Introduction
Ore sorting is the original concentration process,
having probably been used by the earliest metal
workers several thousand years ago. It involves the
appraisal of individual ore particles and the rejection
of those particles that do not warrant further
treatment.
Hand sorting has declined in importance due
to the need to treat large quantities of low-grade
ore which requires extremely fine grinding. Hand
sorting of some kind, however, is still practised
at some mines, even though it may only be the
removal of large pieces of timber, tramp iron, etc.
from the run-of-mine ore.
Electronic ore-sorting equipment was first
produced in the late 1940s, and although its application
is fairly limited, it is an important technique for
the processing of certain minerals