Roland Schmidt: One of America’s pioneers in process mineralogy

In North America, mineralogical analyses for exploration, mining, metallurgy, smelting and refining had many early beginnings and practitioners. One of the leading trailblazers in applied mineralogy for the mining industry is Roland Schmidt. As director of the mineralogical laboratories at Hazen Research Inc. from 1963 through 2023, Schmidt was instrumental in developing mineralogy as one of the most powerful tools for establishing process design criteria, clarifying metallurgical plant processing challenges and opportunities, and guiding experimental work through interpretation of the results. From his native Germany, Schmidt brought in-depth skills in applying mineralogical and mineral separation laboratory methods. Receiving his M.S. equivalent from the Frankfurt University Mineralogical Institute, he practiced microscopy under Albrecht Wilke and Hugo Westenberger, icons of the mineral resource industry, at Lurgi and Metallgesellschaft. Upon arriving in the United States, Schmidt advanced these methods, bringing an understanding of the operational value of thorough mineralogical analysis to industry, project by project. Schmidt’s expertise in ore microscopy (a.k.a. reflected light microscopy) and producing photomicrographs is legendary. Nothing escaped his trained eye when examining a polished section from ores, gravity concentrates, flotation products, leach residues, slags, tailings or other samples. Highly skilled in mineral beneficiation methods, he could often be seen in a rubber apron running a float test, operating a gravity table, or performing true artwork with the famous Davis Tube wet LIMS. During the demand for uranium ore analysis, there was not one radioactive mineral that escaped his combination of autoradiographs, Debye-Scherrer XRD and SEM or microprobe scans. In all pursuits, he sought perfection. The core of his lasting contribution to the discipline of mineralogy was profound expertise in mineral processing unit operations. Contemporaries offered a supplement to traditional applications of ore mineralogy to geological interpretation of ore genesis, but Schmidt set the standard by making process mineralogy an indispensable tool in mineral processing and extractive metallurgy.Wolfgang Baum, who worked with Schmidt for three years, recalls his brilliance in metallurgical core logging, something which has fallen by the wayside in today’s era of reliance on parts-per-trillion detection instruments, handheld scanners and X-ray tomography. However, metallurgical core logging was probably the most robust way to prevent early mistakes in selecting samples for characterization. This was decades before geometallurgy became a soundbite. In 524 mineralogical reports during his career at Hazen Research, Schmidt’s interpretations guided process development programs, often with one or two critical photomicrographs. He had a superb eye for discovering and solving the key problem. Over his 60-year tenure, Schmidt created a body of work that was integral in building the reputation of Hazen Research. His reports were meticulous and precisely stated and presented conclusions and recommendations that one could take to the bank. Numerous exploration projects, concentrators, leaching operations and smelters were improved by Schmidt, revealing their mineralogical secrets and providing sound process-related advice. The mining industry benefited greatly from his expertise and undying dedication to process mineralogy. (Nick Hazen is president and chief executive officer of Hazen Research Inc., Wolfgang Baum is process mineralogist (retired) in San Diego, CA, and Terry McNulty is president of T.P. McNulty and Associates Inc.)

Roland Schmidt: One of America’s pioneers in process mineralogy

Authored by: Nick Hazen, Wolfgang Baum and Terry McNulty

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