Mineral Processing
Mineral processing is the step-by-step transformation of raw ore into purified metals. The
process begins with crushing and grinding to break down the ore, followed by density separation
and froth flotation to concentrate the valuable minerals. The concentrate is then dried and smelted
into molten matte, which undergoes further grinding, leaching, and electrolysis to extract pure metals
like copper, nickel, gold, and platinum. Each stage increases purity and reduces waste, turning raw
material into usable industrial products.
1. Crusher – Ore is crushed and ground to reduce size.
2. Density Media Separation (DMS) – A technique that separates materials
based on their density.
a. Run-of-mine (ROM) – Refers to the raw, unprocessed ore as it comes
directly from the mine, before any crushing, grinding, or other processing
steps.
3. Roll crusher – A type of compression crusher that reduces the size of
materials by pulling them between rotating rollers.
4. Ball Mill – A type of grinding machine used to reduce the size of ore particles,
making them suitable for further processing steps like separation and
extraction of valuable minerals.
5. Froth Floating – A method used to separate valuable minerals from unwanted
materials (gangue) in ores by exploiting differences in their surface wettability
(hydrophobic / hydrophilic).
a. Hydrophobic (water-repelling) mineral particles are attached to air
bubbles, which then float to the surface of a flotation cell, forming a froth
layer that can be removed, while hydrophilic (water-attracting) particles
remain in the liquid.
6. Thickener & Filler – The thickener removes excess water, and the filler
conditions the concentrate, preparing it for drying in the chamber dryer.
7. Chamber Dryer – Removes moisture from various mineral materials.
8. Smelter – Transforms solid concentrate into molten form, separates waste, and produces metal-rich matte—a critical
step before refining and metal recovery.
a. Fusible slag – A molten mixture formed when a flux reacts with gangue (impurities in the ore) during the
extraction of metals. (basically hugaw.)
b. Molten matte – A sulfide-rich molten phase formed during the smelting of non-ferrous metal ores like copper,
nickel, and lead.
9. Wet Grinding – The molten matte is cooled and solidified, then it goes through wet grinding to break it down fine,
uniform particles, increasing surface area to enhance the efficiency of chemical leaching and metal recovery.
10. Pressure Oxidation (Leaching) – A high-temperature, high-pressure chemical process that breaks down metal sulfides
(like copper and nickel sulfides) into soluble forms. This allows valuable metals to be dissolved into solution, separating
them from remaining impurities.
11. Smelting after pressure oxidation (leaching) is used to extract remaining metals from the leach residue. This step melts
any undissolved metal-bearing material, allowing further recovery of valuable metals and minimizing loss in tailings.
12. Electrolysis – A technique that uses electric current to extract and purify metals from ores or compounds, or to deposit
metals from solution.
13. Smelting after electrolysis is used to recover and purify precious metals (like gold, silver, and PGEs) from the residues
or sludges left behind after base metals (like copper and nickel) have been removed.
14. Selective Solvent Extraction – A technique used to separate and purify valuable metals from solutions, like leach
solutions, by utilizing the differing solubilities of metal ions in two immiscible liquid phases.
15. Final product – PGEs and Au+Ag
Mineral Processing varies!
Mineral processing is not one-size-fits-all. It adapts to the nature of the ore and the desired output, using different
combinations of crushing, separation, refining, and purification steps.
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