METALLURGICAL ASSOCIATE
Adelaide (Unley), South Australia
Telephone/Fax: +61 8 8373 1549
Mobile: +61 438 215 619
Email: vja@i2mconsulting.com
Education
Gold Assayers Certificate, School of Mines of Western Australia, 1964
Associateship Metallurgy, School of Mines of Western Australia, 1965
Diploma of Membership of the Imperial College in Mining and Mineral Technology, 1970
Master of Science in Mineral Process Design, Royal School of Mines, University of London, 1970
Master of Business Administration, Melbourne University, 1976
Doctor of Philosophy, University of South Australia, 2008
Thesis Subjects:
M.Sc. “Process design study for a gold ore”
M.B.A. “Field study of the capital structure of selected companies operating in Australia”
Ph.D. “A comparison of biological and chemically induced leaching mechanisms of chalcopyrite”
Professional Memberships / Awards
Fellow, Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (FAusIMM(CP))
Member, Mineral Industry Consultants Association (MMICA)
Member, Institution of Mining and Metallurgy (MIMM(CEng))
Career Summary
Independent consulting metallurgist with wide experience in the Minerals and Oil and Gas Industries. This experience has included project management, construction and commissioning of mineral and process plant, management of technical personnel, business development, design and operation proposals, feasibility studies and research. Experienced in liaison with government agencies, contractors, equipment manufacturers and research organisations. Extensive experience in copper, gold, uranium, nickel, lead and zinc, oil and gas. This Global work experience has been in Australia, Bougainville, United Kingdom, France, New Zealand, Pakistan and Ghana.
Areas of Particular Expertise:
- Project management and co-ordination
- Project and plant technical audits and troubleshooting
- Due diligence and project reviews
- Conceptual project development and pre-feasibility studies
- Feasibility studies, operating cost and financial modelling
- Metallurgical process development, flowsheet design and process modelling
- Materials balancing and metallurgical accounting
- New technology development and evaluation
Professional Experience
Concurrently – 2012 to Date – Appointed Metallurgical Associate for I2M Consulting, LLC, Houston – Seattle, USA
Provides metallurgical analysis services on I2M projects in SE Asia.
1984 to Date – Independent Consulting Metallurgist, Metamet
Independent Consulting Engineer. Project and study management, financial analysis, metallurgical and computer applications. Provision of services including technical and operational audits, metallurgical process development and flowsheet design, metallurgical accounting spreadsheet development, metallurgical process modeling, metallurgical troubleshooting, commissioning, production of operating manuals. Experience in liaison with government agencies, contractors, equipment manufacturers and research organizations.
Details of Professional Experience – Independent Consulting Metallurgist:
2011 to 2012 Parsons Brinkerhoff
- Process consulting services.
2011 Todd Corporation
- Due diligence of metallurgical aspects of an in-situ uranium leach project.
2011 Jacobs Engineering Group Inc
- Process Engineering services for Barrack (Nuigini) Limited – Porgera JV Water Recovery Review Project.
2010 to 2012 Ishigaki Oceania Pty Ltd
- Business Development for Lasta MC Filter.
2010 Western Desert Resources
- Process Consultant – Process development for Roper Bar iron ore project
2008 to 2009 Parsons Brinkerhoff
- Process Consultant – PFD and P&ID development for Jacinth-Ambrosia Alliance mineral sands project
2008 Aker Solutions Australia
- Process Consultant – Hydromet, CuSX, USX, Uranium Precipitation, Calcination and Packing for BHP Billiton Olympic Dam Stage 1 12 Mtpa Expansion Selection Study.
2008 Parsons Brinkerhoff
- Study Manager for Pre-Feasibility Study for Iluka/Adelaide Resources Tripitaka Mineral Sands Project.
2006 to 2008 URS Australia Pty Ltd
- Process design concept study for treatment of in-situ uranium field leach trial solutions through Beverly Uranium treatment facilities for Quasar Exploration/Heathgate Resources.
