Table Of ContentMining Latin America 
Mineria  Latinoamericana
Mining Latin  America 
Challenges in the mining industry 
Mineria Latinoamericana 
Desafios para la industria minera 
ES 
SPRINGER-SCIENCE+BUSINESS MEDIA, B.V.
First edition 1994 
©  1994  Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 
Originally published by Chapman & Hall in  1994 
ISBN 978-94-010-4533-9  ISBN 978-94-011-1216-1 (eBook) 
DOI 10.1007/978-94-011-1216-1 
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Contents 
List of contributors  ix 
Foreword  xi 
INVESTMENT, POTENTIAL AND EVALUATION 
Mining investment in Argentina  3 
J.H. Decker 
Bolivia - its potential and recent activity  17 
Charles 'Scottie' Bruce 
Investment in mining: the Canadian experience  25 
Robert B. Parsons 
Restructuring of Mexico's mining sector: an international model  41 
Victor Flores 
MINING - OPEN-PIT TECHNOLOGY 
Application of advanced computer-based systems in open-pit  61 
evaluation 
M.M. Randall 
Myth and reality: status report on computer open-pit  77 
optimization algorithms in the 1990s 
D.M. Franr;ois-Bongarr;on 
MINERAL PROCESSING 
Construction of the Kori Kollo gold plant, Bolivia  91 
G. May et al. 
La Coipa modified grinding circuit, Chile  103 
Julio Binvignat T. and Jorge Omori V. 
Optimization of control systems for mineral processing  111 
Carlos Leal 
Practical implementation of the bacterial oxidation process of  133 
refractory gold ores 
D.P. Ryan
vi  Contents 
EXPLORATION 
The Geoscan Airborne Multispectral Scanner as an exploration  151 
tool applied to El Halc6n prospect, Chile 
KA. Agar et al. 
Silver mineralization at San Bartolome, Azuay, Ecuador  165 
S.c. Mulshnw and c.A. Puig 
Development of the Collahuasi copper deposits - a world-class  181 
copper project in the Andes of northern Chile 
L. J. De Beer and L. A. Dick 
SOLVENT EXTRACTION 
Sulphuric acid plant installation - no smelter, Peru  199 
William Torres 
Reduction of leach-solvent extraction - electrowinning plant costs  211 
by attention to engineering 
W.K Hopkins 
Southern Peru Copper Corporation's Toquepala and Cuajone  225 
leach projects, Peru 
Igor Gonzales 
Advanced methods of coalescing and filtration  237 
K. W. Severing 
:MINING - TRANSPORTATION, CONVEYOR DESIGN AND PRACTICE 
From mine to customer - the marine connection  249 
P.A. White 
Mean and lean - conveyor design for the 1990s  265 
S.P. Zamorano 
Economic advantages of belt conveying in open-pit mining  279 
H. Lieberwirth 
MINING - TECHNOLOGY 
Future of pneumatics in percussive drilling - the South African  299 
experience 
C.W. Hunt
Contents  Vl1 
Aplicadon de un modelo de fragmentacion de rocas en la  313 
reducdon de los costos de voladura en mineria 
Osvaldo Aduvire P. et al. 
Quality excavation with instrumented and automated drilling  323 
equipment 
Pertti Koivunen 
Lower costs and higher productivity by use of mechanization in  339 
Chilean underground mining 
Andrzej Zablocki 
Tunnel-boring machine for Magma Copper Co. mine  355 
development 
H.A. Janzon 
MINING - ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES 
Environmental management in the mining sector  367 
M.e. Athie lAmbarri and J. Cochrane 
Reconciliation of mining with the concept of sustainable  381 
development: Minas Gerais, Brazil 
J.A. Porter et al. 
SMELTING AND REFINING 
Arsenic removal in anode refining by flux injection  391 
G.A. Riveros et al. 
Scrap melting in a rotary furnace with use of oxy-fuel burners  405 
Mario Castillo P. 
Ausmelt's top submerged lance technology applied to copper  411 
smelting 
K.R. Robilliard et al. 
Investigation of silver extraction from a silver-sulphur flotation  423 
concentrate from the electrolytic zinc plant of Companhia 
Paraibuna de Metais, Juiz de Fora, Brazil 
A.L. Almeida et al. 
