Mineral in the

Society
How it is mined and processed?
 Table of contents

01
Finding
02 03 04
Mining Processing Distributing
Ore Minerals What happens next?
Mining and Methods How is it processed?
What is it?
 01 Finding Ore Minerals
Geologists study geological formations and
then test the physical and chemical properties
of soil and rocks to locate possible ores and
determine their size and concentration.
Ore Minerals

• Natural occurrence of rock or sediment

• Extracted by mining
• Ore quality, and density of the ore can directly
affect the ore mining costs.
Types of Ore
There are many types of ore minerals, each associated with different metals or valuable
minerals. Some common ore minerals include

Hematite An iron ore mineral.

Galena Contains lead and is a

lead ore mineral.

Chalcopyrite Contains copper and is a

copper ore mineral.

Bauxite The primary ore of

aluminum.

Cassiterite Contains tin and is a tin

ore mineral.
Types of Ore
There are many types of ore minerals, each associated with different metals or valuable
minerals. Some common ore minerals include
Iron ore is used to produce steel, which is
essential for construction, manufacturing, and
Hematite transportation (cars, trains, etc.).

Lead-acid batteries, used in cars and

Galena
uninterruptible power supplies, contain lead.

Chalcopyrite Copper is used in electrical wiring, plumbing,

and electronic devices
Bauxite is the primary source of aluminum,
Bauxite
used in construction materials, and automotive
parts.
Cassiterite Tin is used in the production of solder for
electronics and as a coating for food cans.
Importance

Resource Industrial Economic

Extraction Applications Value
Ore minerals are the Many ore minerals are Mining and processing
primary source of used in the production of ore minerals contribute
valuable metals. materials and products significantly to a
country's economy
02
Mining
 Mining
• The process of extracting valuable
minerals or other geological materials
from the Earth for economic use.
• Encompasses a wide range of methods
and techniques
 2 Methods of Mining

Surface Mining Underground Mining

It allows extraction of ores that It is used to recover ores that are
are close to the earth’s surface. deeper into the earth’s surface.
Overlying rock is blasted, and Miners blast and tunnel into rock
the rock that contains the to gain access to the ores. More
valuable minerals is placed in a expensive and uses explosives
truck and taken to a refinery. too.
Open-pit Mining

Most Used to mine minerals

close to surface
common

Used to mine Does not require

Gravel extractive methods or
tunnels.
Strip Mining

controversial removal of overlying

vegetation
practice

significant large sections of the

environmental Earth's surface are
removed
impacts
Dredging Mining

3 types of mining materials from

the bottom of a body
Dredging
of water

used to excavate
Suction,Bucket,
underwater sediments
Cutterhead
 Mountaintop
Removal

Removes the top of a

mountain to remove
deposits not accessible
by other techniques.
 Placer Mining

Extracting mineral in a
deposit of sand, containing
particles of a valuable
mineral.
 Underground Mining
• It is used to recover ores that are deeper into
the earth’s surface. Miners blast and tunnel
into rock to gain access to the ores.
• Underground mining is very expensive and
dangerous. Fresh air and lights must also be
brought into the tunnels for the miners, and
accidents are far too common.
 Underground Mining

Accessing valuable
Accessing the mineral
material by cutting Miners dig straight
by a aloping access
into the side of the down.
shaft
earth

Drift Mining Slope Mining Shaft Mining

 03 Processing
Mineral Processing is the process of
extracting minerals from the ores, refining
them and preparing these minerals for use.
Mineral Processing
The primary steps involved in processing
minerals include:
1. Sampling

2. Analysis

3. Comminution

4. Concentration

5. Dewatering
 Mineral Processing
1. Sampling is a removal of a portion which
represents a whole needed for the analysis of
this material.

