Innovative Process Development in Metallurgical Industry

Vaikuntam Iyer Lakshmanan Raja Roy • V. Ramachandran Editors

Innovative Process Development in Metallurgical Industry Concept to Commission Editors Vaikuntam Iyer Lakshmanan Raja Roy Process Research Ortech, Inc. Process Research Ortech, Inc. Mississauga , ON, Canada Mississauga , ON, Canada

V. Ramachandran Consulting Engineer Scottsdale , AZ, USA

ISBN 978-3-319-21598-3 ISBN 978-3-319-21599-0 (eBook) DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-21599-0

Library of Congress Control Number: 2015947279

Springer Cham Heidelberg New York Dordrecht London © Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2016 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifi cally the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfi lms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specifi c statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made.

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Springer International Publishing AG Switzerland is part of Springer Science+Business Media (www.springer.com) This book is dedicated to Sarada, Manju and Vasanti for their inﬁ nite patience and self less lifelong support.

F o r e w o r d

When I think about innovation in mining today, a recent passage in the MIT Technology Review comes to mind: “Innovative companies evolve; those that do not, wither.” The mining industry should pay heed. Take the gold mining sector. The 12-year run-up in the gold price led many companies to pursue production at all costs; the good times, after all, seemed like they would never end. But end they did, and gold miners, if you will pardon the pun, have been digging themselves out ever since. Many base metal producers face similar head- winds. In response, companies, quite rightly, are becoming far more disci- plined about capital allocation. Questionable projects are being delayed or shelved and operational excellence and effi ciency is paramount. But one often overlooked consequence of the unrelenting focus on growth is that technology has not kept pace with operational needs. Innovation, sim- ply put, has been allowed to wither. With this backdrop in mind, I could not have been more thrilled when Lucky Lakshmanan informed me recently about the publication of this book, and honoured that he asked me to write the foreword. It could not have come at a better time. The scientists, metallurgists and mining engineers that produced the works that follow are among the fi n- est minds working in mining today. They see the industry’s current predica- ment as an opportunity—an opportunity to address mining’s challenges through innovation. Those challenges are formidable: high operating costs, low grade, complex ore bodies in environmentally sensitive locations are just some of the obstacles that mining faces. Barrick Gold, the company that I work for, is by no means immune from these challenges, but its collaborative approach to innovation is generating practical solutions to the complex problems that the company and many of its peers face today. One great example of this is the TCM (total carbonaceous matter), project at Barrick’s Goldstrike mine in Nevada. This large project involved the construction of a new leaching circuit that uses calcium thiosulfate instead of cyanide to recover gold from a complex, double-refractory ore. The new circuit began operating in late 2014 and is the fi rst commercial use of thiosulfate for gold processing in the world. It preserved jobs and key infrastructure at Goldstrike, and accelerated the processing of millions of ounces of gold. But most importantly, the TCM project underscores the kind of techno- logical advancements that are possible in mining when companies take a collaborative approach to innovation. When mining experts work hand in hand

vii viii Foreword with frontline operators to tackle complex operational problems, the odds of success are greatly enhanced and the step changes needed to sustain our industry become attainable. This may seem like the most natural and obvious thing in the world, but I cannot tell you how many times in my career that I have seen a silo mentality, or lack of trust, or simple bureaucratic inefﬁ - ciency stiﬂ e innovation. While I am proud of Barrick’s partnership approach to innovation, there are numerous ways to develop collaborative processes to facilitate innovation. This book will serve as a roadmap. It is not just important reading for mining companies, along with their suppliers and partners, it is must reading. The mining industry cannot afford to wither any longer.