- Dynamic Process modeling for BHP Billiton Olympic Dam Tailings Management Project.
- Dynamic Process modeling of hydrometallurgical and tailings residue system using SysCAD for BHP Billiton Olympic Dam Water Conservation Project.
2006 Mayfield Engineering Pty Ltd
- Study Manager for Bankable Feasibility for Uranium One Honeymoon Insitu-leach Uranium Project.
2003 Atomaer Limited
- Review of various process applications incorporating Filblast Technology.
2002 to 2008 PhD Student, Ian Wark Research Institute, University of South Australia
Completing a PhDApSc (Minerals and Materials) project, sponsored by Rio Tinto, “A comparison of biological and chemically induced leaching mechanisms of chalcopyrite”. This project investigated the chalcopyrite leach mechanism in chemical and biological leaching in an acid sulfate system.
2002 WMC (Olympic Dam Operations) Pty Ltd
- Report writing for SX rebuild project.
2001 Thiess Pty Ltd
- Review of metallurgical aspects for a due diligence investigation for a polymetallic project.
2001 Selwyn Mines Pty Ltd
- Review of Feasibility Study for 2 Mtpa expansion project.
2001 WMC (Olympic Dam Operations) Pty Ltd
- Conceptual study of options for expansion of copper, uranium, gold and silver operation from 235,000 tonnes copper per year to 250,000 tonnes copper per year.
- Update of excel material balance and overall operations water balance to provide a simulation model.
2000 to 2010 Industrial Process Machinery
- Product representation for Lasta MC Filter.
2000 WMC Resources
- Research project – application of resin technology.
2000 Steffen Robertson and Kirsten (Australasia) Pty Limited
- Member of due diligence investigation team reporting on several major Australian gold mining operations.
1999 Absol Pty Ltd
- In house development of mechanochemical technology.
1999 Giants Reef Mining N.L.
- Process review study for gold/copper/ bismuth ore.
- Due diligence inspection of gold processing plant.
1999 Australian Mineral Foundation
- Co-ordination of Biomine ’99 conference.
1998 to 1999 Atomaer Limited
- Development of Filblast ferrous to ferric oxidation process for application to uranium, copper. Research into potential application of Filblast Technology for nickel extraction.
1998 WMC Copper Uranium Division
- Technical Audit – Enhancement of Recovery of Product Investigation for Olympic Dam Operation.
1998 CMPS&F for Armada Gold
- Compilation of documentation on rehabilitation of uranium tailings disposal areas.
1998 Santos Limited
- Updating of three Operating Manuals for Gas Satellite Stations and one Operating Manual for an Oil Satellite Station.
1998 WMC Copper Uranium Division
- Review and technical and economic evaluation of proposed research and development projects for the Olympic Dam Copper/Uranium/Gold/Silver operation. Ranking of development projects and preparation of development budget.
- Technical and economic review of oxidants used in Olympic Dam tailings leach process.
- Modelling of process equilibrium concentration values for chlorine and manganese in hydrometallurgical process circuit for a number of operational scenarios.
1998 Ghana Gold Mines
- Provision of metallurgical consulting services for a due diligence study into purchase of a copper heap leach operation.
1994 to 1998 WMC Copper Uranium Division
- Provision of metallurgical, project management and financial evaluation consulting services for Olympic Dam Copper/Uranium/Gold/Silver operation.
- Management of New Technology Development Projects.
- Preparation of Research and Development Grant Applications and the implementation of a comprehensive evaluation and gating procedure for ranking various research and development proposals in terms of economic potential and risk assessment.
- Metallurgical balance development including Metsim modelling and Excel spreadsheet development resulting in comprehensive process models used for production and forecast purposes, including environmental impact and greenhouse gas emission evaluation.
- Pre-Feasibility, Feasibility and Feasibility Optimisation Studies – Operating cost spreadsheet model development for the Olympic Dam expansion project.
- Technical and Operational Audits.
1994 to 1998 Santos Limited
- Updating of Various Cooper Basin Gas and Oil Satellite Plant Operating Manuals.
