Why Mid-IR is essential for mineral analysis?
MIR provides stronger and more specific absorption features – improving mineral discrimination and confidence in classification. Many minerals exhibit strong and diagnostic absorption bands in the 2.0 – 5.0 µm region due to fundamental molecular vibrations:
- Carbonates (CO₃²⁻) – strong bands around 3.4 – 3.5 µm
- Hydroxyl-bearing silicates (–OH) – features near 2.7 – 2.8 µm
- Sulfates (SO₄²⁻) – characteristic bands around 4.0 – 4.5 µm
- Phosphates (PO₄³⁻) – diagnostic absorptions in the 4.0 µm region
These MIR signatures enable clearer differentiation between mineral classes that may appear similar in VNIR/SWIR measurements.
Automate Mineral Characterization
Inline Scanning
400 scans per second
No Moving Parts
Plug and play device with no alignment requirements
Contactless Measurements
Non-destructive, non-contact measurements
High Sensitivity
130k counts/(ms μW)
Key Advantages of MIR Inline Scanning
- Stronger, More Specific Spectral Features
Mid-IR captures fundamental vibrations rather than weak overtones – improving sensitivity and material discrimination.
- High-Speed Data Acquisition
Using NLIR’s MIDWAVE Spectrometer, full spectra can be acquired in milliseconds, enabling scanning of moving samples or integration into automated core-logging systems.
- Non-Destructive and Contactless
Reflectance-based measurements allow mineral analysis without sample preparation.
- Complement to VNIR/SWIR Systems
MIR extends spectral coverage and adds chemical specificity to existing hyperspectral workflows.
Equipment used in the measurement
REFLECTION Measurement System combined with
MIDWAVE Spectrometer
Readout full reflection spectra in milliseconds
REFLECTION Measurement System combined with
REFLECTION Interface
Reflection system that can be tailored to your setup
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Bring Mid-IR to Inline Mineral Analysis
NLIR’s mid-infrared solutions enable real-time, chemically specific mineral analysis in demanding industrial and geological environments.
If you are looking to scale up mineral analysis at an industrial level, our mid-infrared spectroscopy solutions can uplift your QA/QC to new speed.