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JT Smit extractive metallurgist
Personal Information
Marital status: married, with two children
Nationality: Dutch
Date of Birth: May 22, 1964
Place of Birth: Naarden (NH), The Netherlands
Summary of qualifications
1982 - 1987 Delft Technological University Delft, NL
Ir. (Dutch, equivalent of MSc) in Mining Engineering, with specialisation in Extractive Metallurgy
Thesis: Synthesis of iron pellet and sinter phases and their behaviour under reducing conditions
Education
1976 - 1982 Willem Lodewijk Gymnasium Groningen, NL
Matric subjects: Dutch, English, Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, Advanced Mathematics and Latin
Professional experience
Nov. 2000 - Present Anglo American Research Laboratories
Process Research Manager
* In charge of concept and key research programmes, with Project Leaders reporting to me (examples - novel laterite process technology, novel mineral concentration technology)
* Manage, maintain and lead networks to accelerate technology development
* Manage Intellectual Property
* Manage annual R&D budget & scope cycle
* Manage a budget totalling ca. ZAR 11 million
* Extensive liaison with AA plc companies at senior VP levels
* Conduct formal technology intelligence, and reporting thereof
* Identification of promising new technologies and preparation of proposals
Oct. 1999 - Nov. 2000 Anglo Platinum Research Centre
Senior Research Associate
* Seconded from the AARL(Pty)Ltd. to Anglo Platinum as part of corporate manpower planning within Anglo American plc., to concentrate on flotation and dry milling technology for potential implementation in new expansions.
Mar. 1998 - Oct. 1999 Anglo American Research Laboratories(Pty)Ltd.
Senior Research Associate
* Project Co-ordinator for the Flotation and Liberation (Comminution) development programmes at the AARL for Anglo American Corporation of South Africa and Minorco (later combined into Anglo American plc).
* Responsible for a Group budget on the identification and development of promising extractive technologies in the minerals processing fields of comminution (milling) and froth flotation, amounting to ca. R4.5 million per annum (1999). In this function, I set the direction and milestones, provided technical consultation, and liased with third parties on technology implementation and optimisation, e.g. mines and equipment suppliers.
* Technical backup by visits, e.g. by plant visits to Chile, Zambia, and South Africa.
1996 - March 1998 FOSKOR Ltd., Phalaborwa (South Africa)
Superintendent: Metallurgy
* Production improvements at current facility, with e.g. proven improvement in recovery on one ore stream of over 5%, without deterioration in grade.
* Metallurgical design of a new plant extension to treat 800 tph phosphate ore by dry milling and flotation.
* Development and design of the novel technology for this new extension plant, based on dry milling, classification, flotation and dry separation.
1987 - April 1996 Anglo American Research Laboratories(Pty)Ltd.
from Junior Metallurgist to Head: Basic Research
* Extensive experience in gold metallurgy, especially in the optimisation of current technology for the gold mines of Anglo American Corporation, currently Anglo Gold, as well as in general gold-, base metals and industrial minerals hydrometallurgy. Examples of areas researched include carbon-in-pulp, carbon-in-leach, ion exchange, filtration, pressure leaching, pilot plant design and operation, various leach processes, segregation roasting, sulphur dioxide leaching, arsenic removal and stabilisation, bioleaching, etc. Functionally, I rose from junior metallurgist, doing testwork, via head of routine services to section head of hydrometallurgy and basic metallurgical research.
1988 East Rand Gold and Uranium Co., Brakpan
Metallurgist in training
* Small projects and plant training, as part of the general AAC training plan
1985 Aluminium Delfzijl, The Netherlands
Vacation Student
* Production work in an aluminium electrolysis and casting plant
Patents and publications
Provisional Patent No. 93/7812 (RSA)- On precious metals hydrometallurgy
Provisional Patent No. 94/4851(RSA) - On the subject of producing high purity magnesia
Provisional Patent No. 96/0883(RSA) - On the subject of nickel recovery from lateritic ores
Provisional Patent No. 96/0781(RSA) - On the subject of zinc recovery from zinc silicates, producing a filterable residue, subsequently converted into a full patent
Provisional Patent No. RSA 98/3894 (Patent Application. No PCT/IB 99/00714) - On the subject of accelerated rates of recovery in flotation, as well as increased recovery of coarse particles
Leachable Gold in Plant Residue - J Weichselbaum, JA Tumilty and JT Smit, Anglo American and De Beers Metallurgical Symposium, Sandton, 1990
Diagnostic Leaching - An Introduction to the Technique and Recent Developments - JT Smit, Colloquium on Mineralogical and Chemical Analysis of Gold and PGM¡¦s, SAIMM, Johannesburg, 1995
Gold Cyanidation Testwork - J Weichselbaum, JT Smit and M Petersen, Second Anglo American and De Beers Metallurgical Symposium, Johannesburg, 1993
Research into the Relationship between Composition and Cyanidation Behaviour of Witwatersrand Reefs - JT Smit and J Weichselbaum, Second Anglo American and De Beers Metallurgical Symposium, Johannesburg, 1993
High Purity Magnesia Production via the Aqueous Sulphur Dioxide Route - JT Smit and MG Botha, left unpublished due to confidentiality