Toronto, ON , Canada Jim Gowans Pref ace

This book can truly be considered as a labour of love. It is a result of an undy- ing passion for the betterment of society through research and development in the fi eld of Metallurgy for several decades. We live in a fast changing world with innovative products hitting the market everyday. Behind the glam- our and glitz lies the dedication of a number of researchers who toil day and night to develop new products and processes that make it all possible. Over the years, the editors have felt the need for a book that formalizes the steps to be taken to develop an innovative product or process starting from the very fi rst innovative idea. We feel that unlike invention, innovation is a journey and not an incident. It is a continuous process, not a discrete event. When we were contacted by Springer to write a book, we suggested this topic to them. After receiving the go ahead from the publisher, we conceptualized the framework of the book and contacted innovators from the fi eld of Metallurgy, not alone from university, but also from industry with hands-on experience and proven track record in taking innovation to commercialization to contrib- ute to this book. The contributed articles were then sent to independent reviewers for peer review process. This book is targeted not only to researchers in the fi eld of metallurgy, but also to senior managers, CEOs and government offi cials, who can help in creating an atmosphere to bring innovation to commercialization, thereby generating employment and creating wealth in a competitive environment in a sustainable fashion. We would like to express our sincere gratitude to all the contributors to this book, which include Dr. Barun Gorain, Dr. Nathan Stubina, Professor Alexander McLean, Dr. T. Emi, Dr. Md Abdul Halim, Dr. Shiv Vijayan, Dr. Corale Brierley, Dr. Peter Kondos, Mr. Alan Taylor, Dr. Ananth Seshan, Mr. Mark Vancas, Dr. Krishna Parameswaran, Dr. Dave King, Mr. Michael Dehn, Dr. Donald R Fosnacht, Dr. Iwao Iwasaki, Dr. Richard F. Kiesel, Dr. David J. Englund, Dr. Rodney L. Bleifuss, Dr. M. E. Mlinar, Dr. David W. Hendrickson and Mr. Tim Robinson. We are indebted to all the reviewers including Dr. Michael King, Dr. Jacques McMullen, Dr. Phil Mackey, Prof. Ravi Ravindran, Mr. Tim Robinson, Dr. David Dew, Prof. Mansoor Barati, Prof. Mike Moats, Mr. Warren Galloway, Mr. Peter Mathews, Dr. Jim Lommen, Dr. Bruce Conard, Mr. Peter Dahlberg, Mr. Lance Engelbrecht, Ms. Luisa Marino, Prof. Vladimiros G. Papangelakis, Mr. Harold R. Kokal, Dr. Jim Brierley and Dr. Funsho Ojebuoboh for their review and comments and meeting the tight schedule despite their other commitments. We deeply appreciate the writing of the Foreword to this book by Jim Gowans,

ix x Preface

Co-President, Barrick Gold Corporation. Thanks are due to Ms. Lorraine Sequeira for administrative support. Special gratitude is expressed to Ms. Ania Levinson and Ms. Brinda Megasyamalan from our publisher Springer for their constant support and encouragement.

Mississauga, ON, Canada Vaikuntam Iyer Lakshmanan Mississauga, ON, Canada Raja Roy Scottsdale, AZ, USA V. Ramachandran Contents

1 The Need for Process Innovation ...... 1 V. I. Lakshmanan , Raja Roy , and Ram Ramachandran

Part I Separation Processes and Process Selection

2 Physical Processing: Innovations in Mineral Processing ...... 9 B. K. Gorain 3 Thermal Processing: Pyrometallurgy—Non-ferrous ...... 67 Nathan M. Stubina 4 Thermal Processing: Pyrometallurgy—Ferrous ...... 77 Toshihiko Emi and Alexander McLean 5 Chemical Processing: Hydrometallurgy ...... 91 V. I. Lakshmanan , M. A. Halim , and Shiv Vijayan 6 Biological Processing: Biological Processing of Sulfidic Ores and Concentrates—Integrating Innovations ...... 109 Corale L. Brierley 7 Process Compression ...... 137 V. I. Lakshmanan and Raja Roy 8 Process Selection ...... 145 Shiv Vijayan and V. I. Lakshmanan 9 Metallurgical Processing Innovations: Intellectual Property Perspectives and Management ...... 163 Corale L. Brierley and Peter D. Kondos

