Commercial mineral processing specialists Maelgwyn Mineral Services Africa (MMSA) is positioning itself at the forefront of sustainable and innovative mineral processing solutions, helping to redefine the intersection of metallurgical performance and environmental stewardship across the African continent.

Speaking to Mining Weekly editor Martin Creamer in an exclusive interview, MMSA GM Juan van der Merwe explains that the company’s focus is rooted in combining technical excellence with sustainability.

“We integrate sustainability and innovation by deploying advanced process technologies that enhance metallurgical performance,” he says.

Central to this approach is the company’s Metallurgical Technical Services Division, which enables test work, plant audits and consulting to tailor solutions to specific ore bodies. This division is foundational to MMSA’s mission of applying the right technology to the right problem to maximise value and efficiency.

Innovative Technologies

MMSA’s proprietary technologies, including the Aachen High Shear Reactor and Imhoflot pneumatic flotation, have emerged as key enablers of both improved recovery and environmental compliance.

The Aachen Reactor, for instance, is designed to accelerate oxidation in gold cyanidation processes by deploying high shear or turbulence in the system and dramatically enhancing oxygen mass transfer into the slurry. This results in faster leach kinetics, increased gold recovery, and significantly lower residue grades in tailings.

“Accelerated leach kinetics translates into reduced residence times, increased plant throughput, and ultimately a higher return per ton of ore,” says Van der Merwe.

Equally important is the technology’s contribution to reduced cyanide consumption, a long-standing concern in gold processing. By improving oxygen utilisation and oxidising cyanicides, including iron and sulphur species, the Aachen Reactor helps reduce operational costs and minimises environmental liabilities.

“This also supports compliance with international environmental standards and improves safety across operations,” he adds.

Scalable for Africa’s Mining Challenges

With high-throughput operations and complex ore bodies becoming more prevalent across Africa, MMSA’s solutions are engineered for scalability. Improved oxygen mass transfer  enhance diffusion-controlled gold dissolution reactions, allowing for increased tonnages without compromising gold recovery rates.

“This is especially crucial for tailings reclamation circuits and large-scale operations treating low-grade ores,” notes Van der Merwe. The robustness and operational simplicity of the Aachen Reactor, which is designed without moving parts, also make it ideal for remote site applications with limited maintenance capacity. The system boasts a 98% availability rate, highlighting its reliability.

MMSA backs its technologies with strong after-sales and maintenance support through dedicated African teams and efficient supply chain operations. Lifespans of both the Aachen and Imhoflot systems are extended by their thoughtful engineering and MMSA’s commitment to long-term serviceability.

“Once installed  we ensure our equipment maintains peak performance throughout its useful life, which is vital to the sustainability and profitability of any mineral processing plant,” says Van der Merwe.

As mining companies face growing ESG pressures and the need to unlock value from increasingly complex resources, MMSA’s technology suite, backed by rigorous metallurgical science, is playing a pivotal role.

“Maelgwyn Mineral Services Africa delivers transformative process solutions that align performance with sustainability,” Van der Merwe concludes. “We are proud to empower African mining operations to achieve higher recoveries, lower costs, and reduce their environmental impact.”

Maelgwyn Mineral Services Africa aims to push the boundaries of mineral processing innovation across the continent.