Optimizing Multi-Spectral Ore Sorting: Incorporating Wavelength Selection Utilizing Neighborhood Component Analysis for Effective Arsenic Mineral Detection

Arsenic contamination not only complicates mineral processing but also poses environmental and health risks. To address these challenges, this research investigates the feasibility of utilizing Hyperspectral (HS) imaging combined with machine learning techniques for the identification of arsenic-containing minerals in copper ore samples, with a focus on practical application in sorting and processing operations. Through experimentation with various copper sulfide ores, Neighborhood Component Analysis (NCA) was employed to select essential wavelength bands from Hyperspectral data, subsequently used as inputs for machine learning algorithms to identify arsenic concentrations. Results demonstrate that by selecting a subset of informative bands using NCA, accurate mineral identification can be achieved with a significantly reduced the size of dataset, enabling efficient processing and analysis. Comparison with other band selection methods highlights the superiority of NCA in optimizing classification accuracy. Specifically, the identification accuracy exceeded 90% when utilizing 8 or more bands selected by NCA and was comparable to hyperspectral data analysis with 204 bands. The findings suggest potential for cost-effective implementation of multispectral cameras in mineral processing operations. Future research directions include refining machine learning algorithms, exploring broader applications across diverse ore types, and integrating hyperspectral imaging with emerging sensor technologies for enhanced mineral processing capabilities.