Mineral processing, a picture is worth a thousand words!

The old adage “a picture is worth a thousand words” still holds true. When it comes to understanding a concept or a process, a flowchart is also worth a thousand words… or even more! We’d even say that in our industry, it’s the perfect tool for understanding processing at a glance; you get a global view of the whole process, from the very first contact with the ore to the final steps. That’s why we’ve created a series of videos representing and summarizing the process for our 5 industries.

Each short video is a comprehensive, self-explanatory tool. They can be used to understand how processing works, including the tools, equipment and operations needed to arrive at the final product.

Lithium and Rare Earth Industry

What is lithium? “A soft silver-white metallic element, the lightest metal.” Source: Canadian Oxford Dictionary. 

The demand for lithium and rare earth metals is increasing, especially since they’re used in new technologies and batteries for electric vehicles. In fact, lithium is often called “white oil” and its value is increasing everywhere, especially in Canada. 

This short video featuring a flow sheet detailing every step of the process required to transform lithium:

• From the dune…
• to the cyclone and screening process… 
• to the primary drying circuit and final steps: watch our video
   

Diamond Mining Industry

What is a diamond? “A precious stone of great brilliance and hardness.” Source: Canadian Oxford Dictionary.

Diamonds are mined for use in several industries, including jewelry, industrial tools and equipment and the high-tech sector. The 5 main steps in processing diamond ore are: 

• Crushing 
• Screening 
• Washing 
• Concentration 
• Recovery
   

To learn the steps involved in diamond beneficiation, watch our video.

Iron Mining Industry

What is iron? “A silver-white ductile metallic element […] much used for tools and implements.” Source: Canadian Oxford Dictionary. 

Several types of iron ore exist; the most common types are magnetite, hematite and siderite. A large percentage of iron ore is used to make steel, mostly for construction, automobile manufacturing and even creating cooking tools like pots and pans! Processing iron ore involves:  

• Screening
• Crushing and storage
• Recovery, grinding and separation (using processing equipment like cyclones, samplers and spirals) 
   

To view the video we have prepared and see the process: lien vidéo 

Gold Mining Industry

What is gold? “A yellow, malleable, ductile, high density metallic element.” Source: Canadian Oxford Dictionary. 

Gold is found in the form of:

• Nuggets
• Fine granules 
• Flakes 
• Microscopic particles encrusted in other rocks
   

Gold extraction and processing are very useful to modern societies. Gold is mainly used for industrial purposes, including electronics, dentistry and many others.

To get a quick view of the process, watch our video: lien vidéo

Coal mining industry

What is coal? “A hard black or blackish substance, mainly carbonized plant matter… used as a fuel.” Source: Canadian Oxford Dictionary. 

Coal has been used for a very long time as a fuel and energy source, though its use has changed remarkably in recent decades. It used to be sorted by hand, but modern equipment has made the sorting process much simpler. Today, coal processing involves tools like:

• DMS cyclones 
• Samplers 
• Spirals 
   

All of these do a very efficient job of separating, sorting and washing coal. See how they work together to create a final product: lien vidéo

If you’d like more information about our expert mineral processing solutions, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us. We’d love to hear from you!

Sources:
Lexico.com
wikipedia.org/ore
wikipedia.org/wiki/Mining
wikipedia.org/wiki/Mineral processing
Multotec.ca