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Feasibility of Acti-Gel® as a cost-effective additive for underground mine hydraulic backfill applications

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  • Feasibility of Acti-Gel® as a cost-effective additive for underground mine hydraulic backfill applications
    • Uncategorized Jul 20, 2023 John Goosman

    38_Tarr

     

    Australian Centre for Geomechanics, Perth, ISBN 978-0-9870937-9-0

    doi:10.36487/ACG_rep/1410_38_Tarr

     

    K Tarr Natural Resources Canada, Minerals and Metals Sector, CanmetMINING, Canada

    I Bedard Natural Resources Canada, Minerals and Metals Sector, CanmetMINING, Canada

    F Malek Vale Canada Ltd., Canada

    H Kim Active Minerals International LLC, Canada

     

    © Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, as represented by the Minister of Natural Resources, 2014. 

    Abstract

    Backfill is an integral part of an underground mining operation. Its two main purposes are safety of the underground openings, and environmental remediation by use of mill tailings as a construction material underground. Backfill will play a vital role in the process of ore extraction in deep mining, as a solution to rock stability issues. Depending on the mining method used, backfill provides a working surface, stabilises stope and pillar walls, as well as the surrounding rock mass, and controls caving of stope backs. The economic feasibility of many mining techniques depends on the ability to place competent backfill in the underground voids to ensure safe working conditions. Portland cement is primarily used to solidify backfill, which represents a major cost in mining operations. In addition, the manufacturing of cement raises environmental considerations because it produces a considerable amount of CO2 emissions. Therefore the search for additives which allow for a reduction in the required cement content in backfill has been ongoing for decades.

    Acti-Gel® is a highly purified magnesium aluminosilicate that acts as a high performance anti-settling agent and rheology modifier used in a wide variety of water-based industrial applications. Previous studies have shown that as an additive in paste backfill, it results in improved strength and flow properties, such as friction loss and segregation. Since additives may perform differently in a hydraulic system with various backfill materials, it is recommended to conduct controlled laboratory testing on the additive with the materials and binder used at each specific mine site. This is done to determine the additive’s suitability for use in a given underground mine’s backfill operation, in order to ensure the integrity of the flow properties as well as the resulting backfill matrix.

    This paper presents the results of a study conducted at the CanmetMINING Sudbury Laboratory to investigate the feasibility of Acti-Gel®, as a cost-effective additive for underground hydraulic backfill applications. The materials and binder used in the study were from two of Vale’s Operations in the Sudbury Basin; Coleman Mine and Creighton Mine. The materials were first physically characterised, followed by the preparation of samples to determine optimal dosages of the additive for strength development required for Vale’s hydraulic fill compliance. In addition, specialised laboratory pilot studies to determine Acti-Gel®’s effect on flow properties were conducted. It was found that at a low dosage of 0.03 wt%, Acti-Gel® delivered enhanced performance in unconfined compressive strength tests as well as in the pilot-scale flow tests. A significant reduction in binder content could be realised with addition of Acti-Gel® at the Coleman and Creighton Mine operations. The economic benefits of such a binder reduction are also discussed in this paper.

     

    1    Introduction

    Backfill is an integral part of an underground mining operation. Its two main purposes are safety of the underground openings, and environmental remediation by use of waste material as a construction material underground. There are various sources used for backfill material, however mines typically choose materials which are locally available and economical, such as mill tailings. Hydraulic fill has historically been preferred over paste fill, due to its ease of pouring, however paste fill is seeing increased usage lately (Hartman 1992). As of the late nineties, hydraulic and paste fills were equally used in the Ontario mining industry (Grice 1998). An advantage of paste fill is that if there is ever a pipeline blockage, it is much less likely to settle in the pipe. In contrast, hydraulic fill typically settles rapidly in the pipe, compounding the issue of the pipe blockage. The majority of pipeline distribution failures underground are only partially due to backfill quality control issues, and are principally due to inadequate knowledge of design methodologies for the distribution system, such as inadequate understanding of behaviour than can cause flow blockages, and inadequate flow delivery rates (Archibald et al. 2009).

    Backfill velocity is linked to the effect of solids concentration. At low solids concentrations, high velocities must be maintained to achieve optimal flow regimes. Ackim (2011) also stated that hydraulic slurry backfill must be transported in pipelines at high velocities in order to maintain turbulent flow to keep its solid phase in suspension. When finer particle fractions of hydraulic backfill slurry settle at considerable slower rates than the coarse fractions, the phenomenon is called, segregation or stratification. Backfill material in the stope will show grading if fine fractions are carried away in the decant water. Segregation causes the fill mass to be non-homogeneous and may result in an overall reduction in fill strength due to the creation of planes of weakness and areas of low binder content (Ackim 2011).

