SAMPLING , ANALYSIS AND LAB ASSAY by what it says is the first and only sample digestion technology using focused , short-wave infrared heating and a cooling zone to dissolve solid sample matter into solution .
A superior alternative to conventional hot block and microwave digestion technologies , ColdBlock digestion is a simple process , completed in minutes , with equal or better accuracy and precision , and better workplace safety than the incumbent technologies , the company says .
In mining , sample digestion is used to decompose a solid sample into a liquid state by dissolving it using energy and reagents that can include a number of acids . ColdBlock digestion takes this necessary step for multi-element analysis of the sample and does it faster , safer and more cost effectively than traditional approaches , according to the company .
Sample digestion for base metals has traditionally used hot block technology , a process involving an electric heating element with a range of configurations that typically takes 2-4 hours for adequate sample digestion . ColdBlock ’ s technology , on the other hand , takes just 15-30 minutes . Able to accommodate sample sizes up to 30-40 grams , the technology is also expected to appeal to the gold space .
In this same feature last year , ColdBlock CEO , Craig West , highlighted interest from both commercial laboratories and mining companies in the technology , and the Canada-based company has just confirmed a big win on this front .
In October , Bureau Veritas and ColdBlock announced that they had completed a successful test program that confirmed the accuracy and precision of ColdBlock digestion technology on a wide range of samples from customers in the mining industry of Chile .
ColdBlock digestion is a simple process , completed in minutes , with equal or better accuracy and precision , and better workplace safety than the incumbent technologies , the company says
The testing commenced last year in Bureau Veritas ’ Santiago lab , with the lab ’ s standard digestion methods using traditional hot block digestion equipment converted to ColdBlock
FEBRUARY 2024 | International Mining 21