MetPlant 2015
Perth, Australia, September 7-8, 2015

David Seaman, Paul Petrucci, Teresa McGrath and George Tsatouhas

MetPlant 2015 was the 9th in the series of AusIMM Metallurgical Plant Design conferences.

Held in Perth from 7 to 8 September 2015 the conference was attended by 280 delegates from 12 countries on 6 continents. 34 papers including 7 keynote addresses were presented covering themes of comminution, pre-concentration, sampling, smelting, operations, tailings and water and productivity improvements. As usual, delegates and papers were from the engineering, equipment and services, operations and consulting/research/academic sectors.

Highlights of the conference included:

• - The opening keynote address by Peter McCarthy titled “Integrated Mining and Metallurgical Planning and Operation”
• - Dean David’s keynote paper titled “Measuring and taking notice of Orebody variability- an essential ingredient for reliable plant design” was an extension of his keynote paper in MetPlant 2013 “Is an 80th percentile design point logical?”
• - Keynote paper by Peter Munro titled “Base metal sales contracts – change Pavlov and the dog” highlighted the consequences of not keeping up with advancing technologies on the returns to the shareholders
• - Andrew Newell in his keynote address reviewed fatal flaws identified during Technical Due Diligence exercises, and provided delegates with a valuable check list.

Several of the technical papers described step changes in productivity which will have many of the operations metallurgists in the audience looking carefully at some of their own problems when they returned to site:

• - Brian Cornish and Randolph Pax reported on the 35% increase in SAG mill throughput realised at Century Zinc through acoustic analysis of what is happening inside the mill. His MetPlant presentation quoted a payback time of one week.
• - Jim Wallace of McArthur River Zinc reported on the benefits of applying coal plant design principles to base metal heavy media separation
• - Duncan Bennet provided details of the increased recovery project at Phu Kham Copper which resulted in increases in copper recovery of 5% and gold recovery of 10%, compensating for decreasing head grade

Bill Watt of Nyrstar outlined the current project to improve the environmental and sustainability aspects of the Port Pirie lead smelter through the installation of Top Submerged Lance (TSL) technology.

Proceedings are available from the AusIMM (www.ausimm.com.au)

XXVII International Mineral Processing Congress
Santiago, Chile, October 20-24, 2014

This year's International Mineral Processing Congress was held for the first time in Chile, at the Sheraton Hotel and Conference Centre in Santiago, from October 20th-24th. Local organisers were Gecamin, Universidad de Chile, Universidad de Concepcion, Colegio de Ingenieros de Chile, and Universidad Tecnica Federico Santa Maria, under the chairmanship of Prof. Juan Yianatos of the latter University.

To read the MEI Conference Diary please click here to visit the blog.

46th International October Conference on Mining and Metallurgy
Serbia, October 1-4, 2014

The conference was held October 1-4, 2014 at Hotel Jezero in Bor Lake about 20 km from Bor in Serbia. Attendance was about 180 from 24 countries. The conference was organized by members of the University of Belgrade, Technical Faculty in Bor under the Chair Person of Nada Štrabic. The conference included 74 oral presentations and 99 posters. The program included a banquet with Serbian folk dances and a trip to the copper smelter at Bor.

An excellent proceedings volume was edited by Nada Štrabic, Dragana Zivkovic, and Svetlana Nestrovic, published by the University of Belgrade in 750 pages, hard cover, 17 x 24 cm, ISBN 978-86-6305-026-6. It included 173 papers with an author index. The volume included a wide range of papers which varied from the history of extractive metallurgy to modelling, anodic slimes, recycling, and environment.

It would have been nice if the mining papers were separated from the metallurgy papers. Papers on phase diagrams which represent a substantial number and are the speciality of the Bor Faculty were not collected together under one heading. In spite of these shortcomings the conference was an excellent meeting place from different areas of research. Congratulations for all those who took part in the organization - - it was a memorable event.