Subject index  450
Papers presented at the international 
conference 
'Mining Latin AmericalMinena 
Latinoamericana' 
organized by the Institution of Mining 
and Metallurgy 
and held in Santiago de Chile 
from 10 to 14 May, 1994 
Organizing committee 
D.C. Bailey (Chairman) (United Kingdom) 
A.A.C. Brewis (United Kingdom) 
J.R Chadwick (United Kingdom) 
Ricardo Cortes (Chile) 
RD.G. Crozier (U.S.A. and Chile) 
A. Gonzalez Soto (Chile) 
Z. Jakubiak (United Kingdom) 
J.K. Maclean (Bolivia) 
D.K. Presgrave (United Kingdom) 
J.E. Rickus (United Kingdom) 
N.H. Santander (Chile) 
T.J.A. Smith (United Kingdom) 
J.A. Solari (Chile) 
K.R Suttill (United Kingdom) 
E.A. Tidy (Chile)
List of Contributors 
Hugo Aduvire, P., Universidad Nacional Jorge Basadre Grohmann de Tacna, 
Peru 
Osvaldo Aduvire P., Escuela Tecnica Superior de Ingenieros de Minas de 
Madrid, Spain 
RA Agar, GeoScan Pty. Ltd., Perth, Western Australia 
AL. Almeida, Companhia Paraibuna de Metais, Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais, 
Brazil 
M.e. Athie Lambarri, International and Policy Services, Environmental 
Resources Management, London, England 
B.R Baldock, Ausmelt, Ltd., Dandenong, Victoria, Australia 
Julio Binvignat T., Compania Minera Mantos de Oro, Copiapo, Chile 
R Brough, Minproc Engineers, Inc., Denver, Colorado, U.S.A. 
Charles 'Scottie' Bruce, MINTEC, La Paz, Bolivia 
W. J. Bruckard, CSIRO Division of Mineral Products, Port Melbourne, 
Victoria, Australia 
Mario Castillo P., CODELCO-Chile, Division Chuquicamata, Chuquicamata, 
Chile 
J. Cederberg, Empresa Minera Inti Raymi, S.A., Bolivia 
J. Cochrane, International and Policy Services, Environmental Resources 
Management, London, England 
K.D. Culbertson, Design Workshop, Inc., Denver, Colorado, U.S.A. 
L.J. De Beer, Compania Minera Dona Ines de Collahuasi S.A., Santiago, Chile 
J.H. Decker, Norwest Mine Services, Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S.A. 
L.A Dick, Compania Minera Dona Ines de Collahuasi S.A., Santiago, Chile 
Victor Flores, United Services Advisors, Inc., San Antonio, Texas, U.S.A. 
D.M. Fran~ois-Bongan;on, Mineral Resources Development, Inc., San Mateo, 
California, U.S.A. 
N.R Fraser, GeoScan Pty., Ltd., Perth, Western Australia 
Igor Gonzales, Southern Peru Copper Corporation, Toquepala, Tacna, Peru 
G.A Guorgi, Ausmelt, Ltd., Dandenong, Victoria, Australia 
W.R Hopkins, Davy International, Nonferrous Sector, San Francisco, 
California, U.S.A. 
e.W. Hunt, Boart SECO, Roodepoort, South Africa 
H.A Janzon, The Robbins Company, Kent, Washington, U.S.A. 
O.H. Jimenez, Seccion de Refinacion y Moldeo, Fundicion de Concentrado, 
Division Chuquicamata, CODELCO-Chile, Chuquicamata, Chile 
Carlos L6pez Jimeno, Escuela Tecnica Superior de Ingenieros de Minas de 
Madrid, Spain 
Pertti Koivunen, Tamrock Oy, Tampere, Finland 
Carlos Leal, ABB Industrial Systems, AB, Viis teras, Sweden 
H. Lieberwirth, Department of Mining and Materials Handling Systems, Krupp 
Fordertechnik GmbH, Duisburg, Germany
x  List of contributors 
N.H. Lockett, Ashton Mining, Ltd., Perth, Western Australia 
G. May, Minproc Engineers, Inc., Denver, Colorado, U.S.A. 
S.c. Mulshaw, Department of Geology, Imperial College of Science, Technology 
and Medicine, London, England 
Jorge Omori V., Compaiifa Minera Mantos de Oro, Copiap6, Chile 
Robert B. Parsons, Price Waterhouse, Toronto, Ontario, Canada 
J.A. Porter, Workshop, Inc., Denver, Colorado, U.S.A. 
