TORONTO (miningweekly.com) – The Saskatchewan Research Council (SRC) has announced a new Qemscan service intended to assist the mining industry by providing precise quantitative mineralogical analyses, which is critical for proving resource deposits that could lead to mine development.

SRC would be the first Qemscan service provider in Saskatchewan and one of only a handful in Canada.

Qemscan is a sophisticated electron microscope capable of advanced electron spectroscopy that enables scientists to determine the bulk mineralogy and liberation characteristics of various types of ore samples. The new service would be made available to potential clients immediately.

SRC said it had invested $1.4-million to provide the new service, which would provide a strong link between mineral exploration and mineral processing, that would assist mineral companies find new deposits and evaluate the economic potential of such deposits while still in the exploration stage, and particularly in the mineral processing stage.

Justice Minister and Attorney General Gordon Wyant, on behalf of Economy Minister and Minister Responsible for the SRC Bill Boyd, announced the new service, which is located at the SRC's Saskatoon Innovation Place location. The service would allow mining companies to increase productivity and competitiveness in an environmentally sustainable manner.

"Mining and mineral processing are key sectors of our economy, with Saskatchewan being one of the largest mineral producers of potash and uranium in the world. By helping companies prove out resource deposits to eventually mine and process, SRC is part of a mining cycle that creates and maintains jobs in Saskatchewan, across Canada, and around the world,” Wyant said.

The Qemscan service, commonly the first phase of any mineral-processing programme, would complement the current testing services of SRC's Advanced Microanalysis Centre and mineral processing pilot plant.

"SRC has a long track record of providing real-world solutions to the mining industry. This new service, in addition to SRC's current capabilities in this sector, will enhance SRC's ability to serve mining industry clients as a 'one-stop-shop' to meet their analytical testing needs here in Saskatchewan,” SRC president and CEO Dr Laurier Schramm said.