MINTEK
03 Sep 2020
Mintek is South Africa’s national mineral research organisation and is one of the world’s leading technology organisations specialising in mineral processing, extractive metallurgy and related areas. Mintek works closely with industry and other R&D institutions and provides service test work, process development and optimisation, consulting and innovative products to clients worldwide. Mintek is a state-owned science council which reports to the Minister of Mineral Resources of South Africa.
Mintek’s mandate is to serve the national interest through research, development and technology transfer, to promote mineral technology and to foster the establishment and expansion of industries in the field of minerals and products derived therefrom.
The technical programmes at Mintek are aimed at generating high economic returns for the national and regional economies while social programmes focus on skills development and educational initiatives. An important target is the nurturing of self-sustaining local economies in areas of South Africa where smaller minerals extraction and beneficiation enterprises have the capability to generate broad-based employment and wealth. The Mintek corporate structure is headed by a Board, which includes a Chairperson and Mintek’s CEO, together with an additional six to nine other members. The Chairperson is appointed by the Minister of Mineral Resources of South Africa.
Mintek was established in 1934 and currently employs around 750 people of which 250 are professionals in the field of process metallurgy. The Pyrometallurgy Division employs 83 people, including 29 engineering staff, 3 with Ph.D. degrees, and 5 with master’s degrees in engineering.
In SisAl Pilot, Mintek is involved in the designing and verification of the process in WP2 and in the business case development in WP4. A large-scale demo will be performed at Minteks 3MW furnace facility.
