High Definition Mineralogy

High Definition Mineralogy is the quantitative study of minerals, using technologies such QEMSCAN, X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), image analysis and other automated techniques. High Definition Mineralogy provides the user with ability to truly balance the minerals in coal, in the same way that assay data, and is use to balance the elements in a process. Thus high definition mineralogy is therefore the only quantitative way to truly assess mineralogically how a process is working.

The QEMSCANTM instrument is the newest, most powerful process mineralogical instrument currently available to the minerals industry. The QEMSCAN instrument is a proven and powerful automated system that can acquire and process vast amounts of chemical, textural and liberation data.

SGS’ High Definition Mineralogy can provide significant input into strategic decisions at the acquisition, exploration, pre-feasibility, feasibility and operational levels:

• Mineral Exploration and Resource Delineation
  Can map the bulk mineralogy and coal textures throughout the deposit and export this data to 3D imaging software. As well, it can provide liberation and grain size data to a geometallurgical mapping database.
• Operations and Plant Level
  Can provide a detailed snapshot of coal recovery. Through routine auditing, a performance baseline can be established to monitor plant efficiency and enhance life-of-mine economics
• Closure and Environmental Monitoring.
  Assesses the composition of waste rock, tailings and soils; and can be used to detect deleterious minerals containing As, Pb, Se etc.

Test samples for High Definition Mineralogy are prepared in highly polished epoxy-impregnated grain mounts and loaded into the QEMSCANTM instrument chamber.  The QEMSCANTM collects energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectra at closely spaced data points (see below) on the surface of the grain mounts during line-scan or particle mapping analysis.  Up to 100,000 data points can be analysed in less than 60 minutes.

EDX spectra (below for pyrite FeS2 and sphalerite (Zn,Fe)S) are automatically compared against a library of mineral spectra and rapid mineral identifications are made based on matching of chemical compositions.  The QEMSCANTM instrument calculates the weight distribution of each mineral in a sample based on the acquired spectral data and published mineral densities.

Particle Mapping
Detailed EDX maps of individual grains and mineral intergrowths are created using Particle Mapping Analysis.  These data are used to determine the mineral assemblage and modal abundance, as well as to calculate information on mineral associations and the liberation/locking behaviour of target minerals.