Metallurgical economics aims to balance the supply of metals with the demand for metals in order to ensure a stable and efficient market.

Environmental regulations are not directly considered in the economic evaluation of a mining project, although they may have an indirect impact on costs and revenues.

Profit margin is the difference between the selling price of a metal and the cost of producing it, expressed as a percentage of the selling price.

Options markets are not a major type of metal market, although they can be used to hedge against price risk.

Smelting is the process of converting a metal ore into a refined metal by heating it to a high temperature in the presence of a reducing agent.

Technological advancements can affect the price of a metal by reducing production costs or increasing demand for the metal, but they are not a major factor in determining the price.

Refining is the process of removing impurities from a metal by heating it to a high temperature in the presence of an oxidizing agent.

Silicate ores are not a major type of metal ore, although they can contain valuable metals such as aluminum and magnesium.

Beneficiation is the process of separating valuable minerals from waste rock by physical or chemical means.

Biometallurgy is not a major type of metal production process, although it is a promising technology for the future.

Extraction is the process of extracting a metal from its ore by chemical or physical means.

Composites are not a major type of metal product, although they can contain metal components.

Alloying is the process of combining two or more metals to form a new material with different properties than the individual metals.

Chemical recycling is not a major type of metal recycling process, although it is a promising technology for the future.

Recycling is the process of recovering metals from scrap materials by physical or chemical means.