What is enrichment?
In order to extract the valuable metals and minerals from the ore, the ore needs to be enriched. In the enrichment process, the minerals’ physical and chemical differences are used.
Did you know that:
When the ore is mined, it is first taken to crushing and grinding. The mineral grains are now so small and so exposed that their differences in properties can be exploited to separate out valuable substances. As an example, iron is often separated from the iron ore via magnetic separation.
In the Skellefteå field, there are several beneficiation plants.
At the end of the enrichment process, when the valuable metals have been collected in a sufficiently high concentration, a so-called concentrate is formed. This concentrate is then transported from the concentrator to a smelter where the metal concentrations are further increased.
In Skelleftehamn there is a smelter that extracts, for example, pure copper, zinc and gold from the concentrate.
The waste left over after the beneficiation process is called beneficiation sand and is transported from the beneficiation plant to a facility for storage, a so-called sand warehouse.
The sand warehouse is designed to store the enrichment sand safely, while protecting the environment. High demands are therefore placed on the construction of the sand warehouse.
-Drill cores that are magnetic contain a lot of iron, eg magnetite or black ore. Bloodstone ore also contains iron but is non-magnetic.
- Ferrous minerals are often more or less magnetic. By examining drill cores from the inside of the rock, iron-containing minerals can be found with the help of magnets.
- Bloodstone ore is mined in Gällivare/malberget, while magnetite is mined in Kiruna.
- 1% of all prospecting results in ore mining starting.
You can find more facts here sgu.se
