What is mineral and metallurgy processing?

We like to describe mineral and metallurgy processing as the post-extraction steps used to refine ore concentrate into pure or engineered ingredient materials. In the extraction workflow, raw ore is extracted from the earth and separated from waste materials into an ore concentrate. This ore concentrate is then sent to a refining facility where the mineral or metallurgical processing workflow begins. This workflow can consist of any number of chemical, physical, and thermal unit operations to produce refined commodities and advanced blends.

Minerals are defined as solid earth-borne substances that possess a crystallographic structure, a well-defined chemical profile, and are formed from naturally occurring geological processes. Examples include limestone, quartz, iron, marble, and coal.

Metallurgy is defined as the material science and engineering domain that deals with metallic elements. Some metals are minerals as they are naturally occurring, such as iron and copper. However, most metallurgy applications today focus on engineered metals, which result from combining and processing mixes of multiple raw metals and other ingredients. Examples include steel, stainless steel, aluminum, titanium, and similar alloys.