Gravity Concentration, one of the oldest mineral beneficiation processes, has evolved over the decades and continues to play an important role in modern mineral processing operations.

Gravity concentration, where applicable and effective, has the lowest installed and operating costs when compared with other beneficiation technologies. It also tends to have the lowest environmental impact as gravity concentration does not require the use of chemicals and reagents. Hence, with the recent increases in energy, capital and operating costs as well as environmental concerns, gravity is often one of the first processes evaluated for new flowsheets.

In the case of gold and other precious metals, modern gravity concentration equipment can easily generate saleable concentrates and provide quick cash flow at a relatively small capital cost.

Finally, gravity concentration provides the versatility for treating a wide particle size range. Using pre-concentration as an example, devices such as jigs and spirals can be used for coarser particle size classes while proven enhanced gravity concentrators can be used for scavenging fine particles. Modern centrifugal concentrators are routinely effective down to 20 microns. Good performance to below 10 Microns has been demonstrated in some cases.