Mining of Ores, their processing and supply at the hands of leading mining suppliers

by Kompass India General Manager

Mining refers to the extraction of minerals from the earth by excavating a part of the land. Mineral ores, like metals, coals, limestone and gravel, etc. are mined from the earth. Basically, those substances which cannot be created or developed in a lab or grown by the means of agriculture are procured from inside the earth. The metallic ores that are dug out of the mines are not pure and contains many unwanted particles which need to be removed before using those ores for any beneficial purpose. The process of cleansing the ore and transforming them into valuable metals and minerals is called refining. After going through the refining process, this ore becomes pure and ready to be used in industries or in domestic use.

Various minerals and metals mined in India

· Manganese dioxide

· Coal

· Iron ores

· Gold and silver

· Aluminium

· Copper

Processing of mineral ores

The minerals and metals which are excavated in the mining process are impure and need to be refined and processed before they can be put to any industrial use. Different ores have different processing and refining process and time duration. The processing of these ores is also dependent on the location at which theses are mined. Coal, for example, is mostly mined in Dhanbad and adjoining areas and is usually refined at Bokaro which is near to Dhanbad. The processing of metallic ores (beneficiation) involves many processes and various techniques like grinding, milling and separation. These are physical processes which render the ore concentrate. This process is followed by metallurgical extraction where the concentrated ore is broken down to recover the desired metals or compounds. Sometimes these processes are bypassed by the process known as Heap leaching, where the ore is directly crushed and subjected to hydrometallurgical extraction of the ore to produce the minerals. Heap leaching is mostly done in mine sites.

Processes involved in processing of ores:

· Ore crushing

· Grinding or milling

· Mineral separation and concentration

· Thickening and drying

· Metallurgical Extraction by vat leaching and Heap leaching etc.

Mining suppliers and the products

Mining suppliers in India deal with many mining products like HC / MC Ferro Manganese, Silico Manganese, Manganese Oxide (MnO),DI Pipe and Ferro Titanium, etc. Apart from these products other ferrous and manganese ores are also supplied. Various grades and qualities of these alloys are supplied depending on their use in the industry.

Various qualities and grades of ferrous and manganese alloy supplied:

Ferrous alloys:

· HC/MC/LC Ferro Manganese

· Silico Manganese

Manganese Oxide Ores:

· Industrial Grade

· Feed Grade

Manganese Dioxide

· 50-52% Grade

· 72-74% Grade

· 78-80% Grade

Uses of these minerals in Industry:

Use of minerals and metals in industries is wide spread and virtually no industry can survive without mining suppliers supplying these minerals. Some of the common uses of minerals in industries are:

· Coal is used in thermal industry for generating power and almost every industry to run boilers to generate steam.

· Antimony is used in rubber, chemical and textile industries.

· Copper is used in electrical and pharmaceutical industry.

· Aluminium is used in aviation industry and other such industries.