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Innovations in Natural Resource Processing edited by Courtney A. Young, Jon J. Kellar, Michael L. Free, Jaroslaw Drelich, and R.P. King, flexible cover, x + 432 pages 17 x 24.7cm, ISBN 0-87335-241-6, published in 2005 by Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration, 8307 Shaffer Parkway, Littleton, Colorado, USA 80127, www.smenet.org, US $ 119. The book is subtitled Proceedings of the Jan D. Miller Symposium which was held in Salt Lake City in February 2005. It contains 28 papers by 72 authors from USA, Australia, South Africa, China, Poland, Canada, and Chile. The papers are mainly from Miller’s former students, former professors, and his many friends and colleagues. They reflect his areas of expertise which are principally the theory and practice of mineral beneficiation and hydrometallurgy. Among these one may mention papers on the fundamental aspects of cyanidation and other leaching agents, electrowinning, flotation collectors, gas-liquid interface, adsorption, mathematical modeling of leaching, air sparged, hydrocyclone, grinding, and coal technology. The book is well produced and the papers are of great interest to any one working in mineral processing and hydrometallurgy. They papers combine theory and practice and are well documented by literature citation. Only a subject Index is missing. One paper has the abbreviation FTIR in the title and nowhere in the text one can find out what this abbreviation stands for. The level of the papers is quite high with impressive mathematics. The book will certainly be used by researchers and professionals for many decades to come. The editors are from the university of Utah, Montana, South Dakota, and Michigan. Credit should also be given to SME for its valuable publications policy. Fathi Habashi. Laval University, Quebec City, Canada. Fathi.Habashi@gmn.ulaval.ca Comment on this review by clicking here     Interfacial Separation of Particles by Shouci Lu, Robert J. Pugh, and Eric Forssberg, xii + 694 pages 17.2 x 25cm, hard cover, ISBN 0444-51606-9, published by Elsevier in 2005. Available in Europe, Middle East Africa from Elseiver, Lanacre House, Jordan Hill, Oxford OX2 8DP, United Kingdom, and in USA/Canada from Elsevier 11830 Westline Industrial Drive, St-Louis, MO 63146, USA. Euro price: 220 or US: $242. This volume is the latest addition (volume 20) in the series Studies in Interface Science and seems to be addressed to a highly specialized audience - - the elite of the mineral processing community. But, interfacial separation has been finding wide application in many other industrial fields such as pigment and filler production, environmental protection, bioengineering, food and beverage industry, and the chemical industry in general. The book describes all interfacial separation techniques and intends to promote theoretical understanding of these phenomena. It leans heavily towards mineral processing. The book starts with a short chapter giving a general description of interfacial separation. This is followed by three chapters discussing the scientific bases of these phenomena, in particular the behavior of fine particles in aqueous solutions (236 pages). Chapter 5 describes the physical, physicochemical and other characteristics of particle suspensions (44 pages). Chapters 6 to 11 describe the typical interfacial separation processes in details (355 pages). Chapter 12, the last chapter, deals with equipment for interfacial separation (42 pages). Each chapter is well documented by an extensive list of references from English, Chinese, Russian, and Japanese literature. The book is well illustrated with good diagrams and mathematical derivations. Among the topics discussed are: coagulation, flocculation, magnetic co-aggregation and combined aggregation, dispersion of particles in liquids, and gas-liquid interfacial separation. The book is a scholarly work, a combined effort of a Chinese professor and two Swedish scientists. Anyone dealing with slurries, suspensions, froth, sedimentation, etc., will find the book of great help. Comment on this review by clicking here Fathi Habashi. Laval University, Quebec City, Canada. Fathi.Habashi@gmn.ulaval.ca     Encyclopedia of the Elements by Per Enghag, 1310 pages 18 x 24.5cm, hard cover, ISBN 3-527-30666-8, published by Wiley-VCH, P.O. Box 101161, Weinheim 69451, Germany 2004, Euro 259. When I got a copy of the original Swedish three volumes of Per Enghag’s book, I immediately realized its originality and its importance to the English-speaking readers. I therefore recommended to the author to have the book translated in English and suggested to him contacting Wiley-VCH publishers who would be interested in undertaking this project. The result was an enlarged one-volume Encyclopedia of the Elements. The book is, however, not an encyclopedia as indicated in the title because the items are not arranged in alphabetical order. It is actually a source of information on Technical