SKEmet at Geometallurgy 2025: Designing for Ore Variability, Not Against It

We’re proud to announce that Samantha Edwards, SKEmet’s founder and principal consultant, will be presenting an extended abstract at the upcoming Geometallurgy 2025 Conference on the 14 October 2025 at the Glenburn Lodge and Spa, Muldersdrift. Samantha’s presentation is titled:

“Reducing processing and cost risks for new processing plants through effective design simulation”

She will explore how early geometallurgical insights and simulation tools can radically improve the design and performance of mineral processing plants.

Click here to register for Geometallurgy Conference 2025 https://www.saimm.co.za/saimm-events/upcoming-events/geometallurgy-conference-2025

So why does this really matter?

Too often, process plants are designed around “average” ore characteristics. This, sadly, is an assumption that rarely holds true in practice. This mismatch leads to poor economic performance, operational inefficiencies, and costly redesigns. Samantha’s presentation challenges this paradigm by advocating for a geometallurgical approach that embraces ore variability from the outset.

Here’s the full summary of her abstract:

Process plants are often designed around average ore characteristics that may never materialise, leading to poor economic performance and operational inefficiencies. This stems from inadequate anticipation of ore variability and lack of dynamic control strategies. A geometallurgical campaign, which is executed early in the project lifecycle, provides the mineralogical and metallurgical data needed to simulate realistic ore behaviour. When paired with process simulation tools like METSIM®️, this approach de-risks design decisions and enhances operational responsiveness. The outcomes to this approach would expect informed decisions on grind size, reagent dosing, leach times, and blending strategies, enhanced equipment sizing, recovery prediction, and discard stream management, supporting sustainable, cost-efficient, and adaptive processing strategies, aligning technical design with real-world ore variability and operational realities.

We would like to add a special word of appreciation

We extend our heartfelt gratitude to Dr Nicolaas C Steenkamp for his continued support, prompting, guidance, and for walking this road with SKEmet. His mentorship and collaboration have been instrumental in shaping this work and its broader impact on the industry. You are the ultimate partner in GeoMetallurgy!

Stay tuned for more updates from the conference, and follow us on LinkedIn for live coverage and insights from Geometallurgy 2025.

#Geomet2025 #SKEmet #Geometallurgy #MineralProcessing #ProcessSimulation #OreVariability #SustainableMining #METSIM®️ #MiningInnovation #ThankYouDrSteenkamp