Magnetite-hematite characterization at micron scale with implications for metallurgical processing and decarbonisation

Magnetite deposits represent important iron ore resources. Selective sorting of valuables from gangue and targeting of potential critical metals which can be recovered from waste streams must be implemented from the exploration and excavation state on. Optical and scanning electron microscopy, electron microprobe analysis, electron backscatter diffraction, dual energy X-ray transmission and computed tomography were applied to determine the mineralogy and classify the iron oxides of different iron-ore types. These characteristics can be used for sorting at exploration and extraction steps to reduce unvaluable materials at the loading and hauling steps, which contribute with about 50 % to the greenhouse gas emission of the iron ore mining and mineral processing sector. These data also contribute to finetune mineral processing parameters.