MINERALS IN THE SOCIETY:

HOW MINERAL ORES ARE FOUND,

MINED AND PROCESSED
for EARTH SCIENCE/ Grade 11
Quarter 1 / Week 3

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 FOREWORD

Mining is the process of extracting minerals that are

necessary to maintain the high quality of life we now enjoy in this
modern, high-tech world in which we live. Minerals are basic and
essential raw materials in our daily lives, and are vital for
economic, social, and technological development.

Minerals are used in infrastructures, in agriculture to improve

soil, in technology, and are used in our daily living.

This Self - Learning Kit will serve as a guide to recognize

essential minerals in the society. Through this learning kit, students
will identify important minerals and their importance to human
lives and to surroundings. This will also give information to learners
on the processes on how ore minerals found, mined, and
processed.

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 OBJECTIVES

K - Enumerate the different minerals that are important in the

society.
S - Describe how ore minerals are mined and processed; and
A - Cite ways on how to prevent or lessen the environmental
impacts resulting from the exploitation, extraction, and use of
mineral resources.

LEARNING COMPETENCIES

➢ Identify the minerals important to society (S11ESS-Ic-7)

➢ Describe how ore minerals are found, mined, and processed

for human use (S11ESS-Ic-8)

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I. WHAT HAPPENED

PRE-ACTIVITY: Spot the Minerals!

Directions: Spot ten minerals found in this kitchen. Answer in your

notebook.

Source: https://link.quipper.com/en/organizations/547ffb03d276d0002002352/curriculum#curriculum

Answers:
1. _________________ 6. _______________________
2. _________________ 7. _______________________
3. _________________ 8. _______________________
4. _________________ 9. _______________________
5. _________________ 10. ______________________

Question:
1. How many of those minerals spotted above can be found in
your home too? What are they?

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II. What I NEED TO KNOW

DISCUSSION

What did you have for breakfast this morning? Chances are,
you have already encountered a mineral and even ingested it
without even noticing. Can you guess what mineral that is?

Salt, a mineral from halite, is one of the essential minerals that

we always use at home. It makes food tastier and brings out the
flavor of what you are eating. Can you imagine life without salt?
Picture this. You are like watching television in black and white. It
shows you different landscapes, sceneries, and objects but the
colors are the same -- black and white. Dull isn't it? Just like in food,
if there is no salt added, even if the presentation is beautiful, the
food will still taste bland. That is how important salt is.

One may not realize it, but minerals are important in our lives.
From morning until one sleep, people interact with minerals.
Minerals are components of materials we use, buildings we build,
and assets we keep. That is how important minerals are in our
everyday life.

Home and Personal Use

Aside from salt, other minerals compose some of the items

and equipment found in our houses. Feldspar is a component for
ceramics, glassware, and pottery. It is also an ingredient in making
soaps. Fluorite is also used in ceramics and pottery. It is commonly
known as a component of toothpaste in the form of fluoride. Gold,
silver, and platinum are made into pieces of jewelry and other
important articles at home. Quartz is used to produce glass and
fiberglass usually used at home.

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Electronics, Infrastructure, and Manufacturing

Numerous minerals are important to infrastructure and

manufacturing. A very good example of this is copper. Copper
serves as an important material in electronics and wiring because
of its conductive properties. Silver is utilized in electronics for the
same reason. Silica is a mineral that contains silicon, a metalloid
that has some properties of metals such as the ability to conduct
electricity. Tungsten and molybdenum are used widely for the
filament in incandescent bulbs because of their high melting
points. Iron ores are used for stainless steel production. Barium,
chromite, cobalt, copper, molybdenum, and nickel serve as alloys
in the production of other metals. Bauxite is an ore where
aluminum is derived. It is important to produce cement for
construction. Copper and lead are also utilized widely in the
construction field. Quartz, in the form of sand, is also valuable in
construction and manufacturing. Graphite, known in your pencil
"lead”, can also be used in manufacturing.

Economics

Mining of minerals contribute to the gross domestic product

(GDP) of a country. Gold is used as a reserve and serves as a
backup for currencies. The amount of reserves of gold correlates
to inflation. If the central bank of a country buys gold, the
country’s currency is affected because of the fluctuations in the
supply and demand of the currency.

Precious Minerals and Other Uses

Some minerals are used as gemstones. Rubies and sapphires

contain aluminum oxide. Emeralds are from the mineral beryl.

