Mineral Processing and Waste Management

This subject has the following teaching availabilities in 2011:

144 hours

For the purposes of considering request for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Cwth 2005), and Students Experiencing Academic Disadvantage Policy, academic requirements for this subject are articulated in the Subject Overview, Objectives, Assessment and Generic Skills sections of this entry.

It is University policy to take all reasonable steps to minimise the impact of disability upon academic study, and reasonable adjustments will be made to enhance a student's participation in the University's programs. Students who feel their disability will impact on meeting the requirements of this subject are encouraged to discuss this matter with a Faculty Student Adviser and the Disability Liaison Unit: http://www.services.unimelb.edu.au/disability/

This course introduces the scientific and engineering principles involved in the winning of minerals and metals from ores. Specific topics of study are:

• Unit operations including: comminution, classification, solid-liquid separation and concentration operations

• Tailings disposal systems including: impoundment on surface, treatment of recycle or decant water, sub-aqueous discharge to fresh and marine water

• Construction, maintenance and stability of embankments, waste piles, dams, and dikes

• Prediction, prevention and control of acid rock drainage from exposed faces or waste dumps

On completion of this subject students should be familiar with:

• formation of minerals
• occurrence of economically important minerals
• identification of ores and minerals and their properties
• various ore-dressing operations: comminution, sizing and sorting, jigging, tabling, flotation, magnetic and electrostatic separations
• extraction of mineral species
• various separation processes for beneficiation of minerals, including adsorption, electrolysis, electrowinning, leaching, and solvent extraction by precipitation and by reaction
• typical examples from the local mineral processing industry
• tailings disposal systems: impoundment on surface, treatment of recycle or decant water, sub-aqueous discharge to fresh and marine waters
• construction, maintenance and stability of embankments, waste piles, dams, and dikes
• prediction, prevention and control of acid rock drainage from exposed faces or waste dumps
• control of dust, noise, and gas emissions
• reclamation and revegetation
• government regulations concerning environmental protection in the design, operation and closure of mines and mills

• One 2 hour examination, end of semester (50%)
• One 1 hour class test, mid semester (20%)
• One 2000 word project, due end of semester (30%)

This subject is not available as a breadth subject.

• Analytical, critical and creative thinking, with an aptitude for continued self-directed learning
• Sense of intellectual curiosity
• Ability to interpret data and research results
• Sense of intellectual integrity and ethics of scholarship
• Writing, problem-solving and communication skills
• Ability to learn in a range of ways, including through information and communication technologies
• Capacity to confront unfamiliar problems
• Ability to evaluate and synthesise the research and professional literature
• Ability to conduct information searches on the net
• Ability to develop models of practical applications and evaluate their performance by rigorous analytical means and by programming computer simulations
• Capacity to manage competing demands on time, including self-directed project work