Ore characterization, process mineralogy and lab automation a roadmap for future mining

Mineralogical laboratory technology has undergone seismic shifts since the introduction of automated mineral analyzers and other quantitative tools such as XRD Rietveld analysis. During the last 25 years, these changes have positioned mineralogical data into the front line of ore characterization, process control and plant optimization. The continuous deterioration of ore quality in regard to grade, hardness, finer particle sizes and the increase of metallurgical complexities have made modern process mineralogy an integral part of new project development. In addition, it has supported improvement of existing plants and the better utilization of tailings or other residues. Automation in mineralogical (and chemical) laboratories from sample preparation to analysis has been the baseline for these improvements. This paper will highlight key benchmarks of mineralogical work from ore characterization to advanced process mineralogy including the increasing importance of mineralogical mine site laboratories. A roadmap for the future of operations-oriented process mineralogy will be provided.