Fathi Habashi - Laval University, Quebec City, Canada - Fathi.Habashi@arul.ulaval.ca

53rd Annual Conference of Metallurgists (COM 2014)
Vancouver, Canada, September 28 - October 1, 2014

The 53rd annual Conference of Metallurgists (COM 2014) was held at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, September 28 to October 1, 2014. The theme “Prosperity through Process Advancements” featured aspects of processing through every one of the 13 symposia. From base and light metals to rare earths to nanomaterials, processes are critical to making metals and materials in an economical and safe way, and this was highlighted at COM 2014 with technical programming over a range of topics, including process control, flowsheet development, and materials manufacturing.

264 Presentations were programmed featured on symposium topics:

• - Arsenic Metallurgy & the Environment
• - Process Control Applications in Mining & Metallurgical Plants
• - From Concept to Engineering: Metallurgical Process and Flowsheet Development • Risk Management
• - Rare Earth Elements (REE) Extraction, Processing, Separation and Economics
• - Bill Davenport Symposium
• - Vanadium Symposium Honouring Professor Gilles Allard
• - Metals & Mineral Processing & the Environment in Memory of Dr. Ram Rao
• - Light Metals Production, Processing and Applications
• - Advanced Materials Manufacturing
• - Nanoscale Materials Characterization
• - Multiscale Modelling and Simulations of Failure in Structural Materials (round table)
• - Process Safety Management

The plenary featured a very open discussion between participants and speakers Nils Voermann (Hatch), Jean-Francois Turgeon (Executive Vice President, Tronox), Michael Agnew (Principal, Michael Agnew Inc.), Phillip Mackey (President, P.J. Mackey Technology Inc) on “Metallurgy in the 21st Century -The Balance between Operational Excellence and Technological Step-change”. Speakers used examples to show the impact of technology and best practice on operations. The discussion was moderated by conference chair, Boyd Davis, and will be available on www.metsoc.org for viewing.

Another special event included the “Role of Extractive Metallurgy- Searching for a Suitable Support to the Resources Industry”. Distinguished Society Directors from different part of the world (TMS, SME, MMIJ, SAIMM, IIMch, CIM) shared how they are addressing the different challenges currently faced by the resources industry at their respective countries with the aim to maintain a healthy, sustainable, and profitable mining and metals business.

See all our photos online! web.cim.org/COM2014/

International Conference on Mining, Material and Metallurgical Engineering
(MMME ’14)
Prague, Czech Republic, August 11-12, 2014

MMME ‘14 was the inaugural event of the series.

The event was very well received and exceeded expectations in terms of both number of participants, and quality of talks and discussions. The number of registered authors/participants for the conference was 40, and 45 attended (including on-site registrations). 29 papers were presented orally and 2 keynote talks were given.

In total, the number of submitted papers were 164 and 57 were accepted, resulting in an approximate acceptance rate of 35.7%. The countries with the most registrants were: Russian Federation followed by Poland, Japan and Taiwan.

The most popular topic at MMME was Mineral Processing, with 13 of the 57 accepted papers grouped under. Approximately 6 papers were presented in this field, and great discussions were held. In particular, interesting and ground breaking research on many aspects of mining, material and metallurgical engineering were reported, especially in the keynote lectures. In particular, in the field of mining and safety, 4 papers were presented. Problems such as inverse blasting, welding, metal refinery and reinforced aluminum were discussed at the conference.

In 2015, the series will see its 2nd event in Barcelona, Spain. An increase in number of articles and participants is expected. In addition, planning for symposiums and exhibitions are in the works

Proceedings will appear online at avestia.com relatively soon and are currently in the review process for an ISSN - the ISBN is 978-1-927877-06-7

The Second Australia-China Joint Symposium on Minerals and Metallurgy
Sydney, Australia, July 23-25, 2014

Under the umbrella of the Australia-China Joint Research Centre for Minerals, Metallurgy and Materials (3-M), the second Australia-China Joint 3-M Symposium on Minerals and Metallurgy was held on 23-25 July 2014 in Sydney (the one on Materials was held on 21-23 July in Wollongong, a city just 80 km from Sydney). The objectives of this symposium are:

• - to provide to researchers and technologists direct access to the two countries' leading science, technological development and forward planning in Minerals and Metallurgy;
• - to allow industries from the two countries to showcase their research and technological development; and
• - to offer a platform to exchange information and technology in Minerals and Metallurgy, providing awareness of industrial needs in the two countries and exposure to industry representatives.

