From the experts: Making XRF fit for today’s sulfidic concentrates analysis
X-ray fluorescence: it’s a powerful technique that’s been used across the mining and metals industries for around 50 years – but not always for every application. Why is that, and how can analytical consultancy services help solve some of the traditional challenges of using this technique for quality control in sulfidic concentrates? We caught up with our XRF Application Specialist, Alexander Komelkov, to learn more.
Struggles with XRF on sulfidic samples
The story starts about 12 years ago, with Alexander’s visit to a mining customer who produced Cu and Zn sulfidic concentrates. “During that visit, I learned that the entire sulfidic concentrates industry didn’t use XRF analysis for trading with concentrator plants – only for process control,” says Alexander. “For quality control when trading, they typically used wet-chem methods instead – long trusted for their high levels of accuracy, precision, and reliability.”
Why was this? Alexander explains: “Firstly, there was no reliable and robust sample preparation method for XRF on sulfidic samples, due to the nature of these samples. Secondly, there were not enough commercial certified reference materials to make full and reliable calibrations for XRF. In addition, not all XRF software could properly and accurately quantify the specimens of those sulfidic samples.”
Meet Alexander and hear about how he’s helped mining customers adopt XRF for sulfidic concentrates analysis.
A changed technique
Today, XRF has changed. Thanks to new sample preparation methods, more certified reference materials, and improved software, it can now analyze sulfides for quality control reliably and accurately, with comparable results to wet-chem or ICP. XRF can even offer benefits over these more traditional techniques. Because, while they are tried and tested, they do have limitations.
For instance, it can take 2-5 days to analyze sulfide samples with wet chemistry. This technique also requires lots of chemicals and additional preparation – which means additional room for error. ICP, too, is not always the best choice for sulfidic concentrates analysis. “ICP is better suited to applications with low concentration levels – up to hundreds of thousands of parts per million – such as those found in geology,” explains Alexander. “For the higher concentrations that you find in mining applications, ICP is not as precise or accurate – but people don’t always understand this.”
XRF offers solutions to these challenges. “In sulfide samples – which typically have 30-35% purity – XRF is just as precise and accurate as wet chemistry and ICP,” Alexander explains. “It’s also faster and requires fewer chemicals.” Despite this, industry players can still be hesitant to change. Often, this is because they don’t have the understanding needed to achieve good results for sulfide samples. As Alexander puts it, “It’s like painting your house versus painting a portrait – the level of knowledge you need is completely different.”
Supporting the switch to XRF with knowledge-sharing
In other words, a little extra support and training can make all the difference in how effective your XRF analysis is. Knowing the right sample preparation techniques to use – an area that’s still evolving for XRF – is particularly important. With years of experience in XRF, Malvern Panalytical is well placed to share this additional knowledge. Indeed, we’ve supported several customers with the switch from wet-chem or ICP to XRF.
How? By providing the right sample preparation materials – and insights on how to use them. Our services include turnkey Certified Reference Materials for XRF calibrations for Copper-, Zinc-, Lead-, and Molybdenum- Sulfides, specially developed at our lab in Nottingham, UK. Alongside the calibration materials, our customers get detailed instructions and training for their sample preparation methods and calibrations – and most importantly, validation of their new methods.
“It’s the tiny details that make all the difference in XRF sample prep,” adds Alexander. “Just like in cooking – an inexperienced cook and a professional chef could cook a meal with the same ingredients, but there’d be a significant difference in the result. It’s by integrating all parts of your analysis that you get good results, and Malvern Panalytical is here with the knowledge you need to do this – in sulfidic concentrates analysis and beyond.”
Find out more about our XRF testing services on our website – and if you’d like a more personalized discussion, feel free to contact Alexander at alexander.komelkov@malvernpanalytical.com.