The demand for ore bodies is on the rise, however ore grades are decreasing around the world. In order to recover the maximum amount of minerals and a high grade, finer grind sizes will be needed.

The ore industry is having to tackle the challenge of increasingly complex ore bodies as well as the need for increased energy efficiency. One possible solution is the High Intensity Grinding (HIG) mill that is designed specifically for complex and fine grain ore.

The HIG technology has been around for over 30 years however it has just recently been considered for the mineral processing industry.

Compared to traditional ball mills, the HIG mill saves as much as 40 – 50% more energy. Along with this, the HIG mill is proving to be more compact and simple to install, adaptable to various grinding applications and simpler to maintain.

Ultimately, HIG technology enables more advanced and energy efficient grinding for the complex ore bodies that are becoming commonplace in the industry.

Source: http://www.pacetoday.com.au/features/declining-ore-grades-require-finer-grind-size-for

Stormwater hydrodynamic systems help to prevent contamination caused by stormwater runoff by removing certain settable solids.

A new ASTM International standard is set to be implemented which will specify test material that has a common particle size distribution and can be used to test hydrodynamic systems.

The proposed standard ASTM WK39909, Specification for Surrogate Test Solids for Measuring Performance of Stormwater Treatment Devices, is currently being developed.

Adam Stevens is a research technician at CONTECH Engineered Solutions and a member of C27, which is the subcommittee working on the standard. Stevens said that the proposed standard will help make sure that different treatment systems meet designated benchmarks.

He added that the proposed standard will go towards ensuring that receiving waters are protected and restored.

The standard will be predominantly used by university laboratories that test manufacturers’ claims, independent labs, regulatory agencies that establish test protocols and hydrodynamic manufacturers.

Source: http://news.thomasnet.com/companystory/Proposed-Standard-pertains-to-stormwater-hydrodynamic-systems-20004036

Confidence is rising that physicists have found a Higgs boson – a particle that provides crucial information for explaining the universe.

New data has been reviewed by physicists and has generated much enthusiasm about the possible discovery of the Higgs boson.

The Higgs boson is immensely important as it can help to demystify the presence of planets, stars and all living things. Essentially, it is connected to a mechanism that provides mass to elementary particles.

CERN, a particle-physics laboratory in Europe which runs the Large Cauldron Collider – a machine for the smashing of atoms, claimed to possibly have discovered a particle deemed ‘Higgs-like’ in July 2012.

Following this, physicists reviewed and analysed two and a half times the data originally generated from experiments and reported their findings at a recent physics conference held in Italy.

Joe Incandela, a spokesman from CERN said that the latest data, “…are magnificent to me and it is clear that we are dealing with a Higgs boson though we still have a long way to go to know what kind of Higgs boson it is.”

Source:  http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324077704578359850108689618.html

Scientists are continually looking to improve time-keeping and one essential ingredient is a better understanding of the properties of the atoms used in atomic clocks.

Now JQI researchers have come up with a novel method to measure the strength of two of rubidium’s atomic transitions with unprecedented accuracy.

They applied laser beams to rubidium atoms in such a way that cumulatively, the light shifts due to the probe they were using cancelled.

Only when the light has a certain wavelength will the contributions from different transitions exactly cancel – a “magic” wavelength where the atoms no longer feel the presence of the light.

The researchers then applied the standing wave repeatedly until the interference effects added up and tiny light shifts could be detected.

With this method, they determined the transition strength to an accuracy of 0.3 %, which is about 10 times better than previous calculations of this atomic transition.

Source: http://phys.org/news/2012-12-precision-atomic-transition.html

Researchers at Argonne National Laboratory in Chicago are experimenting with levitation to help reduce drug doses by changing their physical structure.

If you levitate a liquid as it cools and solidifies, its structure may be different if it has no contact with a surface that can trigger crystallisation.

Instead of solidifying in its usual crystal structure, the compound is more likely to freeze as an “amorphous” or glassy material, which can make a big difference if it is a drug.

Particle size analysis shows that amorphous drugs dissolve better in water and work more efficiently in the patient, which means that much lower doses can be given

The technology is based on acoustic levitation, invented by NASA to simulate weightlessness. Small speakers generate intense sound waves, which create enough acoustic pressure to counteract the downward force of gravity.

The researchers believe the technique could prove valuable for AIDS drugs, which are particularly difficult to dissolve.

Source: http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/2/2f8bc6f6-337a-11e2-aa83-00144feabdc0.html#axzz2DTmljgpc

Nylon is an extremely versatile and important product. It is widely used in fabrics, carpets, strings and ropes, and also as solid nylon in mechanical parts for construction, automotive assemblies and many common houseware items.

But in order to accurately control the physical properties, processability and performance characteristics of nylon, manufacturers need to know important information about its molecular weight distribution, structural characteristics and viscosity.

This is why the analytical instruments from Malvern Instruments’ Viscotek family are now in high demand.

The Viscotek instruments combine the techniques of gel permeation chromatography (GPC), flow injection polymer analysis (FIPA) and dilute solution viscosity (DSV) to efficiently meet nylon manufacturers’ needs, from development through to manufacturing and quality control (QC).

Malvern Instruments has announced the release of a web-based seminar, which outlines the benefits of the new nylon characterisation technology package, which is free to view at its website.

Source: http://www.engineerlive.com/Chemical-Engineer/Materials_%26_Solids_Handling/Particle_characterisation_key_to_understanding_raw_materials/24571/

New work by researchers in MIT’s Concrete Sustainability Hub has revealed that calcium-silicate-hydrate (C-S-H) particles in cement form at very diverse sizes, which leads to a denser, disorderly packing of the particles, corresponding with stronger cement.

One way to picture it is to imagine a box filled with different types and sizes of fruit. Small fruit such as grapes and berries will naturally fill in the smaller spaces between fruits such as apples and oranges, which will fill in the spaces between larger fruits such as melons and so on.

The researchers hope this new understanding of particle size diversity will allow materials scientists and concrete engineers to alter the C-S-H particles at the molecular level to develop stronger, more durable concrete with a reduced environmental footprint.

If concrete is stronger, less of it is needed. And if it’s more durable, structures made from it will last longer.

Source: http://www.domain-b.com/technology/materials/20121129_strength.html