What Is ISL Uranium Mining

In situ leach mining (ISL), also known as in-situ mining or solution mining, was first used as a means to extract low grades of uranium from ore in underground mines. First used in Wyoming in the 1950s, originally as a low production experiment at the Lucky June mine, it became a high-production, low cost method of fulfilling Atomic Energy Commission uranium requirements at Utah Construction Company's Shirley Basin mining operations in the 1960s. Pioneered through the efforts of Charles Don Snow, a uranium mining and exploration geologist employed by Utah, many of his developments are still used today in ISL mining.

What is ISL mining? According to the Wyoming Mining Association website, ISL mining is explained in the following manner. (We choose Wyoming because it is the birthplace of "solution mining" as it was originally called.)

"In-situ mining is a noninvasive, environmentally friendly mining process involving minimal surface disturbance which extracts uranium from porous sandstone aquifers by reversing the natural processes which deposited the uranium.

To be mined in situ, the uranium deposit must occur in permeable sandstone aquifers. These sandstone aquifers provide the "plumbing system" for both the original emplacement and the recovery of the uranium. The uranium was emplaced by weakly oxidizing ground water which moved through the plumbing systems of the geologic formation. To effectively extract uranium deposited from ground water, a company must first thoroughly define this plumbing system and then designs well fields that best fit the natural hydro-geological conditions.

Detailed mapping techniques, using geophysical data from standard logging tools, have been developed by uranium companies. These innovative mapping methods define the geologic controls of the original solutions, so that these same routes can be retraced for effective in situ leaching of the ore. Once the geometry of the ore bodies is known, the locations of injection and recovery wells are planned to effectively contact the uranium. This technique has been used in several thousand wells covering hundreds of acres.

Following the installation of the well field, a leaching solution (or lixiviant), consisting of native ground water containing dissolved oxygen and carbon dioxide, is delivered to the uranium-bearing strata through the injection wells. Once in contact with the mineralization, the lixiviant oxidizes the uranium minerals, which allows the uranium to dissolve in the ground water. Production wells, located between the injection wells, intercept the pregnant lixiviant and pump it to the surface. A centralized ion-exchange facility extracts the uranium from the barren lixiviant, stripped of uranium, is regenerated with oxygen and carbon dioxide and recirculated for continued leaching. The ion exchange resin, which becomes 'loaded' with uranium, it is stripped or eluted. Once eluted, the ion exchange resin is returned to the well field facility.

During the mining process, slightly more water is produced from the ore-bearing formation than is reinjected. This net withdrawal, or 'bleed,' produces a cone of depression in the mining area, controlling fluid flow and confining it to the mining zone. The mined aquifer is surrounded, both laterally and above and below, by monitor wells which are frequently sampled to ensure that all mining fluids are retained within the mining zone. The 'bleed' also provides a chemical bleed on the aquifer to limit the buildup of species like sulfate and chloride which are affected by the leaching process. The 'bleed' water is treated for removal of uranium and radium. This treated water is then disposed of through waste water land application, or irrigation. A very small volume of radioactive sludge results; this sludge is disposed of at an NRC licensed uranium tailings facility.

The ion exchange resin is stripped of its uranium, and the resulting rich eluate is precipitated to produce a yellow cake slurry. This slurry is dewatered and dried to a final drummed uranium concentrate.

At the conclusion of the leaching process in a well field area, the same injection and production wells and surface facilities are used for restoration of the affected ground water. Ground water restoration is accomplished in three ways. First, the water in the leach zone is removed by "ground water sweep", and native ground water flows in to replace the removed contaminated water. The water which is removed is again treated to remove radionuclides and disposed of in irrigation. Second, the water which is removed is processed to purify it, typically with reverse osmosis, and the pure water is injected into the affected aquifer. This reinjection of very pure water results in a large increment of water quality improvement in a short time period. Third, the soluble metal ions which resulted from the oxidation of the ore zone are chemically immobilized by injecting a reducing chemical into the ore zone, immobilizing these constituents in situ. Ground water restoration is continued until the affected water is suit
able for its pre-mining use.

Throughout the leaching and restoration processes, a company ensures the isolation of the leach zone by careful well placement and construction. The well fields are extensively monitored to prevent the contamination of other aquifers.

Once mining is complete, the aquifer is restored by pumping fresh water through the aquifer until the ground water meets the pre-mining use.

