Locating the Value: Understanding Precious Metal Ores
In precious metal deposits, the economic value is often locked within microscopic inclusions. Chemical assays quantify grade—but mineralogy reveals how metals occur, which determines how they can be recovered. Is the gold free, encapsulated in sulfides, or bound in complex tellurides? Understanding this is fundamental to metallurgical success.
BQCIS provides advanced mineralogy and microanalysis services using QEMSCAN, SEM-EDS, and XRD to characterize mineral associations, liberation, and textures. These insights support flowsheet development, metallurgical optimization, and root-cause analysis of recovery issues.
The resulting data enables smarter process design—selecting the right grinding size, flotation reagent, or leach chemistry—while also providing objective evidence to guide investment and operational decisions.
Key Mineralogical Activities
Key Benefits of Mineralogy & Microanalysis
Understand Metal Deportment
Reveals exactly where and how precious metals occur—free, locked, or associated—enabling smarter process design and value prediction.
Optimize Metallurgical Recovery
Identifies mineralogical bottlenecks that reduce leach or flotation efficiency, supporting targeted process improvements.
Reduce Risk in Project Development
Provides early mineralogical intelligence essential for feasibility studies and reducing uncertainty in project economics.
Support Sustainable Operations
Characterizes deleterious and environmentally sensitive minerals to manage tailings, ARD potential, and overall sustainability.
Success Story
Mineralogy Study Solves Low Gold Recovery
A gold mine experienced poor recovery in its leach circuit despite high assay grades. Traditional chemical testing could not explain the discrepancy.
BQCIS performed detailed QEMSCAN and SEM-EDS analysis on leach tailings. The study revealed gold locked inside pyrite grains—unavailable to cyanide leach due to insufficient liberation.
The findings justified installing an ultra-fine grinding circuit, improving gold recovery by 8 %. Mineralogical data provided direct economic value and optimized processing strategy.