimal composition for co-disposal for this material and similar tailings is SFR 1.

Substantiation of the Technology of Refining Gold Reserves at the Zholymbet Deposit

A set of technical solutions for the opening, preparation and clean-up of the reserves of the Zholymbet gold deposit at the stage of completion in order to maintain the production capacity of the underground mine is outlined. The Zholymbet deposit is located in the south-east of the Seleta-Stepnyak Megasynclinorium in the southern part of the Aksu-Zholymbet structural-metallogenic zone. The deposit of the Zholymbetskoye deposit includes 3 sections (Central, Southern, Northern) and a number of manifestations of the gold-quartz formation. The sites lie in the endo- and exocontact parts of Steppe-type intrusions (Central and Southern) and on the rise of the roof of the Sorokkuduk massif (Northern). The gold mining factory is intended for processing ore from the central section of the Zholymbet deposit («Quarry No. 6», «shh. Center»). The production capacity is 500,000 tons of ore per year. The gold content in commercial ore is 3.07 g/t. The peculiarity of this stage is the need to involve ore bodies bordering on previously worked blocks into operation, as well as taking into account the diversity of mining and geological and mining technical conditions caused by a large number of disconnected ore bodies with insignificant reserves. These technical solutions provide timely access to all reserves of the deposit, safety of mining operations, efficient transportation of ore and ventilation of treatment faces. The adopted technical and technological solutions ensure the effective development of all reserves of the field

Assessment of expected production of a deep‐sea mining system: An integrated model‐based systems engineering and discrete event simulation approach

AbstractIn this paper, model‐based systems engineering (MBSE) and discrete event simulation (DES) are combined to assess the performance of an offshore production system at an early stage. Various systems engineering tools are applied to an industrial case concerning the retrieval of deep‐sea minerals, and a simulation engine is developed to calculate the annual production output. A mean production of 1 Million tonnes of ore per year is estimated for an operation in the Norwegian Sea using Monte Carlo simulation. Depending on the limiting design wave height of the marine operations, the estimated production output ranges from 280,000 tonnes to 1.8 Million tonnes per year. The constrained parameter of the production system is particularly the wave height operational limit of the ship‐to‐ship transfer operation. We present the learning outcome from applying MBSE and DES to this case and discuss important aspects for improved performance.

Geochronology and skarn mineralogy of the Akesayi Fe deposit in the Western Kunlun, Xinjiang: Implications for mineralization process

The Akesayi deposit, located in the eastern part of the Tianshuihai terrane of the Western Kunlun Orogenic Belt, Xinjiang, China, is a recently discovered medium-sized magnetite deposit containing approximately 51 million tons of ore with an average grade of 41 wt%. This deposit is hosted by skarns at the contact between monzonitic granite, diorite porphyry, and medium to low-grade metamorphic clastic rocks of the Permian Huangyangling Group. The ore types include banded, disseminated, and massive ores. The metallogenic process can be divided into prograde skarn, retrograde skarn, oxide, quartz-sulfide, and carbonate stages. The metallic minerals include magnetite and pyrite, and the gangue minerals include olivine, garnet, hedenbergite, hornblende, actinolite, biotite, cummingtonite, chlorite, quartz, and calcite. The zircon U–Pb dating of biotite adamellite intrusion and schist together constrains the formation age of the host rocks in the Akesayi Fe deposit to 217–272 Ma. Rb–Sr dating of eight garnet samples yields an isochron age of 12.41 ± 0.31 Ma, which is almost identical to the 12.56 ± 0.50 Ma age obtained via Sm–Nd dating of eight garnet samples. Furthermore, zircon U–Pb dating yields ages of 12.76 ± 0.12 Ma and 12.37 ± 0.18 Ma for diorite porphyry and monzonitic granite near the Fe orebodies, respectively. The initial Sr isotopes of garnet ((87Sr/87Sr)i = 0.710901) prove that the diorite porphyrite ((87Sr/87Sr)i = 0.709283) is related to skarn mineralization. Thus, the Akesayi deposit is a skarn-type iron ore related to the middle Miocene diorite porphyry. The mineral assemblage indicates the extensive development of manganese-skarn in the Akesayi mining area. The manganese content of host rocks of the deposit is low, and the source of manganese in the skarn may mainly come from the hydrothermal fluids associated with Miocene diorite porphyry emplacement. The compositional variations between the cores and rims of single garnet grains and different stages of tephroite indicate the concentration characteristics of the hydrothermal system, particularly manganese content, which evidently changed during hydrothermal activity. The endmembers of garnet and pyroxene suggest that the ore-forming environment transformed from a relatively reduced acidic environment to an alkali-rich, high-oxygen fugacity environment. The widely developed chlorine-rich amphiboles and biotite indicate that the hydrothermal fluids were rich in chlorine and may have been related to the diorite porphyrite intrusion near the ore bodies. The iron mineralization of the Akesayi deposit is analogous to the Gangdese Miocene porphyry–skarn polymetallic mineralization, which occurred during the Miocene in a post-collisional tectonic setting. Considering the series of Miocene intrusives discovered in West Kunlun, we propose that Miocene skarn Fe mineralization events occurred in West Kunlun, and that this area has great prospecting potential.

