This document provides an overview of mineral beneficiation processes. It discusses various processes used to separate valuable minerals from gangue, including comminution and sizing, gravity concentration, magnetic concentration, electrostatic concentration, froth flotation, and complex mineral processing plants. The objective of beneficiation is to increase the metal content and reduce gangue. While beneficial for extracting metals, the processes can cause environmental issues like water and noise pollution if not managed properly.

1. MINERAL BENEFICIATION
A SEMINAR PRESENTATION ON

2. CONTENTS
• INTRODUCTION
• DIFFERENT PROCESS OF MINERAL BENIFICATION
COMMINUTION & SIZING
GRAVITY CONCENTRATION
MAGNETIC CONCENTRATION
ELECTROSTATIC CONCENTRATION
FROTH FLOTATION
COMPLEX MINERAL PROCESSING PLANT
• OBJECTIVE OF MINERAL BENEFICATION
• IMPACT OF MINERAL BENEFICATION ON THE ENVIRONMENT
• CONCLUSSION
• REFFERENCE

3. INTRODUCTION
• MINERAL BENEFICIATION IS THE PROCESS BY WHICH THE VALUABLE
CONSTITUENTS OF THE ORE ARE CONCENTRATED BY MEANS OF PHYSICAL
SEPARATION. IT IS ONE OF THE INITIAL STEPS BEFORE METALLURGY AND IS AN
IMPORTANT STEP IN EXTRACTING METALS FROM NATURAL RESOURCES.
• THESE INCLUDES ALL THE PROCESSES WHICH DEALS WITH SEPARATION OF ORE
MINERAL FROM GANGUES OR TAILING AND CONCENTRATION OF THE ORE
MINERAL.
• THE OTHER PHYSICAL PROCESSES LIKE TRANSPORTING, CRUSHING, GRINDING
ETC. ARE ALSO INCLUDED.

4. DIFFERENT PROCESS OF MINERAL BENEFICIATION
THE DIFFERENT PROCESSES ARE :
• COMMINUTION & SIZING
• GRAVITY CONCENTRATION
• MAGNETIC CONCENTRATION
• ELECTROSTATIC CONCENTRATION
• FROTH FLOTATION
• COMPLEX MINERAL PROCESSING PLANT

5. COMMINUTION AND SIZING
• COMMINUTION IS THE BREAKING DOWN OF ORE MATERIAL. THEY MAY BE DONE
EITHER IN DRY OR WET CONDITION. CRUSHING AND GRINDING ARE THE TWO
PRIMARY COMMINUTION PROCESSES.
THE PRIMARILY USED EQUIPMENT IN CRUSHING ARE-JAW CRUSHERS, GYRATORY
CRUSHERS AND CONE CRUSHERS WHEREAS ROD MILLS AND BALL MILLS, CLOSED
CIRCUITED WITH A CLASSIFIER UNIT, ARE GENERALLY EMPLOYED FOR GRINDING
PURPOSES IN A MINERAL PROCESSING PLANT.

6. GRINDER

7. JAW CRUSSHERS

8. • SIZING SIZING IS THE GENERAL TERM FOR SEPARATION OF PARTICLES
ACCORDING TO THEIR SIZE.IT IS DONE BY USING BAR SCREENS, WEDGE WIRE
SCREENS, RADIAL SIEVES, BANANA SCREENS, MULTI-DECK SCREENS, VIBRATORY
SCREEN, FINE SCREENS, FLIP FLOP SCREENS WIRE MESH SCREENS ETC.
CLASSIFICATION EQUIPMENT MAY INCLUDE ORE SORTERS, GAS
CYCLONES, HYDROCYCLONES, ROTATING TROMMELS, RAKE CLASSIFIERS OR
FLUIDIZED CLASSIFIERS.

9. GRAVITY CONCENTRATION
• GRAVITY SEPARATION IS THE SEPARATION OF TWO OR MORE MINERALS OF
DIFFERENT SPECIFIC GRAVITY BY THEIR RELATIVE MOVEMENT IN RESPONSE TO
THE FORCE OF GRAVITY AND ONE OR MORE OTHER FORCES (SUCH AS
CENTRIFUGAL FORCES, MAGNETIC FORCES, BUOYANT FORCES), ONE OF WHICH
IS RESISTANCE TO MOTION (DRAG FORCE) BY A VISCOUS MEDIUM SUCH AS
HEAVY MEDIA, WATER OR, LESS COMMONLY, AIR.

