Gas Generation in the Mining Industry

Did you know Canada ranks in the top five producing countries for 13 major minerals and metals. This industry is a key generator of wealth and employment for canadians. In today's article, we will explain how gas generation plays a vital role in the mining industry, how it is used and what applications it is used for.

Tire inflation is the process of maintaining proper air inside tires. Nitrogen is preferred over air because heat causes decomposition of the rubber and it releases flammable and explosive vapors within the tire. Limiting Oxygen to max 5% completely removes any risk of explosion because Nitrogen escapes much slower than air.

Mine inerting is used for underground mining. Regulations require mine operators to test atmosphere in sealed mine areas and to take corrective actions to prevent explosions or fire. How it works is a mine operator injects gas into a sealed area to displace oxygen, carbon monoxide, methane and other gases to levels below lower limit of explosion. Continuous injection of nitrogen could required depending on the location.

Froth flotation is commonly used in mining to separate and recover various minerals. Ore needs to be treated so it is reduced to fine particles from crushing or grinding. Studies show that the use of nitrogen in froth flotation improves on both copper and molybdenum concentrate recovery.

Flotation stages:

1. Roughing
2. Cleaning
3. Scavenging

Gold leaching is a technique used to extract gold from low-grade ore.  The gold is oxidized and dissolved in an alkaline cyanide solution. The benefits of using oxygen are that it decreases waste treatment costs because there is less cyanide to treat and it reduces leaching tume by up to 50%.

Oxygen is used in metal refining to convert iron into steel. It increase the efficiency of the furnace by increasing temperature and reducing side reactions.

1. Air ratio
2. Combining of feed air, Instrument air & process air
3. Purity flexibility
4. Availability of N2/O2