The PhotoAssay uses X-rays and can give analysis results within minutes. It has recently been adopted by a Barrick mine and the Minerals Global Center of Excellence in Perth. (Photo: Chrysos Corp.)
Capital Ltd. subsidiary MSALAB will deploy six Chrysos PhotonAssay units to mining sector companies within 18 months, Chrysos Corp. reported.
The first unit will go to Barrick Gold’s Bulyanhulu mine in Tanzania. Three more will go to customers in Africa and two will go to customers in Canada within the year.
The solution uses high-energy X-rays to excite atomic nuclei for analysis results within as little as two minutes.
MSALABS said the solution will significantly improve the results turnaround time for customers. “They can be confident that critical data will be delivered consistently within timeframes not possible with fire assay,” said Stuart Thomson, CEO, MSALABS. “The process also requires less technical training and minimizes the likelihood of error.”
Chrysos said the solution’s applicability at operations other than gold mines merited the development. “Chrysos PhotonAssay’s analytical abilities across gold, silver, copper and moisture were strong factors in the technology being chosen to support the Capital Ltd. and MSALABS service expansion program at Barrick’s Bulyanhulu gold mine in Tanzania,” Chrysos CEO Dirk Treasure said.
Separately, Intertek adopted two units for its new Minerals Global Center of Excellence in Perth, Western Australia.
The solution will help the company go beyond simply delivering value for customers, Intertek said. “We feel our partnership with Chrysos is more than a simple investment in faster, cleaner operations,” said John Fowler, senior vice president, Intertek. “We see it as a social and environmental commitment to our customers and the broader global industry.”
The center will open in July and will consolidate the company’s minerals operations into a single 19,000-m2 building that will also support 500 employees.
