Australian mining technology company Chrysos Corporation and leading testing, inspection, and certification company, SGS have reached an agreement to install a Chrysos PhotonAssayTM unit at SGS’s Australian Minerals Regional Hub in Perth.
Originally developed at Australia’s national science agency, CSIRO, Chrysos PhotonAssay delivers faster, safer and more accurate gold analysis, and is an environmentally-friendly replacement for fire assay on-site and in the laboratory.
Chrysos Corporation Chief Executive, Dirk Treasure, enthused: “Chrysos is excited to be working with the SGS team. The installation of this new PhotonAssay unit at their cutting-edge facility in Perth reflects the desire of both organisations to deliver unparalleled levels of customer service through swifter, safer and more sustainable assaying technologies.”
Hitting samples with high-energy X-rays, Chrysos PhotonAssay causes excitation of atomic nuclei allowing rapid and enhanced analysis of gold, silver, and complementary elements in as little as two minutes. Importantly, the non-destructive process allows large samples of up to 500g to be measured and provides a true bulk reading independent of the chemical or physical form of the sample.
Juan Smith, General Manager Natural Resources for SGS in Australia, stated “SGS is at the forefront of leveraging innovative technologies like Chrysos PhotonAssay. We are continually looking at how we can revolutionise the mining sector through the adoption of disruptive technology and automation. This new partnership with Chrysos reflects and reinforces our commitment to sustainability and improved service delivery.”
Striking a similar note, Mr Treasure added, “Our growth plan includes the deployment of 80 PhotonAssay units over the next five years. At that point, with each unit capable of processing up to 480,000 samples per annum, we will be helping our customers reduce CO2 emissions by an estimated 18,000 tonnes and decrease hazardous waste by approximately 12,000 tonnes every year.”
Market enthusiasm for these operational and environmental benefits has endowed Chrysos with a strong sales pipeline and new contracts for a further nine units; representing 150% growth on its current deployments. The company anticipates further acceleration of demand over the coming years in a worldwide market with room for approximately 350 units.