- Preparation of several new Gas and Oil Satellite Plant Operating Manuals.
- Conversion of Operating Manuals to HTML, electronic format for placement on Santos Intranet.
- Preparation of Port Bonython Naphtha Splitter Operating Manual.
1996 to 1997 Buka Minerals Limited
- Client Representative for the management of the Lady Loretta Lead Zinc Project metallurgical process development. Laboratory development of a treatment circuit and implementation of Pilot Plant project for the production of a bulk lead zinc concentrate at Amdel Limited.
1994 Minproc Engineers Pty Ltd
- Golden Shamrock Mines Ltd – Review of Copper Bearing Materials; assessment of suitability of potential copper bearing materials for feedstock to Burra cupric oxide facility.
1993 Minproc Engineers Pty Ltd
- Golden Shamrock Mines Ltd – Adelaide Chemical Company Burra Concentrates Treatment Plant; Technical and Operational Audit of plant treating copper/gold concentrates by roasting/acid leach/CIP.
1993 Minproc Engineers Pty Ltd/Orway Mineral Consultants
- Ashanti Goldfields Corporation (Ghana) Limited, Pompora Treatment Plant Technical Audit – Metallurgical services to improve Recovery and Gold Accounting. Development of Metallurgical Accounting System using Excel.
1993 Santos Limited
- Updating of two gas Satellite Plant Operating Manuals to incorporate new gas compression facilities. Preparation of commissioning procedures for two new gas compression facilities.
1991 to 1993 BP Minerals (Roxby Downs) Pty Ltd
- Metallurgical review and monthly reporting of Olympic Dam Copper/Uranium/Gold/Silver operations a Joint Venture between BP Minerals and Western Mining Corporation.
1992 WMC (Olympic Dam Operations) Pty Ltd
- Technical Audit – Appraisal of metallurgical process efficiencies, spreadsheet analysis, development of metallurgical plant forecast model, analysis and appraisal of means to improve performance.
1992 Rex Sweatman & Associates Pty Ltd – Australian Mineral Foundation – Pakistan Project
- Laboratory equipment specification, preparation of Laboratory Metallurgical Testing Procedures Manual, training of metallurgists in Pakistan.
1992 Keith Yates & Associates Pty Ltd
- Preliminary feasibility study for oxide copper leach, solvent extraction and production of copper sulphate – Leigh Creek.
1992 Murray Rogers & Associates Pty Ltd
- Flowsheet development and equipment specification for gravity gold treatment plant – Nillinghoo Prospect.
1991 Minproc Engineers Pty Ltd
- Commissioning of Fimiston Stage 2 refractory gold treatment plant for Kalgoorlie Consolidated Gold Mines.
- Commissioning of sulphide gold flotation plant for Macraes Mining Company Limited, New Zealand.
- Expansion Study for Gidgee Gold Mines.
- Mt Martin Relocation Study for Rothschilds Limited.
- Arsenic Disposal Study for Ashanti Gold Mines Limited, Ghana.
1990 Amdel Limited
- Review and preparation of laboratory metallurgical testwork reports.
1990 Santos Limited
- Co-ordination, preparation and editing of Operating Manuals for all Cooper Basin Unit and South Australian Block Oil and Gas Field Facilities.
1989 Amdel Limited
- Project management and metallurgical supervision for Nickel Sulphide pilot plant operation, including conventional and column flotation. Mt Keith Project for Australian Consolidated Minerals 1989/1990.
- Metallurgical supervision and project management for copper/lead/zinc/gold pilot plant operation including gravity, conventional and column flotation unit operations. Peak Gold Project for CRA.
- Graphitic Carbon flotation testwork program on carbonaceous gold ore for Stawell Joint Venture for Western Mining Corporation.
- Oxidised copper/gold ore gravity and flotation testwork program including controlled potential suphidisation testwork for Mt Leyshon Pan Australian Mining.