10. • THIS METHOD IS USED WHEN THE ORE MATERIAL IS HEAVIER THAN THE
GANGUE MATERIAL. THE FINELY POWDERED ORE IS WASHED DOWN THROUGH A
STEAM OF WATER OVER VIBRATING SLOPED TABLE WITH LONG WOODEN STRIPES
CALLED RIFFLES( FORMING GROOVES ).
• THE HEAVIER ORE MATERIALS ARE OBSTRUCTED BY THE RIFFLES AND SETTLES
DOWN THE GROOVES AND THE LIGHTER ONES ARE WASHED ALWAY. THESE ORE
MATERIALS DEPOSITED ARE COLLECTED FROM THE GROOVES AND USED FOR
FURTHER PROCESSING.

11. • OF THE GRAVITY SEPARATION PROCESSES, THE SPIRAL CONCENTRATORS AND
CIRCULAR JIGS ARE TWO OF THE MOST ECONOMICAL DUE TO THEIR SIMPLICITY
AND USE OF LITTLE SPACE. THEY OPERATE BY FLOWING FILM SEPARATION AND
CAN EITHER USE WASHWATER OR BE WASHWATER-LESS. THE WASHWATER
SPIRALS SEPARATE PARTICLES MORE EASILY BUT CAN HAVE ISSUES WITH
ENTRAINMENT OF GANGUE WITH THE CONCENTRATE PRODUCED.

13. THE SPIRAL
CONCENTRATORS

14. MAGNETIC CONCENTRATION
• MAGNETIC SEPARATION IS A PROCESS IN WHICH MAGNETICALLY SUSCEPTIBLE
MATERIAL IS EXTRACTED FROM A MIXTURE USING A MAGNETIC FORCE. THIS
SEPARATION TECHNIQUE CAN BE USEFUL IN MINING IRON AS IT IS ATTRACTED
TO A MAGNET.
• MINERALS FALL INTO ONE OF THREE MAGNETIC PROPERTIES:
FERROMAGNETIC
PARAMAGNETIC
DIAMAGNETIC

15. • FERROMAGNETIC MINERALS ARE THEMSELVES MAGNETIC (I.E., MAGNETITE AND
PYRHOTITE) AND CAN BE EASILY SEPARATED FROM OTHER MINERALS WITH A
MAGNET SINCE THEY WILL STICK TO THE POLES OF THE MAGNET.
• PARAMAGNETIC AND DIAMAGNETIC MINERALS ARE NOT MAGNETIC, BUT THEY
DIFFER IN HOW THEY INTERACT WITH A MAGNETIC FIELD. PARAMAGNETIC
MINERALS ARE WEAKLY ATTRACTED INTO A MAGNETIC FIELD AND
DIAMAGNETIC MINERALS ARE WEAKLY REPELLED BY A MAGNETIC FIELD. THUS, IF
A MIXTURE OF PARAMAGNETIC AND DIAMAGNETIC MINERALS IS PASSED
THROUGH A MAGNETIC FIELD, THEY WILL BE PULLED INTO THE FIELD
(PARAMAGNETIC) OR REPELLED FROM THE FIELD (DIAMAGNETIC) AND MAY BE
SEPARATED.

17. ELECTROSTATIC SEPARATION
• ELECTROSTATIC SEPARATION WORKS BECAUSE DIFFERENT MINERALS HAVING
DIFFERENT ELECTROSTATIC AFFINITIES WILL ABSORB DIFFERENT AMOUNT OF
CHARGE DEPENDING UPON THEIR COMPOSITION, AND HENCE ARE DEFLECTED IN
DIFFERENT MAGNITUDE BY AN ELECTRIC FIELD.
• IN THIS METHOD, THE GRAINS AFTER SIEVED BY SIZE, THEY ARE PLACED
THROUGH A BENEFICIATOR. AFTER A FEW PASSES THROUGH BENEFICIATORS ,
THE MINERALS WITH DIFFERENT ELECTROSTATIC AFFINITIES WILL BE SEPARATED.
THE RESULTANT MATERIAL IS COLLECTED IN DIFFERENT BINS WHEREBY THE
ENRICHED PORTION OF THE DESIRED MINERAL IS CALLED THE "CONCENTRATE"
AND THE REST OF THE OUTPUT IS CALLED THE "GANGUE" OR "TAILINGS".