    Backfill plays a vital role in the process of ore extraction in deep mining, with respect to rock stability issues. Depending on the mining method used, backfill provides a working surface, stabilises stope and pillar walls, as well as the surrounding rock mass, and controls caving of stope backs. The economic feasibility of many mining techniques depends on the ability to place competent backfill in the underground voids to ensure safe working conditions. Portland cement is primarily used to solidify backfill, which represents a major cost in mining operations. In addition, the manufacturing of cement raises environmental considerations because it produces a considerable amount of CO2 emissions. Therefore the search for additives which allow for a reduction in the required cement content in backfill has been ongoing for decades.

    Additives have been studied for the purpose of allowing dense fill-like materials to restart flowing after a shutdown in long distance pipeline transportation, such as would be needed in deep mining situations (Wang et al. 2011). The aim of the investigation by Wang et al. (2011) was to find suitable stabilising additives to prevent sedimentation during an interrupted period of pipelining. Additives which have the potential to improve rheological properties of slurry backfills, such as reducing the risk of segregation, will be even more of an asset in deep mining because of the increased distances required to transport the slurry.

    Acti-Gel® is a highly purified magnesium aluminosilicate that acts as a high performance anti-settling agent and rheology modifier used in a wide variety of water-based industrial applications. Previous studies have shown that as an additive in paste backfill, it results in improved strength and flow properties, such as friction loss and segregation. Since additives may perform differently in a hydraulic system with various backfill materials, it is recommended to conduct controlled laboratory testing on the additive with the materials and binder used at each specific mine site. This is done to determine the additive’s suitability for use in a given underground mine’s backfill operation, in order to ensure the integrity of the flow properties as well as the resulting backfill matrix.

    This paper presents the results of a study conducted at the CanmetMINING Sudbury Laboratory to investigate the feasibility of Acti-Gel®, as a cost-effective additive for underground hydraulic backfill applications. Acti-Gel® 208 was introduced to Mines Technical Support at Vale Canada Ltd. by Active Minerals International LLC in May 2013. Its two key benefits were explained as early strength and flowability improvement in backfill, and it was further explained that these benefits would bring potential binder reduction and effective sand fill transportation by improving flow and preventing pipe plugging for operational and maintenance benefits. Early strength, improvement in flow and prevention of pipe plugging could be of particular interest to Vale’s deep mining operations.

    Proven data using Vale specific backfill materials was required to review the benefits of Acti-Gel® 208 for Vale Mines to initiate projects at mines. Therefore in cooperation with Vale Canada Ltd., raw backfill materials, plant water, binder, as well as the flocculant commonly used at two mines, the Coleman Mine operation and the Creighton Mine operation, were used in this laboratory study. Raw materials were first characterised for particle size distribution and moisture content, and then several batches of backfill were prepared, at varying binder contents, flocculant dosages, and Acti-Gel® contents for determination of uniaxial compressive strength at various curing periods. In addition, a unique pilot-scale flowability apparatus was constructed in the CanmetMINING Sudbury Laboratory in early 2014. A total of 12 batches of backfill were prepared, at varying binder contents, flocculant dosages, and Acti-Gel® contents. The flow properties of each batch were investigated by allowing the backfill to free-fall from the hopper through the piping, while measuring flow rate.

    2    Approach

    2.1    Bulk handling procedures and characterisation of raw materials

    In preparation for physical characterisation and batch mixing, the bulk raw materials used at each mine were thoroughly mixed and sampled through a coning and quartering method, according to ‘ASTM C702: Standard Practice for Reducing Field Samples of Aggregate to Testing Size’ (ASTM International 2011). The materials were then physically characterised according to CanmetMINING standard operating procedures for particle size analysis and moisture content determination.

    3    Laboratory strength determination

    A total of 12 batches of backfill were prepared representing the backfill employed at the Coleman Mine Operation, at varying binder contents, flocculant dosages and Acti-Gel® contents, from which 144 cylindrical samples were prepared for determination of uniaxial compressive strength (UCS) at various curing periods. The batches were prepared by adding the materials into a propeller mixer, using a standard mixing sequence, as follows: water, tailings, sand, flocculant, binder, and Acti-Gel®. The batches were then mixed for 15 minutes prior to casting. In order to achieve the desired solids content, the initial moisture content of the raw materials were taken into account when determining the amount of water to add to the mix.

    Testing protocols have been developed by CanmetMINING and its partners to reflect underground conditions and reduce the amount of variability in the tests. It is necessary to determine whether samples should be prepared in drained or undrained conditions. For this study, since Coleman and Creighton mines both employ a hydraulic fill system, drained samples of 100 mm (4 in) in diameter and 200 mm (8 in) in height were selected. Therefore, the moulds had perforated bases with filter paper of medium fast speed and medium crystalline retention placed in the base of the perforated cylinders to prevent loss of fines. Collars of 100 mm (4 in) in height were affixed to the moulds prior to casting in an attempt to ensure proper sample height after drainage. The UCS samples were cured on sand beds for the first 24 hours to allow the water to drain. The samples were cured in a controlled environment of 100% relative humidity and 20 +/- 3°C.