- Statistical analysis of Zawar Lead Zinc Concentrator performance for Hindustan Zinc.
- Production of Bulk Copper Concentrate, Ball Gammon Project for Northern Mining.
- Evaluation of vermiculite sample for Helix Resources N.L.
- Evaluation of vermiculite sample for Corporate Developments.
1989 White Range Gold N.L.
- Project review services.
1989 Golden Valley Mines N.L. Joint Venture with Broken Hill Metals N.L.
- Head grade determination expert opinion.
1989 Minproc Engineers Pty Ltd
- Preparation of response to a litigation writ.
- Preparation of Plant Operating Procedures and commissioning services for Kaltails Tailings Retreatment Project for Kaltails Joint Venture.
- Review of Eaglehawk Tailings Retreatment Project.
1989 Western Mining Corporation Limited Leinster Nickel Operations
- Recommissioning of Thickeners, Filters, Dryer, Electrostatic Precipitator, Modulode System and Storage Silo. Revision of ESP Operating Procedures.
1988 Amdel Limited
- DBase computer programming for job control system.
- Metallurgical evaluation of copper ore for Moonta Mining N.L.
1988 Minproc Engineers Pty Ltd
- Review of Bottle Creek Gold Project.
- Feasibility Study Co-ordination, process design, operating cost study for Bullabulling gold heap leach project for Central Kalgoorlie Gold Mines.
1988 Fluor Daniel Australia Ltd
- Process design for gold heap leach feasibility study for Selwyn Project Joint Venture.
- Benambra Project metallurgical programme supervision for complex copper/lead/zinc ore for Macquarie Resources Ltd.
1987 Amdel Limited
- Business Development Manager – Gold.
- Metallurgical evaluation of vermiculite deposit for Blue Circle Cement.
1987 Minproc Engineers Pty Ltd
- Metallurgical consulting, computer spreadsheet development.
- Gold Feasibility Study co ordination preparation, process design, computer spreadsheet set up for operating cost evaluation, Bottle Creek project for Electrolytic Zinc Corporation.
- Eaglehawk Joint Venture; Pre-Commissioning Services; Gold Tailings Treatment.
1987 Imex Specialties (Australia) Pty Ltd
- Computer consulting services.
1986 Santos Limited
- Computer consulting service: Lotus 123 programming and automation of compressor data trending.
- Gas fields spare parts survey Stage 2.
1986 Ranger Exploration NL
- Metallurgical consulting services and technical translation from French; gold tailings treatment.
1986 Amdel Limited
- Commissioning and troubleshooting services for Tasmania Mines Scheelite Plant.
- Pilot plant metallurgical data input and mass balance calculations Golden Grove Project for Electrolytic Zinc Corporation.
1985 Santos Limited
- Gas Fields Spare Parts Survey Stage 1.
1985 Imex Specialties (Australia) Pty Ltd
- Computer consulting services.
1985 Adelaide Geological Services Pty Ltd
- Search for publicly listed shell company.
1983 to 1984 Assistant Commissioning Manager, Davy McKee Pacific Pty Ltd
Management and co-ordination of commissioning programme for both sites at Moomba and Port Bonython. Specific responsibilities included overall project reporting, vendors representative management and coordination, budget control, statutory approvals and liaison with government authorities, training program, mechanical equipment catalogues, and general troubleshooting as required.
1982 Project Engineer, Davy McKee Pacific Pty Ltd
Project engineering for Port Bonython Liquids Facilities including technical co-ordination, document distribution, engineering trouble shooting, statutory approvals. Overall Liquids project progress report co-ordination editing and publishing.
1979 to 1982 Non Ferrous Proposals Manager, Davy McKee (Stockton on Tees) Pty Ltd, UK
Management and coordination of bids and metallurgical studies for International mining, hydrometallurgical, smelting and other process facilities.
1977 to 1979 Sales Engineer, Wemco Europe, Paris, France
- Marketing of processes and equipment for mineral processing and coal preparation. Proposal execution and follow up. Equipment and processes included Wemco flotation, heavy medium separation and gravity separation.
