Since the start of large-scale mining operations, mineral processing techniques have seen huge improvements. Because of this, tailings from older operations can contain mineral quantities high enough to make reprocessing of these tailings economical.
Several large mining companies have realised this and have started reprocessing tailings. De Beers, for example, have recovered millions of carats of diamonds from tailings surrounding the Kimberley mines in South Africa.
Silver – that precious, shiny white metal – has traditionally been highly prized for its symbolism of wealth and prestige and its associated use in jewellery and coins.
However, silver is currently much more commonly used for industrial, medical and electrical purposes, such as in household goods, solar panels and mobile phones.
One of the major financial impacts on any mine site is the number of trucks required to extract the coal/ore. By accurately evaluating the cycle times of individual haul routes from mining blocks to dump locations over the course of the mine life, the total amount of trucks at different years can be established. By evaluating alternate scenarios for dumping strategies sites can establish which option offers the lowest truck hours.
