L2.2: Mineral Processing

• MINERAL PROCESSING

  • Heavy Media Separation
  • Magnetic Separation
  • Heap Leaching
  • Floatation
• Heavy Media Separation

  ○ Minerals are distinguished from lighter minerals by their tendency to sink in. Submerged in liquid so that heavier materials will sink to easily separate from the lighter ones.
• Magnetic Separation

  ○ If the target mineral is metal or magnetic, magnets are used to separate the crushed ore from the waste
• Heap Leaching

  ○ The addition of chemicals like cyanide or acid to dissolve the valuable mineral.

  ○ Example: Low-grade gold ore is processed using this technique, and the crushed rock is put on a "leach pile" that has been sprayed or sprinkled with cyanide solution. The gold is dissolved into the leach solution as it seeps down through the rocks. To extract the gold, the solution is treated further.
• Heap Leaching

  ○ Sir Ramgie: There's a showering of acids. if salt is mixed with waste material or soil and we used water as the solvent, the salt is dissolved with the leach solution and it becomes easier to separate from the soil.
• Floatation

  ○ Separation and concentration of ores by altering their surfaces to hydrophobic or hydrophilic. The surfaces are either repelled or attracted by water, hydrophobic minerals will attach themselves to bubbles or froth while the hydrophilic waste will remain.