    The 12 batches of backfill were prepared at two binder contents, two flocculant dosages, and three Acti-Gel®. Batches were repeated without flocculant addition to determine the effect of Acti-Gel® with and without the flocculant in the mix. For each batch, at least three repetition samples were prepared for each curing period. Curing periods included three, five, seven, 14 and 28 days.

     

    3.1     Strength results and discussion

     3.1.1    Effect of Acti-Gel® in the 10:1 higher binder content case

    The UCS as a function of curing time for the first six batches, which were prepared at the higher binder content is shown in Figure 1. It can be seen from the figure that overall for the higher binder content case, in general, the highest strengths were achieved with 0.03 wt% Acti-Gel®, followed by 0.05 wt% Acti-Gel®, and that the batches containing no Acti-Gel® returned the lowest strengths. Even as early as three days, the Acti-Gel® batches generally returned higher UCS values.

     

     

    3.1.2    Effect of Acti-Gel® in the lower binder content case

    The UCS as a function of curing period for batches 7 through 12, which were prepared at the lower binder content, is shown in Figure 2. It can be seen from the figure that overall for the lower binder content case, in general, the highest strengths were achieved with Acti-Gel® addition, whether it be at a dose of 0.03 or 0.05 wt%. On average, the batches containing no Acti-Gel® returned the lowest strengths, however this was more apparent in the early curing periods. Even as early as seven days, the Acti-Gel® batches generally returned higher UCS values.

    3.1.3    Overall analysis of the effect of Acti-Gel®

    It was found that in general, at dosages of 0.03 and 0.05 wt%, Acti-Gel® delivered enhanced uniaxial compressive strength. It should be noted that there was a fair amount of variability in the UCS values, especially in the lower binder content batches, and in batches containing no flocculant. The standard deviations are shown in Table 1. It can be seen that in batches prepared at the higher binder content, the standard deviation values were generally greater at later curing periods, and that for batches prepared at both binder contents, on average, the standard deviation values were greater in batches prepared without flocculant addition. Perhaps this indicates that, as would be expected, flocculant addition resulted in less segregation within the mix and/or samples, and therefore returned a lower variability in strength between samples.

    Using the average UCS values of each batch, increase in strength was calculated as a percentage of improvement over the base case without the additive (Table 2). The percentage improvement of average UCS for samples with Acti-Gel® versus those without ranged from no improvement to 45% improvement. In two cases, which were at seven days, the improvement was less than 10%, and in one of these cases it was -6%. This was from a batch prepared with no flocculant and is believed to be due to variability in UCS results. At 14 days, the improvement ranged from 11-45%, and at 28 days, it ranged from 10-45% improvement. Improvements of 30% or greater are highlighted in Table 2.

     

     


     

     


     

    For batches prepared at the higher binder content, in general, and especially at 28 days, the absence of flocculant resulted in lower average UCS values (Figure 3). For batches prepared at the lower binder content, in general the opposite was found, it appears that batches prepared without flocculant achieved higher average UCS values (Figure 4).

     

     

    4    Flowability properties determination

    As mentioned earlier, Acti-Gel® is a highly purified magnesium aluminosilicate that acts as an anti-settling agent and rheology modifier used in a wide variety of water-based industrial applications. In early 2014, a unique pilot-scale flowability apparatus was constructed in the CanmetMINING Sudbury Laboratory. A total of 12 new batches of backfill were prepared, at varying binder contents, flocculant dosages, and Acti-Gel® contents. The flow properties of each batch were investigated by allowing the backfill to free-fall from the hopper through the piping, while measuring flow rate.

    4.1    Laboratory pilot-scale flow apparatus

    The flow test apparatus consisted of the propeller mixer used in preparation of the UCS samples to batch all of the mix materials, followed by a transfer hopper which was located directly above a 2.8 m vertical section of 2 in ID piping. The vertical section of pipe transitioned to a 1.8 m horizontal section by way of a 90° elbow. At the end of the horizontal pipe section was a quarter turn valve to release the flow and begin the flow test. Directly following the quarter turn valve was a short section of downspout connected via a second 90° elbow which discharged the slurry material into 20 L pails. A schematic and photograph of the apparatus are shown in Figure 5.

    4.2    Flowability test procedure

    Each batch consisted of approximately 75 kg of hydraulic fill slurry. The batches were prepared by adding the materials into the propeller mixer, using the same standard mixing sequence as was used for the UCS tests. During the backfill mixing time, for each batch the pipe system was filled with water from the quarter turn valve at the end of the pipe run up to the bottom of the hopper. A foam ball was used to seal the top of the pipe system and separate the water from the fill material to be tested. Following this, the backfill mixture was poured into a hopper before being released by the opening of the quarter turn valve. The fill was captured into 20 L pails, which were weighed immediately after the test. Pour times were recorded by stopwatch from the moment the valve was opened until a pre-determined time had elapsed. The volume of the pipe section was calculated to determine the amount of water in the lines to be taken out of the captured fill calculations. A video record was also taken of all tests.

