Rapid measurement of calcite concentration in copper ore using fluorescence spectroscopy

Abstract This work presents the development of a rapid technique for measuring the concentration of calcite in oxidized copper ore. The instrument is based on fluorescence spectroscopy in the visible and infrared range and is excited with a UV-LW lamp. The measurement takes substantially shorter times than standard procedures. Calibration models were adjusted via the correlation coefficient for validation ( R v 2 ) and the error of prediction (RMSEP). Correlations higher than 0.92 were achieved for R v 2 . These results show the potential of the technique for portable or on-line estimation of calcite concentration in mining processes. Its performance under different granulometries is also addressed, showing the best performance for particle size between 0.01 and 0.04 mm.