APPLICATION OF LASER-INDUCED LUMINESCENCE IN ECOLOGY

Exhaustion of rich ore deposits is making it necessary to bring low-gr ade ores into production, resulting in a sharply increased volume of e xcavated rock. Huge quantities of waste fill vast areas of the Earth's surface, with severe ecological effects. But the ecological damage co uld be reduced by extracting additional products from the tailings. La seroluminescent sorting is a new technology by which this may be achie ved. The most promising subjects are about 50 minerals including diamo nds, native Au and Ag, ores of V, Pb, Zn, Sn, Li, Be, W, Mo, Zr, Sr, h alite, apatite, phosphorite, fluorite, calcite, barite, anhydrite.