International elemental analysis company Innov-X-Africa will exhibit products from its partners – technology solutions provider Evident, UK-based core analysis service provider Geotek and Australia-based technology company Portable PPB – at this year’s Investing in African Mining Indaba.

The products include portable X-ray fluorescence (XRF) devices and core scanning equipment relevant for mining and exploration companies.

Mining companies throughout Africa have implemented core scanning solutions, with Geotek’s Boxscan being deployed at various mining sites, notes Innov-X-Africa sales director Stuart Bateman.

He explains that having up to five different sensors working simultaneously on a core box optimises the data collection process.

Hence, he describes the integration of machine learning from the collected data as an “extremely powerful tool” that will lead to more robust and consistent data collection and interpretations, as opposed to traditional data collection methods.

“Machine learning is changing how we explore gold deposits and Industry 4.0 has provided the tools for more efficient and standardised data collection.”

Meanwhile, the integration of Evident’s portable XRF device into Geotek’s Boxscan multisensory system is also changing and optimising the data collection process from in-the-field explorers who use drill core samples.

Bateman contends that Portable PPB’s detectORE is poised to enhance gold exploration with the detection of gold mineralisation down to a parts-per-billion level.

The detectORE product comprises a technology system used to analyse low-level gold mineralisation using proprietary software and the Vanta portable XRF from Evident.

“Both these methods can be deployed anywhere in an impressively short timeframe.”

Innov-X-Africa has partnered with leaders in the mining industry to provide optimal and efficient data collection systems, thereby making systems that employ multiple advanced scanning methods not only portable, but also easier to deploy at any exploration or mining site.