     

    4.3    Flowability test results and discussion

    As testing progressed it was determined that the time span being recorded (10 seconds) was too long, as a full flow rate was not able to be recorded for all batches. Therefore it was decided that the time interval was to be reduced to six seconds. Four of the initial five batches were re-tested with the new time interval of six seconds to allow for consistent comparison between batches. Upon examination of the video records for each test, it was decided that the determination of flow rates would be most accurately performed by viewing the video records at slow speed, with (i) the time interval required to fill the second 20 L pail, and (ii) the recorded mass of the slurry in said pail, being the determining factors for calculating flow rate. Figures 6 and 7 show the results of the twelve flow trials performed. Some of the trials were repeated, as indicated on the horizontal axes of the figures.

     

    It can be seen from the flow rates, shown in Figures 6 and 7, that in all cases, 0.03 wt% Acti-Gel® addition resulted in a slight increase in flow rate. It can also be said that the results seem to show consistency when comparing the repeated batches (batches 5, 10, 11). The benefit of Acti-Gel® addition in the higher binder content trials was slight in those which also contained flocculant (1% faster flow rate), however, there was a 4-6% flow rate increase in the batches that did not contain flocculant. It seemed that with the lower binder content, the highest gain in flow rate was in the flocculant batches where a 5% increase in flow rate was realised. In both binder content cases, the results seem to show that, on average, the use of 0.03 wt% Acti-Gel® without flocculant addition gives similar flow rate values as in the base case trial (hydraulic backfill mix with flocculant used currently at Coleman Mine). This suggests that it is possible that substituting the flocculant for Acti-Gel® at 0.03 wt% in the current Coleman Mine mix could provide similar flow rates.

    It is important to note that the variability of this novel test method for flow rate is unknown at this time. It is recommended that further trials be conducted in an attempt to determine the repeatability of the method. It should also be noted that the determination of collection time, performed by examining thevideos at slow speed, was very sensitive; changing the collection time by as little as one frame (1/29 of a second) resulted in a notable difference in the calculated flow rate. For instance, in batch 6 (as seen in Figure 6), if the number of frames selected was one less, the difference in flow rate would be an increase of 108 cm3/s. In future trials this could be addressed by increasing the quantity of material used per batch by at least double. This would increase the elapsed time of each test considerably and thereby reduce the sensitivity of the collection time determination. Lastly, in some trials, a considerable amount of spillage occurred when transitioning between 20 L pails. For future tests it is recommended that a larger vessel with a known volume be filled by a flexible hose. The initial flow material as well as any material discharged after the vessel has filled could then easily be discharged into a separate receptacle.

     

    5    Cost-effectiveness of addition of Acti-Gel®

    In order to complete a preliminary analysis of the cost-effectiveness of Acti-Gel®, it was decided to include another mine, Creighton Mine, in the analysis. The classified tailings used at Creighton Mine were collected, mixed and sampled in the same manner as with the Coleman Mine raw materials. Nine batches of backfill were prepared for UCS testing with the aim of determining the degree to which the overall binder content could be reduced with the addition of 0.03 wt% Acti-Gel®, while maintaining the same UCS. The samples were prepared in the same manner as with the Coleman Mine tests, and the same two binder contents were selected. A total of 132 cylindrical samples were prepared for UCS determination at curing periods ranging from 3-14 days. Since 0.05 wt% Acti-Gel® did not provide significantly higher strength than 0.03 wt% in the Coleman Mine trials, it was decided to focus on only zero or 0.03 wt% in the Creighton Mine trials.

    5.1    Strength results and discussion for the Creighton Mine trials

    5.1.1    Effect of Acti-Gel® in the higher binder content case – Creighton Mine trials

    The UCS as a function of curing time for the first three Creighton Mine batches, which were prepared at the higher binder content is shown in Figure 8. In general, the highest strengths were achieved with 0.03 wt% Acti-Gel®, and at the later curing period of 14 days, the batch prepared with both Acti-Gel® and flocculant returned the highest strengths.

    5.1.2    Effect of Acti-Gel® in the lower binder content case – Creighton Mine trials

    The UCS as a function of curing period for Batches 4 to 6, which were prepared at the lower binder content, is shown in Figure 9. It can be seen from the figure that overall for the lower binder content case, the highest strengths were achieved with Acti-Gel® addition, whether it be with or without flocculant. On average, the batches containing no Acti-Gel® returned the lowest strengths, however this was more apparent in the early curing period of seven days.

