TREATMENT OF ORES
In concentrating wulfenite ores some form of table concentration, with the addition of slimers, is generally used. The metallurgical treatment of the concentrates varies and is still very much in the experimental stage. There is opportunity for the development of a process that will give the patentee a considerable advantage over competitors. The Bureau of Mines has been working on this problem and has recently devised a method that seems to be as efficient as any other and possibly has some additional advantages.
In the treatment of molybdenite the same methods are almost universally used. First the ore is crushed to the required fineness and the molybdenite is separated by flotation, largely oil flotation. The metallurgy of the concentrate, now more or less standardized, involves roasting the concentrate to the oxide and treating this oxide in an electric furnace for the production of ferromolybdenum. With small improvements, this practice is likely to be maintained for some time to come.