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Why can crushing cinnabar ore cause losses during flotation?

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A periodic table element box for mercury shows its symbol Hg, atomic number 80, atomic weight 200.592, electron configuration, and name. Icons indicate mercury is a transition metal, liquid at room temperature, has a rhombohedral crystal structure, and is weakly basic. — mercury Properties of mercury.

Crushing and grinding cinnabar ore to a size sufficient to liberate the mineral can lead to significant losses during flotation because the mineral is inherently soft and friable. This physical characteristic causes the ore to break down into fine particles, or slimes, which are difficult to recover in the flotation tank.1

Due to these losses and the economic challenges associated with mineral-processing methods, direct furnacing of the ore—either as mined or after manual sorting—often remains more cost-effective than attempting to produce high-grade concentrates through flotation.1