    5.1.3    Effect of Acti-Gel® addition on reduced binder content samples – Creighton Mine trials

    A further three batches were prepared at a reduced binder content in order to determine the degree to which the binder content of Creighton Mine’s bulk pour recipe could be reduced with the addition of 0.03 wt% Acti-Gel®, while maintaining the same UCS. Figure 10 shows the 14 day results directly comparing the base case for bulk pouring with no Acti-Gel® to the proposed case for bulk pouring of reduced binder content with 0.03 wt% Acti-Gel® (these two cases are circled on the graph). It was found that by adding Acti-Gel®, UCS was maintained even with the reduction in binder content. It can also be seen that, in general, samples containing Acti-Gel® prepared without flocculant returned slightly higher strengths than those prepared with flocculant.

    The possible annual cost savings of such a binder reduction at Creighton Mine were explored, assuming a yearly fill tonnage of 500,000. Noting that the reduced binder samples containing Acti-Gel®, and also containing no flocculant returned strengths as high as those that did contain flocculant, perhaps a savings could be realised by a reduction, if not an elimination, of flocculant. The resulting potential savings for a 500,000 t operation were determined to be approximately CAD 165,000 per year.

     

    5.2    Further discussion on cost-effectiveness for the Coleman Mine Operation

    The results of this laboratory study suggest that the potential benefits of Acti-Gel® could be greater with the Coleman Mine raw materials because the strength increase with Acti-Gel® and Coleman Mine materials was notably greater than that with Creighton Mine raw materials. Therefore, using the UCS data from the Coleman Mine trials, it was determined by linear interpolation (Table 3), that it appears the higher plug pour binder content could potentially be reduced by approximately 2 wt% and still maintain strength with the addition of 0.03 wt% Acti-Gel®. The possible annual cost savings of such a binder reduction at Coleman Mine, again assuming a yearly fill tonnage of 500,000, were determined to be close to CAD 500,000 per year.

    6    Conclusions

    It was found that in general, at dosages of 0.03 and 0.05 wt%, Acti-Gel® delivered enhanced uniaxial compressive strength. It should be noted that there was a fair amount of variability in the UCS values, especially in the lower binder content, bulk pour batches, and in batches containing no flocculant. Using the average UCS values of each batch, increase in strength was calculated as a percentage of improvement over the base case without the additive. The percentage improvement of average UCS for samples with Acti-Gel® versus those without ranged from no improvement to 45% improvement. In two cases, which were at seven days, the improvement was less than 10%, and in one of these cases it was -6%. This was from a batch prepared with no flocculant and is believed to be due to variability in UCS results. At 14 days, the improvement ranged from 11-45%, and at 28 days, it ranged from 10% to 45% improvement.

    It is important to note that the variability of the novel test method for flow rate is unknown at this time. It is recommended that further trials be conducted in an attempt to determine the repeatability of the method. It was found from the flow rates tests that in all cases, 0.03 wt% Acti-Gel® addition resulted in a slight increase in flow rate. The results seem to show consistency when comparing repeated batches. The benefit of Acti-Gel® addition in the plug pour, higher binder content trials was slight in those which also contained flocculant (1% faster flow rate), however there was a 4 to 6% flow rate increase in the batches that did not contain flocculant. It seemed that with the lower binder content, the highest gain in flow rate was in the flocculant batches where a 5% increase in flow rate was realised. In both the binder content cases, the results seem to show that, on average, the use of 0.03 wt% Acti-Gel® without flocculant addition gives similar flow rate values as in the base case trial (hydraulic backfill mix with flocculant used currently at Coleman Mine). This suggests that it is possible that substituting the flocculant for Acti-Gel® at 0.03 wt% in the current Coleman Mine mix could provide similar flow rates.

    It was determined that, for a 500,000 t per year operation, a potential annual savings of approximately CAD 165,000 could result if Acti-Gel® were implemented at the Creighton Mine Operation. It was also determined, based on interpolation from UCS data, that with reduced binder content and 0.03 wt% Acti-Gel® at the Coleman Mine Operation, assuming again a 500,000 t per year operation, there could be a potential annual savings of close to CAD 500,000. A stope-by-stope analysis is recommended in order to refine these cost savings estimations.

    The cost-benefit analysis for the Creighton Mine Operation was based on 14 day UCS data, and it is therefore planned that the 28 day UCS results from the Creighton Mine trials be reviewed to ensure similar trends as the curing period increases beyond 14 days. It is planned for the near future that a further 12 batches for UCS determination be prepared using Coleman Mine materials, including batches prepared at various lower binder contents, in an effort to determine if the interpolated reduced binder content could, in fact provide sufficient strength with the addition of 0.03 wt% Acti-Gel®. It is also recommended that longer term UCS tests for both operations be conducted to ensure that sample integrity remains beyond 28 days. It should be noted that a possible reduction and/or elimination in flocculant use at Vale’s Creighton Mine Operation was suggested in this paper as a potential option, however sufficient laboratory and field trials have not been undertaken to confirm this as a viable option at this time.

