beneficiation

noun

1. (countable, uncountable)The reduction in size of particles of ore (or similar physical processing) before further processing to recover the metal.

   “The beryl is cobbed out by hand, since no method for successful beneficiation has been developed and applied.”

   “Beneficiation of contaminated material makes up a high portion of refractory recycling costs, underscoring the importance of keeping the material clean on tearout.”