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Quartz is also considered as a semi-precious mineral. Diamond, a
form of carbon, is considered as the most precious mineral. It is
also the hardest mineral (10 on the Mohs Scale). Though
commonly used for jewelry, some uncut diamonds are placed as
additive for metal cutters because of its hardness.
In some cases, minerals are used in the medical field.
Examples of these minerals are barium that is a helpful additive to
medicine in X-rays of the digestive system, and iron which is used
to treat anemia.

Minerals are naturally occurring, inorganic solids with a definite

chemical composition and a crystal lattice structure. Although
thousands of minerals on earth have been identified, just ten
minerals make up most of the volume of the earth’s crust–
plagioclase, quartz, orthoclase, amphibole, pyroxene, olivine,
calcite, biotite, garnet, and clay.

Quick Facts

Copper and molybdenum mines located in Negros Oriental

contribute to the production of wires, coins, construction supplies,
and automotive parts in the Philippines.

Which city/cities in Negros Oriental are these mines located?

How are these mineral ores processed for human use?

Step 1: Finding Minerals

Geologists study geological formations and then test the

physical and chemical properties of soil and rocks to locate
possible ores and determine their size and concentration.

*A mineral deposit will only be mined if it is profitable.

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Step 2: Mining

Surface Mining. It allows extraction of ores that are close to

the earth’s surface. Overlying rock is blasted, and the rock that
contains the valuable minerals is placed in a truck and taken to a
refinery.
Surface mining includes open-pit mining and mountain top
removal. Other methods of surface mining include strip mining,
placer mining, and dredging.

Underground Mining. It is used to recover ores that are deeper

into the earth’s surface. Miners blast and tunnel into rock to gain
access to the ores. How underground mining is approached –
from above, below, or sideways – depends on the placement of
the ore body, its depth, concentration of ore, and the strength of
the surrounding rock. Underground mining is very expensive and
dangerous. Fresh air and lights must also be brought into the
tunnels for the miners, and accidents are far too common.

Step 3: Processing

Mineral processing is the process of extracting minerals from

the ores, refining them and preparing these minerals for use. The
primary steps involved in processing minerals include sampling
and analysis, comminution, concentration, and dewatering.

1. Sampling is a removal of a portion which represents a

whole needed for the analysis of this material.
2. Analysis is important to evaluate the valuable components
in an ore. This includes chemical, mineralogical, and
particle size analysis.
• Chemical analysis uses electric discharge which excites
the elements in the sample to emit a certain spectra
which will reveal the identity of the elements as well as its
concentration.

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 • Mineralogical analysis uses heavy liquid testing that aims
to separate the less dense, same density, and denser
materials.
• Coarsely grounded minerals are classified according to
particle size through sieving.

3. Comminution is the process where the valuable

components of the ore are separated through crushing
and grinding. This process begins by crushing the ores to a
particular size and finishes it by grinding the ores into a
powder form.
4. Concentration involves the separation of the valuable
minerals from the raw materials.

• Optical separation is a process used in the concentration

of minerals with distinct contrasting colors (black and
white) seen with the naked eye.
• Gravity separation is a process that uses the density of
minerals as the concentrating agent and performs a sink
and float separation of water and the grounded minerals.
• Flotation separation is the most widely used method that
makes use of the mineral’s wettability to water or
chemicals.
• Magnetic separation is a process that involves different
degrees of attraction of minerals to magnets.
• Electrostatic separation is a process that separates the
mineral particles based on their electric charges.

5. Dewatering uses the concentrates to convert it to usable

minerals. This involves filtration and sedimentation of the
suspension and drying of the solid material harvested from
this suspension.

Extracting metal from rock is so energy intensive that if you

recycle just 40 aluminum cans, you will save the energy
equivalent of one gallon of gasoline.

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Step 4: Distribution of Valuable Minerals

Some minerals are valuable because they are beautiful.

Minerals like jade, turquoise, diamonds, and emeralds are
gemstones which are cut and polished for jewelry. Other
minerals like coppers, nickel, cobalt, and iron are produced in
large masses for industrial purposes.

After processing, only the mineral is used, and the remaining of

the ore is disposed as waste. This waste, if not handled and
managed properly, can cause serious environmental
problems.

Mining generates a lot of wastes. For example, a mine obtains

1lb of copper. In the process of obtaining the 1lb,99 lbs. of
wastes are removed. Simply put, ore will be one percent (1%)
useful mineral and ninety-nine percent (99%) waste. Can you
imagine how much waste is produced in mining?

Mining Waste Products and Their Management

Heavy metal wastes can seep through soil making it poisonous
for plants to grow. Water sources can be contaminated by
the acid used in the mining process. Tailings, a by-product of
milling ores, can travel from the dump ponds into the water
source of nearby communities. In the Philippines, some of these
wastes damaged mangroves, reefs, and impaired agriculture.

