Brunswick Lead and Zinc Mine, New Brunswick, Canada

The Brunswick lead/zinc mine located 35km southwest Bathhurst Brunswick formerly owned operated Noranda. June 2005 Noranda merged its 59%-held subsidiary Falconbridge ‘new Falconbridge’ being taken mid-2006 Swiss-based company Xstrata. Brunswick operates within Xstrata’s zinc division producing zinc concentrates byproduct copper silver gold bismuth antimony cadmium.

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Employing around 800 people Brunswick treats 3.6Mt/y ore world’s largest underground zinc mine cumulative output 2005 110Mt ore. Its output refined company’s Brunswick smelter CEZinc refinery. mine depleted 2010. However quarter Xstrata announced operations extended 2011.

Geology reserves

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The contained massive sulphide lenses within folded uplifted lead-zinc pyrite copper zones. metals occur extremely fine-grained mixtures chalcopyrite galena sphalerite pyrite gold silver metals.

At 2009 proven reserves totalled 6.2 Mt grading 0.4% copper 8.4% zinc 3.4% 104g/t silver. Probable reserves 2.2Mt grading 7.6% Zn 3.0% Pb 0.3% Cu 84g/t Ag.

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Mining method

"Employing around 800 people Brunswick treats 3.6Mt/y ore world’s largest underground zinc mine."

The 1,125m-deep mine accessed vertical shaft worked methods; older cut-and-fill method allows mined steadily bottom backfilled waste rock leaving working platform. However efficient stoping preferred. Pillars removed later. Blasted retrieved remote-controlled load-haul-dump (LHD) machines transport passes leading plants. recent innovation used ‘Weasel’ operated remote control drilling charging blastholes stopes.

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Each crusher 1,500t-capacity run-of-mine storage silos. jaw crusher gyratory reduce minus 150mm conveyance No.3 shaft silos hoisting skips.

Processing

The concentrator design capacity 10,500t/d complex lead zinc copper silver sulphide ore. 2009 3.3Mt treated mill zinc recovery rate 88.43%. grade around 8.59%. Production increased primarily due implementation zinc circuit stabilisation project led 4% increase zinc concentrate.

The rod mill oversize recycled ball mill re-entering hydrocyclones. undersize pulp containing sphalerite chalcopyrite galena sphalerite/galena combined gangue minerals feeds sequential flotation circuits individual zinc copper bulk sulphide concentrates. Zinc recovered first rougher tailings feeding copper recovery stage.

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Copper tailings proceed upgrading bulk concentrate recovery. upgrading uses reverse flotation float pyrite sent tailings. by-product concentrate containing 40% lead. bulk circuit combined zinc floated producing concentrate containing 39% zinc 19% lead. copper concentrate contains 23.5% copper zinc concentrate contains 52.5% zinc.

"Production 2009 3.6Mt ore."

Concentrates dewatered 30–40% moisture. Vacuum filters reduce content zinc bulk concentrates around 17% further kiln drying 7% moisture copper concentrate dried using pressure filters.

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Production 2009 3.6Mt ore 275Kt zinc concentrate 8,000t copper concentrate 80,000t concentrate plus 210t silver concentrate.

Transport

Copper zinc concentrates shipped worldwide markets raw concentrates. bulk concentrates undergo further refining company smelter Belledune. smelter separates copper matte antimony-lead alloys silver-gold doré bismuth alloys successive steps.

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Expansion

Recent developments included commissioning paste backfill simplify backfilling process underground installation SAG mill grinding performance preparation flotation feed.

Environment

The Brunswick commitment wellbeing communities sustaining natural environment demonstrated Daly wetland project Nepisiquit salmon enhancement project company’s environmental awareness programme.

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Acid mine drainage treated high-density sludge treatment (HDST) No.12 site. high-density lime (HDL) treatment process used reduce acidity content.

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