Feature Stories
Ohio State Research Programs Looks at Taking the Carbon Out of Coal
October 28, 2014
When coal burns, it emits a “flue gas” teeming with hard-to-separate pollutants — but it doesn’t have to. Instead, it can create a simple flow of carbon dioxide that’s easy to capture. That’s the bold idea behind coal-direct chemical looping,
Keith Orchison: Clearing the Air on Australia’s Coal Debate
October 22, 2014
Extrapolating the past and present in to the future is risky business. Hopefully, Rhodes scholar Tony Abbott knows this. Critics of his “coal has a big future as well as a big past” statement don’t think so, but the numbers
Rio Tinto’s Center of Excellence Finds Reskilling Key for Automation Success
October 22, 2014
When Rio Tinto decided to open a “center of excellence” to command and control its mining sites and remote automated trucks, the company decided against having the centre in Rio Tinto’s head office. When Rio Tinto decided to open a
John Grogan: The Last Mine Standing in the UK Can Dig Out a Future
October 21, 2014
Hatfiled Colliery, where scenes from the film Brassed Off were shot, is the British coal mine that refuses to die. Despite four periods of administration since privatization, it is now the last deep coal mine in the United Kingdom not
Southern Illinois University’s New Technology for Dust Control in Underground Mines Hit the Market
October 21, 2014
A new technology for controlling dust in underground mining operations, developed by researchers at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, has made its way into the marketplace. The university recently awarded a sole source licensing agreement to Minerals Development Technologies Inc., a
Permit Delays Hurt U.S. Mining and Manufacturing
October 20, 2014
Last year, Hecla’s Lucky Friday mine in the Silver Valley produced 1.5 million ounces of silver. Not one of those ounces came downhill to Ground Force Manufacturing in Post Falls, to Titan Spring in Hayden, or to any other North
Colorado’s Hayden Coal-fired Power Plant Going Strong with New Developments Underway
October 17, 2014
For nearly 50 years, it’s been providing power to Northwest Colorado, and Hayden Station shows no sign of stopping with new developments on the horizon in its objective of providing power for Moffat and Routt counties. The coal-fired power plant
Oklahoma Leads the Nation in Gypsum Mining
October 14, 2014
The next time you bite down into a Twinkie, know there is a good chance part of it was mined out of a mesa south of Little Sahara State Park. The same goes for the beer you may order at
As Big Companies Exit Coal Business, New Class of Buyers Emerge
October 7, 2014
OAO Severstal got $60 million when it sold PBS Coals Ltd. in July, less than a tenth of what it paid for the Appalachia mining company six years ago. The worst U.S. coal market in decades is driving the Russian
Mining Regulations Threaten U.S. Economic Momentum
September 29, 2014
The National Association of Manufacturers recently reported that complying with federal regulations costs the United States $2 trillion per year. While the manufacturing industry faces the burden of these regulations, another key obstacle stands in the way of industry development
