6
Inclusion of a Process Optimization Project
There were two reasons the Metcelerate Professional
Formation Program included a Process Optimization
Project course in its curriculum:
• Our sponsoring companies wanted training that not
only improves the competency of their mineral pro-
cessing engineers so that they can tackle existing and
new challenges, but they also wanted to see improved
metallurgical performance as a result.
• We wanted learners to achieve a sense of accomplish-
ment by owning a project from start to finish that
delivers value to their plants.
The Process Optimization Project Course teaches
learners about process improvement and problem-solving.
Either individually or as a group, they are guided through
a technical project that investigates a significant problem at
their site and that the company deems as worthy of devot-
ing time and resources to solve. They “learn by doing”
for major problem-solving activities including problem
description and project definition, project planning, prog-
ress reporting, data analysis and design of experiments,
managing change, and preparing a final project report.
Between 2020 and November 10, 2024, 64% of learn-
ers finished the program and completed 52 projects on top-
ics across the mineral processing flowsheet, with just over
half addressing issues in flotation (Figure 4).
Projects cover various problems commonly faced by
plants. Some examples of high-level topics include:
• Improving gold precipitation efficiency
• Reducing consumption of reagents
• Determining alternative collectors
• Improving flocculant dosing to thickeners
• Reducing gold loss by improving carbon management
• Improving crusher throughput
• Developing engineering details for design package/
equipment selection
While companies are interested in the value gener-
ated by the process optimization projects, they are often
less inclined to share actual financial impact with us. As
a result, learners often report the technical but not the
financial outcome. Nevertheless, based on data from the
completed projects, we can confidently say that 71% of
the projects had positive results, while 12% demonstrated
that they would not benefit the plant if implemented and
were thus rejected. These latter projects helped the plant
avoid making poor, and often expensive, change decisions.
For the remaining 17% of projects, the outcomes were
inconclusive.
In final reports of 16 of the 52 projects, learners did dis-
close the financial value of their projects. This was mainly
from revenue increases but there were also a few projects
with initiatives that reduced costs. The combined reported
value identified for all 16 projects was USD 81.4 million/
year, with a mean project value of USD 1.5 million/year
and a maximum and minimum reported value of USD 27
million and USD 250,000 per year respectively. Three of
the projects measured a combined actual delivered value of
USD 3.7 million over the project execution period!
The guided approach to help early career engineers
develop the skills required to design and deliver projects
is valuable for the individuals as well as the company.
Learning a structured methodology from mineral process-
ing practitioners that are experienced in running projects
encourages and motivates learners to experiment and take
initiative, boosting their confidence as they recognize their
ability to tackle complex challenges such as process opti-
mization. They also have a sense of achievement once they
pass this course and complete the program.
For companies, the guided projects help plant manag-
ers successfully execute initiatives in the short term while
developing the competency of their employees that ensures
ongoing improved decision-making that can deliver signifi-
cant financial value.
CONCLUSION
Metcelerate’s structured and comprehensive Professional
Formation Program represents a robust, innovative, and
scalable pathway to build competencies of early-career
mineral processing engineers in their workplace world-
wide. Three key elements—a blended learning approach,
a cohort model, and including a process optimization Figure 4. Focus of the process optimization projects
Inclusion of a Process Optimization Project
There were two reasons the Metcelerate Professional
Formation Program included a Process Optimization
Project course in its curriculum:
• Our sponsoring companies wanted training that not
only improves the competency of their mineral pro-
cessing engineers so that they can tackle existing and
new challenges, but they also wanted to see improved
metallurgical performance as a result.
• We wanted learners to achieve a sense of accomplish-
ment by owning a project from start to finish that
delivers value to their plants.
The Process Optimization Project Course teaches
learners about process improvement and problem-solving.
Either individually or as a group, they are guided through
a technical project that investigates a significant problem at
their site and that the company deems as worthy of devot-
ing time and resources to solve. They “learn by doing”
for major problem-solving activities including problem
description and project definition, project planning, prog-
ress reporting, data analysis and design of experiments,
managing change, and preparing a final project report.
Between 2020 and November 10, 2024, 64% of learn-
ers finished the program and completed 52 projects on top-
ics across the mineral processing flowsheet, with just over
half addressing issues in flotation (Figure 4).
Projects cover various problems commonly faced by
plants. Some examples of high-level topics include:
• Improving gold precipitation efficiency
• Reducing consumption of reagents
• Determining alternative collectors
• Improving flocculant dosing to thickeners
• Reducing gold loss by improving carbon management
• Improving crusher throughput
• Developing engineering details for design package/
equipment selection
While companies are interested in the value gener-
ated by the process optimization projects, they are often
less inclined to share actual financial impact with us. As
a result, learners often report the technical but not the
financial outcome. Nevertheless, based on data from the
completed projects, we can confidently say that 71% of
the projects had positive results, while 12% demonstrated
that they would not benefit the plant if implemented and
were thus rejected. These latter projects helped the plant
avoid making poor, and often expensive, change decisions.
For the remaining 17% of projects, the outcomes were
inconclusive.
In final reports of 16 of the 52 projects, learners did dis-
close the financial value of their projects. This was mainly
from revenue increases but there were also a few projects
with initiatives that reduced costs. The combined reported
value identified for all 16 projects was USD 81.4 million/
year, with a mean project value of USD 1.5 million/year
and a maximum and minimum reported value of USD 27
million and USD 250,000 per year respectively. Three of
the projects measured a combined actual delivered value of
USD 3.7 million over the project execution period!
The guided approach to help early career engineers
develop the skills required to design and deliver projects
is valuable for the individuals as well as the company.
Learning a structured methodology from mineral process-
ing practitioners that are experienced in running projects
encourages and motivates learners to experiment and take
initiative, boosting their confidence as they recognize their
ability to tackle complex challenges such as process opti-
mization. They also have a sense of achievement once they
pass this course and complete the program.
For companies, the guided projects help plant manag-
ers successfully execute initiatives in the short term while
developing the competency of their employees that ensures
ongoing improved decision-making that can deliver signifi-
cant financial value.
CONCLUSION
Metcelerate’s structured and comprehensive Professional
Formation Program represents a robust, innovative, and
scalable pathway to build competencies of early-career
mineral processing engineers in their workplace world-
wide. Three key elements—a blended learning approach,
a cohort model, and including a process optimization Figure 4. Focus of the process optimization projects