Use of X-ray Micro-computed Tomography (µCT) for 3-D Ore Characterization : A Turning Point in Process Mineralogy

In recent years, automated mineralogy has become an essential enabling technology in the field of process mineralogy, allowing better understanding between mineralogy and the beneficiation process. Recent developments in X-ray micro-computed tomography (μCT) as a non-destructive technique have indicated great potential to become the next automated mineralogy technique. μCT’s main advantage lies in its ability to allow 3-D monitoring of internal structure of the ore at resolutions down to a few hundred nanometers, thereby eliminating the stereological error encountered in conventional 2-D analysis. Driven by the technological and computational progress, the technique is continuously developing as an analysis tool in ore characterization and subsequently it foreseen thatμCT will become an indispensable technique in the field of process mineralogy. Although several software tools have been developed for processing μCT dataset, but the main challenge in μCT data analysis remains in the mineralogical analysis, where μCT data often lacks contrast between mineral phases, making segmentation difficult. In this paper, an overview of some current applications of μCT in ore characterization is reviewed, alongside with it potential implications to process mineralogy. It also describes the current limitations of its application and concludes with outlook on the future development of 3-D ore characterization