Automated Mineral Analyser - Automated mineralogical analysis to underpin earth sciences

Despite the uptake of automated scanning electron microscopes (SEM) in both material research and industry, the full potential of SEM automated mineralogy (automated mineral analysis or AMA) is still under-developed, and thus under-utilised. It is clear that these instruments have great potential to deliver innovation applying machine learning to the analysis of solid materials. AMA combines different data from the SEM to provide information on mineral composition, trace element distribution, spatial characteristics and phase distribution. There are a number of key science areas identified where such information could drive innovation.
The transition from carbon-based energy to renewables is underpinned by a growing demand for natural resources that provide the metals for the enabling technologies. This presents an enormous challenge to industry - to meet this need while at the same time reducing the impacts and energy costs of finding, evaluating and recovering the required metals. Better understanding of metal deportment in the natural ores, products and wastes is a key part of that challenge and AMA contributes to that through the ability to rapidly characterise bulk samples of primary ores, leading to optimisation of grinding, flotation, mineral concentration and metallurgical processes (geometallurgy).
There is also huge potential to develop such instruments to provide data to better guide explorers to where new ore deposits may be found, and this is one key area of research focus at the NHM. In addition, AMA has great potential for research studies applied to volcanology, metal ore fingerprinting, investigation of slags, pottery and artefacts from archaeological sites and the investigation of soil, and solid particles of all kinds, for instance in forensic science. The technology has great potential to help in investigations of solar system material like meteorites and future samples collected by new space missions, and airborne fallout particles from volcanic eruptions and forest/bush fires - some of the other NERC research areas currently being developed at the NHM.
Basing a new, state-of-the-art AMA at the NHM opens up the opportunity to develop new workstreams for the instrument and machine-learning approaches to integrate with other technologies such as optical mineralogy, laser ablation inductively coupled mass-spectrometry (LA-ICPMS) analysis, micro-XRD and CT scanning - some of the advanced technologies also based at the museum. The NHM has a proven track record in developing analytical systems with the necessary expertise in a supported laboratory with access to world class collections of rocks, ores and minerals that underpin the research efforts. Alongside the other open access facilities, the instrument will be easily accessible to a range of users, including researchers in consortia from already active grants held at the NHM (NERC - FAMOS, CoG3, Te@Se, VoiLA; Innovate UK Faraday Battery Challenge - Li4UK; EU H2020- SYNTHESYS+, CROCODILE, EURO-PLANET).

Development of correlative methods from optical mineralogy through AMA to laser ablation ICP-MS shortening SEM time by estimated 75% - Success can be directly monitored via usage statistics compared to current lab use.
i) Holistic characterisation of ores and waste streams - Success of these innovations will be monitored through successful grant applications and commercial research contracts and consultancy.
ii) Mineral chemistry in ore systems for exploration targeting - Success in this area will be marked by take up of the technology by mineral exploration companies, research grants and from peer-reviewed publications relating to methodologies.
iii) Application to planetary geology materials - Success in this area will be assessed in terms of increased grant success from UKRI and Space Agencies and increased collaboration with mission partners.
iv) Other NERC research applications - Success monitored through usage statistics, grants and peer-reviewed papers.
v) Establishing the UK as a world leader in the field will be assessed qualitatively through feedback from the user community and quantitatively through peer reviewed publications.
Improvements to mineral processing, will bring savings in energy consumption and environmental impacts. Rapid assessments of the value of mineral waste will yield further gains. Mineral vectoring and fertility analysis will help reduce the footprint of mineral exploration. Large-scale data-intensive analytical sets will be made available in timely and cost-effective fashion. Applying the NHM mineralogical expertise to AMA could confront challenges that have currently eluded the technology and open up new resources for critical metal supply. Volcanological research focused on predicting eruptive cycles in active volcanic systems will be of key interest to communities living close to active volcanoes. Research on airborne particulates will have major impact on human health studies. Planetary geology and geoarchaeology are both subjects of great societal interest.
For the mining sector, the benefits can be clearly defined. Our supporting companies state how research using this instrument will clearly benefit this major-UK based industry sector in a number of ways: i) more streamlined processes for evaluating mineral compositions in ore forming systems resulting in better decision making leading to less invasive exploration processes, ii) optimising mining and mineral processing techniques will lead to efficiencies including energy reduction in addition to the reduction of problematic waste streams.
The two partner institutions will also help to further develop networks. With the Open University, utilising the technology to develop more systematic ways to evaluate melt inclusions will cement a growing partnership between the two institutions on the microanalysis of minerals and igneous processes. Existing links with the University of Southampton will be strengthened and developed, with one particular focus being in the emerging field of marine resources.
AMA innovations will include the development of a database of improved ore mineral-hosted location of strategic minerals or elements, benchmarked against the national Ore Collection held at the NHM. This data will be hosted in the museums management system with data freely available via the NHM's data portal. This is a tangible output where the NHM will contribute to the science of AMA in a way that it is uniquely placed to do. This will be particularly pertinent in mineralogically complex systems that have been currently ignored by the existing AMA community.
Innovative science arising from the use of the instrument will result in academic and technical publications. A user group will be developed with the aim of holding regular workshops, training and conference activities. There is also a good opportunity to also develop closer collaboration with the UK and European-based SEM manufacturers to drive more innovation in AMA.