Dilution control is a very interesting topic and applies mainly to metal mines, but which can be of great importance for several operations, whether underground or open pit. This theme is very broad and there are several possibilities and techniques, which will depend on the scenarios and resources available, but in order not to make our article too long, we will direct our comments around a case study that we are carrying out these days, but it is worth noting that the general comments we will make apply to most cases of dilution control. Before sharing a little about the technique we are using, it is important to understand that in a very brief way, the “dilution” represents the percentage (%) of mixture between two elements that we do not want to mix, where the simplest example we have in mining are the contacts between ore and overburden, the ideal scenario being that they do not mix, so that we can remove all the ore without it being contaminated by the overburden. This is very important in some metal mines, such as gold or copper, where grades are really limiting factors for the economic viability of operations and small variations can strongly affect the recovery of the mineral of economic interest. So when we talk about dilution control, what we want is to ensure that the sterile material does not mix with the ore (or materials of different contents), so that the original content of the material can be maintained. When we apply this concept to rock blasting, we can usually do it in two ways/techniques: 1. Separation: where during detonation a real separation of materials of different types/contents is carried out, directing them in the opposite direction, where the expected result is that we have “separated” piles. 2. Preservation (Do not mix): when, during detonation, one seeks to maintain the natural conditions of contact, without the material mixing, that is, leaving them in the same original configuration after dismantling, with no or minimal movement during the detonation. An important observation is that the “perception of separation” is not always as clear as in the illustrations above, as the materials may have the same color or similar characteristics, making it difficult to visually identify the dilution of the materials... Source: Rock Blasting, Linkedin Bruno PIMENTEL