Saskatchewan Research Council announces new service to assist the mining industry

SASKATOON, SK, April 19, 2013 /CNW/ - The Saskatchewan Research Council (SRC) today announced a new QEMSCAN® service that will assist the mining industry by providing precise quantitative mineralogical analyses that are essential for proving resource deposits that lead to mine development. SRC will be the first QEMSCAN® service provider in Saskatchewan and one of only a handful in Canada.

SRC has invested $1.4 million to provide the new service, which will provide a strong link between mineral exploration and mineral processing that will help mineral  companies find new deposits and evaluate the economic potential of these deposits while still in the exploration stage and particularly in the mineral processing stage.

Justice Minister and Attorney General Gordon Wyant, on behalf of Economy Minister and Minister responsible for SRC Bill Boyd, announced the new service. Located at SRC's Saskatoon Innovation Place location, the service will allow mining companies to increase productivity and competitiveness in an environmentally sustainable manner.

"Mining and mineral processing are key sectors of our economy, with Saskatchewan being one of the largest mineral producers of potash and uranium in the world," said Minister Wyant. "By helping companies prove out resource deposits to eventually mine and process, SRC is part of a mining cycle that creates and maintains jobs in Saskatchewan, across Canada, and around the world."

The QEMSCAN® service, commonly the first phase of any mineral processing program, will complement the current testing services of SRC's Advanced Microanalysis Centre™ and Mineral Processing Pilot Plant.

"SRC has a long track record of providing real-world solutions to the mining industry," said SRC President and CEO Dr. Laurier Schramm. "This new service, in addition to SRC's current capabilities in this sector, will enhance SRC's ability to serve mining industry clients as a 'one-stop-shop' to meet their analytical testing needs here in Saskatchewan."

QEMSCAN® is a sophisticated electron microscope capable of advanced electron spectroscopy that enables scientists to determine the bulk mineralogy and liberation characteristics of various types of ore samples. The new service will be made available to potential clients immediately.

SRC is one of Canada's leading providers of applied research, development and demonstration (RD&D) and technology commercialization. With more than 400 employees, $78 million in annual revenue and 66 years of RD&D experience, SRC provides services and products to its 1,950 clients around the world.

For more information, visit SRC's new website www.src.sk.ca.

Image with caption: "Saskatchewan Research Council announces new service to assist the mining industry (CNW Group/Saskatchewan Research Council)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20130419_C6396_PHOTO_EN_25674.jpg

SOURCE: Saskatchewan Research Council

To arrange an interview or for more information, contact:

Rebecca Gotto
Communications Advisor
Saskatchewan Research Council
Tel: [phone] Cell: [phone] Email: [email protected]