Council for Mineral Technology (Mintek)

The Council for Mineral Technology (Mintek) is South Africa’s national mineral research organisation and one of the world’s leading technology organisations in mineral processing, extractive metallurgy and related fields. Mintek is based in Randburg, Johannesburg, and describes its mission as transforming lives by unlocking the value of minerals through innovation.

Registered name

Council for Mineral Technology (Mintek)

Type

National science council (mineral research)

Fields funded

Metallurgy, chemical engineering, chemistry, geology and mineral science, mainly postgraduate

Website

mintek.co.za

From a laboratory to a national council

Mintek’s roots lie in a Minerals Research Laboratory that investigated minerals such as apatite and corundum for the government’s Mines Department. An agreement between the Mines Department and the University of the Witwatersrand then created the Government Metallurgical Laboratory, which focused on extracting uranium from gold ore and carried out its first leaching experiments in 1946.

Parliament later passed the National Institute for Metallurgy Act, turning the laboratory into an independent statutory body. FW de Klerk, then Minister of Mineral and Energy Affairs, announced its new name and status as the Council for Mineral Technology. Mintek’s work on UG2 platinum ore shows its impact: investigations began in 1971, the first UG2 concentrator was commissioned at Western Platinum in 1983, and Mintek transferred the smelting technology to industry in 1984.

Research clusters

Mintek organises its work into clusters. Mineral Processing and Characterisation supports the early stages of the value chain, including analytical chemistry. Extractive Metallurgy includes a hydrometallurgy division that uses aqueous chemistry to extract metals. Mining, Materials and Automation covers beneficiation, process control, post-mining and an advanced materials division researching nanotechnology for health and water.

Bursaries and fellowships

Mintek funds full-time students for postgraduate qualifications on research themes Mintek considers a priority, and opens calls according to its pipeline needs. The programme aims to increase the participation of women and black people in science, engineering and technology, and Mintek advertises opportunities on its careers portal. Mintek also runs internships, graduate development and a postdoctoral fellowship with a settling-in research grant of up to R300 000.

How to research Mintek

BursariesAfrica’s older Mintek guide describes undergraduate funding that Mintek’s current bursary page does not mention, so rely on Mintek’s careers portal. Look at Mintek-SCi, its event for emerging researchers, and ask your supervisor whether your research topic matches a Mintek priority theme.

Mintek’s pilot plants let researchers test new processes at a scale between the laboratory and a full industrial plant, which gives postgraduate students unusually practical research experience.

See our metallurgy bursaries page for industry funders.