Pelletizing is a process that involves mixing very finely ground particles of iron ore fines with additives like bentonite and then shaping them into near oval/spherical balls having sizes in the range of 8 mm to 16 mm in diameter with a pelletizer and hardening the balls by firing with a fuel. It is an agglomerating process of converting iron ore fines into ‘uniformed sized iron ore pellets’ which can be charged directly into a blast furnace (BF) or into a vertical furnace or rotary kiln normally used for the production of direct reduced iron (DRI).

The most common types of copper ore are copper oxide and copper sulfide. Copper oxides are more abundant near the surface, but are considered low-grade ore. Copper sulfide ore, which accounts for 80% of the copper resource, is the major source of metallic copper. Copper processing is a complicated process that begins with the mining of the ore (less than 1% copper) and ends with sheets of 99.99% pure copper called cathodes. Copper and molybdenum are frequently found together as sulfides in ore bodies throughout the world, and are customarily removed from these ore bodies and separated from each other by differential froth flotation.

Both lead and zinc occur together in nature due to their similar precipitation condition. Though lead-zinc is found in either sulfide or oxide or mixed (sulfide-oxide) complex form, it is primarily beneficiated from sulfide deposits. Lead-zinc ores are treated with different beneficiation techniques according to their mineralogical and textural characteristic. Generally, froth flotation is used to treat mined lead-zinc ore. In some places, gravity concentration is used for pre-concentration/beneficiation purposes.

Due to its complexities, Coal washing is different from the processing of other minerals. Not only in the reconnaissance stage but also in the selection of different washing methods and process design, the usual processing methods cannot be used in coal washing.

An alloy is a mixture or solid solution composed of metals. Similarly, Ferroalloys are a mixture of Iron with a high proportion of other elements like manganese, aluminum, or silicon. Alloying improves physical properties like density, reactivity, young’s modulus, electrical and thermal conductivity, etc. The ferroalloys industry is very closely related to the iron and steel industry since ferroalloys are used extensively in steelmaking, and in iron or steel foundries.

Material handling is an inseparable part of processing plants. At the beginning, after mining in the mine, and at the end, when the product is to be transported and stored, material handling plays a key role in the efficiency and profitability of processing plants. The primary function of this system is to continuously transport and supply bulk material to the units in the processing plants. Another common goal is the storage and blending of materials.

Mine mechanization, especially the mechanization of underground hard rock mines provides a large potential for reduced costs and improved profitability. It appears that the development of mechanization for fundamentally new mining systems will require complex joint ventures involving mining companies, equipment suppliers, governments, and academic partners working together on a long-term commitment. These technical joint ventures will require long-term commitments of capital to produce the technology that will be required for mechanizing the underground mines of the future.

In recent times, mining plant investors have shown a higher interest in the dewatering and filtration sectors of beneficiation plants. This is due to growing concerns about water scarcity and environmental impact. Countries facing water stress, as well as those with strong environmental policies, consider the amount of water consumed in mineral projects as a crucial factor in feasibility studies. In the past, due to issues related to the quality of the product and the possibility of its convenient transportation, only the dewatering and filtration of the product was important, but nowadays, the dewatering of tailings is important too.

Mineral processing plants are crucial for extracting valuable minerals from ores. To improve the efficiency and profitability of these plants, advanced techniques, and optimization methods are essential. Optimization methods in mineral processing plants can improve their efficiency, reduce costs, and increase profitability.