Characterizing the economic value of an epithermal Au-Ag ore with Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS)

Characterizing the economic value of an epithermal Au-Ag ore with Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS)

Dalm, M.
Buxton, M.W.N.

Civil Engineering and Geosciences

Geoscience and Engineering

2016-12-31

LIBS was applied to 19 Au-Ag ore samples to investigate if this technique can be used to distinguish between economic and sub-economic ore either by direct detection of these elements or by using other elements as indicators. However, the Au and Ag grades of the samples are below the detection limit of the LIBS setup that was used. Furthermore, sample heterogeneity imposed difficulties for extracting quantitative compositional information from LIBS spectra due to signal intensity variations and chemical matrix effects. By applying a principle component analysis to the LIBS dataset it was discovered that LIBS can be used to distinguish waste samples by using the spectra as chemical fingerprints of alteration mineralogy. This means that there is potential that an on-line LIBS system can be used to monitor of the economic value of epithermal Au-Ag ores by using the alteration mineralogy as indirect indicators.

http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:0f179c9a-92ad-40ef-a120-e139cfe02bb4

Shaker Verlag

978-3-8440-4323-5

Proceedings of the 7th Sensor-Based Sorting and Control 2016; Aachen (Germany) 23-24 Febr., 2016; Authors version

Institutional Repository

conference paper

(c) 2016 The Authors