MEI's Barry Wills: Thursday at Mineral Processing Circuits '26

Thursday, 23 April 2026

Thursday at Mineral Processing Circuits '26

Mineral Processing Circuits '26 was held at the Vineyard Hotel, Cape Town, and MEI's Jon welcomed the 46 delegates from 14 countries, a number considerably diminished due to the Gulf War's restrictions on international travel. He gave a special thanks to our sponsors, Promet101 and Capstone Copper, and our media partners International Mining and Minerals Engineering.

The conference got underway with a fine keynote lecture from Prof. Kevin Galvin, of the University of Newcastle, Australia, who introduced a new paradigm for mineral processing circuits, and what might underpin the philosophy. This was followed by six morning presentations dealing with circuits for rare earths and lithium, and reduction of energy in mineral processing circuits.

Thanks to the now beautiful weather it was good to get outdoors during the coffee break to relax in the lovely conference centre gardens.

A small exhibition provided a focus during the lunch break, the four exhibitors also having exhibited at Physical Separation '26.

Germany based GeoEnergy Consult is new to MEI Conferences. The team specialises in the management of natural radioactivity material (NORM), extending its support to mining/processing projects that have been impacted. For instance, GeoEnergy Consult assists in the compliant Class 7 transport of relevant preconcentrates that require careful handling. The company also offers its expertise in exploring safe options for the disposal of processing residues that may be impacted. Their commitment lies in ensuring that all necessary precautions are taken to manage the challenges posed by natural radioactivity effectively and responsibly. Hagen Gunther Jung, of GeoEnergy Consult is shown below talking to Sebastian Urrejola and Pablo Pichinao, of Anglo American T&O, Chile.

Australian company Scantech International is a mining and industrial measurement technology company which develops real-time material analysers used on conveyor belts, to measure the composition of bulk materials. George Tabi, of Scantech, was talking to Kalyani Mohanti, of UPC Barcelona, Spain and Oliver Samukute, of Molycop, South Africa.

Following lunch, a short afternoon session of six presentations ended with a coffee break prior to boarding a coach for the conference dinner at a brand new MEI venue, the Wild Fig Restaurant, built around a restored historic estate dating back to the 1700s.