2. Analysis is important to evaluate the valuable

components in an ore. This includes chemical,
mineralogical, and particle size analysis.
• Chemical analysis uses electric discharge which
excites the elements in the sample to emit a
certain spectra which will reveal the identity of the
elements as well as its concentration.
• Mineralogical analysis uses heavy liquid testing
that aims to separate the less dense, same
density, and denser materials.
• Coarsely grounded minerals are classified
according to particle size through sieving.
3. Comminution is the process where the
valuable components of the ore are separated
through crushing and grinding. This process
begins by crushing the ores to a particular size
and finishes it by grinding the ores into a
powder form.
4. Concentration involves the separation of the
valuable minerals from the raw materials.
• Optical separation is a process used in the
concentration of minerals with distinct contrasting
colors (black and white) seen with the naked eye.
• Gravity separation is a process that uses the
density of minerals as the concentrating agent
and performs a sink and float separation of water
and the grounded minerals.
• Flotation separation is the most widely
used method that makes use of the
mineral’s wettability to water or chemicals.
• Magnetic separation is a process that involves
different degrees of attraction of minerals to
magnets.
• Electrostatic separation is a process that
separates the mineral particles based on their
electric charges.
5. Dewatering uses the concentrates to
convert it to usable minerals. This involves
filtration and sedimentation of the suspension
and drying of the solid material harvested from
this suspension.
 Distribution of Valuable
04 Minerals
After processing, only the mineral is used, and
the remaining of the ore is disposed as waste.
This waste, if not handled and managed properly,
can cause serious environmental problems.
• Some minerals are valuable because
they are beautiful. Minerals like jade,
turquoise, diamonds, and emeralds are
gemstones which are cut and polished
for jewelry.
• Other minerals like coppers, nickel,
cobalt, and iron are produced in large
masses for industrial purposes.
 4. Distribution
1. Finding 2. Mining 3. Processing
Ore Mineral of Valuable
Mineral
Underground
Surface Mining
Mining Sampling
Chemical analysis
open-pit mining Analysis Mineralogical
analysis
mountain top
removal
Comminution

strip mining Concentration

Optical separation
placer mining Gravity separation
Dewatering
Flotation separation
dredging
Magnetic separation

Electrostatic separation
 Mining Waste Products and Their Management

Heavy metal wastes can seep through soil making it

poisonous for plants to grow. Water sources can be
contaminated by the acid used in the mining process.
Tailings, a by-product of milling ores, can travel from the
dump ponds into the water source of nearby
communities. In the Philippines, some of these wastes
damaged mangroves, reefs, and impaired agriculture.
It is then crucial that waste products be
controlled to prevent them from making a
more pronounced impact in our
environment. There are ways to lessen the
wastes and effects on the environment.
1. Recent improvements in technology enable
mining companies to extract more minerals from
the ores with fewer wastes in production.
2. The mining companies must be able to plan out
their sites from exploration to rehabilitation.
3. The mining company must also ensure that they
are able to restore the community that was
displaced because of their activities.
4. Tailings from mines can be zoned in
and surrounded by lands so that plants
can avoid erosion of the ponds thus
minimizing the possibility of seepage of the
tailings.
5. Mine structures should be designed at
par or even surpassing current rules and
regulations set by the government and
international standards.
6. Other mining practices include
reforestation, slope stabilization,
maintenance for dump facilities,
managing and monitoring air and
water quality, erosion control, and
water conservation.
TEST
1. This mineral is used in toothpaste because of its fluoride
content that help prevent tooth decay.
a. gold c. silica
b. feldspar d. fluorite

2. Central banks use this mineral as currency reserves.

The amount of this mineral stored in banks affects the
inflation rate of the currency of a country.
a. Gold c. silver
b. Diamond d. iron
3. Diamonds are used as primary material in cutting tools
because of its ________.
a. cost c. clarity
b. hardness d. price

4. What property of silica enables it to be a component of

some electronics?
a. It can create glass which is used for fiber optics.
b. It contains sand used for glass making.
c. It has silicon which is a metalloid.
d. It has oxygen which transmits electricity efficiently.
5. What could be the reason why some minerals cost more
than others?
a. They have more uses. c. They are scarce.
b. They are non-renewable. d. They are hard to mine.

6. How do you separate ore minerals from

unwanted rocks near the surface of the earth?
a. magnetic separation c. surface mining
b. flotation d. underground mining
7. What method of mining involves digging of tunnels to
extract the ore deposits?
a. magnetic separation c. surface mining
c. flotation d. underground mining

8. It is a type of analysis that uses heavy - liquid testing

which aims to know the less dense, same density, and
denser material from the given samples.
a. comminution c. mineralogical analysis
b. concentration d. chemical analysis
9. Which is NOT true about the process of concentration?
a. It involves the separation of the valuable minerals from
the raw materials.
b. It involves different degrees of attraction of minerals to
magnets
c. It involves flotation separation
d. It involves crushing and grinding

10. The by-product of milling ores that are usually dumped

in a pond or a water reservoir are _________.
a. acid c. pollutants
b. wastes d. tailings