The symposium has been very successful, as summarized below:

• - Number and geographic distribution of delegates: >180 delegates (>100 from Australia + >80 from China). Delegates are from >30 organizations including leading universities, national research institutions and key companies in the minerals and metallurgy sectors of both countries.
• - Technical sessions: 5 plenary sessions (for topics of general interest); 12 parallel sessions for minerals and metallurgy; 75 oral and 24 poster presentations.
• - Delegates and Participants (including distinguished guests) from both countries: Australian Government officials: Mr Bruce Wilson (Head, Division of Resources, Federal Department of Industry, Australia) and Ms Felicity Jones (Assistant Director, Australia-China Fund, Federal Department of Industry, Australia). Chinese Government officials: Mr Huaxin Li (Consul General of the People’s Republic of China in Sydney), and his colleagues including Dr Fuxiang He, Counsellor-Science & Technology (Ministry of Science and Technology) and Prof Xiaojia Wang, Counsellor-Education (Ministry of Education). Academicians (from China) and AAS/ATSE Fellows (from Australia), including Prof Mark Wainwright, former VC of UNSW, and Dr Alan Finkel, President of ATSE; University/institute/School leaders and many distinguished professors.

Proceeding: Hard copies of conference program including Abstracts and Biographs of each author are available for each delegate.

Publication: Full papers will be published in special issues of International Journal of Mineral Processing (for minerals symposium) and Steel Research International (for metallurgy symposium) subjected to peer-review. Note that the latter suggests that a paper should not contain more than 8 illustrations (figures & tables).

Sponsorship: The Department of Industry, Innovation, Climate Change, Science, Research and Tertiary Education (DIICCSRTE), Australia; and the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST), China

Assistance: Local organising committee, in particular, the members in the Laboratory for Simulation and Modelling of Particulate Systems at UNSW Australia and the team at China Iron & Steel Research Institute Group.

Luleå Conference in Minerals Engineering 2014
Luleå, Sweden February 3-5, 2014

From 3rd to 5th of February 2014 the annual Conference in Minerals Engineering was held in Luleå, organised by the Mineral Processing group at Scandinavia’s northernmost technical university, Luleå University of Technology (LTU). It had its first gathering already in 1977, and has been held every year since then expect for 1988, when we had the IMPC in Stockholm.

The programme started on Monday afternoon with a pre-conference workshop on Advanced Analysis Techniques in Process Mineralogy with 46 participants from academia and industry that was held at the university campus. Lecturers came mainly from the ProMinNet - The Nordic Network on Process Mineralogy and Geometallurgy including TU Bergakadamie Freiberg (Germany), Luleå University of Technology (Sweden), NTNU Trondheim (Norway) and Oulu University (Finland), but also from the Finnish Geological Survey GTK and the RTC Rock Tech Centre, Luleå.

The interest in the conference on the subsequent days was, as in the previous years, very lively. Again 86 delegates coming from eight different countries in Europe but also from outside Europe met in the Luleå city assembly hall where normally Luleå’s mayor and the municipal council hold their sessions. After welcoming the delegates the convenor of the conference, Prof Jan Rosenkranz, gave a short overview on ongoing research projects and new developments in mineral processing at LTU. The introduction was complemented by information on LTU’s education in minerals engineering from docent Bertil Pålsson. Besides developments in the Swedish engineering programmes also the new Erasmus master programme in Georesource Engineering - Emerald was introduced. Then Pertti Lamberg, professor in geometallurgy at LTU and coordinator of the ProMinNet, gave brief information on the ProMInNet network.

This year’s plenary talk was given by Terje Malvik, professor emeritus in process mineralogy from NTNU in Trondheim, Norway. His talk on the History and Growth of Modern Process Mineralogy gave a comprehensive overview on and the method and instrument development in this field during different periods of time.

The further technical programme covered ongoing research and development within academia and industry. Several contributions dealt with recent developments in the Swedish mining industry. Johan Hansson from Boliden AB talked about the company’s test work on depyritisation of tailings from the concentrator in Aitik using magnetic separation. Viktoria Töyrä from LKAB presented test results from silicate flotation for the Mertainen deposit. Stellan Sundberg, Boliden AB, gave a report of their development work on integrating magnetic conditioning in sulphide froth flotation.