In situ mining has several advantages over conventional mining. First, the environmental impact is minimal, as the affected water is restored at the conclusion of mining. Second, it is lower cost, allowing Wyoming's low grade deposits to compete globally with the very high grade deposits of Canada. Finally the method is safe and proven, resulting in minimal employee exposure to health risks."

ISL mining may be the wave of the future of U.S. uranium mining, or it may become an interim mining measure, in areas where the geology is appropriate for IS. Until sufficient quantities of uranium are required by U.S. utilities to fuel the country's demand for nuclear energy, ISL mining may remain the leading uranium mining method in the United States. At some point, an overwhelming need for uranium for the nuclear fuel cycle may again put ISL mining in the backseat, and uranium miners may return to conventional mining methods, such as open pit mining.

Source: http://ezinearticles.com/?What-Is-ISL-Uranium-Mining&id=183880

How Gold Mining of the Past Creates New Gold for Cash

The history of gold mining and the different methods for retrieving and producing gold from the earth is quite extensive. Gold has been extracted as early as 2000BC with the ancient roman civilization and has never stopped being mined since then. While the techniques have shifted slightly over the years, the process of finding gold and converting it into wealth has remained consistent and today you can sell gold for cash with ease. It is an interesting history to examine how this gold originally came from the earth.

The Roman civilization as we know were well advanced in their approach to science and this benefited their approach to gold mining. Hydraulic mines and pumps were used to excavate gold from various regions were it was discovered. Gold discoveries prompted the capture and expansion of several territories and countries by the Roman Empire. When gold was mined it was often used to produce coinage and served as the primary source of currency or exchange for goods and services where money really represented its value. Mining with the use of gold panning techniques also most-likely goes back to the Romans. This mining technique requires a prospector to slosh sediment containing gold in a pan with water using the naturally higher density of the metal to shift it to the bottom of the pan and all other dirt or rock forced out on top.

Between the time frame of 1840 to year 2000, the capacity of gold extraction has exploded with world gold production starting at a mere 1 ton growing to currently around 2500 tons. Over this time frame the significance of gold in financial terms hasn't changed with people who continue to sell gold for cash. The increase in production, however, can be attributable to more advanced machinery and mining practices. Hard rock mining is performed when gold is found in cased in rock and requires heavy machinery or explosives to grind rock down to the point that gold can be separated. For gold that is found in veins on loose soil, rock, or sentiment a common process of either dredging or sluicing is performed. These techniques are very similar to panning by allowing the gold to settle to the bottom, but are more practical in commercial application.

These are just a few of the courses your gold may have followed over the course of its use in human history. No matter what the case, it is always possible to sell gold for cash so that it may continue to follow its path and purpose in the human world.

Derek Robertson is a financial market analyst and writer. He has written for several years for publications in print and now on many blogs and online information resources. His background in investigative journalism enables him to provide a unique and unbiased perspective on many of the subjects he writes.

He also specializes in cash for Gold and Sell Gold.

Source: http://ezinearticles.com/?How-Gold-Mining-of-the-Past-Creates-New-Gold-for-Cash&id=5012666

CSR in the Extraction Sector

A study commissioned by the Canadian Mining industry found that Canadian mining companies were involved in 4 times as many mining "incidents" as companies from other countries. The study was intended for internal consumption only but has been leaked to the press recently. The study found that Canadian mining companies were involved in nearly two thirds of the 171 "high profile" environmental and human rights violations it studied occurring between 1999 and 2009. Members of the mining industry pointed out that the occurrences are in proportion to their representation on the global mining scene, indicating that they were no better or worse than companies from other countries.

First some background on the study. The study findings were captured in a report titled "Corporate Social Responsibility & the Canadian International Extractive Sector: A Survey". The report was prepared for the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) by the Canadian Centre for the Study of Resource Conflict (CCSRC). The purpose of the study was to measure the level of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in the "extractive" sector. The extractive sector, for those of us untutored in the terminology means exploration, gas, oil, and mining companies. The document leaked to the press was a first draft of the report, not the final draft. I should also mention that there is a bill, C-300, before the Canadian parliament which would make financing for foreign ventures contingent on meeting federally defined CSR standards. The exploration, gas, oil, and mining companies, and the organizations which represent them are very much against this bill. Leaking the negative aspects of this report was fortuitous for those in support of bill C-300 and disastrous for those opposed to it.

