Cyril o’Connor University Of Cape Town
Cyril o’Connor University Of Cape Town, Cyril O’Connor is a chemical engineer with a Ph.D. from the University of Cape Town and a D.Eng. in Metallurgical Engineering from Stellenbosch University. He is the Director of the Centre for Minerals Research at UCT and his main area of research is flotation. He is presently Chairman of the International Mineral Processing Council, holds the AngloPlatinum Chair in Minerals Processing, is a former Vice-President of the International Zeolite Association and was Chairman of the Organizing Committee for the XXII IMPC and the 14th International Zeolite Conference. He is also Vice-Chairman of the IZA Catalysis Commission. He has published over 150 papers in international journals and conferences and has supervised or co-supervised more than 30 PhD and 25 MSc graduates. He was Head of the Department of Chemical Engineering for 8 years, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering & the Built Environment for 10 years and served as Acting Deputy Vice-Chancellor from April 2008-May 2009. He is an Hon. Fellow of the South African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, and a Fellow of the Royal Society of South Africa, of the University of Cape Town, of the South African Academy of Engineering, of the South African Institution of Chemical Engineering and of IUPAC. He is a founder member of the Academy of Science of South Africa.
BSc UNISA (1974), Pr.Eng., BSc (Hons) (1975), PhD (UCT) (1978), D.Eng. (Stellenbosch) (2005), FSAIMM, FSAIChE, FSAAE, MRSSAf
Background
Cyril O’Connor is a registered chemical engineer with a Ph.D. from the University of Cape Town and a Senior Doctorate (D.Eng.) in Metallurgical Engineering from Stellenbosch University. He is the immediate past Director of the Centre for Minerals Research and was the founder Director of the Centre for Catalysis Research, both of which are located in the Department of Chemical Engineering at the University of Cape Town. He is presently President of the International Mineral Processing Council, held the AngloAmerican Platinum Chair in Minerals Processing from 2008-2012, was Vice-President of the International Zeolite Association, is a member of the Executive of the Academy of Engineering of South Africa and is CEO of the South African Minerals to Metals Research Institute. He chaired a government appointed Panel to investigate South Africa’s preparedness for hydraulic fracturing. He has served from time to time on various international scientific committees and review panels and has chaired the Organizing Committees of a number of major international conferences. He has published over 200 papers in international journals and international refereed conferences, has supervised more than 60 PhD and MSc graduates and at his retirement was a National Research Foundation A rated researcher. Prior to his retirement at the end of 2009 he was Head of the Department of Chemical Engineering (8 years), Dean of the Faculty of Engineering & the Built Environment (10 years) and served as an Acting Deputy Vice-Chancellor in 2008/9. He is a Hon. Fellow and Fellow of the South African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, a Fellow of, respectively, the Royal Society of South Africa, the University of Cape Town, the South African Academy of Engineering, the South African Institution of Chemical Engineering, IUPAC and is a founder member of the Academy of Science of South Africa. In 2017 he was elected as a Foreign Member of the US National Academy of Engineering.
Employment
| 2013 – present | Emeritus Professor and Senior Research Scholar, UCT |
| 2007 – 2013 | AngloPlatinum Professor of Minerals Processing, UCT |
| 2008 – 2009 | Acting Deputy Vice-Chancellor, UCT |
| 1998 – 2008 | Dean, Faculty of Engineering & the Built Environment, UCT |
| 1988-1994;1997-98 | Head of Department of Chemical Engineering, UCT |
| 1990 | Professor (ad hominem), Department of Chemical Engineering, UCT |
| 1985 | Associate Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering, UCT |
| 1979 | Senior Lecturer, Department of Chemical Engineering, UCT |
Research Interests
Flotation chemistry, integrating comminution and flotation processes
Selected Publications
Harris, MC and O’Connor, CT, 2017. Characterization of frothers and their behaviour using partial molar Excess Gibbs energy, International Journal of Minerals Processing 158, 63-67
Taguta, J, O’Connor, CT and McFadzean, B, 2017. The effect of alkyl chain length and ligand type of thiol collectors on the heat of adsorption and floatability of sulphide minerals. Minerals Engineering, 110, 145-152.
Tadie, M, Corin, KC, Wiese, JG and O’Connor, CT, 2017. Electrochemical interactions of platinum group minerals with copper sulphate. Minerals Engineering, 112, 43-49.
Wiese, JG and O’Connor, CT, 2016. An investigation into the relative role of particle size, particle shape and froth behaviour on the entrainment of chromite. International Journal of Mineral Processing, 156,127-133.
Corin, KC and O’Connor, CT, 2014. A proposal to use excess Gibbs energy rather than HLB number as an indicator of the hydrophilic-liphophilic behavior of surfactants, Minerals Engineering, 58, 17-21
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