It is then crucial that waste products be controlled to prevent

them from making a more pronounced impact in our
environment. There are ways to lessen the wastes and effects on
the environment.

1. Recent improvements in technology enable mining

companies to extract more minerals from the ores with
fewer wastes in production.

2. The mining companies must be able to plan out their sites

from exploration to rehabilitation.

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 3. The mining company must also ensure that they are able
to restore the community that was displaced because of
their activities.

4. Tailings from mines can be zoned in and surrounded by

lands so that plants can avoid erosion of the ponds thus
minimizing the possibility of seepage of the tailings.

5. Mine structures should be designed at par or even

surpassing current rules and regulations set by the
government and international standards.

6. Other mining practices include reforestation, slope

stabilization, maintenance for dump facilities, managing
and monitoring air and water quality, erosion control,
and water conservation.

There are existing laws and regulations for mining in the

Philippines. These laws aim primarily to establish rules and
regulations of mining practices in the country and to attract
foreign investors to explore the potential of minerals in the
country. At the same time, the law also intends to balance the
mining industry, the culture, and the protection of the
environment and waste management of different mining
companies.

The key to making mining sustainable is to implement and to

practice responsible mining. This entails determination from the
mining companies to do their part in abiding the law.
Companies practicing responsible mining assure that from step
one, they are looking forward to the rehabilitation steps that
they will take after their exploitation. Responsible miners also
consider the health, livelihood, and homes of the communities
that will be affected by their ventures. However, it does not end
with the mining companies. The government and residents must
also do their part in ensuring that responsible mining is
implemented.

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 Performance Task

Imagine that there will be a science contest in your

school. If you were to invent something that can be
used in your community, what would it be? Make a
model or replica of your invention.

In your notebook, explain what your invention is, what

minerals will you use, and why will you use these
minerals.

Criteria in Rating:

Product Written explanation

Originality - 10 pts. Content - 10 pts.
Uniqueness - 5 pts. Organization - 5 pts.
Workmanship - 10 pts. Grammar - 5 pts.
Total - 25 pts. Total - 20 pts.

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III. What I Have Learned

EVALUATION/POST TEST

Direction: Choose the best answer. Write your answer in the

notebook.

1. This mineral is used in toothpaste because of its fluoride content

that help prevent tooth decay.
a. gold c. silica
b. feldspar d. fluorite
2. Central banks use this mineral as currency reserves. The amount
of this mineral stored in banks affects the inflation rate of the
currency of a country.
a. Gold c. silver
b. Diamond d. iron
3. Diamonds are used as primary material in cutting tools because
of its ________.
a. cost c. clarity
b. hardness d. price
4. What property of silica enables it to be a component of some
electronics?
a. It can create glass which is used for fiber optics.
b. It contains sand used for glass making.
c. It has silicon which is a metalloid.
d. It has oxygen which transmits electricity efficiently.
5. What could be the reason why some minerals cost more than
others?
a. They have more uses. c. They are scarce.
b. They are non-renewable. d. They are hard to mine.
6. How do you separate ore minerals from unwanted rocks near
the surface of the earth?
a. magnetic separation c. surface mining
b. flotation d. underground mining

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 7. What method of mining involves digging of tunnels to extract
the ore deposits?
a. magnetic separation c. surface mining
b. flotation d. underground mining
8. It is a type of analysis that uses heavy - liquid testing which aims
to know the less dense, same density, and denser material
from the given samples.
a. comminution c. mineralogical analysis
b. concentration d. chemical analysis
9. Which is NOT true about the process of concentration?
a. It involves the separation of the valuable minerals from
the raw materials.
b. It involves different degrees of attraction of minerals to
magnets
c. It involves flotation separation
d. It involves crushing and grinding
10. The by-product of milling ores that are usually dumped in a
pond or a water reservoir are _________.
a. acid c. pollutants
b. wastes d. tailings

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REFERENCES

Cabezas. A Comprehensive Foundation of Physical Resources:

Water Pollution and Minerals, Mining and Environmental
Impact. https://eng.libretexts.org

Dawes, Ralph l. and Dawes Cheryl D.. Basics-Minerals. Project:

Geology 101 – Introduction to Physical Geology. License.,
at:http://commons.wvc.edu/rdawes/G101OCL/Basics/miner
als.html.: CC BY: Attribution,
https://courses.lumenlearning.com/geology/chapter/reading- mineral-
basics/

Hill and McCreary., Chemistry for Changing Times, Metal and Ores,
https;//chem..libretext.orgquipperschool.com

“Minerals in the Society,” Quipper School. last modified July 4,

2016.
https://link.quipper.com/en/organizations/547ffb03d2b76d00
02002352/curriculum#curriculum.