One of the observations the report makes is that adoption of formal CSR policies by companies with international interests is "remarkably low", but that those companies which have adopted CSR policies have experienced positive outcomes. The CCSRC contacted 584 companies which they felt met their criteria to participate in the study. Of those, 202 chose to participate. The first survey question was "Do you have a CSR policy or Code of International Business Conduct?" 56 of the 202 companies had documented policies in place. The study broke the 202 companies they surveyed into "junior" and "major" companies. 50% of the companies designated as major had documented CSR policies while only 21% of junior companies had one.

The survey also asked about the positive effects of a CSR policy. 24% of respondents claimed a reduction in conflicts or complications, 62% claimed better community relations (relations with the communities they were doing business in), and 25% reported increased shareholder interest. On the downside, 24% reported increased administration costs and 25% reported increased operating costs. One question they failed to ask was whether the benefits outweighed the costs.

The information I've stated in the preceding 2 paragraphs was gleaned from the final draft of the report. I don't have access to the first draft but apparently it described some of the 171 violations they were addressing in the study. I reported on one such violation in Project Management Tips section of this web site under the title "CSR Problems". The incidents reported on reflect the difficulty faced by companies who conduct business in some international locations. These incidents juxtapose our Canadian values and ethics with those of the countries our exploration, gas, mining, and oil companies do business in. One incident reported on, and attributed to the mining company's lack of CSR by the media, pitted one host community against another with the resulting violence blamed on the Canadian mining company. I'm not suggesting here that these companies have not made mistakes in the past, or that improvements cannot be made in their CSR efforts, I am suggesting that we should have realistic expectations about the effectiveness of a CSR policy to prevent any problems in a foreign venture.

A reasonable expectation in some cases would be that the company have a documented CSR policy which conforms to the standards and ethics of this country (Canada), abides by the laws of the host country, and conforms to the standards and ethics of the host country. The expectation should be tempered with the acknowledgment that the operating environment these companies encounter in host countries can be radically different than that found here. For example, when one community is in conflict with another over whether a mining operation should take place, we tend to look to non-violent forms of dispute resolution where some countries may resort to extreme violence to settle the dispute. Canadian companies frequently hire locals as security guards to protect their property as local authorities cannot perform this duty for one reason or another. It is reasonable to expect the hiring company to do its due diligence in hiring these people to ensure they don't create a threat to the surrounding community. It is not reasonable to expect that there will be no conflicts arising out of these situations. Where it is suspected that a security guard overstepped their authority, or engaged in illegal behaviour, it is reasonable to expect the employer to cooperate with the local authorities in the investigation.

North American companies doing business internationally have long had to deal with conflicts between acceptable corporate behaviour in their own country and acceptable behaviour in the host country. Bribery is the classic example. There are countries where bribery is not only accepted but essential to conducting business. Our laws will convict anyone proved to have offered a bribe but failure to pay the bribe may result in a failure to perform on the part of the North American company. Failure to perform might result in the loss of all or part of the company's investment in the project. Holding a company to this type of double standard can only result in one of 2 outcomes: the company will break the rule against bribery, or the company will cease to do business in that host country.

Since this web site is aimed at the project management community, let's draw some conclusions from the survey and CSR in general that may help project managers. The first conclusion I would draw from all of the above is that the CSR policy that governs your project must describe achievable goals. By this I mean that the goals, objectives, and standards stated in the policy must be within the project's power to achieve, or comply with. The second conclusion is that the right CSR policy carefully implemented can provide a business benefit to the organization. It is the project manager's job to ensure that those benefits are realized.

The goals and objectives of the project must include goals and objectives in support of the CSR policy. Those goals and objectives should be spelled out in the Project Charter and the connection between those goals and objectives and the CSR policy clearly defined. Make sure that the CSR related goals and objectives you set for the project are clearly defined, measurable, and obtainable and then agree with your stakeholders on the conditions that will indicate the goals have been met. Check for CSR policy goals and objectives that might conflict with each other and any of your project's goals and objectives, both CSR related and non-CSR. Goals and objectives you feel might conflict with each other, or with the CSR policy should be resolved by senior management. Start your escalation by drawing the project sponsor's attention to the conflict and ask for their help with resolution.

Source: http://ezinearticles.com/?CSR-in-the-Extraction-Sector&id=5675024

The Equipment Used in Mining

Bureau of Labor statistics reported that there are five major segments in the mining industry. They are gas and oil extracting, coal mining, non-metal mineral mining, metal ore mining and the supporting activities. In this matter, each segment might need different equipment. But, there are some types of mining equipment that are used by all segments of the mining industry.