In situ geochemical and Rb-Sr dating analysis of sphalerite from the Liangyan Pb–Zn deposit in northwestern Guizhou, China: Implication for timing of ore formation

The Liangyan Zn–Pb deposit, located on the southwestern margin of the Yangtze Platform, is a carbonate–hosted Zn–Pb deposit. The deposit contains over 45.4 thousand tons of ore containing Pb + Zn metals at a grade of 5.95 % Zn and 2.18 % Pb. The in-situ trace element analysis of sphalerite from this deposit was carried out by LA–ICP–MS. The analysis revealed the trace element compositions and the correlation between the Rb/Sr ratio and trace elements with temperature (e.g., Mn, In, Cd and Ga). The correlation between Rb/Sr ratio and Mn, In, Cd, and Ga is 0.99, 0.80, 0.71, and 0.70, respectively. The Rb/Sr ratio correlation is negative with Mn, Ga, and In, but positive with Cd. The reliable ore-forming age of the Liangyan deposit is 214.8 ± 4.3 Ma by the grinding stage dissolution technique of sphalerite residue and leachate.

Evaluation of the modified AHP-VIKOR for mapping and ranking copper mineralized areas, a case study from the Kerman metallogenic belt, SE Iran

Exploration and prioritization of potentially mineralized areas by integrating different geoscientific datasets help to manage the time and costs of an exploration project. In this study, copper exploration and prioritization of explored areas were done on the Kerman copper belt, which was formed due to the subduction of the Arabian plate under the Iranian plate. After processing geoscientific layers (geology, hydrothermal alteration zones, stream sediment geochemistry, and airborne geophysics), the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) method was used to compute the weights of geoscientific layers by a decision-making group consisting of ten local experts in copper exploration. The weight of evidence (WofE) method was used to compare and assess the fairness of the AHP weights. The AHP weights were used for the multi-criteria optimization and compromise solution (VIKOR) method to integrate the geoscientific layers and create an AHP-VIKOR copper mineralization potential map. The “v” parameter of the VIKOR method was modified by replacing the concept of mathematical expectation value with the manual assignment. The real value-area (RV-A) fractal method was used to select optimum threshold values for different AHP-VIKOR copper mineralization potential classes. The accuracy of the classified AHP-VIKOR copper mineralized potential map was assessed by creating a confusion matrix and using existing mineralization locations. The average pixel values of the copper mineralization class were extracted and sorted to rank the very high potential areas. The AHP-VIKOR ranking results were compared with recorded ore grade and ore tonnage information of each copper deposition. The results demonstrated that the AHP ranks are roughly similar to the WofE ranks, except for lithology. An accuracy of 84% for classified copper mineralization potential map with the RV-A fractal method was obtained. The used expectation value for the “v” parameter of the VIKOR method showed that the decision-making group’s opinion was more important than the individual opinions (v = 0.6). The AHP-VIKOR method identified mineralization areas, especially porphyry deposits. Also, the outcome of the AHP-VIKOR ranking showed that the currently active mines, especially porphyry deposits, have the highest priority for mining. This study showed that the AHP-VIKOR approach helps explore and rank favorable areas with high copper ore grade and tonnage characteristics.

