Mineral liberation analyzer at U. of Nott.

The University of Nottingham’s School of Chemical, Environmental and Mining Engineering (SChEME) in the United Kingdom has recently purchased a mineral liberation analyzer (MLA) from JKTech Pty. Ltd. in Australia.

At present this is the only university worldwide to acquire this state-of-the-art machine. The analyzer was developed by Philips Electron Optics and the Julius Kruttschnitt Mineral Research Centre in Brisbane along with FEI Co. of the Netherlands. The purpose of the MLA is to allow a fast and accurate quantitative analysis.

The analyzer controls the scanning electron microscope and the analysis can determine mineral species, elemental assay, weight percentages mineral abundance as volume, particle or phase size and surface area, mineral associations, sparse phase recognition, mineral liberation and false-colour images. The machine uses back scattered electrons (BSE) to discriminate mineral species along with an EDX, which produces a spectrum to determine those minerals that may not be recognized through BSE.

SChEME will utilize the machine to quantify enhanced liberation in ores that have been subjected to microwave pre-treatment, to establish the relationship between complex mineral phases in leaching residues, and to quantitatively assess mineral matter in coal samples.