Data, History, Processing, (and) Applications as the book in sub-titled. However, a problem immediately faces the reader: the description of the elements is not in alphabetical order but also it is not in the group order of the Periodic Table, nor it is in the historical sequence the elements were discovered. Fortunately, the Table of Contents is comprehensive in 30 pages and the index in 29 pages makes it easy to locate information. The book starts with a 26 pages of colored pictures of 76 minerals, but again these are arranged neither alphabetically nor in chemical groups: native metals, oxides, silicates, sulfides, etc. as the minerals are usually classified. This section of colored plates is followed by four general chapters entitled: Introduction, About Matter, The Elements – Origin, Occurrence, Discovery and Names, and Geochemistry. In these 97 pages, the author mixes history with thermodynamics, quantum numbers with relative abundance, phlogiston with fluorosis, and humor with serious topics. The result is a readable and an interesting chemical cocktail. Each of the following 47 chapters are devoted to a single element or a group of elements systematically discussed; plus one chapter is entitled “Blowpipe and Spectroscope – Important Tools for Discovering Elements” which is inserted as chapter 10, although in the opinion of the present reviewer, it is misplaced and fits much better after the first four introductory chapters. Each element in the 47 chapters has a four-page “Facts About” sheets outlining numerical physical and chemical data pertinent to each element. In all, these fact sheets total about 400 pages. Beside the fact sheets the author brilliantly fuses history of the elements with their chemical properties and industrial application. He renders service to teachers by helping them to use history and biographical notes of chemists and metallurgists as a teaching tool to inspire their students. One cannot expect that the book will be a comprehensive history of chemistry. Nevertheless, I noted few important facts missing. For example, the work done in Spain on platinum metals by the two French chemists: Pierre Chabaneau and Joseph Proust is not there. Also, the Austrian chemist Karl Joseph Bayer made his invention in Saint Petersburg not in Austria (p.829). A missing statement on page 826 could have clarified the text why Frank Fanning Jewett had lectured his pupils about aluminum. Jewett had studied under Wöhler in Göttingen who was the first to prepare a relatively large sample of metallic aluminum. Wöhler had just finished his studies with Berzelius in Stockholm and was on his way home to Berlin when he stopped in Copenhagen to see Oersted the discoverer of aluminum. One cannot also expect that the book will cover all metallurgical processes for metal extraction. For example a mention of large nickel deposits in Cuba is missing from pp. 696 – 697 and similarly nickel recovery from laterites is absent although it is a major operation. Similarly, the new technology for pressure leaching of zinc sulfide concentrates is absent. A precision should be made to the nickel-cobalt mixed sulfides at Moa in Cuba (pp. 675 and 678). These are not naturally occurring sulfides as one gathers from the text. Rather they are produced from laterites by acid leaching then precipitations by H2S. The carbonyl process was not invented in Wales (p.700) but in the Manchester area where Ludwig Mond founded his “Brunner, Mond and Company” the predecessor of ICI. It was, however, in Clydach when nickel was first refined on industrial scale. Elemental sulfur is produced today by controlled oxidation of H2S over aluminum oxide catalyst at 400oC rather than by the process described on page 1052. These are, however, minor points that should not belittle the importance of the work. In summary, the book is well produced and well written. Per Enghag has given life to chemistry. I am sure that students and researchers will not resist reading the stories about history of the elements while they are looking up “Facts About” a certain element. That is why I consider the book a success. Unfortunately because of its high price it will not be accessible to the average student and will be available most probably only on library book shelves. The author is an Uppsala University graduate, was at one time director of the Swedish School of Mining and Metallurgy in Filipstad in Central Sweden, and at present with the University of Örebro. Fathi Habashi. Laval University, Quebec City, Canada. Fathi.Habashi@gmn.ulaval.ca Comment on this review by clicking here     2004/2005 CAMESE Compendium of Canadian Mining Suppliers The Canadian Association of Mining Equipment and Services is pleased to announce the initial distribution of the 2004/2005 CAMESE Compendium of Canadian Mining Suppliers. This 164-page magazine-format book contains useful information about dynamic, technologically advanced and environmentally sound suppliers, who help keep Canadian mines among the