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Overview of Mineral Processing Methods

Technical Report · August 2015

DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.10456.49926

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OVERVIEW OF MINERAL PROCESSING METHODS

by

Prof A. BALSUBRAMANIAN
CENTRE FOR ADVANCED STUDIES IN EARTH SCIENCE
UNIVERSITY OF MYSORE
MYSORE-6

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Objectives:

The first process that most of the ores or minerals undergo after they leave any mine, is mineral
processing or mineral/ ore dressing. It is a process of ore preparation, milling, and ore dressing or ore
beneficiation. Ore dressing is a process of mechanically separating the grains of ore minerals from
the gangue minerals. It is done in order to produce a concentrate containing most of the ore minerals
and a tailing part (discard) containing the rest of the gangue minerals. This is an important aspect in
Geoexploration and industrial economic geology. The objective of this lesson is to have an overview
of all types of methods adopted in mineral processing. These methods are adopted one after the other
in sequence and also depending upon the ores processed.

1.0 Introduction:

Treatment of ores to get their metallic concentrate into useful products (concentrate) of smaller bulk,
and simultaneously to separate the worthless material (gangue) into discardable waste (tailing), is
required for materials manufacturing. The treatment process in called as mineral dressing. There are
two major primary operations in mineral processing. One is comminution and the other one is
concentration. In addition to these, there are many other sequential secondary operations involved in
mineral processing including sampling and dewatering. The cleaning of ore by the removal of certain
valueless portions are also needed for maintaining the quality in output. The fundamental operations
of ore-dressing processes are:
a) the breaking apart of the associated constituents of the ore by mechanical methods and b) the
separation of the valuable components (beneficiation) into concentrate and tailings, using appropriate
methods. An overview of all types of methods adopted in mineral processing are highlighted in this
lesson.

1.1 Mining and quarrying

The mining and quarrying are the starting points for recovery of rock and minerals from surface and
underground economic mineral deposits. The operations like drilling (blasting), primary crushing
(optional) and materials handling, dry and wet, are basically done at the mine sites.

1.2 Drilling (and blasting) is the technology of achieving primary fragmentation of “in situ”
minerals. After mining, this is the starting point for most mineral processes with the exception of
natural minerals in the form of sand and gravel.

1.3 Necessity of Mineral processing:

Ore is an aggregate of economically important minerals from which a valuable metallic constituent
can be profitably mined and extracted. Most of the rock deposits contain metals or minerals. When the
concentration of valuable minerals or metals is too low to justify for mining, it is considered to be a
waste or gangue material. Within an ore body, the valuable minerals are surrounded by gangue
minerals. It is due to this primary reason, we need to go for mineral processing. It is necessary to
liberate and concentrate those valuable minerals from the bulk mass through a suitable mechanical
treatment.

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2.0 Major Processes of Mineral processing:
The following are the major processing methods involved in ore dressing/ mineral processing:
1. Size reduction (Crushing ,Grinding )
2. Size control (Screening , Classification )
3. Enrichment ( Washing , Gravity separation , Flotation , Magnetic separation, Leaching )
4. Upgrading ( Sedimentation , Mechanical dewatering, Thermal drying, Thermal processing )
5. Materials handling ( Unloading , Storing , Feeding , Conveying )
6. Slurry handling ( Slurry transportation, Agitation and mixing )
7. Wear in operation
8. Operation and environment
9. Process systems.

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2.1 Liberation and Separation:

Mineral processing consists of two functions. Firstly, it involves the preparation and liberation, of the
valuable minerals from waste minerals and secondly, the separation these values into two or more
products, called concentrates. The term separation in this case is synonymous with concentration.

2.2 Comminution is a single- or multistage process whereby ore is reduced from run-of-mine size to
that size needed by the beneficiation process. The process is intended to produce individual particles
which are either wholly mineral or wholly gangue, that is, to produce liberation. Since the mechanical
forces producing fracture are not susceptible to detailed control, a class of particles containing both
mineral and gangue (middling particles) are also produced.

The process of Comminution is divided into two methods as

A) Size reduction
B) Separation (by screens and cyclones)
C) Enrichment
D) Upgrading.

2.3 Size Reduction is done through two major methods as:

A1) crushing (down to 6- to 14-mesh) and
A2) grinding (down to micrometer sizes).
Size reduction of ores is normally done in order to liberate the value minerals from the host rock. it is
done through Crushing and grinding of ore and minerals. this is also called as liberation the
economically important mineral from its host rock. Crushing of rock and minerals is the major
operation in minerals processing.