Excavators

Excavators are types of equipment that are used by the miners to break and remove soil today. Traditionally, they used steam shovels and shovels to do the jobs. An excavator is a vehicle that moves with standard wheels or moves on tracks. There is a rotating platform and a bucket to its end for digging the soil.

Draglines

Draglines are very big earth moving machines that are used in mining industry. These machines are used to expose the underlying mineral deposits. These are also used to drag away the dirt. The Kentucky Coal Education said that draglines are one of the largest machine in the world. These can remove several hundred tons of the material in one pass.

Drills

Drills are very important for miners that extract natural gas and oil. Miners use these machines to reach underground deposits before they pipe the resources to the surface. Instead of being used in gas and oil mining, these machines are also used to mine coal and mineral.

Roof bolters

These machines are used to prevent underground collapses when the mining process is in progress. These are also used to support the tunnel roofs in mining location.

Continuous miners and longwall miners

These machines are usually used by subterranean coal miners. These machines are used to scrape coal from the coal beds. Meanwhile, the longwall miners are machines that are used to remove large, rectangular sections of coal instead of scraping coal from a bed.

Rock duster

These are pressurized pieces of equipment that are used in coal mining to spray inert mineral dust over the highly flammable coal dust. This inert dust will help prevent accidental explosions and fires.

Source:http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Equipment-Used-in-Mining&id=5633103

Websites Can Contractually Restrict Third Party Scraping of Their Data

E-commerce service providers can contractually prevent other websites from copying factual information from their website for commercial use, such as for price comparison purposes.

On 15 January 2015, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) confirmed in a preliminary ruling that websites not protected by a database right, are free to impose contractual restrictions on the use of their data. Interestingly, the CJEU acknowledged that the contractual restrictions could – if national law permits - be imposed through the website’s terms and conditions.

Let’s have a quick look at how this matter arose. Since the early days of online reservations, some websites discovered that they could attract a lot of visitors by comparing the online prices displayed by e-commerce websites selling competing goods and services. Originally such third party websites were called “content aggregators” and today one particular type, so-called “price comparison” websites, is widely-known.  To be able to aggregate such content and create added-value for the consumer, these websites use automated software that visits the e-commerce websites and copies the latter’s pricing information in real time. This practice is often referred to as “screen scraping” and frequently occurs in the online travel reservation business. Some of these third party websites do not only show the compared prices of airline tickets but act as an intermediary for booking travel packages, including car and hotel rental services on top of the airline ticket, often after adding a commission.

In response, low-cost airlines quickly started taking legal action against such screen scraping practices, fearing the loss of such additional, revenue-generating services to these third party websites and also through suffering reputational damage when consumers were not properly informed about issues such as flight changes and cancellations. In these circumstances there was one case between the low-cost airline, Ryanair, and the third party website owner, PR Aviation BV, in which the Dutch Supreme Court made a preliminary ruling request to the CJEU.

The CJEU, in its preliminary ruling on the scope of database protection and contractual freedom, ruled in Ryanair’s favour. It concluded that, in the absence of any database related copyright or sui generis protection on Ryanair’s website, Ryanair was expressly allowed to lay down contractual limitations on the use of its website by third parties. Ryanair would not have had such contractual freedom if its database enjoyed copyright or sui generis database protection (due to the restriction laid down in Article 15 of the Database Directive 96/9/EC). Ryanair’s terms and conditions, to which users had to visibly agree when searching for flights (but without needing to explicitly tick a box), indeed stated that the use of any automated system or software to extract data from its website for commercial purposes was prohibited. Ryanair even went as far as to explicitly state that other websites could not sell its flights and that price comparison websites had to enter into a written licence agreement with Ryanair,
to access Ryanair’s price, flight and timetable information for the sole purpose of price comparison.

As a consequence of the CJEU’s ruling, any website making available mere factual information not protected by any legal right, can still prevent others from using such information through its terms and conditions. Clearly, that website will have to demonstrate under applicable (national) law that the website visitor is contractually bound, in particular because it validly agreed to such terms and conditions. Depending on the applicable law, such agreement by the consumer could be considered as having taken place by ticking a box or merely after having been made aware of the website’s terms and conditions.

The CJEU’s ruling is likely to impact upon the business model of a number of content aggregating/price comparison websites. The ruling’s concrete relevance, however, will have to be assessed on a case-by-case basis.

Source:http://www.timelex.eu/en/blog/detail/websites-can-contractually-restrict-third-party-scraping-of-their-data