c.A. Puig, Armenonic del Ecuador, Quito, Ecuador 
M.M. Randall, RTZ Technical Services, Ltd., Bristol, England 
G.A. Riveros, Direcci6n Convenio I&D, Centro de Investigaci6n Minera y 
Metalurgica, Santiago, Chile 
KR. Robilliard, Ausmelt, Ltd., Dandenong, Victoria, Australia 
D.P. Ryan, Signet Engineering Pty., Ltd., Perth, Western Australia 
R.1. Salas, Direcci6n Convenio I&D, Centro de Investigaci6n Minera y 
Metalurgica, Santiago, Chile 
L.S. Santana, Design Workshop, Inc., Denver, Colorado, U.S.A. 
KW. Severing, SpinTek Systems, Huntington Beach, California, U.S.A. 
W.E. Short, Ausmelt, Ltd., Dandenong, Victoria, Australia 
G.J. Sparrow, CSIRO Division of Mineral Products, Port Melbourne, Victoria, 
Australia 
William Torres, Southern Peru Copper Corporation, Smelter Division, 110, Peru 
P.A. White, Sandwell, Inc., Swan Wooster Division, Vancouver, Canada 
J.T. Woodcock, CSIRO Division of Mineral Products, Port Melbourne, 
Victoria, Australia 
Adrzej Zablocki, Atlas Copco Chilena S.A.c., Santiago, Chile 
S.P. Zamorano, Bateman lngenieria Chile, S.A., Santiago, Chile 
J.A. Zuruga, Direcci6n Convenio I&D, Centro de Investigacci6n Minera y 
Metalurgica, Santiago, Chile
Foreword 
In November, 1986, the Institution of Mining and Metallurgy held the 
'Mining Latin AmericalMineria Latinoamericana' conference in Chile - a 
conference covering a broad range of topics relevant to South America 
and, in that sense, complementary to its regional 'Asian Mining' and 
'African Mining' series of events. This first conference proved to be a 
resounding success and confirmed that Chile, in particular, and South 
America, in general, were indeed ideal for the Institution in the pursuit of 
its  objective  of disseminating information related to  the international 
minerals industry. 
In relation to South America, the Chilean conference was followed, in 
1988, by that entitled 'Silver - exploration, mining and treatment', * which 
was held in Mexico City; in February, 1995, Caracas will host the 'Mineral 
resources of VenezuelalRecursos minerales de Venezuela'  conference, 
serious planning for which is under way as I write. 
The  Institution of Mining and Metallurgy,  in association  with the 
Instituto  de  Ingenieros  de  Minas  de  Chile,  Mineria  Chilena  and 
Latinomineria  agreed  that  the  second  'Mining  Latin  AmericalMineria 
Latinoamerica' conference should be held, again in Santiago, in May, 
1994, on the occasion of the 1994 Expomin show, which had been been 
particularly  successful  in  attracting  visitors  from  mining  countries 
worldwide in 1992 and which will continue, at two-yearly intervals, to the 
year 2000 and, no doubt, beyond. 
To ensure the long-term future of our industry and of the Institution it 
is essential that we continue and extend our learned-society activities, of 
which international conferences, as well as their associated very valuable 
technical tours, are an important part. 
I was therefore pleased to accept the chairmanship of the Organizing 
Committee  for  'Mining  Latin  AmericalMineria  Latinoamericana'  and 
should like to express my thanks to all the members of the Organizing 
Committee and to IMM staff Michael Jones and Liz Munro for their very 
significant  contribution  to  the  planning  and  implementation  of  the 
conference. I should also like to thank all those who have assisted in the 
compilation and refereeing of the papers that constitute the raison d'etre of 
the event. I have no doubt that the 1994 conference will prove to be as 
successful as its predecessor and we look forward to it and to its successor 
in 1996. 
D. C. Bailey 
Chairman, Organizing Committee 
February, 1994 
'Silver -exploration, mining and treatment (London: IMM, 1988), 344 p.