Examination arrangement

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 mineral processing and metallurgy, 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. SEM based automated mineralogical analyses will be used in more detail. 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 and automated mineralogical analyses in SEM. However, there will also be practical exercises related to other important analytical equipment, for example 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 procedures 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 fulfilling 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 based automated mineralogy, 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: The students should understand mineral properties and the relationship between mineral properties and comminution and mineral separation methods. The students should also have knowledge about the different analytical methods used in such investigations and mapping of mineral properties.

Skills: The students should be capable of planning an investigation of a given mineral deposit based on information about a given problem. The students should be able to use the central analytical tools to perform an investigation and evaluation of results against a given comminution and mineral separation process.

Learning methods and activities

Lectures, compulsory practical laboratory exercises, project report, possibility for excursion. If the number of registered students are 3 or less, the course may be offered as a self study based on the same course material. The course is evaluated by a reference group.

Compulsory assignments

• Project report
• Exercises

Specific conditions

Recommended previous knowledge

It is recommended that the students have fulfilled the course TGB4227 Mineral Production, Basic Course or TGB4301 Mineral Processing, Basic Course.

Required previous knowledge

The course requires admission to one of the study programmes Geology, bachelor's or master's programme (BGEOL or MGEOL), Geoscience and Georesources (MSGEOS) or Geotechnology (MTTEKGEO), or approval from the course coordinator.

TGB4112 Geology and Geological Resources of Norway or equivalent course. TGB4125 Mineralogy or TGB4126 Mineralogy, Basic Course. 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 / TGB4126 ( 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