Professor Megan Becker from the Centre for Minerals Research in the Department of Chemical Engineering celebrated the virtual launch of the book: ‘The Business of Flotation’. The book was co-authored by Dr Norman Lotter (Flowsheets Metallurgical Consulting, Canada), A/Professor Margreth Tadie (Stellenbosch University) and Professor Megan Becker, and published by the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum (CIM). Both Dr Lotter and A/Prof Tadie are UCT alumni, having completed their MSc and PhD degrees, respectively, in the Department of Chemical Engineering. The book was conceived by Dr Lotter and the late Professor Dee Bradshaw (Department of Chemical Engineering). To honour her memory, proceeds of the book have been allocated to establish a PhD conference travel fund administered through the Metallurgy and Materials Society (METSOC) of the CIM.

The book advances the view that while flotation is a technological process, its application is fundamentally a business strategy for extracting paymetals from mined ore. The book presents a multidisciplinary framework built on the core technical areas that govern flotation outcomes.

Professor Aubrey Mainza from the Centre for Minerals Research contributed as a co-author of the Chapter on Grinding Strategies. The e-book is available for purchase through the CIM bookstore.