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Recent Advances in Automated Mineralogy: From SEM-Based Systems to µXRF,...
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Recent Advances in Automated Mineralogy: From SEM-Based Systems to µXRF, 3D µCT and Beyond

A special issue of Minerals (ISSN 2075-163X). This special issue belongs to the section "Mineral Processing and Extractive Metallurgy".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 1 March 2026 | Viewed by 1306

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Otávio da Fonseca Martins Gomes

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Centre for Mineral Technology (CETEM), Av. Pedro Calmon, 900, Cidade Universitária, Rio de Janeiro 21941908, Brazil
Interests: materials characterization; digital microscopy; image processing; artificial intelligence; correlative microscopy
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Reiner Neumann

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Centre for Mineral Technology (CETEM), Av. Pedro Calmon, 900, Cidade Universitária, Rio de Janeiro 21941908, Brazil
Interests: ore characterization; applied mineralogy; quantitative mineralogy; X-ray diffraction
Dr. Andrew Menzies

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Bruker Nano Analytics GmbH, Am Studio 2D, 12489 Berlin, Germany
Interests: automated mineralogy; micrXRF; SEM-EDS; geochemistry; ore mineralogy
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Automated mineralogy systems emerged in the 1980s to evaluate mineral resources and improve process control in the mining industry. Since then, they have become an important tool in both academy and industry for the quantitative analysis of different materials in several fields, such as geosciences, petroleum, forensics, and environmental monitoring. These SEM-based systems comprise microscope control and automation, BSE image acquisition, EDS mapping and analysis, image processing, mineral phase recognition, and automatic results reporting. However, although they are a powerful tool and the variety of their applications has grown, their set-up has changed little since their conception. This scenario has changed recently with the launch of automated mineralogy systems based on µXRF and 3D µCT, as well as multimodal systems that combine different imaging and analytical techniques. Furthermore, the incorporation of recent advances in artificial intelligence has improved their capabilities in image analysis and phase recognition. We therefore call for papers dealing with new methods of automated mineralogy, as well as case studies in areas that may include, but are not limited to, petrology, mineral processing, petroleum exploration and production, recycling, environmental monitoring, and forensics.

Dr. Otávio da Fonseca Martins Gomes
Dr. Reiner Neumann
Dr. Andrew Menzies
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Minerals is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • scanning electron microscope (SEM)
  • micro X-ray fluorescence (µXRF)
  • 3D X-ray micro computed tomography (3D µCT)
  • process mineralogy
  • mineral liberation analysis
  • geometallurgy
  • geosciences
  • petroleum exploration
  • petroleum production

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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36 pages, 72935 KB  
Article
Automated, Not Autonomous: Integrating Automated Mineralogy with Complementary Techniques to Refine and Validate Phase Libraries in Complex Mineral Systems
by Lisa I. Kearney, Andrew G. Christy, Elena A. Belousova, Benjamin R. Hines, Alkis Kontonikas-Charos, Mitchell de Bruyn, Henrietta E. Cathey and Vladimir Lisitsin
Minerals 2025, 15(11), 1118; https://doi.org/10.3390/min15111118 - 27 Oct 2025
Abstract
Accurate phase identification is essential for characterising complex mineral systems but remains a challenge in SEM-based automated mineralogy (AM) for compositionally variable rock-forming or accessory minerals. While platforms such as the Tescan Integrated Mineral Analyzer (TIMA) offer high-resolution phase mapping through BSE-EDS data, [...] Read more.
Accurate phase identification is essential for characterising complex mineral systems but remains a challenge in SEM-based automated mineralogy (AM) for compositionally variable rock-forming or accessory minerals. While platforms such as the Tescan Integrated Mineral Analyzer (TIMA) offer high-resolution phase mapping through BSE-EDS data, classification accuracy depends on the quality of the user-defined phase library. Generic libraries often fail to capture site-specific mineral compositions, resulting in misclassification and unclassified pixels, particularly in systems with solid solution behaviour, compositional zoning, and textural complexity. We present a refined approach to developing and validating custom TIMA phase libraries. We outline strategies for iterative rule refinement using mineral chemistry, textures, and BSE-EDS responses. Phase assignments were validated using complementary microanalytical techniques, primarily electron probe microanalysis (EPMA) and laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICPMS). Three Queensland case studies demonstrate this approach: amphiboles in an IOCG deposit; cobalt-bearing phases in a sediment-hosted Cu-Au-Co deposit; and Li-micas in an LCT pegmatite system. Targeted refinement of phases improves identification, reduces unclassified phases, and enables rare phase recognition. Expert-guided phase library development strengthens mineral systems research and downstream applications in geoscience, ore deposits, and critical minerals while integrating datasets across scales from cores to mineral mapping. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Automated Mineralogy: From SEM-Based Systems to µXRF, 3D µCT and Beyond)
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21 pages, 2777 KB  
Article
Optimizing Mineral Resources with Automated Mineralogy Techniques: The Case of Colquiri in the Central Andean Tin Belt
by Pura Alfonso, Miguel Ruiz, Marçal Terricabras, Arnau Martínez, Maite Garcia-Valles, Hernan Anticoi, Maria Teresa Yubero and Susanna Valls
Minerals 2025, 15(10), 1017; https://doi.org/10.3390/min15101017 - 25 Sep 2025
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Abstract
Colquiri is one of several deposits from the Central Andean tin belt, where sphalerite and cassiterite are mined. Although this is a high-grade Zn-Sn deposit, processing results in a low overall yield, with significant amounts of zinc and tin being discarded as tailings. [...] Read more.
Colquiri is one of several deposits from the Central Andean tin belt, where sphalerite and cassiterite are mined. Although this is a high-grade Zn-Sn deposit, processing results in a low overall yield, with significant amounts of zinc and tin being discarded as tailings. In this study, mineralogical research was conducted to identify the causes of the low yield, so that the flow diagram could be modified to improve recovery. Particle size was measured, and chemical and mineralogical analyses were performed using optical and electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. The mineral chemistry of the ores was determined using electron probe microanalysis (EPMA), and mineral liberation analyses were performed to complete the characterization. Mineralization occurred in four stages: (1) formation of silicates and oxides; (2) main precipitation of sulfides, including pyrrhotite, sphalerite, and stannite; (3) precipitation of fluorite and the replacement of pyrrhotite by pyrite, which was then replaced by siderite; and (4) weathering of previously formed minerals. The run-of-mine material contains approximately 12 wt.% ZnO and 1.5 wt.% SnO2. The Zn concentrate contains up to 43.90 wt.% ZnO, and the Sn concentrate contains 52 wt.% SnO2. The final tailings still retain more than 3–4.5 wt.% ZnO and 1.2 wt.% SnO2. The average grain size of sphalerite is 200 µm, while that of cassiterite and stannite is 45 µm. The liberated fraction of sphalerite is 51.43%, and binary particles of sphalerite plus stannite account for 60 wt.%. Cassiterite is liberated at 54.68 wt.%. To increase the recovery of sphalerite (with stannite) and cassiterite, as well as the grade of the concentrates, it is necessary to reduce the particle size of the processed ores to less than 100 µm. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Automated Mineralogy: From SEM-Based Systems to µXRF, 3D µCT and Beyond)
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