Provisional Patent No. SA 99/2177 ¡* Ore Comminution Process¡¨, being registered as international patent (US 09/296,249; PCT IB4B99/00714), on the subject of conditions in size reduction processes which lead to improved mineral liberation without overgrinding
Provisional Patent No. 99/2869 ¡* Froth Flotation¡¨, on the subject of a ¡* thin¡¨ flotation cell concept
Provisional Patent No. 99/4106 ¡* Froth Flotation¡¨, on the subject of improved energy efficiency and product grade control by flotation cell design
Investigations Into The Recovery Rate Limiting Step - Smit JT and Watum KL, Mineral Processing ¡¦99, SAIMM, Cape Town, August 1999
Electrochemistry: Contaminant Ions and Sulphide Mineral Interactions - Smit JT, Sandenbergh RF and Gnoinski J, in: Encyclopedia of Separation Science, Academic Press Ltd, London, planned publication date: early 2000
Optimised Mineral Liberation Through Pressure Comminution in Downstream Processing - Smit JT, Du Plessis I and Viljoen RM, Second Annual Crushing and Grinding in Mining Conference, Johannesburg, February 2000
Size Effects in Flotation - Smit JT, Flotation Short Course, University of Pretoria, 1-2 August, 2000
Novel Liberation Technology - Du Plesses I, Viljoen RM and Smit JT, Mineral Processing 2000, SAIMM, August 24-25, 2000, Cape Town
The Development and Application of In-Bed Compression Breakage Principles - Viljoen RM, Smit JT, Du Plessis I and Ser V, Minerals Engineering, Vol. 14, No. 5, 2001
Flotation Improvements by Interparticle Milling - Smit JT, Ser V, Du Plessis I and Viljoen RM, Copper Cobalt Nickel and Zinc Recovery, SAIMM, Victoria Falls, July 2001
Provisional Patent No. 2001/8043 - ¡* Jaw Crusher¡¨
Flotation Improvements through Interparticle Milling - Viljoen RM, Ser V, Smit JT, Anglo American Metallurgical Symposium, 2001, Johannesburg
RSA Patent application No. 2001/9154 - Froth Flotation, Smit JT, Whatum KL, Malan JF and Tumilty JA
Sustainable Business Growth Through R&D - Ramsay AG & Smit JT, Anglo American Group Technical Conference, Johannesburg, July 2004
Several patents currently at various stages of the administrative process, in the areas of comminution and laterite processing
Professional memberships Koninklijk Instituut Van Ingenieurs, South African branch (Royal Dutch Institute of Engineers). Secretary of this branch for 1994-1996. Membership number: 777086.
Languages
Dutch, English, German, Afrikaans, basic French
Other professional interests
External examiner, particularly for the Hydrometallurgy course at the University of Pretoria (Prof. Sandenbergh)
Summary of Personal Development
When joining the AARL(Pty)Ltd for the first time, I was fortunate to take part in a major effort to more fully understand and optimise the gold cyanidation process. In the course of these investigations, I was heavily involved in, and often spearheaded, the design of novel test programmes, which formed the basis of subsequent plant optimisation exercises, in which cyanide dosages were minimised and oxygen enrichment of cyanidation pulps was initiated. Growing from this experience, I moved into special projects on base metal extraction, ran a routine laboratory, and ended up leading a section specialising in the development of new metallurgical techniques. At that moment, I had the opportunity to move into production at a phosphate flotation plant. Here I led a team of metallurgists and technicians in improving plant performance, the greatest success being a significant improvement in flotation recoveries through flowsheet modifications. Also, I led the development of a novel milling / flotation plant for a major extension of the operations, and was responsible for the metallurgical design of the flotation plant based on this testwork. On completion of this work, and approval of the extension plans, I was contacted by AARL to rejoin them, heading the development programmes on flotation and comminution at the AARL, jointly sponsored by AAC and Minorco, a position which allowed me to further develop and generalise the findings I made on phosphate mineral beneficiation and liberation, with an emphasis on (complex) sulphide ores. At the request of Anglo Platinum, I was then seconded to their research centre, to further develop these technologies, as applied to platinum ores, as an external consultant, with the aim to test their suitability for planned new concentrators. On completion of my year's secondment, I was appointed as Process Research Manager at AARL, a position in which I am exposed to both managerial, financial and technical issues, and the economic evaluation of various new developments in Anglo American plc.
I completed various courses, the most pertinent ones being the Anglo American Management Development Programme at the University of Stellenbosch Business School and the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBoK) course.
My current position lies at the very heart of AA plc's metallurgical competence, with a strong interaction with senior Group personnel, on the basis of mutual respect, to develop pragmatic, business focussed solutions in metallurgical processing. The technology areas touched upon span all metallurgical disciplines, and high level studies of certain areas of technology are prepared regularly for senior Group personnel, as per request.
References
Will be provided.
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