The ore characterization lab may anticipate ore response to processing conditions. However, detrimental minerals have huge financial impacts. Swelling clay and kaolinite may prevent the flow of liquids within the leach pad. Calcite consumes acid. Agglomerations of material may be related to the presence of clays and mica. Other minerals disrupt flotation.
XRD helps addressing all those issues. It identifies the minerals known to be troublesome and monitors their concentrations.
Fully automatic sample preparation and XRD using the D8 ENDEAVOR process diffractometer together with TOPAS quantitative analysis mastered the challenge.