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Mineralogical data produced by SGS Advanced Mineralogy Network facilities is utilized in exploration deposit evaluation and development, prefeasibility and feasibility testing, piloting and plant auditing, environmental planning, monitoring and remediation for companies around the world.
Our team of applied and process mineralogists are experienced in the evaluation of ore samples and metallurgical products that are created from a wide variety of commodities. SGS’ Advanced Mineralogy Network professionals have a wide variety of mineralogical-analytical tools including X-ray diffractometers, scanning electron microscopes, electron microprobe capabilities, reflected and transmitted light microscopes, CLEMEX optical image analysis systems, and QEMSCAN™ systems.
QEMSCAN™
QEMSCAN™ is the most powerful process mineralogical tool currently employed in the minerals industry. Major mining companies use data generated by the QEMSCAN™ instrument to make strategic decisions at the acquisition, exploration, feasibility and plant levels. Its flexible technology has been successfully employed for diverse commodities such as precious and base metals, mineral sands and industrial minerals.
High definition mineralogy can provide:
- Bulk modal analysis
- Particle maps
- Locked and liberated textural analysis
- Size-by-size, mineral-by-mineral chemical assay
- Trace mineral hunt and search capabilities
Viewing software allows the user to analyze particle maps and determine:
- Grains and particle size
- Shape factor
- Particle type
- Proportion of mineral species present
- Isolate sub-sets of particles with the creation of particle characteristic screens.
This technology can be used for:
- Geometallugical mapping.
- Chemical assay by particle or mineral species in each particle
- Mineralogy
- Degree of mineral liberation
- Plant troubleshooting
- Quantification of the mineralogy and textural associations between ore and gangue.
- Mineral and metal recovery data (i.e. gross metal values) to predict the response of the ore in a processing circuit when used in conjunction with reconnaissance-style locked cycle or bench scale recovery tests and piloting
- Prioritization of mining blocks according to predicted metal recoveries and calculated metal values.
- Plant audits
- Trace mineral searches
X-RAY Diffraction (XRD)
XRD is typically used to determine bulk mineral assemblages in ores and metallurgical products. Modern high-speed detectors allow rapid data collection on large numbers of samples and whole pattern cluster analysis is used to differentiate sample populations. Furthermore, XRD can be used to:
- Determine clay and phyllosilicate mineral assemblages
- Identify carbonate species
- Identify fibrous mineral species
- Quantify respirable quartz on air filters
- Establish the ratio of monoclinic to hexagonal pyrrhotite
Electron Microprobe
Our analytical capability includes determining chemistry of compounds composed of elements from sodium to uranium. Applications range from mineral exploration to process and industrial mineralogy.
Projects typically include:
- Kimberlite indicator mineral analysis
- Provision of raw compositional data to support metal balancing in simple and complex sulphide, oxide and silicate ores
- Generation of X-ray maps to illustrate metal distribution within texturally and compositionally complex substrates, at high magnification
Image Analysis
SGS Advanced Mineralogy Network image analysis system utilizes Clemex Image Analysis software and Nikon petrographic and binocular microscopes. Image analysis provides particle size, shape, texture, and locked and liberated characteristics on unconsolidated material, polished mounts and drill core. Image analysis has very broad applications in gold, base metal and industrial minerals exploration and development projects.
Optical Microscopy
Optical microscopy forms the basis for most mineralogical projects. SGS Minerals Services has a wide variety of research-quality reflected and transmitted light petrographic microscopes (Zeiss, Olympus and Nikon) including units with electronic cameras for image grabbing.
Mineral Separation
Physical separations are performed by wet and dry screening, tabling and magnetic, electromagnetic, electrostatic, magnetohydrostatic and heavy media separation in support of programs involving:
- Diamond exploration
- Heavy mineral sands
- Porphyry Cu-Au studies
- Base metals (Ni, Cu) studies
- Hard rock and alluvial Au projects
- Industrial minerals
- Precious metals (Au, PGE)
The physical separation techniques described above use equipment such as:
- Wet screens (Kason)
- Rotap partical size analysis
- CARPCO high intensity wet and dry REE magnet seperators
- CARPCO electrostatic seperators
- Frantz electromagnetic seperators
- Magstream seperators
- Dense liquids (MI, LST, LMT, TBE)
Sample Preparation
Petrographic and mineralogical analytical techniques need a well equipped thin section, polished section and grain mounting laboratory.
At SGS Minerals Services, polished mounts can be prepared in addition to whole and halved drill cores for conference displays. Experienced technical staff produces thin and polished thin sections, polished sections, grain mounts and polished rock and drill core faces from a variety of solid and powdered materials including easily dissolved samples such as Andean gold ores, salt and kimberlite. Turn-around time can be as little as two hours.
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