Gangue makes up more than 90 percent of the composition of sulfide ore, yet for most of the past century the focus has overwhelmingly been on value minerals, with comparatively little effort expended on their lowly cousin.
The tide is turning, however. “Managing gangue minerals has come to play a decisive role in effective mineral processing and extractive metallurgy. Declining ore grades have made this an urgent concern at many mining operations,” said Yongjun Peng, professor at the University of Queensland in Australia.
