Use of gas pycnometry for estimating the iron content in mineral samples

This study introduces a procedure for estimating the iron (Fe) content in ore samples using density measurements obtained through helium gas pycnometry. The calculations used a mass balance that considered the density of the original pure constituents and the density of the sample obtained from the gas pycnometer. Furthermore, the estimated data were compared to those obtained from X-ray fluorescence chemical analyses. The correlation between the data estimated by pycnometry and the chemical analysis was determined so that the Fe content could be more accurately estimated, reaching results with mean absolute deviation (MAD) of 1.2%. The proposed procedure was found to be practical and effective, contributing to faster response times and lower costs by eliminating the need to chemically analyze samples that were not within the product specifications.