Part II Process Development

10 Conceptual Idea, Test Work, Design, Commissioning, and Troubleshooting ...... 179 Ram Ramachandran and Alan Taylor

xi xii Contents

Part III Process Optimization

11 An Integrated Mining and Metallurgical Enterprise Enabling Continuous Process Optimization ...... 203 Ananth Seshan and B. K. Gorain

Part IV Equipment

12 Equipment Development, Design, and Optimization ...... 245 Mark F. Vancas and Ram Ramachandran

Part V Sustainable Development and Environmental Management

13 Sustainability Considerations in Innovative Process Development ...... 257 Krishna Parameswaran

Part VI Steps to Commercialization

14 Process Development, Execution, Owner’s Responsibility, and Examples of Innovative Developments ...... 283 V. I. Lakshmanan , Raja Roy , David King , and Ram Ramachandran

Part VII Financing

15 Investing, Financing and Harvesting Innovation and Technology ...... 305 Michael Dehn

Part VIII Case Study Examples

16 Innovative Case Study Processes in Extractive Metallurgy ...... 313 V. I. Lakshmanan and Ram Ramachandran 17 Development of a New Technology for Converting Iron-Bearing Materials to Nodular Reduced Iron for Use in Various Steelmaking Operations ...... 327 Donald R. Fosnacht , Iwao Iwasaki , Richard F. Kiesel , David J. Englund , Rodney L. Bleifuss , M. E. Mlinar , and David W. Hendrickson 18 Innovative Process for the Production of Titanium Dioxide ..... 359 V. I. Lakshmanan , Raja Roy , and M. A. Halim 19 Innovative Processes in Electrometallurgy ...... 385 Tim Robinson Contents xiii

20 Innovations in Gold and Silver Processing ...... 393 B. K. Gorain , Peter D. Kondos , and V. I. Lakshmanan 21 Innovative Processes for By-product Recovery and Its Applications ...... 429 V. I. Lakshmanan and Ram Ramachandran 22 Conclusion ...... 437 V. I. Lakshmanan , Raja Roy , and Ram Ramachandran

Index ...... 439

About the Editors

V. I. Lakshmanan , Ph.D. is an internationally renowned teacher, scientist and innovator in the areas of sustainable development and clean technologies. He has more than 40 years of hands-on experience in technology commercialization and skills development initiatives with both private and public sec- tors including the United Nations. He has successfully guided process technologies from concept to commercialization for resource, energy and chemical industries. Born and educated in India, Dr. Lakshmanan moved to Canada in 1974 after serving as a Lecturer in the University of Birmingham, UK. His corporate experience includes roles in Noranda, Eldorado Nuclear, ORTECH Corporation and Process Research ORTECH, the last of which he founded and guided to become a global leader in sustainable process technologies development through its laboratory and pilot plant. Dr. Lakshmanan is a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering and an Adjunct Professor at the Department of Materials Science and Engineering with the University of Toronto. He is an active mentor of new entrepreneurs and Chairman of the Canada India Foundation. Dr. Lakshmanan received the prestigious Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2013 for his services to civil society.

V. Ram Ramachandran obtained his Ph.D. in Metallurgical Engineering from Colorado School of Mines. Ram has over 39 years of Research and Development experience in non-ferrous metal industry with emphasis on process development and process improvements including water conservation and treatment. He is an author/co-author of 30 technical papers and Joint editor of Proceedings of technical symposia by TMS. Ram is Co-author of the book “Extractive Metallurgy of Nickel, Cobalt and Platinum Group Metals” published by Elsevier in 2011. He received Milton. E. Wadsworth Hydrometallurgy Award from SME in 2001 and Distinguished Services Award from TMS in 2008. For the last 15 years, Ram has been working as a Consulting Engineer for the non-ferrous metallurgical industry.

