Anglo American Platinum Limited |
|
Careers in Anglo Platinum
Chemistry
In platinum mining, it is vitally important to operate at maximum efficiency. The largest possible amount of precious metal should end up in saleable products. The magic of chemistry allows us to obtain these precious metals from the rocks of the earth! The chemist plays a key role in providing information to management on the efficiency of operations and the amount of precious metals recovered.
The role of the chemist in Anglo Platinum is both interesting and varied. During all the stages of production, it is important to know how efficiently the operations are running. It is also crucial to know exactly where the metals are in the process. The mines, concentrators and refineries all have analytical laboratories, which employ qualified chemists.
The core responsibility of these laboratories is to provide a service to production. This allows production to determine efficiencies, production estimates, production quality and all aspects of the chemistry of the process. To achieve this, samples are taken at each stage of the process and are sent to the analytical laboratories for analysis. The laboratories are equipped with the latest instrumentation and utilise sophisticated methods to maintain technical excellence. They provide the required analyses to enable the plant management to accurately control their processes.
Anglo Platinum also has a research laboratory. The research laboratory has a brief to continually improve all aspects of the operation from concentrating to refining. These aspects would include participation in feasibility studies of planned new operations as well as research and development of new technology in the analytical field.
The basic fundamentals of PGM chemistry and metallurgy are under constant attention. The activities of the chemist are not restricted to the laboratories. The process chemist has a major role to play in the efficient running of the refineries and would be expected to play a role as both a production and technical support chemist.
People who love to put the magic of chemistry to work, and who are accurate and precise, should consider chemistry as a career.
Career Path
