Mining operations are under continual pressure to improve efficiency, maximise recovery, and meet strict environmental and safety standards. As global demand for base and critical minerals grows, mining operators are turning to modern technology to support this operational infrastructure and ensure longevity. In this context, real-time, in-stream elemental analysis is reinforcing its position as a transformative tool. It delivers real-time, accurate assay data from slurry streams, enabling operators to respond rapidly to feed grade changes and process upsets and fluctuations in ore characteristics – enhancing recovery, minimising losses, and advancing sustainability goals.
The evolution of slurry elemental analysis
Historically, mineral processing plants have relied on manual methods for process monitoring and metallurgical balancing, making traditional slurry sampling slow, labour-intensive, and prone to high variability.
Samples collected with hand-samplers or inferior samplers are particularly prone to bias and error, and the time, effort, and manual handling required quickly multiplies in larger plants with numerous streams. Additionally, delays of hours inherent in metallurgical and assay lab-based analysis make it difficult to react quickly to changes in feed grade or process disturbances, limiting the ability to maximise recovery and maintain product quality.
Next-generation online sampling and elemental analysis systems address these challenges by delivering rapid, accurate measurements directly in the process stream. Thermo Fisher Scientific’s AnStat-430 and MSA-430 analysers, for example, integrate a multi-element probe, the MEP-400, to provide minute-by-minute assay readings across single or multiple slurry streams. These systems employ X-ray fluorescence (XRF) technology, a widely adopted technique for elemental analysis, combined with modern innovations that significantly enhance analytical performance. Air-cooled, low-power X-ray tubes replace traditional radioisotope sources, which simplifies regulatory compliance and reduces radiation safety concerns, allowing maintenance activities to be performed safely with lock-out capabilities. Silicon drift detectors and digital signal processors improve count-rate throughput and measurement accuracy, while the probe’s design eliminates the need for cryogenic or water cooling, making it more practical for continuous industrial use.
The result is a tool that delivers real-time insight into mineral streams, enabling operators to optimise recovery, maintain grade, and reduce material losses in ways previously unattainable with traditional sampling and standard laboratory assays. While laboratory verification remains essential for compliance and reporting, online analysers serve as process control tools, complementing lab work and enhancing operational decision-making.
Smarter recovery and process control
Real-time, in-stream elemental analysis plays a central role in modern process optimisation by providing continuous assay data from key slurry streams, including feed, tails, and intermediate flotation stages. Unlike manual sampling, which may require hours or even an entire shift to deliver results, online systems generate near-instant feedback that allows operators to respond to fluctuations in ore grade, mineralogy, or circuit performance. This responsiveness helps maintain stable operating conditions, reduce material losses to tailings, and improve overall metal recovery. It also supports more precise reagent dosing and more consistent concentrate and tailings, particularly in base metal flotation circuits where feed variability can strongly influence recovery.
This is a preview of an article that was originally published in the Jan/Feb 2026 issue of Global Mining Review. Subscribe to Global Mining Review for free to read this article in full and many more here.