Gospodarka Surowcami Mineralnymi - Mineral Resources Management

The paper describes significant changes in raw materials usage in Polish refractory industry in recent years, which are strictly related to the technological development and production structure of domestic refractories' consumers and producers. Evolution of domestic refractory sector caused substantial change of quantity and type of raw materials used in this industry in the last decade. The most important features were: diminishing use of domestic raw materials, significant changes in quantity, geographic structure and quality of raw materials traditionally imported, as well as introduction of new imported raw materials. All these changes are analysed in the paper. As a result of this analysis, forecast of mineral raw materials utilisation in Polish refractory industry in the nearest future is presented.

A tendency to substitute basalts by gabbros for the production of rock wool is being currently observed. Gabbro studied of Braszowice deposit represents an olivine-free variety. Its main mineral components (plagioclases, clinopyroxenes and secondary amphiboles) occur in variable proportions. The investigations completed have shown that the glasses produced out of this rock, both unmodified and modified with addition of dolomite from Rędziny, are characterized by a relatively low crystallization ability. The glasses in question, annealed at temperatures up to 800-850°C do not recrystallize, which is a favourable feature for the production of rock wool.

Political changes and economical transformation beginning ten years ago in Poland have changed the present image of fuel and energy sector. The first complex legal regulations concerning environment protection in Poland were established indeed in 1980 year, but only last decade brought the important solutions affected power industry: emissions limits, system of fees for using environment and fines paid for exceeding limits. Electricity and heat generation in Poland is traditionally based on domestic solid fuels: hard coal and brown coal. After I O years of economy transition process it can be stated that in Polish power industry during the period 1989-1998 coal consumption decreased by 19%, coal quality improved: calorific value increased and sulfur and ash content decreased, S02 emission decreased by 49%, particulate matters emission reduced by 87%; electricity production did not change in substance. Environment protection regulations (both domestic and international), environmentally sound investments undertaken in power plants and in coal mines, have an important impact on the level of the pollutant emissions from power generating industry.

It is a common practice in flotation to compare the action ofvarious reagents on the basis ofresults of experiments carried out at several concentrations or amounts of reagents, identical for each reagent used. The same concentrations do not mean, however, the same surface coverages or the same dispersion of gas bubbles in the flotation cell. In this paper, results of flotation ofvarious coals were analysed as a function of concentration and surface activity of aliphatic alcohols. Coal slimes from the Halemba, Rydułtowy, and Pokój Mines were floated. The aliphatic alcohols used as collecting/frothing agents were n-butanol and n-pentanol, and n-hexanol, It was found that the concentrate yields and ash content in tailings increase with the concentration of these alcohols. Also, at the same bulk concentrations, the longer the hydrocarbon chain of the alcohol molecule, the better the flotation results. The increase in floatability of coals with the length of the hydrocarbon chain in the alcohol molecule is associated with a simultaneous increase in surface activity ofthe homologous series ofalcohols. When the processes are compared at the same surface activity (the same surface pressure), the concentrate yields are practically independent of the alcohol used. This shows that the action of aliphatic alcohols in flotation consisted mainly in enlarging the solution-gas interface, and their collecting properties in respect to coal slimes studied were very similar.

The process of closing permanently unprofitable coal mines started at the beginning of 90-ies. It may consist in closure of entire mines of its parts. Closure of mine usually takes a few years but the plan of mine closure contains specific timetable for each month. 15 coal mines will be closed of the total production capacity of 18,9 mln ton/year in the years 1998-2002. Additionally in those years in IO partly closed coal mines reduction of7,6 mln tons ofproduction capacity is foreseen. The mine closure causes negative social impact. Social program of the mine is based upon the "Miner's Social Welfare Package" which has been approved by the Government on June 30, 1998 as a part of the program "Reform of hard coal mining in Poland in the years 1998-2002". The Miner's Social Welfare Package contains both the welfare and the stimulation instruments. As a result of its implementation reductions of labour force in hard coal mining industry reached 36.1 thousand jobs in 1999. Costs ofmines closure is veryhigh and therefore the subsidies fromthe budget have to be granted. It is assumed that the process of coal mining industry restructuring will be financed from the budget subsidies till 2002, in the years 2003-2005 both from the state budget and own sources of mines gathered at the mines closure fund. After 2005 restructuring ofmines will be financed exclusively from own financial sources ofmines. The mine closures cause numerous technical and organizational problems that demand to be solved. These are: · protection against water hazard in mines adjacent to the closed one, protection against fire hazard in mines under closure, protection of surface in mining districts against the migration of methane and carbon dioxide, necessity to relocate the employees from closed mines.

