With technology, diamond mining could be forever

IT started way back with trekkers picking up diamonds by scratching lightly on the surface.Diamonds originated deep in the interior of southern Africa, and over a period of some 40 million years, diamonds were carried by the Orange River into the Atlantic Ocean where they were deposited on seashores.

Diamonds are a rare and exquisite gem that have become known as ‘priceless’, ‘diamonds are forever’ and of course ‘a girl’s best friend’. These gems have also made money for countries that rely mainly on mining to sustain their economies.One such country is Namibia, where diamonds were first discovered in the Namib Desert near the coastal town of Luederitz in 1908.A man working along the railway track in that area came across a stone which he recognised as a diamond after his mining experience at his former workplace – the famous Kimberley Diamond Fields.Since diamonds were first discovered along the Orange River, technology has managed to evolve as the diamonds become more and more difficult to find.The resources are also depleting – a situation that could ring alarm bells for Namibia, which is dependent on the primary sectors of mining and fishing, with diamonds playing a huge part in revenue generation and economic growth.Namibia’s mining industry contributes more than 40 per cent of total Government revenue.According to the Bank of Namibia’s 2004 Annual Report, the output by the diamond industry increased by nearly 35 per cent last year.Namdeb Diamond Corporation – a 50/50 joint venture between the Government of Namibia and diamond-mining pioneers De Beers Centenary AG – has also moved on with the times to stay in business.Namdeb contributes about 10 per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and accounts for more than 30 per cent of Namibia’s export revenue.Namdeb’s mining operations are at Oranjemund, situated at the mouth of the Orange River forming the border between Namibia and South Africa.It is a desert and a ‘no-go area’ for the average visitor as it exists solely for the diamond industry.Other operations are at the Elizabeth Bay Mine, situated some 20 km south of Luederitz.Preliminary mining started at Oranjemund in 1938, with full-scale mining starting in 1954.With the mining going on unabated for the decades since then, it is only logical that land resources are also depleting each year; meaning that better technology and more investments have been necessary for the mining companies to remain in business.Namdeb – which has the lion’s share in Namibia’s diamond industry – invests around N$70 million a year in technology research and development.De Beers has also invented some of the equipment used in diamond-mining operations.Recovery technology has been evolving too.In an exclusive interview with The Namibian last week, Namdeb General Manager Rob Smart said successive technologies have been in use since the early days of diamond mining.”We have had to change technology during the years,” he noted.Since the installation of electricity at some of the Sperrgebiet mines in the early 1900s, enabling the implementation of early bucket-wheel excavators, to some of the first PLC and supervisory control systems in the 1980s, Namdeb has been involved in innovative technology in Namibia and often in southern Africa.Smart said one of the earliest forms of mining equipment devised was the jigs – used in the coastal mining town of Luederitz way back then – which acts as a separating platform.Smart said since diamonds are heavy, the jig would be shaken to separate them from lighter material.Next came the use of grease belts, which used the diamonds’ characteristic of sticking to grease.However, this method proved frustrating as seashells also stuck to the machine, making the process laborious.Miners then progressed to dense-medium separation, a method using a mixture of water and ferrosilicon (an iron powder), which forms a dense mixture from which heavy diamonds can be separated from lighter material.Although workable, these methods were not fool-proof, as some diamonds slipped through the net.As time moved on, technology also became better, with X-ray technology entering the fray.”When diamonds are bombarded with X-rays, they give off a light”, said Smart.The latest technology is the laser, which according to Smart makes diamond recovery even more efficient.Namdeb this year commissioned the revamped Elizabeth Bay Mine, which now uses laser technology.Over its lifetime, Elizabeth Bay will contribute approximately 200 000 carats a year to Namdeb’s total production of nearly two million carats.As resources on land are being depleted, Namdeb is now focusing on marine mining for the future.Although Smart agrees that the future of the local diamond industry lies in the Atlantic Ocean, he says that is still a long way off.But statistics have been thrown around and it is estimated that land resources might be at their lowest by around 2020, making it difficult for further diamonds to be extracted.”We now have to change our way of working,” Smart said.Focus has now shifted to mining diamonds in underwater river deposits along the Atlantic coast.Exploration into the sea, said Smart, started in the 1970s after initial experiments were carried out in the 1960s.Another diamond-mining company, De Beers Marine Namibia – partly owned by Namdeb – currently has five ships operating off the coast of Namibia and uses two types of technologies, namely drill-ship and crawler technology.The drill-ship style operates in water up to 120 metres deep, while the crawler moves on the bottom of the ocean and sucks up gravel containing diamonds.The gravel is then sorted on shore.De Beers Marine’s mining methods and equipment are unique in the world, as are the jet rig and other onshore processes.Namdeb is venturing into marine dredging, and has equipment that includes the sea walker – a machine on steel legs – which can walk into about 10 to 20 metres of water.Marine mining is less labour intensive than mining on land.At the moment Namdeb employs some 3 200 people and this number would be cut in future as the company concentrates on mining in the sea.In August this year, De Beers shipped the Zeppelin NT – a modern airship – from Europe to South Africa where it will be used for exploration of new diamond reserves.However, Smart said there were currently no plans for the airship to be used in Namibia.Said Smart: “Technology is what is extending the life of mines and although it’s always good to invest in technologies, investment in people is equally important as, in the end, it is they who will make technology make a difference.”These gems have also made money for countries that rely mainly on mining to sustain their economies.One such country is Namibia, where diamonds were first discovered in the Namib Desert near the coastal town of Luederitz in 1908.A man working along the railway track in that area came across a stone which he recognised as a diamond after his mining experience at his former workplace – the famous Kimberley Diamond Fields.Since diamonds were first discovered along the Orange River, technology has managed to evolve as the diamonds become more and more difficult to find.The resources are also depleting – a situation that could ring alarm bells for Namibia, which is dependent on the primary sectors of mining and fishing, with diamonds playing a huge part in revenue generation and economic growth.Namibia’s mining industry contributes more than 40 per cent of total Government revenue.According to the Bank of Namibia’s 2004 Annual Report, the output by the diamond industry increased by nearly 35 per cent last year.Namdeb Diamond Corporation – a 50/50 joint venture between the Government of Namibia and diamond-mining pioneers De Beers Centenary AG – has also moved on with the times to stay in business.Namdeb contributes about 10 per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and accounts for more than 30 per cent of Namibia’s export revenue.Namdeb’s mining operations are at Oranjemund, situated at the mouth of the Orange River forming the border between Namibia and South Africa.It is a desert and a ‘no-go area’ for the average visitor as it exists solely for the diamond industry.Other operations are at the Elizabeth Bay Mine, situated some 20 km south of Luederitz.Preliminary mining started at Oranjemund in 1938, with full-scale mining starting in 1954.With the mining going on unabated for the decades since then, it is only logical that land resources are also depleting each year; meaning that better technology and more investments have been necessary for the mining companies to remain in business.Namdeb – which has the lion’s share in Namibia’s diamond industry – invests around N$70 million a year in technology research and development.De Beers has also invented some of the equipment used in diamond-mining operations.Recovery technology has been evolving too.In an exclusive interview with The Namibian last week, Namdeb General Manager Rob Smart said successive technologies have been in use since the early days of diamond mining.”We have had to change technology during the years,” he noted.Since the installation of electricity at some of the Sperrgebiet mines in the early 1900s, enabling the implementation of early bucket-wheel excavators, to some of the first PLC and supervisory control systems in the 1980s, Namdeb has been involved in innovative technology in Namibia and often in southern Africa.Smart said one of the earliest forms of mining equipment devised was the jigs – used in the coastal mining town of Luederitz way back then – which acts as a separating platform.Smart said since diamonds are heavy, the jig would be shaken to separate them from lighter material.Next came the use of grease belts, which used the diamonds’ characteristic of sticking to grease.However, this method proved frustrating as seashells also stuck to the machine, making the process laborious.Miners then progressed to dense-medium separation, a method using a mixture of water and ferrosilicon (an iron powder), which forms a dense mixture from which heavy diamonds can be separated from lighter material. Although workable, these methods were not fool-proof, as some diamonds slipped through the net.As time moved on, technology also became better, with X-ray technology entering the fray.”When diamonds are bombarded with X-rays, they give off a light”, said Smart.The latest technology is the laser, which according to Smart makes diamond recovery even more efficient. Namdeb this year commissioned the revamped Elizabeth Bay Mine, which now uses laser technology.Over its lifetime, Elizabeth Bay will contribute approximately 200 000 carats a year to Namdeb’s total production of nearly two million carats.As resources on land are being depleted, Namdeb is now focusing on marine mining for the future.Although Smart agrees that the future of the local diamond industry lies in the Atlantic Ocean, he says that is still a long way off.But statistics have been thrown around and it is estimated that land resources might be at their lowest by around 2020, making it difficult for further diamonds to be extracted.”We now have to change our way of working,” Smart said.Focus has now shifted to mining diamonds in underwater river deposits along the Atlantic coast.Exploration into the sea, said Smart, started in the 1970s after initial experiments were carried out in the 1960s.Another diamond-mining company, De Beers Marine Namibia – partly owned by Namdeb – currently has five ships operating off the coast of Namibia and uses two types of technologies, namely drill-ship and crawler technology.The drill-ship style operates in water up to 120 metres deep, while the crawler moves on the bottom of the ocean and sucks up gravel containing diamonds.The gravel is then sorted on shore.De Beers Marine’s mining methods and equipment are unique in the world, as are the jet rig and other onshore processes.Namdeb is venturing into marine dredging, and has equipment that includes the sea walker – a machine on steel legs – which can walk into about 10 to 20 metres of water.Marine mining is less labour intensive than mining on land.At the moment Namdeb employs some 3 200 people and this number would be cut in future as the company concentrates on mining in the sea.In August this year, De Beers shipped the Zeppelin NT – a modern airship – from Europe to South Africa where it will be used for exploration of new diamond reserves.However, Smart said there were currently no plans for the airship to be used in Namibia.Said Smart: “Technology is what is extending the life of mines and although it’s always good to invest in technologies, investment in people is equally important as, in the end, it is they who will make technology make a difference.”

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