The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1913-09-01
GREAT WASTE CAN
Be ELIMINATED
Flotation Prorcess VIII Res
cue Many Metals That Now
Are Being Lost.
AUSTRALIA THE PIONEER
Broken Hill Success Paves
the Way for Improved
Mill Methods.

Flotation, as is we'll known. while dis
covered In the United States. found Its
hrst large and important field in bene-
fciation OF the zinc ores at Broken Hill.
Australia, In 1904, when the significance
OF the new development first came to be
generally appreciated, 1t was estimated
made availa BILE for production in this
one district Roughly this was equivalent
to the worlds consumption of spelter for
two years W ps,;,n as matters IT.. then stood There
application OF the process in other dis
tricts, and, at the time. great fears for
the market were entertained, II is now
estimated that the production OF zinc ore
at Broken Hill has attained a maximum,
though but little more. than one third Of
the total estimated reserve has been
pressed at present. II needs but brief
study OF production and markets to make
clear that the Broken Hill surplus has
been placed on the market without gen.
erai injury The consumpttye power OF
the world, as regards metals, has grown
so enormously In the last decade that 1t
is rather question as TO how much
consumption would have been restricted
by runaway prices il notation had not
come TO the rescue
Whether the same sequence is to fol-
low In the copper field is an interesting
question. Copper production has in
creased by leaps and bounds-from 2S0.-
600 metric tons in 1891 to o29 900 in 1901
and $4,000 in 1911, the latest year for
Consumption has, however, grown pari
passu and, while the copper surplus has
been at times a dreaded nightmare, the
visible supply amounts normally to little
more than one months consumption A
copper famine has been repeated pre-
dlcted even by careful and conscientious
students In the meantime. development
OF the so-called "porphyry'' mines of the
United States has greatly increased the
production. and enormously increa sed the
total amount OF metal available by low
II is worth noting that this has been
due less TO invention than TO better
business organiza ton. The great mills a t
Sare ttsh 81 and md Bay Ar t50o which
respectively. in single day, contain lit
tie that Is novel. / per cent copper
sulphde ore is now treated. where for
lowest limit because OF capital invest
nent, rather than OF Improvement in
technology. The process used in the
made to do its best, rather than any
fundamentally new scheme OF treatment |
1t is the scale OF operations that has |
converted worthless rock into ore. It is
$4,000 pounds OF copper will be produced |
by thirty-two American companies. in |
Guiding under that term. as is proper,
those IN both South and North America |
More significant, possibly. is the fact that
the total known ore reserve Of seven OF
the great "porphyry' mines may now be |
pIaceu et uoo.9oo tons or commercial
ore. The Chile Copper company, whose |
operations at Chuquica mata are under |
the competent direction Of Frederick |
Hellman. begins operations with 10000 |
with probable ore" TO the extent Of an
other hundred million tons or more At |
this mine, as at the Braden, and at |
{Anaconda, teaching Is TO be undertaken.
America the limitation as 10 saving Is |
that fixed by the imperfections of wet |
concentration.
Speaking In general terms the concen- !
trating mills that operate on low-grade |
copper ores save 10 per cent OF the metal |
IN a rev plants, and in still others at |
times the recovery may run UP to 50 per
cent. bur in general 25 10 30 per cent of |
the copper In the ore is lost. This large |
held for possible saving has attracted |
the best talent in the metslurgical field |
al number Of places. Perhaps the most |
significant announcement Is that the In
spi:ation Copper company. impressed by |
the results obtained by E. II Nutter is |
10 Inspiration ore, ss we announced April |
l9 II this proves as successful in the |
pilot plant OF 500 tons as IL has In the |
nfty-ton plant that has been IN operation |
for several months direct treatment by |
flotation wil be adopted. with an Incl |
dental saving OF Sl.o00,000 In construc
prove conta cious. and numerous tests on
other American ores are already being
made. The United States supplies over
half the worlds copper, and America as
whole ca silly dominates copper mining
II. as begins TO appear adoption of ilota-
ton VIII render possible 5 TO 20 per
cent better saving In American mills, |
the copper market faces tie same prob
lem as did the zinc market in 1904
Entirely aside from the effect OF the
revival OF interest in teaching processes,
which, while important is not likely to |
be disturbing. preliminary estimates indi- |
cate a possible increase of 100. 900. 600 |
pounds Of copper per year from the |
United States mines as a result Of adop- |
ton Of flotation. Of this something over |
one-half may come from producing |
mines at which the process has been |
actually tested and found available The |
remainder Is from other mines, either |
in the same district or in which the ore |
Is known 10 be OF the same general char |
acter. While flotation is. as yet an |
empirical process. and IL is Impossible |
10 say in advance whether or not a given |
ore can be treated successfully, the above |
estimates have been made with care and |
are believed 10 be conservative. Apply |
ing the ratio OF possible saving to the |
known reserves of ore analogy TO the |
history OF fotation IN It's applica ton TO |
zinc ore It Is found that triie over
two times the worlds present annual |
output OF copper Is added 10 the reserve |