David,
How are you? I saw your question and may be able to get an answer if you
are interested. The Cananea mine is closed over labor-management squabbles
that go back to privatization. The workers are also not seeing the connection
between Grupo Mexico's financial problems and the mine's failure to keep
machinery repaired.
Anne
>-- Original Message --
>Date: Tue, 28 Jan 2003 15:02:05 -0700
>Reply-To: "The mining-history list." <[log in to unmask]>
>From: David Killick <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Re: Sulphuric acid from sulphides
>To: [log in to unmask]
>
>
>One of the largest single producers of sulphuric acid from sulphide ores
>is
>the Palabora Mining Company in South Africa. The sulphide ores are contained
>in a vertical carbonatite complex, which was mined as an open pit from 1965
>until 2000, when it attained a depth of 800m and was converted into an
>underground operation. The sulphur oxides captured from the smelter fumes
>supply, I believe, a bit more than half of South Africa's industrial needs
>for sulphuric acid.
>
>While on this question, there is an interesting transition going on in
>Arizona's copper mining industry, in that smelting has largely been replaced
>by heap leaching and electrowinning (largely for reasons of air quality).
>Heap leaching requires huge amounts of acid, and I have been wondering where
>it comes from now that sulphide smelting is very much out of fashion.
>
>David Killick
>Associate Professor
>Department of Anthropology
>University of Arizona
>Tucson, AZ 85705-0030
>
>office (520)621-8685
>lab (520)621-7986
>fax (520)621-2088
>[log in to unmask]
Anne Browning-Aiken, Senior Researcher and Program Manager, Environmental
Policy and Community Collaboration
Udall Center for Studies in Public Policy
SAHRA
University of Arizona
520 884-4393
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