Oct
4
2009

Environmental Concerns of Gold Mining

Posted by Jennifer Reginold

Producing pure gold results in a very high environmental burden due to the physical mining and extraction processes used to extract the pure metal. Whether gold is obtained from base ore which requires a mining operation (and tons of gold ore are required to produce one gram of pure gold) or by extracting gold metal from rivers and streams, the environmental impact is simply enormous.

The total output of gold from mining and extraction activities is actually not required if we consider the amount of pure gold which already exists and is available in our homes. Unused jewelry does very little in terms of producing an active investment return to the owners while at the same time, it represents a huge, untapped store of highly pure metal which does not require much to return it to a highly refined and usable state.

Green gold is recycled metal and because it does not need a great deal of handling and processing the environmental impact on producing pure, usable gold from existing sources is much less compared to gold which must be mined and extracted from ore.

Obtaining gold from ore requires large amounts of water, typically provided by rivers and dams, which in turn becomes very heavily polluted with by-products and the waste materials necessary to process the ore. Zinc for instance is necessary in order to bind the gold from the ore; zinc is highly toxic in concentrated form and it is an accumulative poison in similar ways as lead is.

To remove the zinc requires further poisonous and toxic processes, usually involving sulfuric acid to separate the zinc from the gold. Sulfuric acid itself is the active component of “acid rain” and is highly corrosive as well as damaging to plants, animals and people.

Even more deadly is the sodium cyanide which is used in conjunction with the zinc to create a “sludge” which contains the pure metal. In 2000, a dam burst in Romania and with the tens of thousands of tons of highly contaminated water, at least 100 tons of highly poisonous sodium cyanide were also released into the East European river system. The environmental carnage which resulted is still being cleaned up today and tens of thousands of fish and animals have died as a direct consequence.

Using gold which is effectively stockpiled in our homes makes commercial and environmental sense. In the current economic climate, gold is hitting all time high price levels because it is viewed by institutional investors as a safe haven for their clients. The reduced costs associated with producing refined gold ingots from existing gold in the form of jewelry and gold-bearing components such as computers also allows for high prices to be offered to those considering selling their jewelry.

Green gold is not only environmentally friendly but commercially an astute selling decision. High gold prices are fueling the prices gold recycling refiners can offer; however, once the economic climate recovers we can expect the price of pure gold to start dropping which in turn will lead to lower prices being offered to sellers.

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Jun
29
2009

Spokane Steel Foundry Division – Melting and Pouring

Posted by Dave Davis

Spokane Industries Steel Foundry Division is equipped with two electric arc furnaces. We utilize one for our high chrome iron wear parts and we use the other for our steel casting products. Each furnace has been updated with a computer touch screen which controls the amperage, tap position, and also controls all of the roof movements for charging the furnace. We also can keep track of which heats we have run and the alloys used in each heat along with brick life for each furnace which helps control and maintain furnace life.

Our Steel Foundry Division averages 5 tons of material per heat. We use only recycled steel in the charge that is loaded from the scrap pile once it is weighed. Our overhead crane transports it down to the furnace area and using an orange peel type bucket it is positioned over the furnace for loading. Once the furnace is loaded and running it takes about ninety minutes from start to finish during which time we monitor temperature and also the chemistry of the melt.

There are three different samples taken by the melters. The first is to check for chemistry and carbon content for the blow down. We blow down at least 30 points – this is to ensure proper cleansing of the metal. The melters then take the chemistry and calculate exactly what alloys are needed to meet our customers steel casting specification. After we tap the furnace, another final sample is taken to make sure that every element is within specification.

At Spokane Industries Steel Foundry the melters use an ARL 3460 spectrograph to analyze each sample taken. Once the final sample is taken and verified to be within customers specification the steel casting is then allowed to be poured.

The metal is transferred to the proper pouring station by overhead crane. First the crane picks up the holding ladle from the ladle area and transfers it to the furnace for filling. Once the chemistry sample has been taken it travels to the designated pouring station to wait for verification that everything is within specification before continuing on and pouring.

Spokane Industries Steel Foundry Divisions’ ladle department is equipped to pour an array of weights from 50Lbs to 11500Lbs. We have many different ladles at our disposal. The side pour ladles range from 500Lb capacity to 1200Lbs and our bottom pours can accommodate 1200Lbs and all the way up to 12000Lbs. We also have a lip pour rated at 3000Lb and a tea pot with a 3000Lb rating.

Our ladles are prepared using the board lining materiel that in turn provides a cleaner metal with less refractory. It also allows ease of building and faster turnaround times. This method accommodates both steel and iron pours. Each heat poured is monitored for which ladle is used, who poured, and we keep track of temperature to insure that a quality casting is produced.

Our pouring ranges vary by part and specifications. The steel can be anywhere from 2850 to 2920 degrees and the high chrome iron range is 2500 to 2560. The temperature is taken throughout the heat so as to maintain quality and consistency.

Andy Kruse, Process Control Engineer states We also utilize a digital scale on our crane to monitor and capture weights which allows us to be more accurate with pour weights and allows us to not have short pours or a lot of end metal. This information also helps the melt side as well. We can maximize the heat size to what has to be poured and reduce end metal. We can also capture melt loss – all of which helps us to be more efficient and conserve power in this ever-changing steel casting industry.

Spokane Industries Steel Foundry Division is a well managed, state of the art facility prepared to meet and exceed our customers expectations and specifications. On-time delivery, fast turn-around and industry leading quality controls are what our customers expect and exactly what we deliver.

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Jun
15
2009

Mining Guide for Eve Online

Posted by Admin

Mining in Eve online can provide you with alot of Isk. Mining the highly targeted to earning the maximum amount of Eve isk possible. There are alot of do’s and don’t when it comes to mining. Mining is a much more difficult task than the average mmorpg.

Processed ore is more valuable than unprocessed ore but however if your mining skill is high and you are unable to process the ore you would not neccessarily make a higher profit. You will also need to have your own facitlity to process it as well. The processing is far more feasible to group miners than soloing.

You should always plan out how you will plan on mining. Check for pirate threats, choose an asteriod and you must do it quick and effecient. You will need to appear and disappear in the mining regions before the pirates have enough time to catch you. Bookmark your asteroid so when you jump back you should be 15km away from where you’re heading to. This will save you alot of time during each run.

You should maximize the time to money ratio. When you’re full high tail back to the station. You should check the market price before posting your ore for sale. At least for the first time so you would know the going price. If you manage to mine alot of more, a half decent offer of Isk should be good enough, considering that you are able to mine quickly.

Do not use your pods to set your bookmarks. Save your ships for any mishaps. Do not make yourself vunerable to priate attacks. Pods are slower than ships and their camera angle is not not adjustable like the ship’s.

Low Security areas have more valuable ores than higher security levels. Low security area stations usually pay higher than high security areas. With less security you might end up getting podded by priates while you are at work digging. If you plan on making big amount of Isks you may try the more secure zone, but keep in mind you will have to pay a higher fee for security.

If planned well solo mining can be pretty effictive, but none the less a group will always be more fun and possibly be able to mine more ores as well. If you’re group is able to work together effeciently with everyone managing their assigned task you can collect alot more ore even though it is divided among each other. Good luck and enjoy collecting them Eve Isk.

About the Author
Josie is very effective at mining Eve Online Isk. With her friends on, she can mine more Eve isk than anyone can imagine. Buying Eve Isk is also another approach she takes when no one is available to help.

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Mining Guide for Eve Online