Mineral Extraction
The basics:
- What is the process of extraction of minerals?
In the extraction of minerals, the main aim for large scale mining companies is to excavate large quantities of waste rock from ore deposits, and to refine and purify targeted minerals through mineral processing.
At mineral extraction sites, such as strip mines, quarries and underground mines, mineralisation (and associated waste rock) from the Earth’s crust is recuperated for profit.
Extraction sites rich in mineral resources (rich mineral/ore deposits) are profitable for mining and processing projects as resource extraction can be faster.
- How many types of extraction of minerals are there?
There are many mining and processing methods employed to extract minerals from ore, yet, when focusing on the mining aspect, there are 4 main types of mining (as indicated below).
- What are 4 types of mining?
- Underground mining (underground mines)
- Surface (open pit/strip) mining (surface mines)
- Placer mining
- In-situ leaching (or solution mining)
- What are the two major types of mining?
Mining methods can be divided into two general excavation types: open pit mining (surface mining methods) and underground mining (sub-surface).
Mining types are also dependent on the valuable mineral resources being mined. For example, coal mining differs from the method used for valuable metals found in metal ores (e.g., iron ore).
Additionally, mining types are dependent on the mineral deposit itself, and whether it consists of soft or hard rock.
View Our Mineral Extraction Products
Slurry Pumps
Complete range of slurry pumps for medium / heavy-duty cyclone feed, spirals feed, mill discharge, tailings disposal, filter feed and more.
Cyclones
Classification, dense medium and tailings dam cyclones for minerals processing, food processing, waste water treatment and more.
Spiral Concentrator
Multotec-designed spiral separators are used across the world in coal, gold, iron ore, mineral sands, platinum and chrome processing plants.
Magnetic Separators
Magnetic Separators that easily separate ferromagnetic and paramagnetic particles – and remove tramp metals – from dry solids or...
Conveyor System Solutions
Conveyor system solutions increase conveyor belt life and reduce conveying downtime through its Multolag, MATO systems and loading points.
Solid/Liquid Separation
Solid/liquid separation technologies and solutions from Multotec increase the rate of your separation, reduce waste and increase overall pro...
Mill and Scrubber Linings
Maximum protection against wear! Multotec designs and manufactures rubber and steel liners for any ball mill, SAG mill, AG mill or scrubber.
Wear Solutions
Our wear solutions provide industry-leading sliding- and impact-resistant linings for high velocity, abrasive material conveyance
Screening Media
We supply polyurethane, rubber and wedge wire modular screen panels, trommels, sieve bends, statics, baskets and more!
Reduce your overall operation costs with Multotec.
Mineral Extraction
Maximise your mineral extraction efficiency with classification and separation equipment and solutions from Multotec.
We manufacture a complete range of mineral extraction equipment, for magnetic separation, flotation and gravity concentration, ion exchange or cyclonic action processing.
We partner with our clients to ensure continuous process optimisation of their mineral extraction plant, using application-specific mineral extraction solutions that:
- Maximise your plant uptime
- Increase your process efficiency
- Increase product quality standards (consistency & reliability)
- Enhance product speed to market
With over 50 years in the global mineral processing industry, we are constantly improving and refining our solutions based on continuous research and development.
Our equipment and solutions are supported by an extensive component inventory, as well as leading global services and support, offering your operation a specific, customised solution.
Why Partner with Multotec
We partner with our customers to drive continuous plant optimisation, delivering application-specific mineral processing solutions. For over 50 years, we’ve been driven by this goal, reliably helping our customers get more from their ore.
Multotec employs industry leaders in metallurgy and process engineering to ensure mining houses across the world extract minerals more efficiently and effectively.
Additionally, with our global presence across Africa, Asia, Australia, North & South America and Europe, Multotec brings global application knowledge and experience to your local challenges.
Using a holistic approach, we partner with you to achieve your processing goals, while reducing overall costs and downtime, increasing your operation’s profits.
This is why the world’s leading mining houses partner with Multotec, to continuously enhance process flows.
R&D to enhance mineral extraction
Our R&D programme is essential to the consistent refinement of existing technologies, as well as the innovation of new products, maintaining our exceptional mineral processing methodologies.
R&D at Multotec focuses on:
- Enhancing product speed to market
- Increasing consistency & reliability of product
- Helping OEM’s assume the role of solution providers
- Recycling customer’s products (post-working life)
A core area of our R&D is the optimisation of manufacturing materials, where rapid material production and manufacture is key. For example, we develop both heavy-duty and light-duty rubber screen panels in all shapes and forms, using a variety of compounds.
Test Work Capabilities
Multotec offers cutting-edge operations with full plant and process audits and optimisation, equipment retrofitting and extensive R&D resources.
We invest in our test work capabilities, allowing for intensive R&D to develop new or expand our existing industry products.
Our capabilities include test and development work on:
- Spiral concentrators
- Classification cyclones
- Magnetic separators
- Samplers
- Laboratory-scale filtration
- Centrifuge equipment
Additionally, we offer our own 3D printing facility to produce equipment prototypes for customers quickly and effectively, bringing design work to life.
