X-ray Microcomputed Tomography (µCT) for Mineral Characterization: A Review of Data Analysis Methods

The main advantage of X-ray microcomputed tomography (µCT) as a non-destructive imaging tool lies in its ability to analyze the three-dimensional (3D) interior of a sample, therefore eliminating the stereological error exhibited in conventional two-dimensional (2D) image analysis. Coupled...

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Main Authors: Pratama Istiadi Guntoro, Yousef Ghorbani, Pierre-Henri Koch, Jan Rosenkranz
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2019-03-01
Series:Minerals
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.mdpi.com/2075-163X/9/3/183
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spelling doaj-c735d1caedfa4e37b63e4b8b59d785b32020-11-25T02:17:13ZengMDPI AGMinerals2075-163X2019-03-019318310.3390/min9030183min9030183X-ray Microcomputed Tomography (µCT) for Mineral Characterization: A Review of Data Analysis MethodsPratama Istiadi Guntoro0Yousef Ghorbani1Pierre-Henri Koch2Jan Rosenkranz3MiMeR—Minerals and Metallurgical Engineering, Luleå University of Technology, SE-971 87 Luleå, SwedenMiMeR—Minerals and Metallurgical Engineering, Luleå University of Technology, SE-971 87 Luleå, SwedenMiMeR—Minerals and Metallurgical Engineering, Luleå University of Technology, SE-971 87 Luleå, SwedenMiMeR—Minerals and Metallurgical Engineering, Luleå University of Technology, SE-971 87 Luleå, SwedenThe main advantage of X-ray microcomputed tomography (µCT) as a non-destructive imaging tool lies in its ability to analyze the three-dimensional (3D) interior of a sample, therefore eliminating the stereological error exhibited in conventional two-dimensional (2D) image analysis. Coupled with the correct data analysis methods, µCT allows extraction of textural and mineralogical information from ore samples. This study provides a comprehensive overview on the available and potentially useful data analysis methods for processing 3D datasets acquired with laboratory µCT systems. Our study indicates that there is a rapid development of new techniques and algorithms capable of processing µCT datasets, but application of such techniques is often sample-specific. Several methods that have been successfully implemented for other similar materials (soils, aggregates, rocks) were also found to have the potential to be applied in mineral characterization. The main challenge in establishing a µCT system as a mineral characterization tool lies in the computational expenses of processing the large 3D dataset. Additionally, since most of the µCT dataset is based on the attenuation of the minerals, the presence of minerals with similar attenuations limits the capability of µCT in mineral segmentation. Further development on the data processing workflow is needed to accelerate the breakthrough of µCT as an analytical tool in mineral characterization.http://www.mdpi.com/2075-163X/9/3/183X-ray microcomputed tomographydata analysismineral characterizationtexturemineralogy
collection DOAJ
language English
format Article
sources DOAJ
author Pratama Istiadi Guntoro
Yousef Ghorbani
Pierre-Henri Koch
Jan Rosenkranz
spellingShingle Pratama Istiadi Guntoro
Yousef Ghorbani
Pierre-Henri Koch
Jan Rosenkranz
X-ray Microcomputed Tomography (µCT) for Mineral Characterization: A Review of Data Analysis Methods
Minerals
X-ray microcomputed tomography
data analysis
mineral characterization
texture
mineralogy
author_facet Pratama Istiadi Guntoro
Yousef Ghorbani
Pierre-Henri Koch
Jan Rosenkranz
author_sort Pratama Istiadi Guntoro
title X-ray Microcomputed Tomography (µCT) for Mineral Characterization: A Review of Data Analysis Methods
title_short X-ray Microcomputed Tomography (µCT) for Mineral Characterization: A Review of Data Analysis Methods
title_full X-ray Microcomputed Tomography (µCT) for Mineral Characterization: A Review of Data Analysis Methods
title_fullStr X-ray Microcomputed Tomography (µCT) for Mineral Characterization: A Review of Data Analysis Methods
title_full_unstemmed X-ray Microcomputed Tomography (µCT) for Mineral Characterization: A Review of Data Analysis Methods
title_sort x-ray microcomputed tomography (µct) for mineral characterization: a review of data analysis methods
publisher MDPI AG
series Minerals
issn 2075-163X
publishDate 2019-03-01
description The main advantage of X-ray microcomputed tomography (µCT) as a non-destructive imaging tool lies in its ability to analyze the three-dimensional (3D) interior of a sample, therefore eliminating the stereological error exhibited in conventional two-dimensional (2D) image analysis. Coupled with the correct data analysis methods, µCT allows extraction of textural and mineralogical information from ore samples. This study provides a comprehensive overview on the available and potentially useful data analysis methods for processing 3D datasets acquired with laboratory µCT systems. Our study indicates that there is a rapid development of new techniques and algorithms capable of processing µCT datasets, but application of such techniques is often sample-specific. Several methods that have been successfully implemented for other similar materials (soils, aggregates, rocks) were also found to have the potential to be applied in mineral characterization. The main challenge in establishing a µCT system as a mineral characterization tool lies in the computational expenses of processing the large 3D dataset. Additionally, since most of the µCT dataset is based on the attenuation of the minerals, the presence of minerals with similar attenuations limits the capability of µCT in mineral segmentation. Further development on the data processing workflow is needed to accelerate the breakthrough of µCT as an analytical tool in mineral characterization.
topic X-ray microcomputed tomography
data analysis
mineral characterization
texture
mineralogy
url http://www.mdpi.com/2075-163X/9/3/183
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AT pierrehenrikoch xraymicrocomputedtomographyμctformineralcharacterizationareviewofdataanalysismethods
AT janrosenkranz xraymicrocomputedtomographyμctformineralcharacterizationareviewofdataanalysismethods
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