2.4 Crushing and screening is the first controlled size reduction stage in the process. This is the
main process in aggregate production and a preparation process for further size reduction.

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2.5 Grinding is the stage of size reduction (wet or dry) where the liberation size for individual
minerals can be reached. Size reduction by crushing has a size limitation for the final products. If we
require further reduction, say below 5-20 mm, we have to use the processes of grinding.

The two main purposes for a grinding process are:

• To liberate individual minerals trapped in rock crystals (ores) and thereby open up for a
subsequent enrichment in the form of separation.
• To produce fines (or filler) from mineral fractions by increasing the specific surface.

3.0 Separation is attempted through Screening & cyclonic methods, Flotation, Leaching, and other
Mechanical separation techniques.
Screening is a method of sizing whereby graded products are produced, the individual particles in
each grade being of nearly the same size. In beneficiation, screening is practiced for two reasons: as
an integral part of the separation process, for example, in jigging; and to produce a feed of such size
and size range as is compatible with the applicability of the separation process. Performance of
screens will fall back on three main parameters: Motion – Inclination – Screening media.

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3.1 A wide variety of separation devices have been devised and are in use. The more important
kinds of equipment are listed in the table, grouped according to the phases involved.
1. Centrifugation, Clarification,
2. Dust and mist collection, Filtration,
3. Flotation, Magnetic separation methods,
4. Mechanical classification, Screening,
5. Sedimentation (industry).

The major processes involved are:

Flotation, Leaching, Mechanical separation techniques

Separation is achieved by subjecting each particle of the mixture to a set of forces which is usually the
same irrespective of the nature of the particles excepting for the force based upon the discriminating
property. This force may be present for both mineral and gangue particles but differing in magnitude,
or it may be present for one type of particle and absent for the other. As a result of this difference,
separation is possible, and the particles are collected in the form of concentrate or tailing.

3.2 Flotation: A process used to separate particulate solids, which have been suspended in a fluid,
by selectively attaching the particles to be removed to a light fluid and allowing this mineralized fluid
aggregation to rise to where it can be removed. The principal use of the process is to separate valuable
minerals from waste rock, or gangue, in which case the ground ore is suspended in water and, after
chemical treatment, subjected to bubbles of air. The minerals which are to be floated attach to the air
bubbles, rise through the suspension, and are removed with the froth which forms on top of the pulp.
Although most materials subjected to flotation are minerals, applications to chemical and biological
materials have been reported.

3.3 Leaching : Method of extraction in which a solvent is passed through a mixture to remove some
desired substance from it. Leaching is also used to remove metals from their ores. In one procedure
certain crushed ores of copper are placed into a series of tanks. As a solvent, such as sulfuric acid, is
pumped into the first tank, it dissolves the copper from the ore. Eventually overflowing the first tank,
the solution passes into the second, where more copper is dissolved. When this tank overflows, the

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process is repeated in the third tank and so on. The copper is ultimately removed from the solution by
chemical or other treatment.

3.4 Mechanical separation techniques

A group of laboratory and production operations whereby the components of a polyphase mixture are
separated by mechanical methods into two or more fractions of different mechanical characteristics.
The separated fractions may be homogeneous or heterogeneous, particulate or nonparticulate.
The techniques of mechanical separation are based on differences in phase density, in phase fluidity,
and in such mechanical properties of particles-as size, shape, and density; and on such particle
characteristics as wettability, surface charge, and magnetic susceptibility.

3.5 Enrichment

Enrichment involves washing , classified separation, slurry processing, pyroprocessing and

compaction.

Enrichment – Washing

Washing is the simplest method of enrichment used to improve the value of rock and mineral
fractions from sand size and upwards. Removing of surface impurities like clay, dust, organics or
salts is often a must for a saleable product. Different techniques are used depending on how hard these
impurities are
attached to the rock or mineral surface.

Enrichment – Separation

Most value minerals (both metallic and industrial) are priced by their purity. After liberation by size
reduction and size control all minerals are free to be separated from each other.
Depending on the properties of the individual minerals they can be recovered by different methods of
separation.

Slurry processing includes the technologies for wet processing of mineral fractions.

Pyro processing includes the technologies for upgrading of the mineral fractions by drying,
calcining or sintering.

Compaction of minerals includes the technologies for moving and densifying minerals by vibration,
impaction and pressure, mainly used in construction applications.

Materials handling includes the technologies for moving the process flow (dry) forward by loading,
transportation, storage and feeding.

