Explore our industry-leading mineral processing equipment

Mineral processing - also known as ore dressing or beneficiation – is the process by which valuable metals and minerals are separated from their ores and turned into a saleable product. Mineral processing involves a combination of process steps, including comminution (crushing and grinding), screening and classifying, concentration (flotation, gravity separation), dewatering, pyrometallurgical processes, and sampling and analysis. 

Mining operations comprise an initial extraction stage, whereby raw ore is removed from the ground, either at the surface or underground. The ore is then transported out of the mine to be processed, during which the valuable metal or mineral will be separated from the surrounding rock (gangue), leaving a waste product or tailings (gangue). 

Mineral processing comprised several stages, each requiring specific equipment. Key equipment includes primary and secondary crushers, HPGR, ball and SAG/AG mills, screens and cyclones, flotation cells, magnetic and gravity separators, thickeners and clarifiers, filter presses, belt conveyors, and slurry pumps. Certain flowsheets incorporate pyrometallurgical equipment, such as kilns, furnaces, and dryers, while others include commodity-specific equipment, e.g., precious metals recovery via Carbon ADR plants or Merrill Crowe systems. 

Pumps play a critical connective role in mining and mineral processing operations, ensuring reliable and efficient material transport (in the form of slurry) between processing steps from the mill to final concentrate and tailings deposition. 

Selecting the right mineral processing equipment for a mining operation will depend on several factors. These include mineral type and characteristics, target capacity, cost and budget, maintenance and reliability, environmental and safety compliance, and technological integration. As a full-flowsheet provider of mineral processing equipment with a long history of process engineering, FLS is ideally placed to advise on appropriate equipment choice and process design. 

Safe and sustainable tailings are a critical issue in mineral processing. We offer a comprehensive range of solutions and innovative products for improving tailings management, including technologies to reclaim up to 95% of tailings water for reuse, and dry stacking technologies. Meanwhile, our REFLUX GradePro Classifier allows greater reprocessing of tailings and a sharper focus on co-products in mineral flowsheets of the future.