Raja Ram Mohan Roy , Ph.D. obtained his undergraduate degree in Metallurgical Engineering from Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur and Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from the Ohio State University. Raja has conducted research and development work for a number of years at the University of Toronto and Process Research Ortech, Inc. Raja has over

xv xvi About the Editors

20 years of experience in extractive metallurgy and materials science with emphasis on process ﬂ ow sheet development. He has supervised and managed a large number of projects involving bench scale and pilot scale test work. He received Light Metals Recycling Award from TMS in 1998. He has co-authored 40 technical papers and was co-editor of Chloride 2011 symposium organized by TMS. About the Authors

Corale L. Brierley Dr. Corale L. Brierley, Principal, Brierley Consultancy LLC, provides technical and business consultation to the mining and chemical industries and government agencies, offering clients expertise and experience in minerals bioleaching, management of metal-bearing wastes and business development related to these areas. She has over 80 technical publications and 5 patents and is internationally recognized from a long career, comprising 23 years as an international consultant; 2 years with Newmont Mining Corporation; 8 years of managing Advanced Minerals Technology, Inc., a metal’s biotechnology company; and 10 years of applied R&D at New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology. She is a member of the Society for Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration and the Mining Foundation of the Southwest and has received several awards from these organizations. Dr. Brierley is an elected member and Vice President of the U.S. National Academy of Engineering, which honors those who have demonstrated unusual accomplishment in the pioneering of new and developing ﬁ elds of technology. Michael Dehn Mr. Dehn’s principal occupation is a Partner of Avanti Management and Consulting Limited. Mr. Dehn is also the President, CEO, and/or Director of several small publically listed junior mining companies. Mr. Dehn is a graduate of the University of Waterloo with a B.Sc. in Earth Science. Mr. Dehn started his career in the mining industry with Goldcorp, Inc. spending 12 years based in the Toronto Head Ofﬁ ce, managing many property acquisitions and exploration programs for Goldcorp. Mr. Dehn joined Goldcorp 6 months before the High Grade Zone Discovery and was one of the managers of the Goldcorp Challenge that introduced open-source exploration targeting to the world. Toshihiko Emi Dr. Emi holds Honorary Professorships at the University of Science and Technology, Beijing, and at North Eastern University, China. He is Honorary Director of the Research Institute for Iron and Steel, Sha Steel, China. He formerly served as Professor at Tohoku University in Sendai, Japan. He served as Research Director and was a Board member for many years at Kawasaki Steel (now JFE Steel) and concurrently President, Rheotechnology Co., Japan. Dr. Emi is the recipient of a number of international honours and awards including the Nishiyama Medal from the Iron and Steel Institute of Japan, Howe Memorial Lecturer and Distinguished Member of the Iron and Steel Society of AIME, now Association of Iron and Steel

xvii xviii About the Authors

Technology, USA, and the Brinell Medal from the Royal Academy of Engineering in Sweden. He has published over 250 papers in archival journals and conference proceedings together with book, book chapters, and reviews. Donald R. Fosnacht Dr. Donald R. Fosnacht, is a practicing metallurgist, who currently leads the Center for Applied Research and Technology Development for the Natural Resources Research Institute, University of MN Duluth as Departmental Director. He had been an executive with the former Inland Steel Company which is now part of Arcelor Mittal, Inc. He also was President of Steel Profi tability Consulting. He has vast experience in steel manufacturing from iron ore development to the design and manufacturing of advanced steel products. He currently is working on strategies for advanced technologies for iron ore conversion, renewal energy development, recovery of TiO2 from ilmenite ores, and new methods for processing non-ferrous metals. B. K. Gorain Dr. Barun Gorain has more than 25 years experience in mineral processing plant operations, capital projects, and technology management with a focus on improving operations profi tability and project economics. His industry experience includes working for Barrick Gold (presently in their Corporate offi ce in Toronto since 2005), Teck (Cominco), Mt. Isa Mines (now Glencore), Coal India and Hindustan Zinc (now Vedanta). Dr. Gorain has a Ph.D. in Metallurgical Engineering from JKMRC (University of Queensland) in Australia and a B.Tech. degree in Mineral Engineering from Indian School of Mines, Dhanbad. M. A. Halim Dr. M.A. Halim is a Senior Process Metallurgist at Process Research ORTECH, Inc., Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. He received his Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering from Kyushu University, Japan in 2006. Dr. Halim has over 10 years of experience in hydrometallurgical process development, minerals processing, and wastewater treatment. He has written more than 50 scientifi c papers, several patents, and a chapter on Titanium Dioxide: Production, Properties, and Applications. Dr. Halim received several awards including JSPS Fellowship, Research Fellowship from National University of Singapore, and IRD-NSERC Fellowship of Canada. David King Dr. David King has worked for over 45 years for a major engineering/procurement/construction management company and its predeces- sors. During this time, he held a number of senior technical positions. His career included working on studies of all levels, basic and detailed engineering, and startup/commissioning, and he also managed numerous studies and small projects. David has lived and worked in many places around the world. Most of his career has been spent working in the non-ferrous metallurgical industry, specializing in the fi eld of hydrometallurgy, on projects involving copper, nickel, uranium, gold, zinc, and rare earths among other metals and minerals, quite a few of which used innovative technology. Peter D. Kondos Peter Kondos was born in Athens, Greece, where he com- pleted his Diploma of Engineering at the National Technical University of About the Authors xix