In the second technical session Ari Suhonen from Outotec Oy summarised the progress in flotation cell slurry level control and determination of froth bed thickness using Outotec’s LevelSense technology. Sabine Nölte from Tomra Sorting gave a nice presentation of the sensor based sorting applications in the minerals sector and the technology provided by Tomra. Sjoerd Sluimer from Sympatec Nordic talked about particle size and shape analyses in different applications.

Within a session on geometallurgy, Manuel Wartbichler from Montanuniversitär Leoben, Austria, compared different chemical, physical and optical methods for distinguishing between magnetite and hematite in a case study for the Kiirunavaara deposit. Abdul Mwanga from LTU gave an overview of his work on improving comminution test methods in the geometallurgical context. Further Kurt Aasly from NTNU Trondheim explained the challenges and NTNU’s concepts for establishing geometallurgical concepts in Norway’s industrial minerals industry.

Research within the field of mineral flotation was presented by Anuttam Patra, LTU, who gave a report on the synthesis of new mineral-specific flotation reagents, and by Martin Rudolph, Helmholtz-Institute Freiberg for Resource Technology, who used atomic force microscopy and Raman spectroscopy the for mapping hydrophobic interactions while investigating mineral floatability. Mohammad Khoshkhooo from Luleå University of Technology presented results from his work on investigating the role of microorganisms on chalcopyrite leaching.

The final session addressing comminution comprised an overview on Sandvik’s Vibrocone™ technology, presented by Hamid Manouchehri, the implementation of real-time optimization on a secondary cone crusher for LKAB’s iron ore production by Erik Hulthén, Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, and the development and application of Metso’s stirred milling machine, presented by Audrey Romberger.

The conference dinner on the first evening again took place at Luleå arts centre, combining a festive meal and an entertaining song contest between the from attendees from Sweden, Germany, Finland and Norway with the wonderful wintry view of Luleå’s northern harbour. Just now the conference proceedings 2014 are re-edited and will soon become available on a conference CD.

Next year’s Conference in Minerals Engineering has already been scheduled. Welcome back to Luleå on the 3rd and 4th of February 2015!

Prof Jan Rosenkranz, Chair of Mineral Processing, Luleå University of Technology, Sweden

XXVI International Mineral Processing Congress
New Delhi, India, September 24-28, 2012

The XXVI IMPC was held at the Ashok Hotel, New Delhi, India, from September 24-28, 2012.

With around 675 papers presented in 17 themed symposia, and an associated exhibition, this report can only scratch the surface of the week's activities.

A full report and photos can be found on the MEI blog click here.

Photographs taken at the congress can be viewed by clicking here.

Int. Seminar on Mineral Processing Technology (MPT-2006)
Chennai, India, March 8-10, 2006

In keeping pace with rapid advances being made in mineral processing technologies, an International Seminar on Mineral Processing Technology (MPT 2006) was organized during 8-10th March 2006 at hotel Taj Coromandel, Chennai, India jointly by National Metallurgical Laboratory (CSIR) and Tata Steel under the aegis of the Indian Institute of Mineral Engineers (IIME). Steep increase in the consumption rate of metals and minerals over the last few decades have necessitated the effective utilization of low grade finely disseminated ores and recycling of waste resources. The challenges faced by the mineral industries have provided an impetus for the development of novel techniques of separation, improved equipment and machinery. About four hundred delegates from different public and private sector mineral industries, mine owners, equipment manufacturers, R&D institutions from India, USA, Sweden, Germany, South Africa, Turkey, Iran, Australia, Korea, Japan and Sri Lanka have participated to deliberate on the challenges facing the mineral industry worldwide. A whole gamut of topics ranging from characterization techniques, comminution, sizing, gravity, magnetic and electrostatic separation, flotation and flocculation, bio-processing, solid-liquid separation, hydrometallurgical processes, flow-sheet development, beneficiation of clays and ceramics, environmental aspects, industrial plant practices apart from recycling of waste resources were discussed during the seminar.

