Rapid Lithium Mineralogy Analyzer

锂（Li）是一种金属，用于锂离子电池，约占全球产量的35%。由于电动汽车的快速增长和普及，它正加速成为一种备受关注的商品。Li**将是加拿大经济的关键金属。新的锂矿加工方法提高了产量和速度，减少了化学品的使用，提高了能源效率（“绿色”），这些都将极大地造福加拿大的矿业部门。目前的处理方法复杂且具有挑战性。为了提高锂的回收方法，需要快速反馈工艺矿物学工具。从本质上讲，矿石的提取和加工是一个显微镜问题。这是因为挖掘出来的材料必须被分解成**微米大小的颗粒，以便将其暴露在化学加工中，从而释放出产品。这个项目的目标是开发一个概念验证的锂成像仪器，从而产生一个坚固耐用的便携式锂矿物学分析仪的原型。目前还不存在这样的工具。目前，矿物处理器具有特殊的分析技术，可以提供重要的细节，但速度慢，价格昂贵，通常仅限于成像表面，并且在分析前需要大量的样品准备（如切割和抛光）。这意味着“实时”反馈是不可能的。我们全新的方法是基于我们最初为生物光子学开发的先进激光显微镜技术：受激拉曼散射（SRS）显微镜。我们最近展示了世界上第一个SRS在地质学上的应用，这是一个我们称之为地球光子学的新领域。这种显微镜技术非常快速（实时），是矿物特异性的，不需要样品制备，并提供完整的3D信息。我们预计我们的新矿物成像方法将成为工艺矿物学领域的一项颠覆性技术。这种方法将为采矿和矿物加工工程师提供的新型信息将改善加拿大采矿部门的可持续采矿作业，提高开采效率并减少对环境的影响。

Lithium (Li), a metal, is used for Li ion batteries, accounting for about 35% of global production. It is**accelerating as a commodity of great interest because of the rapid growth and acceptance of electric vehicles. Li**will be a critical metal for Canada's economy. New Li mineral processing methods which enhance the yield and**speed, reduce the use of chemicals and increase energy efficiency ('greening') will all greatly benefit Canada's**mining sector. Current processing methods are complex and challenging. There is a need for rapid feedback**process mineralogy tools in order to enhance Li recovery methods. The extraction and processing of mining**ores is, at its heart, a microscopy problem. This is because the excavated material must be broken down to**micron size grains in order to expose it to the chemical processing which releases the product. The goal of this**project is to develop a proof-of-concept Li imaging instrument that leads to a prototype rugged, portable**Lithium Mineralogy Analyzer. Such a tool does not currently exist. Currently, mineral processors have special**analytical techniques which can provide important details but are slow, expensive, typically restricted to**imaging surfaces and require extensive sample preparation (such as cutting and polishing) before analysis. This**means that 'real time' feedback is impossible. Our brand new approach is based on an advanced laser**microscopy technique we developed originally for Biophotonics: Stimulated Raman Scattering (SRS)**Microscopy. We recently demonstrated the world's first application of SRS to Geology, a new field we call**Geophotonics. This microscopy technique is very rapid (real time), is mineral-specific, requires no sample**preparation and gives full 3D information. We anticipate that our new mineral imaging approach will become a**disruptive technology in the field of process mineralogy. The new type of information that this method will**provide to mining and mineral processing engineers will improve sustainable mining operations, increase**extraction efficiency and reduce environmental impacts in Canada's mining sector.