Malvern Panalytical Scientific Award 2023

Our 2023 Scientific Award is now open – and there’s a €5,000 prize for the best entry.
Entries close August 31st – you’ve still got time!

Mining & Energy Instrument 2018 Program Winners

Mining & Energy Instrument 2018 Program Winners 1

PAS is pleased to acknowledge this year’s winners of the ASD Students in Mining & Energy Instrument Support Program, announced recently by Malvern Panalytical.

The Students in Mining & Energy Instrument Support Program allows Masters and Ph.D. students from around the world involved in mining and energy disciplines to submit a research proposal involving spectral mineralogy. Winners receive the opportunity to borrow an ASD TerraSpec® spectrometer at no charge in order to pursue their research endeavours.

This year, we had a number of interesting geologic submissions to choose from. Here are the four selected global 2018 Students in Mining & Energy Instrument Support Program winners and their  innovative research topics.

 

TerraSpec® 4 Winners:

Camilo A. Uribe Mogollon
Earth and Environmental Science Program
New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, Mexico, US

Title: White mica geochemistry associated with phyllic alteration halos in porphyry systems: Insights from vectoring tool applied to exploration

Andrew Jacobus
Earth and Environmental Science Program
Binghamton University, York, US 
Title: NIR, pXRF, and XRD Spectroscopy of the Utica Shale in The Mohawk Valley of New York: Towards a Stoichiometric Model to Convert Elemental Abundances to Minerology

 

TerraSpec Halo Winners:

Taran Bradley
Department of Geology and Geological Engineering
South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, Dakota, US
Title: Detecting the role of pressure and bulk composition on the Al-OH absorption band of white micas: A case study in the Tavşanlı Zone of Turkey

Michael Franke
Applied Geosciences
Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg, Germany
Title: PANGAEA Project

We look forward to your results and greatly appreciate the contributions that you are making to spectral science in your geologic fields! Click here to learn more about the ASD Students in Mining & Energy Instrument Program.

PAS enthusiastically invites students in Australia and New Zealand to consider entering the 2019 competition, with submissions due in late 2018.  Talk to us about your ideas.

PAS to exhibit in RIU Explorers mining conference

Portable Analytical Solutions is excited to be part of the RIU Explorers mining industry conference to be held in Fremantle from 20-22 February 2018.

The popular conference, now in its 17th year, has grown from two to three days in 2018, reflecting the boost in activity throughout the Mining and Exploration Sector.

There are big things happening in the Australian resources sector, with new developments mirroring increased investment from private and government sources committed to greenfield mineral exploration and infrastructure.  (Read more here).

Portable analytical instrumentation and world-class analysers are essential in exploration and development and must-haves in any greenfields project.

 

Niton XL5

The team from PAS will be demonstrating its impressive Niton XL5 and the Niton range of XRF analysers customised for mining, resources and geological applications.

The new top range model features Mining Mode which enables users to determine the concentration of elements from Mg to U in various types of geochemical materials.

The Niton XL5 delivers cost effective capability for accuracy in oil and gas exploration, mineral discovery and mining operations.

As well as metals, the XL5 measures the elemental composition of scale, sludge, oil, powders and slurries.

 

Broad range of technologies

Mining and exploration are key industries for PAS with customers across Australia and New Zealand. We provide leading analytical solutions for many applications within the sector that save time and money with in-situ chemical/elemental analysis of samples, providing greater accuracy and faster results. Solutions include field portable analysers utilising x-ray fluorescence (XRF), near infra-red (NIR) spectrometry or FTIR. 

PAS also arranges rental of some analysers, ensuring a perfect fit for customers in their intended application.

Interest in portable analysers grows in new mining boom

Interest in portable analysers grows in new mining boom 4

Portable analysis solutions for mining applications on the rise

The following article from this month’s Bulk Handling Review may help to explain the noticeable increase in calls to our Service Department in recent times. As well as new enquiries, we’ve received calls from mining industry customers about upgrades, maintenance and training as they put their units to work.

 

Mining booms back as profits soar

By Oliver Probert

Published in Bulk Handling Review on 8 November 2017

A return to the boom time for Australia’s mining sector has been the driving factor to double profits for the country’s top 50 companies, according to KPMG analysis.

Fairfax report this week cites KPMG analyst Ted Surette, pointing to statutory profits for the ASX 50 which almost doubled in FY17 to $120 billion, from just $61.3 billion a year ago.

Profits for mining companies rose $27.7 billion, with Rio Tinto and BHP reporting a five-fold increase in profits.

Together the five miners in the ASX 50 – Rio Tinto, BHP, Fortescue, Newcrest Mining and South32 – reported a combined 13% rise in revenue in Fy17, and a 426% increase in profits.

“The earnings of the major miners reflects price stability and improvements in key commodities as well as a significant reduction in impairment charges,” Surette, KPMGs energy and natural resources partner, was quoted as saying.

“The miners’ strong focus on cost containment is reflected in the 70% improvement in year-on-year operating cashflows.”

Rio Tinto opened at $73.55 on the ASX on Wednesday, up 34.7% year-on-year. BHP opened at $28.35, up 21.6%, and recently regained its title as the largest company on the ASX by market capitalisation, overtaking Commonwealth Bank last month.

FMG has seen its share price drop in the last twelve months, down 11.5% this year to a Wednesday opening of $4.96 a share, but this is still up substantially on the $1.54 share price seen in 2015, at the bottom of the recent mining sector recession.