Innovative Process Development in Metallurgical Industry
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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. Printed on acid-free paper 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, com- plex 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 con- struction of a new leaching circuit that uses calcium thiosulfate instead of cyanide to recover gold from a complex, double-refractory ore. The new cir- cuit 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 col- laborative 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 innova- tion. 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 research- ers in the fi eld of metallurgy, but also to senior managers, CEOs and govern- ment 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