An overview of the advantages and disadvantages of the determination of gold mineralogy by automated mineralogy

The gold mining industry is experiencing boom times with the gold price pushing towards record levels and interest in new projects picking up. It is, however, becoming increasingly important to fully understand the intricacies of each project as more complex ores are encountered and lower grade ores are processed.This overview aims to highlight the advantages and disadvantages of using automated mineralogical and associated techniques in gaining a greater understanding of gold ore behaviour. Recent developments in techniques, such as QEMSCAN and MLA, have made them more applicable to the analysis of traditionally difficult gold-bearing ores and more accessible to the industry. These techniques are continuously challenged by the need of the industry to gain representative results, but a good understanding of their limitations can allow complementary techniques to be employed, validating the results and providing a comprehensive picture of how the mineralogy of an ore can affect its metallurgy. The nature of the complementary techniques will be examined in relation to their association and use with automated mineralogical methods.