     

    References

    Ackim, M 2011, ‘Development of a suitable mine backfill material using mine waste for safe and economical ore production at Konkola Mine (Zambia)’, Master of Mineral Sciences Degree Dissertation, The University of Zambia, Lusaka.

    Archibald, J, De Souza, E & Beauchamp, L 2009, ‘Compilation of industry practices for control of hazards associated with backfill in understand mines – part II underground transport and stope placement’, in M Diederichs & G Grasselli (eds), Proceedings of the 3rd CANUS Rock Mechanics Symposium: ROCKENG09, paper 4185.

    ASTM International 2011, C702: Standard Practice for Reducing Field Samples of Aggregate to Testing Size, ASTM International, West Conshohocken.

    Grice, T 1998, ‘Underground Mining with Backfill’, Proceedings of the 2nd Annual Summit – Mine Tailings Disposal Systems, Australian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, Carlton, pp. 1-14.

    Hartman, HL 1992, SME Mining Engineering Handbook, 2nd edn, Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration, Littleton.

    Wang, X-M, Zhao, J-W, Xue, J-H & Yu, G-F 2011, ‘Features of pipe transportation of paste-like backfilling in deep mines’, Journal of Central South University of Technology, vol. 18, no. 5, pp. 1413-1417, viewed 1 August 2014, http:/www.researchgate.net/publication/225357473.

     

     

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    Location Information. We receive data from you and other third parties that helps us to track an approximate device location. We may use, for example, an IP address detected by your browser or device to determine device location. We may also collect information from devices in accordance with the consent process provided by your device. 

    Third Parties. We use and permit select third parties to use automatic data collection tools to collect information using website tracking technologies such as cookies, web beacons, embedded URS, pixels, widgets, buttons or other similar technologies. These can be disabled by you. 

    B. How we use that data 

    We may use the information collected for the following purposes:

    • To improve the operation of the Sites;
    • To engage in research and development of AMI’s product offerings;
    • To conduct ordinary business operations such as sales, marketing, support, education and training;
    • To engage in corporate reporting and management;
    • To recruit employees for AMI;
    • To conduct market research;
    • To maintain a safe and trusted environment for AMI employees, customers, Site visitors and members of the public; and
    • To conduct other similar uses pertaining to the AMI Sites.
    1. How we share thatdata
    • Sharing with AMI Affiliates. We may share your information with our AMI entities worldwide for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy. As part of our company, our AMI entities are subject to this Privacy Policy, and our internal privacy policies and data protection requirements are regularly communicated to all of our employees as part of our mandatory compliance training.
    • Sharing with third party service providers. We retain third party service providers to manage or support certain aspects of our business. These third party service providers may be located globally and may provide services to us such as website hosting, data analysis, advertising and marketing services, data hosting, live-chat and helpdesk services, providing information technology infrastructure, customer service, email delivery, credit card processing, auditing and other similar services. Our third party service providers are contractually bound to safeguard any Personal Data they receive from us and they are prohibited from using such Personal Data for any purpose other than to perform the services as instructed by AMI.
    • Engaging in corporate transactions. Circumstances may arise where we may buy or sell assets or businesses as part of a sale, merger or change in control of AMI. In such transactions, we may disclose or transfer your information, in accordance with this Privacy Policy, to prospective or actual purchasers or receive your information from sellers. Any entity which buys us or part of our business will have the right to continue to use the information we have collected and stored, but only in the manner set out in this Privacy Policy.
    • Complying with law / protecting legal rights. We may be required to disclose your information to comply with applicable laws (including laws outside of your country of residence), regulations, court orders, government and law enforcement requests, including national security or other law enforcement requirements. Additionally, if we reasonably believe that it is necessary or appropriate, we reserve the right to use or disclose your information to allow us to pursue available claims or remedies and protect our legal rights, property or the safety of our employees, users or others, to the extent allowed by applicable law. This includes exchanging information with companies and organizations for the purposes of fraud detection.

    MARKETING ACTIVITIES 

    AMI maintains control of the data provided to, or collected by or for, or processed in connection with certain marketing activities, such as in-person meetings, email communications, webinars, conferences, and events. We and our third-party service providers may collect information in the following ways: 

    A. What data we collect through our marketing activities and how we collect it 

    a. Information you provide to us 

    In addition to information submitted to AMI through our Sites, for example when you register for a webinar, subscribe to our email newsletter, or download content (such as AMI whitepapers), we may also collect information from you offline, such as when you attend our events in person or during phone calls with sales representatives. 

    b. Information we acquire from a third party
    To enhance AMI’s ability to provide relevant marketing, offers, and services to you, we may receive information about you from third parties, such as public databases, partners, lead generation services, and social media platforms. We also collect information from other sources to help us correct or supplement our records such as customer enrichment services, improve the quality or personalization of our services to you and to verify your identification in instances of suspected fraud or identity theft. In each instance we will only accept information from third parties where those third parties can demonstrate they have received all necessary consents to share such information with us.