most efficient in the world. Profiles of over 250 of Canada's prime suppliers of mining equipment and services are included. This Compendium is the ninth of an annual series. A total of 20,000 copies will be distributed to mining decision makers by mail and at international mining trade shows. Much of the material in the Compendium, as well as an effective product and service search facility, is also available on the Internet at the association's web site at www.camese.org. CAMESE is a non-sales trade association that exists to help Canadian mining suppliers export to world mining markets and to assist foreign buyers, dealers and others in finding suitable Canadian business partners in the mining supply sector. Anyone wishing a copy of the Compendium should contact CAMESE at Suite 101 - 345 Renfrew Drive, Markham, Ontario, Canada, L3R 9S9, Tel: 905-513-0046, Fax: 905-513-1834, Email: minesupply@camese.org A reduced resolution version of the Compendium is available for review from http://www.camese.org/CAMESE200405.pdf. The file size is 4.9 Megabytes. Comment on this review by clicking here     15th Symposium of the International Committee for Study of Bauxite, Alumina, and Aluminum Travaux volume 31, number 35, 259 pages 21 x 29.5 cm, flexible cover, published by Russian National Aluminum-Magnesium Institute, Saint Petersburg, Russia 2004, contact: icsoba@vami.ru The present conference proceedings is one of a series known by its acronym ICSOBA, was held in Saint Petersburg June 15-18, 2004 and organized by the Russian National Aluminum-Magnesium Institute formerly known as VAMI (founded in 1931). The theme of the proceedings was “Aluminum Industry Within World Economy: Problems and Trends of Development”. The volume contains 54 papers in English covering all aspects of alumina production to processing of aluminum and its alloys with particular emphasis on the Russian industry. Papers included are also on red mud evaluation and utilization, gallium recovery from aluminum smelter wastes, nepheline ores, world markets of primary aluminum and pollution problem. The book is a welcome addition to the aluminum library. ICSOBA was established in 1963 in Zagreb, the capital of Croatia, in the former Yugoslavia. The seat of the council is at the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts in Zagreb while the secretariat is at the Hungarian Mining and Metallurgical Society in Budapest. The task of this organization is to stimulate and encourage scientific and technological investigations and industrial development in the fields of bauxite, alumina, and aluminum production from primary and secondary sources including environmental aspects of industry. The next conference will take place November 28-30, 2005 in Nagpur, India. For information please contact: info@iscobaindia.com Fathi Habashi. Laval University, Quebec City, Canada. Fathi.Habashi@gmn.ulaval.ca Comment on this review by clicking here     Environmental Issues in the Mining and Metallurgical Industry by: Mario Sánchez, Armando Valenzuela, and Edita Vircikova, v + 166 pages 21.4x27.3 cm, flexible cover, ISBN 956-8029-58-3 published by Faculty of Engineering, University of Concepción, Concepción, Chile 2004 The book is composed of two equal parts: Part One: Copper production and environmental management. Here the authors make a general survey of the world copper production followed by a discussion of the environmental regulations regarding SO2 and arsenic emissions. This is followed by a summary of processes to abate pollution in the copper industry with emphasis on the Chilean situation and arsenic in particular. Part Two: Best available technologies in copper production. Here copper production is briefly outlined (13 pages) followed by emission data for dust, dioxins, CO, SO2, and nitrogen oxides (16 pages). The authors then discuss material handling in the copper industry and summarize the best available technology for abating the polluants. The concept of the book is certainly good but the present reviewer finds that the title is not justified and could have been better Environmental Issues in the Copper Industry. That would certainly have reflected the contents and should attract the copper people. The book contains a number of obvious English language errors which could have been easily corrected by a reader who knows good English. The picture on the cover may have a great artistic value but is really out of place. It has no meaning to the present reviewer. But, I am not an art critic to judge art work. There are a number of useful Tables and Figures, but unfortunately there is no subject index. Mario Sánchez is with the University of Concepción in Chile, Armando Valenzuela with the Chilean Commission of Copper in Santiago, and Edita Vircikova with the Technical University of Košice in Slovakia. Fathi Habashi. Laval University, Quebec City, Canada. Fathi.Habashi@gmn.ulaval.ca Comment on this review by clicking here

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