Athens, followed by M. Eng. on Computers in Mining and a Ph.D. in Hydrometallurgy, both at McGill University. Peter has worked at: • The Mineral Sciences Laboratories at CANMET in Ottawa. • The Noranda Technology Centre in Montreal, where he ended up leading the Hydrometallurgy group. • An electronic powders manufacturer for a year as R&D Manager of New Products. • Inco Technical Services in Mississauga as a Mini-plant Operations Manager for the Voisey’s Bay hydrometallurgical process. Since 2004, he is with Barrick Gold Corporation, where he currently holds the position of Sr. Director, Strategic Technology Solutions. Alexander McLean With degrees in Applied Chemistry and Metallurgy from the Royal College of Science and Technology and the University of Glasgow, Dr. McLean spent 5 years at McMaster University before moving to Jones and Laughlin Steel Corporation in Pittsburgh. He joined the University of Toronto in 1970 and in 1984 the Ferrous Metallurgy Research Group was formed with Professor McLean as Director. He served as Department Chair from 1992 to 1997 and was appointed Professor Emeritus in 2002. He is an Honorary Member and elected Fellow of several organizations including AIME, the Iron and Steel Institute of Japan, the Royal Society of Canada, and the Canadian Academy of Engineering. He is a recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal and received Honorary Doctorates from the University of Miskolc and the University of Strathclyde. He has published extensively in the areas of iron and steelmaking and materials processing. Krishna Parameswaran Krishna Parameswaran received a Bachelor of Technology degree in metallurgical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology (Mumbai, India) in 1968, a Master of Science degree in metallurgical engineering from the University of Missouri-Rolla (now Missouri Institute of Science and Technology) in 1971 and a Doctor of Philosophy in metallurgy from the Pennsylvania State University in 1974. Dr. Parameswaran is currently President of tfgMM Strategic Consulting in Scottsdale, Arizona. He retired from ASARCO LLC after 34 years of service on March 31, 2015. His position prior to retirement was Director of Environmental Services and Compliance Assurance in Asarco’s Environmental Affairs Department. In this position, he was responsible for providing oversight for the company’s environmental compliance and permit- ting activities and for coordinating its sustainable development and compliance auditing programs. In June 2005, he co-edited a book entitled “Sustainable Mining Practices: A Global Perspective.” He is the author/co- author of chapters in forthcoming books relating to sustainability considerations in mining, metallurgical operations and management. In September 2014, he was appointed by the U.S. Secretary of Interior to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Arizona Resource Advisory Council (RAC) for a 3-year term representing mineral and energy interests. xx About the Authors