Twenty five eminent experts from fourteen countries have delivered keynote lectures on specialized topics of immediate relevance to the industry. In addition, around 180 contributory technical papers covering a variety of technological issues facing minerals industry were presented over three days of deliberations. A special Indo-Korean work-shop on ‘Waste Recycling’ was also held in collaboration with Korean Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources (KIGAM). Waste Recycling, Utilization of industrial, mining and metallurgical wastes including electronic wastes resulting in value-added by-products was one of the highlights of the conference.

All the papers presented during the seminar were compiled in two volumes and published by Allied Publishers Private Limited, Chennai, India. The Proceedings of the International Seminar On Mineral Processing Technology” with an ISBN number 81-8424-012-0 is available at National Metallurgical Laboratory, Jamshedpur-831007, India. More details about the seminar are available on the web site www.mpt2006.org.in

International Seminar, MPT-2005
Dhanbad, India, 6-8 January 2005

International Seminar MPT-2005 was inaugurated by His Excellency Governor of Jharkhand. During the seminar His Excellency outlined the importance of sustainable development. In the speech, The Governor urged the experts to discuss ways to ensure operation of coal washeries and Mineral Processing Plants with zero discharge, treating the fines to recover good quality values, etc. He outlined that efficient use of mineral and coal resources and long-term sustainability are the two important objectives behind the growth of mineral industries and their international competitiveness.

In the inaugural function Mr. G.C.Mrig, CMD, Aryan Coal Beneficiation Pvt. Ltd, New Delhi,Mr R.Gupta, CMD, Uranium Corporation of India Ltd, Jaduguda, Jharkhand, India, Dr S.K.Tamotia, Ex-CEO Indian Aluminium Company, Kolkata were felicitated. Dr G.V.Rao ,RRL, Bhubaneswar and Dr. J.P.Barnwal, RRL, Bhopal were awarded the Mineral Beneficiation and Coal Beneficiation Awards.

The Inaugural Function was followed by Plenary Lecture/Invited Lecture sessions wherein Prof. V.Seshadri, Brazil, Prof. G.Onal, Turkey, Prof. Y.P.Chugh, USA, Dr Ralph Holmes, Australia, Dr M.K.Mohanty, USA, Dr S.K.Tamotia, Prof S.P.Mehrotra, Prof Arobindo Ghosh, Mr. A.D.Baijal, Mr. R.S.Singh, India were the Key Speakers.

171 participants from India and 9 participants from Abroad were attended the seminar.

In 17 Technical Sessions (Mineral Characterization -2, Mineral Beneficiation- 4,Coal Beneficiation - 2, Coal Characterization -1, Environmental - 3, Bio Processing - 1, Modelling Simulation - 2, Extractive Metallurgy - 1, Miscellaneous - 1) about 100 technical papers were presented in 3 parallel sessions.

Draft Recommendation of the seminar was readout by Prof R.Venugopal, Chief Coordinator, MPT-2005.

The valedictory function was graced by Dr. Bhaskar Bhattacharjee, Director General of Mines Safety, Dhanbad. In his speech he said MPT-2005 catapulted Dhanbad into prominence. The recommendations have also covered the important aspects of the mineral and mining industries, which are facing several challenges these days.

R.Venugopal. Email: ismmpt2005@yahoo.co.in

5th International Seminar on Mineral Processing Technology [MPT-2004]
Bhubaneswar, India, February 19-21, 2004

Annually Indian Institute of Mineral Engineers [IIME] organizes International Seminar during January/February. The IIME having members from various educational Institutions,Premier R&D Laboratories and mineral based industries creates a platform annually for all the fraternity of IIME to meet.The objective is to facilitate dissemination of the latest novel techniques, new equipments, technological innovations related to various mineral based industries etc amongst the members. Besides, the various problems being faced by the mineral and its related Industries will be discussed to enable the scientific fraternity of mineral Engineers to find remedial solutions.

