A former senior manager at Phelps Dodge, which became Freeport-McMoRan, has joined copper leaching technology company Jetti Resources as its vice president of metallurgy.
Dr John Uhrie, who has also spent time in executive roles at The Doe Run Company, Energy Fuels and Australian mining software and consulting company, RPMGlobal, “is an internationally recognised technical expert in copper sulphide processing with particular emphasis in heap leaching of copper sulphides including chalcopyrite”, according to Jetti.
Uhrie earned a PhD in metallurgical engineering from Michigan Tech before joining the then Phelps Dodge Mining Company at its newly formed Process Technology Centre in Arizona in an industrial R&D role. He was credited with developing new bio heap and tank leaching technologies that became integral Phelps Dodge process flow sheet components.
Uhrie became hydrometallurgical manager of strategic planning at Freeport, recognised as an “expert in stockpile leaching and hydrometallurgical processing of copper ores”.
“His deep experience and knowledge will make him an invaluable member of the Jetti team as we expand deployment of our technology at mines around the world,” Colorado-based Jetti said.
Jetti has raised more than US$200 million of private funding to develop and commercialise its sulphide-copper leaching catalyst and process.