Course content

This course discusses process mineralogy and the main techniques used in the field. The course aims to provide students with experience in process mineralogy as a tool for evaluating a mineral raw material’s (ores and industrial minerals) suitability for further processing and ore dressing, as well as describing the content of valuable and harmful minerals.

The main teaching environment will be lectures and laboratory exercises. The lectures will discuss topics related to important properties of mineral raw materials, like mineralogy, texture and mineral liberation properties. The lectures will also give an introduction to the principles of the most important analytical tools related to the field, including polarized light microscopy, SEM, EPMA, XRF and XRD.

During laboratory exercises, emphasis will be on mineral characterization methods and important properties of mineral raw materials related to the processing. The main focus will be on using the polarized light microscope, however, there will also be practical exercises related to other important analytical equipment, for example SEM, EPMA, XRF and XRD. Examples from Norwegian mineral deposits will be used.

An important part of the course is the project assignment, where the problem to be solved will be of industrial or research relevance and require use of knowledge, methods and tools thought during the course.

Learning outcome

The main objective of this course is to give students an overview of the principles and the procedure for process mineralogical study of a mineral raw material and the choices that must be made in order to determine which investigations/analyses that are required for specific mineral raw materials. Emphasis is also placed on giving students a thorough introduction to the most important quality parameters that are the basis for assessment of a mineral raw material’s suitability.

After completing the course, students should be able to
- Explain the most important quality parameters underlying the process mineralogical assessment of mineral raw materials. Including mineral chemistry, mineralogy, mineral texture and mineral liberation properties.
- Explain the principles of the most important tools for process mineralogical investigations, including polarized light microscopy, SEM, EPMA, XRF and and XRD.
- Use polarized light microscopy as a tool for mineralogical investigation of mineral raw materials.
- Use mineral chemical, mineralogical and textural data for quality assessment of a mineral raw material.

It is also expected that students after completing this course will be able to set up and plan a process mineralogical investigation of a given mineral raw material.

Knowledge in:
- Materials properties
- Relations between materials properties and processes
- Analytical methods used in mineral investigations

Skills:
- Mineral investigations using microscope on different levels
- Quality assessments of mineral raw materials using chemical data
- Evaluate production data for minerals
- Assess production quality based on mineralogical investigations

Learning methods and activities

Lectures , practical laboratory exercises, project report, possibility for excursion.

In case of five stuents or less signed up for the course, the teaching may be changed to self-study.

Compulsory assignments

• Øvinger
• Prosjektrapport

Specific conditions

Recommended previous knowledge

The course is offered for students at the study programmes Geology bachelor and Geology master and Geotechnology. It is reccommended that the students have followed the course TGB4227 Mineral Production, Basic Course.

Required previous knowledge

TGB4112 Geology and Geological Resources of Norway or equivalent course. TGB4125 Mineralogy, TGB4115 Mineral Deposit Geology. It is an absolute requirement that the students have previous knowledge in polarization microscopy equivalent to what is taught in courses TGB4125 ( this course includes transmitted light microscopy) and TGB4115 (this course includes reflected light microscopy).

Course materials

Selected books, available material in Blackboard and lectures.

Credit reductions