This year the 5th MPT-04 Seminar was held at Regional Research Laboratory ,Bhubaneswar jointly with Indian Institute of Mineral Engineers during 19-21st February 2004 under the Chairmanship of Dr Vibhuti Narain Misra, Director, Regional Research Laboratory, Bhubaneswar with the able support of Dr G.V.Rao, Deputy Director, Regional Research Laboratory, Bhubaneswar as the Organizing Convener of this mega event. The Programme was inaugurated by His Excellency Sri M.M.Rajendran, Governor of Orissa who has highlighted the role of Mineral Engineers in converting the waste into wealth by adopting suitable state-of-the-art technologies on lean and low grade ores and help the country to develop economically.

The seminar was attended by 17 overseas delegates from Australia, Germany, Brazil, Turkey, Sweden, Iran, Egypt and Malaysia. Overall, around 220 delegates representing large number of R&D scientists/Engineers, technicrats, entrepreneurs and academia have attended the seminar. During the 3 day seminar, 17 invited lectures were delivered in the plenary and Special invited lecture sessions from very eminent persons in the fields of Characterisation, beneficiation, environment, bio-technology and application of genetic algorithm in mineral processing etc. A special technical session was organized to highlight the significant contributions by Indian R&D and Academic institutions where topics like a) Demonstration Bioreactor plant at Hutti mines for bio-processing of refractory gold concentrates ,b) on the possible utility of waste chromite overburden as the future nickel resource, c) purification of industrial effluents by electro-flotation and d) Genetic algorithm based optimization applied to an industrial grinding operation were presented.

Apart from the invited lectures, 100 technical papers covering the Characterization, ,Industrial ,ferrous and non-ferrous mineral, coal preparation, process development, bio-beneficiation, modeling and waste & Environment management areas, were presented in 12 technical sessions which were conducted in 3 parallel sessions.

A special session on Research-Industry interaction meet was also organized to enable to Industry representatives to highlight the various problems of their plant, R&D needs in various mineral and related areas before the fraternity of Mineral Engineers.

Technical papers on 1.Preconcentration by sensor based sorting device in mineral processing : 2.Pelleting flocculation for improvement of the dewatering properties of fine separation( from Germany), 3. CSIRO research activities on Iron ore : 4.Sustainability in resource industries (from Australia), 5.Utility of Reichert Spiral/MGS for treating chromite fines (from Turkey), 6. Reflectance measurements on coal and Industrial minerals : Problems of Ca 2+ ions interference in desliming, flotation of iron ore (from Brazil ) and the research at the interface between Industrial needs and scientific demands (from Sweden) were some of the significant overseas presentations.

Application of Coronastat Electrostatic separator with three electrode combination for improved separation of conducting minerals in industrial minerals session, Bio-processing of refractory gold ores, iron ore slimes, metals from Ocean nodules ,In-situ leaching of metals from the underground copper mines in Bio-Beneficiation session, application of rotating wheel air classifier for fly ash classification, technology up-gradation at iron ore slime beneficiation system, Semi auto-genous grinding circuit control studies at NMDC in the area of Process development, are some of the papers evoked interest among the participants.

Special presentations on recovery of granular sillimanite from beach sands, Radiological impact assessment and management plan of uranium mining project, Bio-technology for beneficiation of complex sulphide ores and the role of mineral processing fraternity for development of metallurgical industries were made by eminent persons during this seminar.

The seminar proceedings volume of 828 pages edited by Dr. G.V.Rao and Dr V.N.Misra and published by Ms Allied Publisher, New Delhi with ISBN number 81-7764-599-4 was released on 19th February and copies were made available to all delegates besides a CD containing all the papers of the proceedings volume and souvenir.

Dr. G.V. Rao Email: mpt-2004@rrlbhu.res.in

4th West & Central Africa Mining Summit 2011
Accra, Ghana, September 26-27, 2011

Quick facts:

• - Number of Participants = 354
• - Number of Exhibiting Companies = 19
• - Number of Countries represented = 34
• - Number of presentations made = 24

This fourth edition was especially timely given the growing interest in African mining resources by international players from China, Brazil, India, Russia etc. In an IMF forecast issued early this year, African countries are expected to take seven out of the 10 top places in the world mining industries over the next five years. More importantly, this is the only Summit focusing on the West & Central Africa Mining & extractive industries. It has established itself as the only event for all existing stakeholders as well as new entrants exploring opportunities in this emerging region. 34 countries were represented at this Summit, making it a truly international event.

