THE GLASDIR EXPERIMENT by Peter R Jenkins 2001 edition 21 pp, 3 illus.
SB £2.50 post free from the publisher, Dragonwheel Books, Sandcott,
Rectory Lane, Pulborough, West Sussex, RH20 2AD.
During many visits to Glasdir Copper Mine, near Dolgellau, in mid Wales I
had often puzzled over the remains. Well, now all is explained by this
handy booklet. This was the site of an experimental process known as
floatation, a method vital to the modern mining industry. Using this
process minerals can be extracted from an ore that can contain as little as
a few parts per million. Peter Jenkins describes the trials and
tribulations of the various miner owners culimnating with those of Frank
Elmore who refined the technique of crushing the ore with water to
produce a fine slurry and adding oil which adhered to the copper pyrites.
Air is introduced at the base of the holding tank to produce a froth of
bubbles which rise through the slurry. Mineral particles gather on the
surface of the bubbles. Subsequent developments soon overtook Frank
Elmore’s work but the Glasdir experiment marked a turning point in the
history of extractive metallurgy.
TO
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