Ore sorting is often thought of in terms of particle sorting. And when the technology is first considered, geologists rush off to collect a few hundred rocks and soon after a few hundred kilograms of bulk sample for testing.
However, a more holistic approach, which also considers bulk sorting and screening, starts by first evaluating the heterogeneity of a deposit and then using that knowledge for representative sampling and testing. Once these analyses and testing are complete, an integrated solution of appropriate technologies can be “sorted”.
This paper steps through these cost effective methods and ends with examples of different flowsheet options for combining screening, bulk sorting and particle sorting.
