Extractive metallurgy
Extractive metallurgy is a branch of metallurgical engineering studying the process and methods of extraction of metals from their natural mineral deposits. The field is a materials science, covering all aspects of the types of ore, washing, concentration, separation, chemical processes and extraction of pure metal and their alloying to suit various applications, sometimes for direct use as a finished product, but more often in a form that requires further working to achieve the given properties to suit the applications.