The mining industry is a broad sector, with oil/coal/natural gas mining being the largest segment. The next largest segment is iron ore/steel mining. Crude oil is converted into petroleum and petroleum products, coal and natural gas are directly used, and iron ore is sent to smelters to make steel. 

The next segment in the mining industry is the mining of non-ferrous metals (non-iron type metals) like Copper, Zinc, Lead, silver, gold, nickel, cobalt, molybdenum, and cadmium. The ore obtained in these cases has only >1 to 15% mineral content. Hence, further ore processing is required to purify the mineral with a 35-60% metal content. The beneficiation process that is generally used is froth flotation.

The froth floatation process is like a glorified washing machine in which various chemicals like detergents, fabric softeners, and bleaches are added to clean the ore. The only major difference between froth flotation and a washing machine is we are trying to selectively pick up the >1 to 15% mineral from the ore.

The various chemicals used in the froth floatation process:

Frothers: Create high-quality froth that does not collapse immediately.

Collector: This is the main detergent that selectively extracts the mineral from the ore and brings it to the froth.

Activators: These bind to the surface of the mineral, activating the surface so that the collector can selectively pick the metal.

Modifiers: Change a mineral's characteristics and ensure it attaches to the collector.

Depressants: They are used to suppress impurities like graphite that may form in the froth and reduce the purity of the collected metal.

The chemical recipe changes depending on the geological mix of ore and the mineral content. There are geological variations from one mine site to another. There are several belts of mine sites across the world. Some of the largest mines are located in :

• African belt
• Iran - Saudi Arabia belt (expanding very quickly)
• Russia – Central Asian belt
• South American Belt
• South-East Asia - Australian belt

This industry is truly a global industry, but most of the chemicals required are made only in China.