“Uses of minerals in everyday life,” Komatsu Mining Corp. last

modified July 12, 2019.
https://mining.komatsu/blog/details/uses-of-minerals-in-
everyday-life.

“Why do we need minerals?”. Minerals UK.

https://www.bgs.ac.uk/mineralsuk/mineralsyou/whydo.html.

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 DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
SCHOOLS DIVISION OF NEGROS ORIENTAL

SENEN PRISCILLO P. PAULIN, CESO V

Schools Division Superintendent

JOELYZA M. ARCILLA EdD

OIC - Assistant Schools Division Superintendent

MARCELO K. PALISPIS EdD

OIC - Assistant Schools Division Superintendent

NILITA L. RAGAY EdD

OIC - Assistant Schools Division Superintendent / CID Chief

ROSELA R. ABIERA
Education Program Supervisor – (LRMS)

ARNOLD R. JUNGCO
PSDS – Division Science Coordinator

MARICEL S. RASID
Librarian II (LRMDS)

ELMAR L. CABRERA
PDO II (LRMDS)
CHARISMA A. ERMITA
JIMMA C. PORSUELO
Writers

NOELYN E. SIAPNO
Lay-out Artist
________________________________

ALPHA QA TEAM
LIEZEL A. AGOR
MARY JOYCEN A. ALAM-ALAM
EUFRATES G. ANSOK
JOAN Y. BUBULI
MA. OFELIA BUSCATO
LIELIN A. DE LA ZERNA
DEXTER D. PAIRA
THOMAS JOGIE U. TOLEDO

BETA QA TEAM
ZENAIDA A. ACADEMIA LIEZEL A. BESAS
DORIN FAYE D. CADAYDAY LIELIN A. DE LA ZERNA
MERCY G. DAGOY PETER PAUL A. PATRON
RANJEL D. ESTIMAR THOMAS JOGIE U. TOLEDO
MARIA SALOME B. GOMEZ JOAN Y. VALENCIA
JUSTIN PAUL ARSENIO C. KINAMOT

DISCLAIMER

The information, activities and assessments used in this material are designed to provide
accessible learning modality to the teachers and learners of the Division of Negros Oriental. The
contents of this module are carefully researched, chosen, and evaluated to comply with the set
learning competencies. The writers and evaluator were clearly instructed to give credits to information
and illustrations used to substantiate this material. All content is subject to copyright and may not be
reproduced in any form without expressed written consent from the division.
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 SYNOPSIS
Minerals are everywhere. Minerals have various uses in the
society, homes, industry, and even personal use such as feldspar,
fluorite, gold, and silver. Minerals are also widely used in construction,
electronics and manufacturing like aluminum, barium, chromite, cobalt,
copper, and iron ores.
Ores are special types of rocks or solid materials that contain
minerals.
The two methods of mining or extracting minerals from rocks are
surface mining and underground mining.
Mineral processing is the process of extracting minerals from the
ores, refining them and preparing these minerals for use. The primary
steps involved in processing minerals include sampling and analysis,
comminution, concentration, and dewatering.
Mining is the primary method of mineral extraction and there
are environmental negative impact from it. Multiple ways are done to
lessen these negative impact. And so, the government implements
laws regarding the environmental protection of areas surrounding
mining sites.
Responsible mining is one of the keys in environmental
sustainability.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Jimma C. Porsuelo, MAED - General Science

Mrs. Jimma C. Porsuelo obtained her Master of Arts in Education major
in General Science at Central Philippines State University – San Carlos
City (2018) and her BSEd - General Science in Philippine Normal
University-Visayas, Academic Commendation I 2008. Currently, she is a
SHS T-II of JBCMHS – Main Campus handling science and research
subjects. She is also a Junior High School Science teacher in the same
school from SY 2011-2016 where she was a winning science quiz bee
coach for Grade 8 category.

CHARISMA A. ERMITA, finished her Bachelor of Science in

Nursing at Foundation University and finished her Bachelor of
Science in Secondary Education major in Biological Science at
Saint Francis College, Guihulngan City. She is currently teaching
at Jose B. Cardenas Memorial High School Senior High School
Department. She is also the school nurse of Jose B. Cardenas
Memorial High School Senior High School department.

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