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60 www.resourceworld.com J U N E / J U L Y 2 0 1 7 MININGWORLD The new Roben Jig method of coal washing for analyses by Kathrine Moore GEOSCIENCE BC and the Canadian Carbonization Research Association (CCRA) have announced the launch of a research proj- ect to test the ability of a new coal washing process to accurately evaluate coal quality and the coking characteristics of metallurgi- cal coal during the exploration stage. Evaluating the quality of a coal deposit is essential to determining its economic viability. "This research will help us identify the best method of deter- mining coal quality before a mine is built," stated Melanie Mackay, President of the Western Canadian Coal Society and Technical Member of the CCRA. "The ability to accurately evalu- ate coal quality and the coking characteristics of metallurgical coal during the exploration stage is essential to determining the economic viability of a coal deposit." "The potential of finding a faster, safer more reliable method of determining coal quality is a real boon for the coal indus- try," added Bruce Madu, Vice President, Minerals and Mining at Geoscience BC. "Ultimately, the more accurate information a prospector or company has about the quality of coal beneath the ground, the higher the value they could get for their property or the end product." Conventionally, the 'float and sink' method has been used to analyze small-scale exploration samples of metallurgical coal. This method used a variety of solvent-based chemicals to remove impurities such as ash: white spirit, methylene bromide and perchloroethylene (PCE). PCE in particular is a toxic carcinogen, commonly used in the dry cleaning industry and poses a health threat to laboratory workers. The new Roben Jig method of coal washing for analyses uses no harmful chemicals. A coal sample is loaded into a spe- cially designed cylinder with water. A May 2, 2017 news release describes the Roben Jig method. "A motor moves the cylinder up and down in a 'jigging' motion which sorts the coal particles by density, with the heaviest particles sinking to the bottom and the lightest particles moving to the top. Clean coal samples are then extracted from the jig and undergo various tests to determine quality, most notably maximum fluidity (melting and interac- tion/bonding behaviour), and the resultant coke is tested for coke strength after reaction or CSR (an indicator of coke performance in an industrial blast furnace)." CCRA and Geoscience BC will be using both the Roben Jig and float and sink methods to determine the accuracy