    B. How we use that data 

    We may use information that is collected through our marketing activities in the same way we use information collected through our Sites, as well as for the following purposes:

    • To verify your identity if required;
    • To tailor marketing to your interests, or to recommend products and services that may be of interest to you;
    • To contact you with business, marketing and sales communications that you have agreed to receive such as newsletters, announcements, and special offers, or to notify you of upcoming events;
    • To update and improve AMI services and product offerings;
    • To engage in corporate reporting and management;
    • To conduct market research; and
    • To conduct other similar uses pertaining to the AMI’s Marketing Activities.
    1. How we share thatdata We may share information that is collected through our marketing activities in the same way we share information collected through our Sites, as well as for the following purposes:
    • Communicating with you regarding a Tradeshow. We or our partners may communicate with you about tradeshows that we participate in. These communications may include information about the tradeshows’content, logistics,, updates, or requests for additional information related to your event registration. After the tradeshow, AMI may contact you about the event and our related products and services. 
    • Engaging in advertising. We may provide you with personalized promotional offers (in accordance with your privacy preferences regarding AMI services and other selected partner websites). For example, you might see an advertisement on a partner site for a product that you have recently viewed on a AMI Site. This may involve the use of cookies. We also partner with third parties to display advertising within the AMI services and we contract with service providers to place advertisements on websites owned by third parties. Sometimes this will be achieved by sharing your Personal Data as described in the Cookie Policy.

    PROCESSING YOUR PERSONAL DATA 

    We will only collect and process your Personal Data in the ways described in this Privacy Policy when we have a reason to do so. 

    AMI relies on the following reasons for processing Personal Data:

    • Consent (where you have given consent) 
      We process certain Personal Data based on the consent you provided when you submitted your information. Where we rely on your consent, you have the right to withdraw or decline your consent at any time, such as consenting to receive marketing communications.
    • Contract (where processing is necessary for the performance of a contract with you, i.e. to deliver the AMI product or services you or your organization have purchased). 
    • Legitimate interests of AMI or any third parties. 
      Legitimate interests include enabling us to conduct internal business services, such as audits, mergers and acquisitions, reporting, and improving our products and services. Personal Data will only be processed on these grounds when doing so does not outweigh your rights. 
      Where we rely on legitimate interests, you have the right to object at any time.
    • Compliance with laws (where we are required to process information to comply with applicable laws) 
      If we ask you to provide Personal Data to comply with a legal requirement or to perform a contract with you, we will make this clear at the relevant time and advise you whether the provision of your Personal Data is mandatory or not (as well as the possible consequences if you do not provide your information).

    HOW WE KEEP YOUR INFORMATION SECURE 

    At AMI, we understand the importance of information, and the need to keep Personal Data secure. We have implemented and maintain technical, administrative and physical security measures designed to protect your information from unauthorized access, disclosure, misuse, alteration, accidental loss or destruction. 

    We regularly review our security procedures to maintain the confidentiality, integrity, availability and resilience of all data both online and offline. These security procedures and measures vary based on the sensitivity of the information that we collect, process and store and the current state of technology but include firewalls, data encryption, physical access controls and information access authorization controls. AMI has implemented an incident response plan, with a company protocol we follow in the event of any data breach. We take steps to regularly monitor our systems for vulnerabilities and to ensure that we only share information with those who need to know it. 

    However, no website or internet transmission is completely secure. While we strive to protect your data, we cannot guarantee that unauthorized access, hacking, data loss or a data breach will never occur, and we cannot warrant the security of any information that you provide to us. You are responsible for securing and maintaining the privacy of any password(s) and account registration information uses with AMI and verifying that the information we maintain about you is accurate and current. We are not responsible for protecting any information that we share with a third party based on an account connection that you have authorized. 

    We require that our third-party service providers and partners agree to keep the information we share with them confidential and to use the information only to perform their obligations in the agreements we have in place with them. AMI has implemented internal policies to ensure that such parties are required under contract to maintain privacy and security protections which are at least as consistent with our own policies and practices. 

    STORAGE AND RETENTION OF YOUR INFORMATION 

    AMI is a global company and your information is stored on regional servers depending on your location and the locations of the servers of the companies we hire to provide services to us based on contractual requirements. 

    We will retain your Personal Data for the length of time needed to fulfill the purposes outlined in this Privacy Policy unless a longer retention period is required or permitted by law, or unless the information is deleted pursuant to the exercise of your rights. We may also retain cached or archived copies of information provided to us. The deletion of your Personal Data and other use of our Sites may result in the deletion and/or de-identification of Other Information that is retained by us. 

    CROSS BORDER TRANSFERS OF INFORMATION AND THE PRIVACY SHIELD 

    AMI is a global company with business processes, management structures and technical systems that cross national borders. This means that your Personal Data may be transferred internally to AMI Affiliates and externally to third parties (including partners and service providers) across international borders for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy. AMI transfers data only in accordance with legally approved transfer mechanisms that are appropriate under applicable data protection laws, including the Standard Contractual Clauses.

