Why do ores need to be processed?

Why do ores need to be processed?

mineral processing, art of treating crude ores and mineral products in order to separate the valuable minerals from the waste rock, or gangue. It is the first process that most ores undergo after mining in order to provide a more concentrated material for the procedures of extractive metallurgy.

What happens after an ore is mined?

When miners find rock containing mineral ore, they first extract the rock from the earth. This can be a huge process, sometimes displacing millions of tons of dirt. The rock is then crushed by powerful machinery. Metal is extracted from the crushed ore by one of two major methods: smelting or electrolysis.

Where are ores processed after they are mined?

Surface mining allows extraction of ores that are close to Earth’s surface. Overlying rock is blasted and the rock that contains the valuable minerals is placed in a truck and taken to a refinery.

What are the processes that ore minerals need to undergo for it to be used by industries?

Crushing and grinding are the two primary comminution processes. Crushing is normally carried out on “run-of-mine” ore, while grinding (normally carried out after crushing) may be conducted on dry or slurried material.

How are ore minerals being processed?

What is the meaning of ore deposit?

In chemical element: Ore deposits. An ore deposit, in its simplest terms, is a portion of the Earth’s crust from which some industrial raw material can be extracted at a profit.

What is the difference between mineral deposit and ore deposit?

A mineral deposit that is sufficiently rich to be worked at a profit is called an ore deposit, and in an ore deposit the assemblage of ore minerals plus gangue is called the ore. Ore deposit is an economic term, while mineral deposit is a geologic term.

What is the process of mineral processing?

It is the first process that most ores undergo after miningin order to provide a more concentrated material for the procedures of extractive metallurgy. The primary operations are comminution and concentration, but there are other important operations in a modern mineral processing plant, including sampling and analysis and dewatering.

How do ores occur in nature?

Some ores occur in nature as mixtures of discrete mineral particles, such as gold in gravel beds and streams and diamonds in mines. These mixtures require little or no crushing, since the valuables are recoverable using other techniques (breaking up placer material in log washers, for instance).

What happens to mining when it is no longer profitable?

Mining eventually depletes the metal-rich material that could be economically removed at a specific mine. When mining can no longer be profitably conducted, the mine and related facilities used in beneficiation or smelting will be closed.

What are the steps involved in the mining process?

It involves a number of industries working together. Exploration is followed by excavation, which is followed by crushing and milling to reduce the size of the rocks. This is followed by extraction (removing the valuable minerals from the ore) and finally refining. Each of these processes are discussed in this chapter.