19. FROTH FLOTATION
• FROTH FLOTATION IS AN IMPORTANT CONCENTRATION PROCESS. THIS PROCESS
CAN BE USED TO SEPARATE ANY TWO DIFFERENT PARTICLES AND OPERATED BY
THE SURFACE CHEMISTRY OF THE PARTICLES. IN FLOTATION, BUBBLES ARE
INTRODUCED INTO A PULP AND THE BUBBLES RISE THROUGH THE PULP. IN THE
PROCESS, HYDROPHOBIC PARTICLES BECOME BOUND TO THE SURFACE OF THE
BUBBLES.
• SULFIDE AND NON-SULFIDE MINERALS AS WELL AS NATIVE METALS ARE
RECOVERED BY FROTH FLOTATION. THIS PROCESS IS BASED ON THE ABILITY OF
CERTAIN CHEMICALS TO MODIFY THE SURFACE PROPERTIES OF THE MINERAL.

20. • DIFFERENT CHEMICALS ARE USED IN FROTH FLOTATION TO ENHANCE THE
PROCESS. THEY ARE- A)FROTHERS (PINE OIL, ALCOHOL, LOW MOLECULAR
WEIGHT POLYPROPYLENE GLYCOL)
B)COLLECTORS (OILS, XANTHATES, DITHIOPHOSPHATES,
PETROLEUM SULFONATES, FATTY AMINES)
C)DEPRESSANTS(IRON SULPHIDES,
DIETHYLENETETRAMINE, TRIETHYENETETRAMINE, CARBONCEOUS GANGUE
DEPRESSANTS)

21. FLOTATION CHAMBER

23. FROTH FLOTATION IN MNEERAL PROCESSING
PLANT

24. COMPLEX MINERAL PROCESSING PLANT
• IN THIS METHOD TWO OR MORE MINERAL SEPARATION METHODS ARE
COMBINED TO CONCENTRATE THE DESIRED MINERAL. THEY ARE USED IN MIXED
MINES WHERE THE ORES ARE MIXED.
• SOME OF THE MIXED TECHNOLOGIES ARE-
A) FLOTATION AND GRAVITY SEPARATION
B) FLOTATION AND MAGNETIC SEPARATION
C) GRAVITY AND MAGNETIC SEPARATION
D) FLOTATION GRAVITY FLOTATION AND MAGNETIC
SEPARATION

25. OBJECTIVE OF MINERAL BENEFICATION
• TO INCREASE THE METAL CONTENT OF THE ORE.
• TO REDUCE THE GANGUE CONTENT SO AS TO LOWER THE SLAG FORMED IN
EXTRACTION OF METAL.
• TO DECREASE THE THERMAL ENERGY REQUIRED TO SEPARATE LIQUID METAL
FROM MINERAL

26. IMPACT OF MINERAL BENEFICATION ON THE
ENVIRONMENT
• POLLUTION OF WATER BY EFFLUENTS FROM RESIDUAL LIQUIDS OF FROTH
FLOTATION AND ALSO BY WASHING OF ORE MATERIAL.
• NOISE IS PRODUCED BY GRINDING BLASTING ETC. AND BY THE HEAVY
MACHINERIES USED IN THE BENEFICIATION PROCESS.
• DESTRUCTION OF LAND BY IMPROPER DUMPING OF GANGUE MATERIAL.
• ENERGY A HUGE AMOUNT OF ENERGY IS WASTED IS THE TECHNOLOGY USED
FOR PROCESSING IS OUTDATES.

27. CONCLUSSION
AN ORE IS A NATURALLY OCCURING MATRERIAL WHOSE METALIC
MINERAL CONTENT IS HIGH. THE PROCESS BY WHICH VALUABLE CONTENT OF
AN ORE IS CONCENTRATED OR SEPARATED BY MEANS OF PHYSICAL
SEPARATON IS KNOWN AS MINERAL BENEFICIATION. AMONG THE VARIOUS
TYPES OF METHODS USED SUITABLE ONES ARE TO BE CHOSEN TO
CONCENTRATE THE MINERAL CONTENT FROM THE ORE BASED UPON THE
NATURE OF THE ORE.
THE PORCESS OF MINERAL BENIFICIATION CAUSES SERIOUS
ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS AND MUST NOT BE OVERLOOKED. NECESSARY
STEPS MUST BE TAKEN UP DURING AND AFTER TO EDUC SUCH RISK.

28. REFFERENCE
• MINERAL PROCESSING- BY M R PYROR
• MINERAL PROCESSING- BY SK JAIN
• HTTPS://EN.WIKIPEDIA.ORG/WIKI/MINERAL_PROCESSING
• HTTP://WWW.TULANE.EDU/~SANELSON/
• HTTP://EPSC.WUSTL.EDU/GEOCHRONOLOGY/FRANTZ.HTM