Environmental Impact Assessment of Mine Tailings Spill Considering Metallurgical Processes of Gold and Copper Mining: Case Studies in the Andean Countries of Chile and Peru

The generation of tailings in the world today is immense, since only ounces or pounds of metals are extracted for each ton of ore processed. In 2022, it was estimated that more than 14 billion metric tons of mining tailings were produced per year in the world. Currently, many environmental problems associated with tailings management in both Chile and Peru are related to the potential contamination of soil, water, and air. In this article, the environmental impacts caused by tailings storage facility accidents where spills have occurred are analyzed, describing and characterizing: (i) the magnitude of the impacted area, (ii) identification of the sources, i.e., exposure routes, receptors, and (iii) an interpretive analysis of the physicochemical quality of the spilled material, the soil, the water, and the air with respect to local and international regulations. The case studies analyzed in this article correspond to tailings spills derived from the extraction of precious metals (Au, Ag) and heavy metals (Cu, Pb, and Zn) present in the minerals that dominate Chilean and Peruvian mining. Finally, environmental management measures are proposed aimed at mitigating the environmental impacts caused by the spill and remediation alternatives for the sites impacted.

Modification of car tippler drive at Donskoy Ore Mining and Processing Plant

Severization of quality standards imposed on process machines and equipment toward reduction in the material, labor and financial expenditures connected with maintenance and repair dictates reengineering to be undertaken. The article presents the design analysis of round car tippler model OKE2-4.5-750A in service at the 10th Anniversary of Independence of Kazakhstan Mine of Donskoy Mining and Processing Plant, Kazchrome. It is shown that extreme operating conditions (increased dampness, dustiness, temperature changes, gas contamination, foreign substances, dust, rocks, and dirt hitting the surface of drive rollers) often lead to a malfunction of the electric drive. To increase the operational reliability and service life of the tippler drive, it is proposed to modernize it by switching from four drives for rotation of the drum to two drives with electric motors of higher capacity, with placement of the drives along the diagonal of the drum. As a result of the car tippler drive modernization, it was succeeded to simplify its design, and to reduce the labor intensity of maintenance and repair by 20 hours per year. Replacement of four drives for drum rotation by two drives with electric motors of higher capacity increases their reliability, allows extending the turnaround time and thereby reducing the operating costs. The calculations show that the implementation of the design solutions leads to a decrease in the production cost of one ton of ore by 1.32%, to an increase in the product profitability by 5.19 % and to an increase in the labor productivity by 0.36%. The additional capital costs do not exceed 200 thousand rubles and the pay-off period is less than 2 months.

Resources Optimization in Underground Gold Mining Case Study the Kubang Cicau Gold Vein in Pongkor Area, West Java, Indonesia

Mining activities are typically controlled by the smallest mining units (SMU). These SMUs comprise mining blocks with dimensions that are generally adjusted to the mining equipment used as well as various geotechnical factors. In addition to SMUs, the smallest mining decision unit (SMDU), which is a collection of several SMU blocks, is usually established. In this paper, the SMDU is represented by an underground (UG) mining panel. This paper presents the results of a study on the optimization of gold resource in SMU blocks within SMDU and cut-off grade (CoG) variations. The study focuses on how to design a panel as an SMDU that is based on a weekly production quota that defines an optimum weekly rate of production that meets processing and milling capacities. The UG mining scheme in this paper is realized using a level, a panel, and SMU blocks. The level represents the progress of the mining in a vertical direction, while the panel represents the progress of the mining in a horizontal direction. Acting as the objective functions are the ore tonnage and gold mass. In relation to the gold mass, the goal is to reach the optimum level within the SMDU and fulfill the constraint function through the number of SMU blocks within the SMDU and the range of CoG variations. The optimization process was conducted using a genetic algorithm scheme. Kubang Cicau Vein B at Pongkor Gold Mine Business Unit was selected for the case study.

