News

‘I joined Mintek in 1996 as a recent chemical engineering graduate and started a journey of amazing discovery, namely the world of pyrometallurgy. While watching my first pilot furnace being tapped in 1996, a spark was ignited and I fell in love with the bubbling cauldron we call furnaces. In the February issue of JOM, I was privileged that my review paper on practical perspectives of DC smelting was accepted for publication. The paper reflects on the lessons learnt during my 20 years of operating DC furnaces. In my paper I featured a favourite photograph I took in 2004 during a large demonstration project. JOM’s editorial team spotted the photograph during production and subsequently requested permission to use the photograph on the cover of the current issue. This picture truly captures the passion and spark that ignited a love for smelting and continues to inspire me in my field of interest, and I hope it will inspire others in the future.’ – Isabel Geldenhuys, SAIMM Fellow and Manager of the Pyrometallurgy Division at MINTEK