Tim Robinson Tim Robinson graduated from University of Melbourne with B.E. (Chem. Eng.) honors. He has worked in copper, zinc, nickel, and lead industries. He has worked in Australia, South America, and North America in the fi elds of mineral processing, smelting, refi ning, hydrometallurgy, and metal fabrication. He has started up over a dozen copper tankhouses around the world. Ananth Seshan Dr. Ananth Seshan is the CEO and Managing Director of 5G Automatika Ltd., a high technology software product company in Canada. The company is headquartered in Ottawa and has operations in the UK, Mexico, and India. Ananth has been a consultant to several large manufacturing organizations and utilities worldwide for the last three decades in the areas of robotics, automation, and of late, digital manufacturing. He was an invited member of a Special Task Force set up by Industry Canada during the turn of the millennium to explore the viability of applying advanced manufacturing technologies as a strategy to build competitive advantage in the manufacturing segment in Canada. He has been an invited speaker in many international forums on manufacturing automation and has won several awards for innovation and entrepreneurship. He is presently a member of the Board of Directors of MESA International, a global community of manufac- turers, producers and industry leaders, Chairman of the Asset Performance Management Working Group of MESA, and Senior Member of the International Society of Automation. Ananth has more than 30 publications in journals and international conference proceedings and owns two patents. Nathan M. Stubina Nathan M. Stubina is McEwen Mining’s Managing Director. He previously worked for over 25 years at various major mining companies, including Barrick Gold Corp., Noranda, Inc. and Falconbridge Limited. Nathan holds a Ph.D. in Metallurgy and Materials from the University of Toronto and a B.E. in Mining and Metallurgical Engineering from McGill University. He is a member of the Association of Professional Engineers of Ontario, is the current V.P. International of the CIM (Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum), and is a Past-President of MetSoc (Metallurgy and Materials Society). Alan Taylor Alan is Principal of ALTA Metallurgical Services (ALTA) in Melbourne Australia with over 40 years experience in the global mining and metallurgical industry. He has worked in metallurgical consulting, process and project development, engineering/construction, presentation of short courses and convening of international conferences, focussing mainly on the treatment of copper, nickel, cobalt, uranium, and gold ores. Mark F. Vancas Mark F. Vancas obtained Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering at the University of Arizona in 1970. He is currently SX Process Specialist with MFV Engineering, Inc. He has over 45 years of professional experience including 17 years of operating experience at Magma Copper Co. and 28 years of engineering design and construction experience with BATEMAN and M3 Engineering in the non-ferrous minerals industry with emphasis on extractive hydrometallurgical and electrometallurgical unit operations, including leaching, solution purifi cation, solvent extraction, elec- About the Authors xxi

trowinning, anode casting, and electroreﬁ ning. Leaching has included in situ and heap/pad leaching with and without crushing and agglomerating in a variety of locations, cultures, and climates as well as agitated leaching of ores and concentrates in acid media with bacterial enhancement. Solvent extraction and electrowinning experience has resulted in the development of many industrial innovations; some of which are now recognized as industrial norms (i.e., permanent cathodes used in electrowinning); and some of which have been patented. Experience also includes metallurgical plant management, plant construction, process design, and project engineering. Shiv Vijayan After completing bachelor and postgraduate degrees in chemical engineering from the Indian Institute of technology in Madras, India, Sivaraman (Shiv) Vijayan pursued doctoral research in emulsion separation at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne, Switzerland, and was awarded D.Sc. (Tech) in 1974. Dr. Vijayan gained experience in research and development, and teaching as a faculty member at McMaster University, Canada, and later at the University of Florida in Gainesville and the University of Western Ontario in London, Canada before heading chemical technology, process simulation, fuel reprocessing, and waste processing areas with Atomic Energy of Canada in Pinawa and Chalk River, Canada. After over 30 years of pursuing development of various separation processes and their implementation, Dr. Vijayan has been serving as a specialist consultant since 2013 with Process Research Ortech in Mississauga, Canada in the environmental area advancing technologies and educational training in separation sciences and waste management. Dr. Vijayan is an author or co-author of over 80 papers, 2 patents, 70 proprietary technology reports, and he is a registered professional engineer in the province of Ontario, Canada.