Size reduction is not only the most ancient technology, it is also the most widespread. It is used in every country and in every industry that involves solid particles. Here are some of the more important applications of the technologies we profile in this book:
■ Breaking wheat grains to separate endosperm from bran and grinding the endosperm to produce flour
■ Grinding many foodstuffs, including spices, confectionery, and animal foods
■ Breaking rock masses into boulders and pebbles
■ Crushing and grinding ores to produce copper, iron, gold, and other metals
■ Pulverizing coal to combust in power stations
■ Grinding limestone and clinker to make cement
■ Grinding industrial minerals to use as pigments and to manufacture fertilizers, glass, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and many other products
In the next chapter, we discuss the contributions of science and scientists to the field of size reduction. Chapters 3 through 10 give details of the histories of the individual processes, and Chapter 11 takes a look at the future of size reduction.