In the years following the publication of Magnetic Methods for the Treatment of Minerals by Elsevier in 1987, many changes have taken place in magnetic technology. While fundamental and thorough, the above treatise re?ected pr- erences and philosophy of research and the development and application of magnetic methods as they were practiced in the second half of the last c- tury. Although demand for metals and minerals has not diminished, the d- inant drivers of the early 21st century di er signi?cantly from those of the late 20th. The priorities of nuclear power, defence, and energy-demanding and waste-generating bene?ciation of mineral resources are being replaced by those associated with technology sustainability, environmental and knowledge m- agement, recycling, and health care. Research priorities and product devel- ment of the last century cannot, therefore, satisfactorily meet criteria of the 21st century. Considerable technological progress has been achieved in areas such as - tomation, computerization, sustainable material science, laboratory and plant practices and separation equipment.
New permanent magnetic materials, - vances in practical applications of superconductivity and availability of soph- ticated modelling tools have changed the technological landscape. As a result, innovation and technology transfer in magnetic technology have been rema- ably successful during the last two decades. The title of this monograph re?ects the fact that the book covers not only the application of magnetic techniques in the minerals industry, but also in recycling, environmental engineering and biomedical sciences.