Improving the technology of underground mining of polymetallic ores at the Korbalikhinsky mine of Siberia-Polymetals JSC

Introduction. The article contains the results of research on an effecient and safe technology for underground mining of polymetallic ores of the Korbalikhinsky deposit, located in Western Siberia in the south of the Altai Territory, 1.5 km north of the town of Zmeinogorsk. The deposit is developed by underground technique of the Korbalikhinsky mine of Siberia-Polymetals JSC, which is part of the Ural Mining and Metallurgical Company JSC (UMMC JSC) holding corporation. Research objective is to find new technological solutions for the Korbalikhinsky mine of SiberiaPolymetals JSC that allow changing the technology of ore extraction with the ability to ensure the annual production capacity of the mine of 1.5 million tons of ore. Methods of research included the selection of alternative, safe and suitable mining method that is suitable for the Korbalikhinsky deposit by analyzing the mining and geological conditions and mining factors. Methods of research also included geomechanical justification for mining method structural element parameters, the development of underground mining technology and ore bodies sequence of mining. Results. From the mining methods proposed by the authors, the specialists of the mine selected the chamber mining method with reduced design parameters and backfilling. It is cost-effective and safe at the same time. Absence of people in the developed space, higher mining productivity and optimal recovery factor are its advantages. The proposed technology of underground ore mining will allow the mine to reach the level of annual production capacity of 1.5 million tons by 2025.

The Mining Legacy of William S. Godbe

The Mining Legacy of William S. Godbe

NICKEL LATERITE CUT OFF GRADE AT BLOCK 1A PT. ANUGRAH SUKSES MINING

PT. Anugrah Sukses Mining (ASM) is a company engaged in laterite nickel mining. PT. ASM has a production target of 140,000 tons/month, with an average nickel content of 1.95%. PT. ASM operates mining based on the divisions of regions or blocks of mining. Block 1A is the first block mined by PT. ASM. Block 1A has a total area of ​​490,000 m2 and is divided into three mining areas, namely Pit 1, pit 2, and Pit 3. This research focuses on the pit 2 mining front where limonite and saprolite as laterite nickel zonation. This research was conducted to determine the cut-off grade of the laterite nickel grade of the planned sequence. The total tonnage of laterite nickel before pit formation was 235,943 tons, with 86,922 tons of waste, 149,021 tons of ore, 0.58: 1 of SR, and cut-off grade % Ni ≥ 1.63. The total tonnage of laterite nickel after the pit formed was 231,105 tons, with 81,414 tons of waste, 149,217 tons of ore, cut-off grade % Ni 1.57, and 0.54: 1 of SR.

A stochastic mixed integer linear programming framework for oil sands mine planning and waste management in the presence of grade uncertainty

ABSTRACT The primary purpose of oil sands mine planning and waste management is to provide ore from the mine pit to the processing plant while containing the tailings in an efficient manner in-pit. Incorporating waste management in the mine plan is essential to maximize the economic potential of the mineral reserve and minimize waste management costs. However, spatial variability such as grade uncertainty results in ore tonnage variations, which leads to fluctuations in the quantity of ore to be processed and waste to be managed. This paper investigates the application of a stochastic mixed integer linear programming (SMILP) on oil sands mine planning to integrate bitumen grade uncertainty and waste management. Sequential Gaussian simulation is employed to quantitatively model the spatial variability of bitumen grade in the oil sands deposit. Multiple simulated orebody models are used as inputs for the SMILP model to generate optimal mine plans in the presence of grade uncertainty. The results demonstrate that the SMILP schedule generates 14% and 17% improvements in net present value compared to the E-type and ordinary kriging schedules, respectively. These results indicate that the SMILP model is a robust tool for optimizing stochastic integrated oil sands production schedules and waste management.