MinResET runs one of the few hydroseparation laboratories in the world, providing an innovative, clean separation technology for heavy minerals, which help understand rock and ore deposit formation. Our facilities process samples of extremely fine-grained (down to <30 µm), water-insoluble grains to produce heavy-mineral concentrates.

The HS laboratory simulates natural beach placer deposits by combination of a laminar water flow at constant pressure with diverse wave impulses. Heavy mineral phases (e.g. gold, platinum-group minerals, zircons) are concentrated at the bottom of a glass separation tube, whereas the light fraction rises to the top and leaves the system. By using different glass separation tubes, flow rates and impulse regimes, the total amount of heavy mineral concentrates for each size fraction is reduced to about 0.1 mg. Final concentrates are used to produce polished monolayers for their subsequent investigation.

The discovery of very small platinum-group mineral (PGM) grains (10 µm) within tropical soils as well as the successful concentration of zircons (30 µm) hosted in ultramafic rocks, are only two examples of the effectiveness of this technology.

We can offer a complete package of services for mineral and ore deposit characterizations. Starting from standard transmitted and reflected light microscopy we have access to advanced analytical methods such as powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM and FE-SEM), electron microprobe (EMP), micro Raman spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), studies of fluid inclusions and isotope analysis (34S, 13C and 18O), X-ray fluorescence (XRF) and induction coupled plasma spectrometry (ICP-OES and ICP-MS).