The pros or cons of X-ray diffraction vs electron beam techniques in the assessment of mineral assemblages: improvements of Solsa combined XRD-XRF analyses applied to the Grande Cote Operation Ti-Zr mine, Senegal.

Mine optimisation and anticipation of ore behaviour in the mineral processing and separation circuits are major economic drivers for all mining operation. Recent methodological developments with the inception of geometallurgy across multiple commodities has highlighted the importance of mineralogy in addition to grades. Since several decades, many quantitative tools have been developed, mostly SEM-based such as QEMSCAN®, to provide quantitative mineralogical composition and textural properties of ore and gangue samples. We aim to compare the more established SEM-based techniques to the Solsa combined XRD-XRF analyser to highlight their respective potential and limitations depending on the minerals and goals of the mining operators. The combined XRF-XRD of the SOLSA analytical solution brings a new methodology able to produce quantitative mineralogical and geochemical data at a speed compatible with routine data collection, from exploration to quality control on the different streams of minerals in a processing plant.