- Export market development in Europe, Asia and the Middle East.
- Process development, equipment sizing, process and equipment costing.
1974 to 1976 Postgraduate Student – Part Time, University of Melbourne
Successfully completed a Master of Business Administration course.
1971 to 1977 Research Officer and Senior Research Officer, ICI Australia (now Orica)
Responsible for:
- The establishment and operation of an applied mineralogical and mineral processing section in a chemical research environment. The section conducted research and provided services for research programs involving chemical and pyrometallurgical treatment of ores and minerals and used advanced microscopy, electron probe and scanning electron microscope technology.
- Mineralogical examination of ores, minerals and treatment products from various mineral research projects including ilmenite beneficiation/upgrading and lateritic nickel ore processing.
- Organic chemical product development, application and testing, particularly mineral flotation reagents. Laboratory evaluation of frothers, collectors and depressants for coal, nickel and tin.
- Ore appraisal studies and development of processes, including mineral processing laboratory and pilot scale testwork for a range of minerals and metals including copper, nickel laterites, fluorspar, trona, uranium, mineral sands, cassiterite and wolfram.
1970 Postgraduate Student, Imperial College, London University
Successfully completed a Master of Science degree in Mineral Process Design.
1966 to 1969 Metallurgist, Bougainville Project
- Member of team based initially in Broken Hill involved in metallurgical laboratory development work for the Bougainville Copper Project. Specific responsibilities included flotation testwork and evaluation, magnetic separation studies, oxide copper leaching and bacterial leaching of low grade sulphide material.
- Responsibilities included setting up the metallurgical laboratory on Bougainville and the initial testwork on drill core and adit samples.
- Laboratory and pilot scale (large column and pilot heap leach) evaluation of leaching characteristics of oxide and low grade sulphide material (bacterial leaching).
- Operation and evaluation of results from a pilot treatment plant which included the unit operations of crushing, drum washing, grinding (conventional and autogenous), classification, flotation, magnetic separation, thickening, filtration and tailings disposal.
1965 to 1966 Metallurgical Assistant, Central Norseman Gold Corporation
Metallurgical control and maintenance of a free milling gold cyanidation plant. Unit processes included crushing, grinding, cyanidation, thickening, filtration, gold room operation and tailings disposal.
1964 to 1965 Laboratory Assistant and Shift Operator, Great Boulder Gold Mines
Refractory gold treatment plant including the following process sections: Sampling plant, rod and ball milling, flotation, roasting, cyanidation, gold room operations and underground fill preparation.
Publications
Absolon V. J., Bartsch P.J., Bazeley C., Jobling, G. and Bush P., 2006, “Honeymoon Uranium Project – Summary of Feasibility Study – 400 tpa U3O8 Equivalent,” Technical Report NI43-101, Prepared for SX1 Uranium 1, Project No. M17232, June, 150 p.
Absolon V. J., 2008, “A Comparison of Biological and Chemically Induced Leaching Mechanisms of Chalcopyrite,” A Thesis Submitted for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy, Ian Wark Research Institute/ ARC Special Research Centre for Particle and Material Interfaces, University of South Australia, 15th February.
Li J., Kawashima N., Kaplun K., Absolon V.J. Gerson A.R., 2010, “Chalcopyrite Leaching: The Rate-Controlling Factors,” in Geochimica et Cosmochima Acta, Vol 74, Issue 10, 15 May 2010, Pages 2881-2893.
Absolon V. J. and Nieuwkerk D., 2014, “Innovative Use of Screw Press Filtration in Tailings Dewatering Plant Design,” 12th AusIMM Mill Operators Conference, Townsville Qld, 1-3 September 2014, pages 1-7.
Feel free to contact us to discuss your project needs or to arrange a speaking engagement by one of our Associates for a professional training session, a technical conference, society meeting, or for a graduation ceremony or other function where the knowledge and experience of our Associates may be of interest to your group.
