Welcome back to your weekly mining news recap, where we catch you up on some of the news you may have missed. This week’s headlines include the introduction of new water management technologies, charges filed against Lundin Mining following the emergence of a sinkhole in Chile, and the National Research Council’s new mining program.

Miners are seeking out innovations for water management to protect water sources near their operations. Some new and noteworthy technologies include a treatment system that utilizes solar power to eliminate contaminants and emissions from process and wastewater, a technology that uses the ion exchange process to eliminate harmful selenium from water reserves, and robotic support from amphibious robots.

Baffinland’s Mary River mine in Nunavut has received approval for 2022 to carry on producing and shipping iron ore at a limit of six million tonnes. The decision came from Dan Vandal, federal minister of Northern Affairs, and will preserve 1,100 jobs, but comes with additional reporting requirements. The company was prepared to suspend all operations at the Mary River mine for the remainder of the year if it had not received approval.

Paul Simms, a professor at Ottawa’s Carleton University, is researching how to improve predictions regarding settlement and strength development for oil sands tailings. “One of the things we’ve developed is how to get that permeability for the density function much more quickly, in a matter of weeks as opposed to months,” said Simms. In addition to this, Simms and his team have been creating better validation tools that will aid in making more accurate predictions about how much sediment will occur in a certain location, as well as how fast the strength of the sediment will develop.

Seabridge Gold has received the 2022 Jake McDonald Annual Mine Reclamation Award for its reclamation of the historic Johnny Mountain mine in British Columbia. The British Columbia Technical and Research Committee (TRCR) recognized the $12 million program being voluntarily undertaken by Seabridge in collaboration with B.C.’s Tahltan Nation Development Corporation. The complete reclamation and closure of the site is expected to occur in 2025.

Sayona Mining, an Australian lithium miner, awarded a four-year, $200-million contract for mining operations to the Quebec-based L. Fournier et Fils as Sayona prepares to restart production at its North American Lithium project located in La Corne, Quebec, as reported by Mining.com. This contract is expected to create 120 new jobs in the Abitibi-Temiscamingue region. First production is expected to begin in the first quarter of 2023.

A new method for separating rare earth elements and transition metals from waste is being researched at the U.S.’s Idaho National Laboratory, as reported by Mining.com. Using the gaseous compound dimethyl ether, this cost-effective and environmentally friendly technique aims to reduce the energy and product consumption that comes with the recovery of rare earth elements. Dimethyl ether creates fractional crystallization, which helps to separate rare earth elements and transition metals from waste.

Four charges have been filed by Chile’s environmental regulator against Toronto-based Lundin Mining in relation to a large sinkhole that opened up in July above an underground copper mine operated by the company, as reported by Reuters. The main infractions cited overextraction and construction that took place outside of the environmentally approved zones. The company could face fines of more than $13 million, face closure or have its permits revoked.

PureGold Mining announced that it has achieved its gold production guidance for the third quarter of 2022 at its fully owned and operated mine located in Red Lake, Ontario. During Q3 the company produced 9,041 ounces of gold, with 66,042 ore tonnes processed and a head grade of 4.5 grams per tonne. In comparison, during its second quarter, PureGold produced 3,509 ounces and milled 45,420 tonnes.

Unions representing tens of thousands of oil and gas workers are urging the Canadian federal government to increase spending in order to shift the country to a clean energy economy, as reported by The Toronto Star. A letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was shared on Oct. 4, in which the Alberta Federation of Labour and five additional unions from the province called for $56 billion per year – or at least two per cent of GDP – spent on the transition.

A new high-efficiency mining program has been launched by Canada’s National Research Council (NRC), as reported by Mine Connect. The aim of the program is to advance sensing and maintenance technologies with the goal of supporting Canada’s mining industry. The program offers various technical services and advice for those pursuing a project, including the sharing of enhanced orebody knowledge, streamlined equipment maintenance and more.

That’s all for this week, and enjoy your Thanksgiving weekend! If you’ve got feedback, you can always reach us at editor@cim.org. If you’ve got something to add, why not join the conversation on our Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or Instagram pages?