Natasha Glipu

• Provide site-based technical support for water treatment and process aid products—including flocculants, coagulants, scale inhibitors, leach aids, and grinding aids—across multiple mine sites in the Goldfields region.
• Conduct routine and ad-hoc metallurgical test work, including settling tests, bench-scale leach aid trials, and polymer/coagulant performance evaluations, to optimize product application.
• Perform water chemistry sampling and analysis to assess scaling potential, identify process water constraints, and develop site-specific chemical dosing recommendations.
• Work closely with site metallurgists to understand operational challenges, and provide tailored Veolia solutions to improve metallurgical and water treatment performance.
• Carry out field audits of scaling and deposition issues within pipelines and process equipment; collect and submit samples for laboratory analysis, interpret results, and deliver comprehensive technical reports with recommendations.
• Conduct chemical dosing station commissioning, troubleshoot application issues, and support the continuous improvement of reagent dosing strategies.
• Develop and submit detailed technical service reports and optimization plans to mine site clients based on test outcomes, plant observations, and water quality trends.
• Engage with plant operators and control room personnel to gather process data, conduct plant walkdowns, and map water distribution and quality across the circuit.
• Support metallurgical process monitoring by implementing test protocols that evaluate Veolia's product performance under site-specific operating conditions.
• Ensure compliance with safety and environmental procedures while conducting on-site trials and audits.

• Monitors process performance in Mine to Mill Blending and Crushing, Grinding, Froth Flotation, Thickening, Flotation Leach Recovery, Pressure Oxidation, and Carbon in Leach and Electro-winning circuits to maximize production by inspecting equipment and process flows, reviewing operator log sheets, analyzing metallurgical databases, and Pi trends to identify process disturbances and deviations from budget and weekly planned targets.
• Providing operational guidance and technical support to the Operations Team to achieve budget targets.
• Liaise with the Mine team on a daily and weekly basis to manage plant feed at the required blend and feed size expected against the plan.
• Coordinate the plant trial of new reagents against the incumbent.
• Calibrated and verified the accuracy of density meters and cyanide analyzers.
• Operate the CIL circuit to meet Cyanide Code Standards.
• Produce a technical report, including plant trials, KPI reporting, root cause analysis, and equipment inspection reports.
• Plan and drive plant surveys.
• Consistently seek cost-cutting opportunities on plant consumables usage.
• Produce daily and monthly metal accounting reconciliation and reporting.
• Run production weekly planning and presentation to business leaders for sign-off.
• Producing reagent reconciliation reports on a weekly and monthly basis.
• Guide and train graduates and field operators.
• Environmental accountabilities include being responsible for being aware of the environmental license to operate and responding appropriately to all losses of containment within the Process Plant. Documenting environmental incidents in safety systems.

PROJECTS

1. Flocculant Optimization Project - Metallurgist.

As part of the Metallurgy team, I contributed to the recommendation and implementation of a new flocculant, which outperformed the incumbent by enhancing the density by 2.5%. This improvement directly led to an increase of 97 additional ounces of gold per day, optimizing both operational efficiency and production output.

2. Potassium Amyl Xanthate (PAX) Strength Measurement Model - Metallurgist.

I developed an alternative methodology for measuring the strength of Potassium Amyl Xanthate (PAX) used in the flotation circuit, enabling field checks by operators or metallurgists. This model streamlined operational processes, allowing for more efficient monitoring and control of flotation reagent strength.

3. Metal Accounting System Transition: Project Team Member.

Contributed to the successful implementation of the HONEYWELL PAR system for metal accounting, overseeing the transition from the legacy system, JKMET. My involvement ensured a smooth migration with minimal disruption to operations, improving data accuracy and system performance for metal tracking and reconciliation.

4. Model Predictive Controller (MPC) Commissioning – Lihir Flotation Circuit - Commissioning Team Member:

I played a key role during the commissioning phase of the Model Predictive Controller (MPC) for the Lihir flotation circuit, helping to integrate advanced process control systems. This project aimed to enhance the precision of flotation operations, optimizing recovery rates, and overall circuit performance.

5. Cyanide Dosing Optimization Project - Metallurgist:

As part of a plant-wide initiative, I led the development of a dynamic cyanide dosing strategy, integrating real-time setpoint (SP) feedback from the cyanide analyzer to optimize reagent usage. This approach delivered a consistent reduction in cyanide consumption of 0.257 ± 0.244 kg/dt, translating into projected annual cost savings of USD $3.0 ± 2.85 million. Within the first 90 days, the initiative achieved actual savings of USD $0.75 million, as verified by SAP data, with total cyanide usage savings of approximately USD $1.15 million—falling within the expected 95% confidence interval. Additionally, the project supported environmental sustainability by reducing residual cyanide discharge into the final tailings system.

• Gained comprehensive operator-level proficiency across all major unit operations—Crushing, Grinding, Flotation, Pressure Oxidation, and Leaching—ensuring a holistic understanding of end-to-end plant processes.
• Completed a dedicated rotation in the Metallurgy Laboratory, acquiring hands-on skills in sample preparation, assay development, and quality control analyses.
• Fostered strong working relationships with shift operators, acting as a liaison to streamline communication, and uphold safety and performance standards.
• Led a multidisciplinary operator crew: delegated daily tasks, provided constructive feedback, and maintained operational excellence under dynamic production conditions.
• Designed and executed targeted test-work programs to diagnose processing constraints, establish geo-metallurgical baseline data, and deliver actionable reports to senior metallurgists.
• Conducted systematic plant surveys—assessing equipment performance and process efficiencies—and synthesized findings into concise reports for the plant metallurgist.
• Managed daily metal-accounting reconciliations, ensuring production data integrity, accurate process reporting, and adherence to corporate material control protocols.

PROJECTS

1. Geo-Metallurgical Database Development for Stockpile Material – Graduate Metallurgist:

As part of the site metallurgy team, I led the sequential laboratory test-work program aimed at characterizing long-term stockpile material. This initiative enabled the establishment of a geo-metallurgical database, which provided critical insights into ore variability and processing response. The data supported enhanced blend planning, metallurgical forecasting, and ore-feed management strategies, contributing to more stable plant performance and improved recovery predictability.

• Conducted daily, weekly, and monthly metallurgical test work to support production and process optimization.
• Performed particle size distribution (PSD) analysis on 12-hourly composite samples to monitor grinding efficiency.
• Carried out bench-scale flotation tests for the performance evaluation of flotation circuits.
• Conducted bottle roll cyanidation tests on CIL and flotation feed samples to assess gold recovery potential.
• Performed diagnostic leach tests to determine gold deportment, and evaluate recovery losses.
• Executed settling tests to assist with flocculant selection and thickener performance assessment.
• Participated in geo-metallurgical test programs to link ore variability with metallurgical performance.
• Measured specific gravity (SG) of solids to support accurate metallurgical mass balancing.
• Conducted carbon activity tests to evaluate gold adsorption capacity on CIL carbon.
• Calibrated and maintained pH and dissolved oxygen (DO) meters to ensure data reliability.
• Prepared chemical stock solutions and maintained reagent inventory for metallurgical testing.
• Collected field samples from various plant circuits for daily operational monitoring.
• Participated in Grade-In-Container (GIC) surveys, and produced supporting reports for gold accounting and reconciliation.