Ghana’s commitment and support to this event was evident from the participation of top level delegation from the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, the Minerals Commission and the Ghana Chamber of Mines.

Representatives from the African continent include Hon Abdul Ignosi Koroma, Deputy Minister of Mines & Mineral Resources at Sierra Leone’s Ministry of Mineral Resources, Dr Gaétan Roch Moloto-A-Kenguemba, Adviser at the Prime Minister Office - Central African Republic (CAR), and Councillor Central African Region, Geological Society of Africa (GSAf) as well as senior officials from the Ivory Coast’s Ministry of Mines and Energy.

Even Papua New Guinea, a mining-dominated economy from far-off Oceania did not miss-out on this key extractive industry event. Their delegation was led by Hon James Byron Chan, Member of Parliament and Minister of Mining; Mr Gaius Toaligur, First Secretary; and Mr Shadrach Himata, Deputy Secretary at the Department of Mineral Policy and Geohazards Management.

The West & Central African countries present immense opportunities. This Summit provided up-to-date reports on minerals extractions of iron ore, gold, bauxite, manganese, zircon, limestone, phosphate and rare earth elements (Lithium, Tantalum, Niobium); & examined upcoming investment opportunities in Ghana, Liberia, Guinea, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, DRC, Senegal, Guinea, Gabon, CAR, Sierra Leone, Congo, Cameroon, Mali and Mauritania. This Summit also discussed inter-alia issues of increasingly critical concerns for Environmental Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), the importance of the mining industry’s developing a positive impact on surrounding communities.

Key sponsors of the Summit included Atlas Copco , Banlaw Africa Group, Outotec, Total, Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) as well as Chartwell. Companies participating as exhibitors included: the World Gold Council, Weatherford, Gold Fields, Mine Site Technologies, SGS, Minelab International, Castle Peak Mining, Pratley, Roymec Technologies, WearCheck Africa, African Mineral Standards, Eurofor and CAE Datamine International.

The event garnered the support of international and regional mining publications and was reported/ publicised in over 70 media sites.

We hope to see you present at the 5th West & Central Africa Mining Summit 2011, 11-12 September 2012, AICC, Ghana

Mining World Central Asia 2011
Almaty, Kazakhstan, September 21-23, 2011

Almaty, Kazakhstan hosted MiningWorld Central Asia 2011 , the region’s largest exhibition for the mining and processing of metals and minerals. The total exhibition area increased by 33% compared with last year, reaching 8,385 sqm.

Held alongside Kazcomak 2011 and KazMet 2011 on the 21st - 23rd September 2011, the exhibition for the first time, was located in three pavilions and the outdoor area at Atakent Exhibition Centre, Almaty.

MiningWorld Central Asia set a record as the largest outdoor exhibition in Kazahkstan, all the available outdoor space in front of the Atakent Exhibition Centre pavilions was fully occupied.

The exhibition presented 290 exhibitors from 27 countries, including: Australia, Belarus, Belgium, Canada, Chile, China, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, India, Iran, Italy, Kazakhstan, Korea, Lithuania, Luxemburg, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Russia, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom and United States. Kazakhstan accounted for the greatest number of exhibitors, making up 31% of the exhibiters.

Four national stands were presented at MiningWorld Central Asia. Along with the national stands of Australia (6 companies ), France (10 companies ), Norway (4 companies), and Finland (12 companies), companies from Russia (49 companies) and China (29 companies) were widely presented . Russia’s Ural Federal District also arranged collective participation from over 10 companies.

Over the years, MiningWorld Central Asia has become a traditional meeting place for representatives of Kazakhstan’s mining and metallurgical community, and industry professionals from more than 27 countries. Every year, the event demonstrates advanced technologies and the most recent achievements in the mining and metallurgical industries, which can be implemented by businesses in Kazakhstan.

Official support for the exhibition was provided by the Committee for Geology and Subsoil Use of the Ministry of Industry and New Technologies of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Tau-Ken Samruk National Mining Company, the Republican Association of Extraction and Mining and Metallurgical Enterprises of Kazakhstan (AEME).

