Mineral processing is the process of separating commercially valuable minerals from their ores. The first step is called comminution, which involves reducing solid materials from one average particle size to a smaller average particle size, typically through crushing or grinding. The next step is either Pyrometallurgy (the use of heat) or Hydrometallurgy (the use of acid) to separate the valuable metals from the ore. A novel technology using living bacteria to separate metals from ore is in development. One example is Viridian Biometals, which spun out of Impossible Metals.
It has been demonstrated that existing pyrometallurgy and/or hydrometallurgy processes can be used to process nodules. Typically, existing mineral processing plants require modifications to extract multiple metals from the nodules.