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3.6 Upgrading:

Upgradation is related to Beneficiation of concentrated ores. It is related to Concentration ( Final

Product Collection). Upgradation involves sedimentation, mechanical dewatering, drying, calcining
or sintering and recovering the process water from the tailings.

After the enrichment operation we end up with a value product (concentrate) and a non-value product
(tailings). These products are probably not sellable nor disposable due to the content of process
water, particle size, or chemical composition. By upgrading we mean the methods of increasing the
value of these products by sedimentation, mechanical dewatering, drying, calcining or sintering and
recovering the process water from the tailings, making them disposable.

3.7 Beneficiation :

Beneficiation consists of two fundamental operations: the determination that an individual particle is
either a mineral or a gangue particle (selection); and the movement of selected particles via different
paths (separation) into the concentrate and tailing products. When middling particles occur, they will
either be selected according to their mineral content and then caused to report as concentrate or
tailing, or be separated as a third product (middling), which is reground to achieve further liberation.

3.8 Clarification :

The removal of small amounts of fine, particulate solids from liquids. The purpose is almost
invariably to improve the quality of the liquid, and the removed solids often are discarded. The
particles removed by a clarifier may be as large as 100 micrometers or as small as 2 micrometers.
Clarification is used in the manufacture of pharmaceuticals, beverages, and fiber and film polymers;
in the reconditioning of electroplating solutions; in the recovery of dry-cleaning solvent; and for the
purification of drinking water and waste water. The filters in the feed line and lubricating oil system
of an internal combustion engine are clarifiers.

3.9 The methods of clarification include gravity sedimentation, centrifugal sedimentation, filtration,
and magnetic separation. Clarification differs from other applications of these mechanical separation

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techniques by the low solid content of the suspension to be clarified (usually less than 0.2%) and the
substantial completion of the particle removal. The list of adopted methods are:
1. Gravity Sedimentation,
2. Centrifugal Sedimentation
3. Filtration,
4. Magnetic separation methods,
5. Mechanical separation techniques,
6. Sedimentation (industry)

3.10 Filtration : (science and technology)

A process of separating particulate matter from a fluid, such as air or a liquid, by passing the fluid
carrier through a medium that will not pass the particulates.

4.0 Magnetic separation:

Magnetic separation utilizes the force exerted by a magnetic field upon magnetic materials to
counteract partially or wholly the effect of gravity. Thus under the action of these two forces, different
paths are produced for the magnetic and nonmagnetic particles.

4.1 Sedimentation:

the settling or surfacing of particles in the dispersed phase, such as solid particles, liquid droplets, or
gas bubbles, in a liquid or gaseous dispersion medium as a result of a gravitational field or centrifugal
force. Sedimentation occurs if the directional motion of the particles under the effect of gravity or
centrifugal force predominates over the random thermal motion. The rate of sedimentation depends
on the mass, size, and shape of the particles, the viscosity and density of the medium, and the
acceleration caused by the force field.

5.0 Properties of mass play a major role in Mineral processing

All deposits of minerals, rock or ores have different hardness depending on the chemical composition
and the geological environment.

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Size and hardness
All operations have different process environments due to mineral hardness and size range. It is
important to know in which “range” we are operating as this will affect many process parameters,
(wear rate, uptime, operation costs etc.). Size and hardness together give interesting information.

The stress forces of rock mechanics

Beside size and hardness, the classical stress forces of rock mechanics are the fundamentals in most
of what we do in mineral processing. They guide us in equipment design, in systems layout, in wear
protection etc. They are always around and they always have to be considered.
Feed material
All operations in size reduction, both crushing and grinding are of course determined by the feed
characteristics of the minerals (rock/ore) moving into the circuit. The key parameters we need are the
“crushability or grindability”, also called work index and the “wear profile”, called abrasion index.

Reduction ratio
As seen above all size reduction operations are performed in stages. All equipment involved, crushers
or grinding mills have different relation between feed and discharge sizes. This is called reduction
ratio.
Illustration of all processes:
This diagram shows all the processes that are normally involved in mineral processing.

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 6.0 Conclusion:

Mineral processing is a major division in the science of Extractive Metallurgy. Extractive metallurgy
has been defined as the science and art of extracting metals from their ores, refining them and
preparing them for use. Within extractive metallurgy, the major divisions in the order they may most
commonly occur are, Mineral Processing (or Beneficiation), Hydrometallurgy, Pyrometallurgy, and
Electrometallurgy. There are several unique mechanical mineral processing methods adopted in earth
Science studies.

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