Abstract
Scarce platinum group elements (PGE) are mainly concealed in massive sulfides, and finding economically viable ore bodies largely relies on their fast chemical mapping. Most core scanners provide incomplete mineralogical contents, but none also provide a complete chemical analysis including light elements. This study investigates the performance of a fully automated laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) core scanner, the ECORE, by comparing its reliability to a scanning electron microscope-energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS) mineral mapper and its speed to infrared diffuse reflectance hyperspectral imagers (IR-HSI). The LIBS elemental imaging has been put to the test in our previous work, as well as the high-resolution mineralogical mapping. This paper reports the scaling up analytical applicability of LIBS as a high performance and high-speed drill core scanner. The analysis of a full core tray in this study is the first and largest 7.62 megapixels image done by a LIBS core scanner to our knowledge. Both high-resolution and low-resolution data are put together to express both mineralogical and chemical content as a function of depth.
Highlights
Another system is the scanning XRF (SXRF) paired to laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) in Avaatech drill core scanners
The mineral content, the multielement assay, the density, and the hardness of the rock bed can be reported as a function of the drill hole depth by a LIBS core scanner
The core logging capability of the LIBS analyzer was discussed based on its larger sampled area at a 10 cm step size and based on its speed when compared to other techniques described in other published works [13,22]
Summary
The scarcity and increasing consumption of rare elements in electronics, energy storage systems, and catalytic converters among others have put a strain on mining exploration methods of platinum group elements (PGE). Continental PGE sources are found to be about 10,000 times more concentrated in concealing massive sulfides than in native ores [1]. Many small ore bodies have been discovered as potential providers of PGE, but in many cases are not economically viable for refinement [2]. Future PGE supplies rely on recycling or on finding new large ore bodies. Because the chemical content of massive sulfides must be done using an elemental analyzer, geological exploration is in great need of a fast core scanner agreeing with the workflow process. The balance between the quality of the results and throughput must be optimized to find new sources of valuable elements
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
