Mineral separation

The mineral separation laboratory is specifically designed for the preparation and separation of mineral samples. Its equipment allows for all common workflow steps, from coarse sample preparation to the production of pure mineral concentrates for geochemical and geochronological analyses.

The equipment includes, among others:

• Crushing and sieving equipment: Jaw crusher, disc mill, vibratory disc mill, and various sieve sets for targeted grain fractionation.
• Mechanical density separation: A Wilfley table (shaking table) for efficient separation of mineral phases based on density and grain shape, especially for the preliminary concentration of heavy minerals.
• Chemical preparation: Fume hoods and workstations for the chemical cleaning of samples (e.g., using acetic acid and hydrogen peroxide).
• Magnetic separation: Two isodynamic Frantz magnetic separators and hand magnets for the separation of magnetic and weakly magnetic components.
• Density separation systems: Heavy liquid separation using SPT (sodium polytungstate) and DI (diiodomethane) at various concentrations for the separation of mineral fractions by specific gravity.
• Drying and cleaning devices: Drying ovens, ultrasonic baths, and laboratory centrifuges for gentle cleaning and treatment of samples.
• Optical and manual separation: Binocular stereomicroscopes and precision needles and tweezers for manual selection of individual grains and preparation of epoxy mounts.
• Recycling: SPT, DI, and acetone are recovered using drying ovens or rotary evaporators and reused.