    WHAT IS NOT COVERED IN THIS POLICY 

    Please note that this Privacy Policy applies only to your relationship with AMI through your use of AMI’s Sites, products, services, events, communications, and marketing and advertising activities. 

    AMI Partners who provide implementation and other solution services may also gather information and you should consult those other parties’ privacy policies as appropriate as they may be applicable to you. Please also note that in using our services, we may provide links to other websites to directly provide information relevant to your use of AMI products. We will provide notice of when we do this. Any interactions you have with these websites are beyond the control of AMI. The Site provides links to websites and access to content, products and services of third parties, including users, advertisers, partners and sponsors of the Site, and such third party websites, content, products or services are governed by the respective third party’s website terms and conditions of use. 

    If you are a job candidate or an AMI employee, please refer to our AMI Employee and Recruitment Privacy Policy available through ADP Workforce Now.

    YOUR PRIVACY RIGHTS 

    We provide you the ability to exercise certain controls and choices regarding our collection, use and sharing of your information. 

    Please be aware that, if you do not allow us to collect your information from you, we may not be able to deliver certain products and services to you, and some of the AMI services may not be able to take account of your interests and preferences. 

    Your choices. In accordance with applicable law, you may be entitled to exercise your rights and choices as follows:

    • Account settings. You may update your profile, your account and any related information at any time to ensure that information is up to date or delete inaccuracies by.
    • Devices and browsers. Some of our mobile services use your device’s location information. You can adjust the setting of your mobile device at any time to control whether your device communicates this location information.
    • Communications from AMI. We may use your information to communicate with you by email, including sending you transactional or marketing emails. AMI enables you to opt out of marketing communications. Some communications you may receive from us are not considered marketing emails, such as communications related to product, sales transactionsand (where permitted by law) quality assurance surveys. Such transactional emails are not subject to general opt-out. Some additional communications you may receive from our partners may also not be subject to general-opt out, including product alerts, updates, and other notices related to partner status. You can tell us to stop sending you marketing emails by clicking the unsubscribe link included at the bottom of AMI’s marketing emails or updating your preferences here. If you have any issues unsubscribing, you may contact us directly.
    • Cookies. Some web browsers (including mobile web browsers) provide settings that allow you to control or reject cookies or to alert you when a cookie is placed on your computer, tablet or mobile device. Although you are not required to accept cookies, if you block or reject them, you may not have access to all features or functionalities available through our services. Please go to our Cookie Policy to learn more on how you can manage your cookie preferences or opt out of cookies and other website data collection tools.

    Additionally, depending on where you are located, you may have other rights. 

    EUROPE and CALIFORNIA

    AMI adheres to applicable data protection laws in Europe and California which, where they apply, provides you with the following rights:

    • Data Access. You may request access to the Personal Data we hold about you and request that we edit or delete them.
    • Data Portability. You are entitled to request copies of Personal Data that you have provided to us in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format and/or request that this information be transmitted to another service provider (where technically feasible).
    • Deletion. You may be able to have your Personal Data deleted or erased.
    • Correcting inaccurate or incomplete information. We maintain a process to help you confirm that your personal details remain correct and up-to-date.
    • Manage your Information. You may choose whether or not you wish to receive material from us or some of our partners. Please let us know by contacting us.
    • Withdrawing consent. If the processing of your Personal Data is based on your consent, you may withdraw your consent at any time as to future processing.
    • Objecting to or restricting use of Personal Data. You can ask us to stop using all or some of your Personal Data (e.g., if we have no legal right to keep using it) or to limit our use of it (e.g., if your Personal Data is inaccurate or unlawfully held).

    Privacy relating to minors 

    As a company focused on serving the needs of businesses, AMI does not promote or market the AMI services to minors and we do not knowingly collect information from minors as defined by applicable law. If we discover we have received any Personal Data from a person under the age of 13 in violation of this Policy, we will take reasonable steps to delete that information as quickly as possible. 

    If you believe we have any information from or about anyone under the age of 13, please contact us.

    UPDATES TO THE POLICY

    From time to time, we may change this Privacy Policy to accommodate new technologies, industry practices, regulatory requirements or to reflect any changes in how we process information. Any changes to this Privacy Policy will be effective when we post the revised Privacy Policy on this website. 

    CONTACT US 

    If you believe your Personal Data has been used in a way that is not consistent with this Privacy Policy or your specified preferences, or if you have further questions related to this Privacy Policy, we encourage you to please contact our Privacy Team at the address below or by emailing: Privacy@activeminerals.com .

    Written inquiries may be addressed to our General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer at: 

    Chris Coley 
    Active Minerals Inc 
    34 LovetonCir, STE 100
    Sparks, MD 21152
    Phone: +1 (410) 825-2920
    Fax: +1 (410) 321-1268

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