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Hi Anne, Good to hear from you, and yes, I would be interested in an answer! I had heard that Cananea was shut down with labor troubles. I trust that Dan is still employed? I saw the news about the layoffs at Sierrita. What are you up to at present? With best wishes Dave > -----Original Message----- > From: mining-history [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of > [log in to unmask] > Sent: Tuesday, January 28, 2003 3:07 PM > To: [log in to unmask] > Subject: Re: Sulphuric acid from sulphides > > > 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 >