This paper presents the results of laboratory studies performed on copper concentrate sample containing about 30 percent Cu and about 1.55 percent Pb. The objective of the study was to demonstrate that by combining chemical treatment and flotation one can obtain a concentrate with reduced lead content. As a result of pre-treatment of the sample with a I 0% (by weight) ammonium acetate solution and subsequent flotation in the presence of a collector added at a ratio of 10 g/Mg, the material can be separated into two products: - one obtained at a yield of37%, containing about 44% copper and about 0.9% lead - and one containing about 19% Cu and up to 1.6% Pb. Thus obtained products can be directed to different copper-recovery metallurgical processes.

The principal safety requirement for an underground radioactive waste repository (RWR) is its tightness which must ensure that radioisotopes will not be released to the biosphere. The paper presents two conceptual models of the RWR: in salt dome and in clay series which arc the only rock formations in Poland suitable for localization of the RWR. Selected aspects of safety problems were presented including the geological and geotechnical barriers. It was found that under conditions encountered in salt domes in Poland the construction ofrepository of a relevant capacity must include the waste storage in "zubers", which requires further laboratory and field studies.

Geoenvironmental factors constrain free landuse planning. Mineral deposits, surface and underground waters, fertile soils, unstable ground and landscape features are the main components of environment that needs to be considered as a basic for sustainable developement of local communities. Their presentation on I : 25 OOO and I : I O OOO maps was found the most suitable for the local landuse planing. Systematic such mapping ofparish territories within the Krakow district (voivodship) is realized since 1994. Map presentation, in computerized GIS based mode, allow to check environmental constraints for mining, quarrying, settlement building, road construction, as well as natural hazards possibilities (as landslides in montainous regions). They allow to focus attention on mineral and industrial rock resources available for local and general use, not limited by protection of other components of environment and protect them if necessary for their future utilization.

In order to choose the marketing strategy to be applied on the given foreign market, a mining company has to first determine its market position there. That is often the starting point in the strategy selection. The basis techniques to determine the market position of mining companies on the foreign markets are presented: the rates of absolute and relative market share, portfolio analysis and SWOT analysis.

Geostatistical modelling procedures initially developed for the documenting of ore is finding wider application in hydro geological studies. As a result of the possibility of interpreting sampling data as for regional variations, some authors suggest the application of geostatistical estimation when defining the spatial characteristics of the hydrogeochemical background. This paper presents on the basis of gcostatistical analysis and probability curves the actual hydrogeochemical background for groundwater of the Quaternary formation in the surrounds of ex-open cast sulphur mines in the Tarnobrzeg region. The area under study has an area of about 900 km2. The indicator chloride and sulphate ions were selected as being a threat to the quality of groundwater and surface waters in the area under inspection. An estimation of the spatial variability of the indicator ions was achieved geostatisticaly (kriging procedure) using the Geo-EAS computer program. The kriging method estimation of the spatial distribution was preceded by choosing a semivariogram model. For both cases the best approximation of the calculated empirical semivariogram (averaged) was obtained by using a Gaussian model. The best choice of theoretical model enabled the course of relative semivariograms. The characteristic arrangement of the content ofindicatory ions wijh the help of the isoline map was preceded by the kriging block method estimation (as a result of the irregular arrangement of sampling points) of the content of chloride and sulphate ions in the counting blocks (2000 m by 2000 m) covering the area being examined. For each case a relative error estimation map of the content of indicator was prepared.