ABSTRACT
The Run-of-Mine (ROM) economic mineral is rarely saleable as such. In the olden days, the saleable material used to be handpicked. Now a days, we have a whole array of technologies to process the ROM to suit the specifications of the consumer. The beneficiation process has to take into account (1) the market specifications, (2) techno-economic viability and minimum costs, (3) ecological sustainability, (4) national policy, and government regulations, etc.. If the ore is polymetallic, the flowsheet is adjusted so as to produce more of the metal for which there is a strong current demand. For instance, due to demand in high-tech applications, particularly the cell phones, the market price of tantalum has shot up from USD 66 to 264/kg. Thus, when tantalum ores, such as fergusonite, samarskite, euxenite, etc. are to be processed, the flowsheet should be so designed as to be able to achieve the maximum recovery of tantalum, in preference to other associated elements such as cerium earths, thorium, etc.
