Mining Industry Profile: Iron 1-12 1.4 IRON MIN

Mining Industry Profile: Iron
1-12
1.4
IRON MINING PRACTICES
Extraction, beneficiation, and processing of iron ore produces iron or steel. "Extraction" is defined as
removing ore material from a deposit and encompasses all activities prior to beneficiation.

"Beneficiation" of iron includes concentration, generally by physical removal of unwanted gangue; also
considered beneficiation is the regulation of product size, or other steps such as agglomeration to
improve its chemical or physical characteristics prior to processing. Processing of the concentrated
product into iron or steel typically involves the use of pyrometallurgical techniques (U.S. DOI, Bureau
of Mines 1968; United States Steel 1973). As discussed in the introduction, processing operations are
beyond the purview of this paper.

Historically, most iron ore was simply crushed and shipped directly to a blast furnace. Currently, some
ores are high enough in iron content (greater than 50 percent) to be sent directly to furnaces without
beneficiation activities other than crushing and washing. Most ores extracted today, however, must
undergo a number of beneficiation procedures to upgrade the iron content and prepare the concentrate
for the blast furnace. Technological advancements at blast furnace operations require ore feed of a
specific size, structure, and chemical make-up for optimum efficiency (Weiss 1985).