mineral processing (redirected from ore processing)

mineral processing

 or ore dressing

Mechanical treatment of crude ores to separate the valuable minerals. Mineral processing was at first applied only to ores of precious metals but later came to be used to recover other metals and nonmetallic minerals. It is also used during coal preparation to enrich the value of raw coal. The primary operations are comminution and concentration. Comminution is carried out by large jaw crushers and by smaller cylindrical grinding mills. Common methods of concentration are gravity separation and flotation separation. Gravity methods include jigging (ground ore is fed into a pulsating body of water so that the heavier mineral fractions settle out, leaving lighter wastes at the top) or washing the ore down inclined planes, spirals, or shaking tables so that mineral and waste fractions settle in different areas. See also beneficiation; mining.

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mineral processing [′min·rəl ′prä‚ses·iŋ]

(mining engineering)

Procedures, such as dry and wet crushing and grinding of ore or other products containing minerals, to raise the concentration of the substance being mined.