Iron Ore Flotation - Historical Perspective and Future Prospects

Since the oil crises in the 1970s, the mining industry in the developed countries has faced strong competition from developing countries. In order for the North American iron ore industry to remain competitive with high-grade overseas sources, research on low-cost beneficiation methods that ensure high-quality and uniform-quality products must be maintained in order to prepare for ever-tightening specifications on iron making raw materials for blast furnaces and also for the future iron- and steelmaking processes that can directly utilize finely ground concentrates.