Anastasia Emelianova, Project Manager, ITE Group, commented: “We are pleased to report another successful year for MiningWorld Central Asia 2011. The increased numbers of exhibitors this year demonstrates a strong growth and interest among local and foreign companies into Kazakhstan. MiningWorld Central Asia provides an ideal platform for companies to build new business connections and take advantage of the abundant opportunities in this market”.

Bekzada Turganbayev, Acting Chairman of the Committee for Geology and Subsoil Use, Ministry of Industry and New Technologies of the Republic of Kazakhstan, emphasised the importance of the event for the country: “Kazakhstan belongs to a limited number of countries rich in minerals, which plays a crucial role in the development of the country’s economy. The task of improving mining and mineral processing technologies has now become all the more important, and corresponds to the strategy of industrial and innovative industry development. MiningWorld Central Asia enabled lessons to be learnt, introduced exhibitors and visitors to promising technologies, and helped identify the best and most successful solutions in the mining and ore processing industries, to ensure the sustainable development of the Kazakh industry."

“Every year, MiningWorld Central Asia brings together leading manufacturers of mining equipment, and major factories and businesses from Kazakhstan, the CIS and other countries, thus giving everyone an opportunity to learn about the latest developments in the industry," commented Bolat Svyatov, Chairman of the Board, Tau-Ken Samruk National Mining Company JSC.

For up-to-date information, please visit www.miningworld.kz/en/

The next MiningWorld Central Asia exhibition will be held on 19th - 21st September 2012

Mining World Central Asia 2009
Kazakhstan, September 16-18, 2009

On 16-18 September 2009, key members of Kazakhstan’s mining industry gathered at the country’s leading mining exhibition, MiningWorld Central Asia. The event attracted lots of attention from the industry professionals in Kazakhstan and Central Asia, disproving the pre-show concerns of a low turn-out.

Once again, the event brought together several co-located specialised exhibitions: MiningWorld Central Asia 2009 (the 15th Central Asian International Mining Exploration and Mining Equipment Exhibition), Kazcomak 2009 (the 6th Kazakhstan International Heavy Construction & Machinery) and KazMet 2009 (the 2nd Central Asian International Metallurgy, Metal-Working and Machinery Construction Exhibition). The co-location of these events meant that all participating companies benefited from dedicated and joint promotion that attracted a larger and more diverse range of specialist trade visitors to the event.

Out of all the events, MiningWorld Central Asia was the largest, bringing together a host of manufacturers and suppliers for the mining and ore processing industries. International event manager, Anna Aleinikova, comments: “MiningWorld Central Asia is valued by a huge variety of companies around the world. I have been lucky enough to see many companies introduced to the Kazakhstan market through MiningWorld Central Asia and watch them establish a niche in this dynamic market. MiningWorld Central Asia is arguably the most effective forum for the mining industry in the Central Asian region."

This year, the overall event featured 246 companies from 24 countries, including leading global brands, such as Atlas Copco Central Asia LLP (Sweden/Kazakhstan), Baikonur Machinery Group (Kazakhstan), Delkor Limited (United Kingdom), Distrilab LTD (Kazakhstan), FLSmidth Rus (Russia), INNOVATION NORWAY (Norway), Innov-x (USA), Lincoln GmbH (Germany) , LLP Kazmechanomontazh (Kazakhstan), Outotec Minerals Oy (Finland), Zolotoproekt (Russia), Sulzer Pumps Finland (Finland), Mining Machines JSC (Russia), Polevskoi Machine-Building Plant JSC (Russia), Tyazhmash JSC (Russia) and LLP EnergoCentre-Asia LLP (Kazakhstan).

Two months after the 2009 exhibition, booking for next year’s event is already well underway. Aleinikova explains: “MiningWorld Central Asia continues to have a wide appeal internationally, with 34% of the exhibition space for 2010 event already sold. Every year, the show attracts thousands of trade specialists keen to meet companies who are new to the market and are looking for distribution, as well as those who are already well established in Kazakhstan and are looking to strengthen their business in the region."

The next edition of MiningWorld Central Asia will take in Almaty on 15-17 September 2010.

For further information, please contact: Simona Jevdokimovaite, Marketing Executive, ITE Group Plc, Tel: +44 207 596 5052 or simona.jevdokimovaite@ite-exhibitions.com