A NOVEL APPROACH OF USING RAMAN SPECTROSCOPY TO DETERMINE SOLID SOLUTION SERIES

Raman spectroscopy has been used as an analytical technique in many fields of investigation ranging from the astrobiological exploration of Mars, to aiding in the restoration of priceless art. Recently, Raman spectroscopy has been used as a tool for the identification of minerals and the investigation of crystal structure and composition. As a novel technique, Raman spectroscopy provides a fast, efficient, and non-destructive way of identifying minerals and solid solution series. While other techniques may require lab preparation or treatment, the lab-based Raman spectrometer has high spatial resolution (0.8 microns), while the field Raman system has a resolution of ca. 30 microns. My research employs the use of the Raman spectroscopy to identify the mole percentage of ore minerals, effectively reducing the time to identify the amount of recoverable ore. Recently, cobalt has become one of the most economically important metals in the world. Significantly, as the world’s demand for lithium ion batteries rise, the demand for cobalt will increase, because it is vital in the manufacturing of these batteries. While cobalt has only been recovered as a byproduct of nickel and copper mining, new cobalt mines have become a priority. Ores of cobalt are most principally obtained from carbonates of calcite structure, namely spherocobaltite (CoCO₃) and cobaltoan calcite ((Co,Ca)CO₃). Cobaltoan calcite ((Co,Ca)CO₃) is the solid solution series between the end members spherocobaltite (CoCO₃) and calcite (CaCO₃). This research has found a direct relationship between the mole percentage of substituted cobalt, and the change in the Raman spectra which could be used by the mining industry.