Understanding the “How” and “Why” of Your Ore
Chemical assays reveal *how much* metal exists, but mineralogy explains *how it occurs*. Identifying mineral hosts, grain size, and texture relationships is crucial for metallurgical design. For example, copper as chalcopyrite behaves entirely differently from copper as bornite or chalcocite.
BQCIS provides advanced mineralogical and petrographic analysis using automated systems like QEMSCAN (Quantitative Evaluation of Minerals by Scanning Electron Microscopy) and XRD (X-Ray Diffraction). These techniques quantify mineral abundance, liberation, and association to guide process design.
Our data supports geometallurgical modeling and plant optimization. We identify penalty elements (e.g., arsenic-bearing minerals) and characterize liberation properties, providing the mineralogical insight required to improve recovery and reduce operational risks.
Key Mineralogical Activities
Key Benefits of Mineralogy & Petrography
Optimize Metallurgical Processes
Detailed mineralogical data ensures processing parameters—grind size, reagents, and recovery circuits—are tailored for maximum metal yield.
Identify Recovery Constraints
Detect locked or refractory minerals and identify grain size distributions that limit liberation or affect concentrate quality.
Reduce Operating Costs
Improved grind and flotation optimization reduces reagent consumption and energy costs while enhancing process stability.
Enable Predictive Modeling
High-quality mineralogical datasets feed geometallurgical and process simulation models, supporting predictive mine planning and performance forecasting.
Success Story
Mineralogy Study Solves Low Copper Recovery
A copper concentrator faced persistently low flotation recovery despite high feed grades. Conventional chemistry adjustments had minimal effect.
BQCIS conducted QEMSCAN and XRD analysis on flotation feeds and tailings. The investigation revealed copper locked as fine inclusions within pyrite and silicate phases, undetectable by assay alone.
The findings justified installation of a regrind circuit to liberate fine copper minerals. Subsequent plant trials achieved a 5% increase in copper recovery, validating the mineralogical insights.