Concentration is an essential step in a mineral processing plant where minerals are separated from a mixture of various substances based on their properties such as color, density, physical and chemical properties.

The nature of the mineral to be processed in the mineral processing plant largely determines the method of concentration to be used in mineral processing.

Different methods are adopted for concentration in mineral processing:Optical SeparationMinerals with visibly different colors can be easily separated from the rest of the mixture.

For minerals with minor color variations, exposure to infrared rays, visible or ultraviolet rays result amplifies the color difference.Gravity SeparatorA gravity separator works based on the difference in the density of various particles in the mixture.

The undesired material or gangue is usually the lightest and floats on top.

The useful minerals settle at the bottom and can be separated form there using other methods.Flotation Separator This is the most widely used method of concentration and can be used to separate minerals that may not be separated using any other equipment.