Dr Titus Nghipulile

Biography

Titus Nghipulile is a metallurgist who is registered as a Professional Engineer with Engineering Council of South Africa. He joined NUST in April 2024. He completed his Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Metallurgical Engineering from the University of Namibia in 2014. He later pursued a Master of Science in Metallurgical Engineering at the University of the Witwatersrand, which he completed in 2019 with distinction. He subsequently completed his PhD in Minerals Processing with the same university in 2024. His industrial experience started in 2012 at Rössing Uranium Mine, where he first worked as an intern in the processing department. During the period of 2015 to early 2017, Titus worked in the Process Development department at Langer Heinrich Uranium Mine to gain production and research and development (R & D) experience. He was specifically responsible for the execution of projects aimed at improving efficiencies and reducing operating costs for the mine’s beneficiation circuit. Titus was also involved in projects that were aimed at improving efficiencies in the back-end section of the processing plant. In 2017, he worked as a technical support staff in the Minerals Processing Laboratory in department of Mining and Process Engineering at Namibia University of Science and Technology, before embarking on full-time studies for his MSc in 2018 and 2019. He returned to NUST in February 2020 on a part-time basis and taught two courses (Minerals Processing and Process Plant Design and Economics) for the BEng in Metallurgy programme. Titus was also involved in R&D projects for the local industry as part of the multi-disciplinary team in the department of Mining and Process Engineering at NUST. In 2021, Titus also worked as a part-time lecturer in the Department of Mining and Metallurgical Engineering at the University of Namibia, where he taught metallurgical thermodynamics, hydrometallurgy and electrometallurgy, and pyrometallurgy for non-ferrous metals. At UNAM, he also supervised final-year students working on research projects on the depression of silicates and pyrite during Pb-Zn flotation, the recovery of bornite from a multi-minerals copper ore using flotation and the leaching of copper from a low-grade ore. From August 2021 to March 2024, Titus worked as a senior engineer in the Minerals Processing Division at Mintek in South Africa. At Mintek, he served as the principal/chief investigator for several commercial and research projects aimed at process development and/or optimization. The projects cover ore characterization, bench-scale testing, and pilot-scale testing for various commodities.

Professional Affiliation

• Pr. Eng. (ECSA)
• SAIMM (No. 710185)
• Member of Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining (IOM3 SA)
• Member of Golden Key International Honour Society

Research Focus

• Ore characterization
• Design, operation and modelling of comminution equipment/circuits
• Separation of minerals from low-grade ores or secondary sources (tailings and slag) using flotation and gravity separation techniques.
• Hydrometallurgical and pyrometallurgical processing of low-grade ores or secondary sources
• Sustainability in the mining industry

Teaching

Undergraduate

• Minerals Separation Processes
• Mineral Processing Techniques and Applications
• Pyrometallurgy of Ferrous Metals
• Process Plant Design and Economics
• Applied Physics and Chemistry

Postgraduate

• Comminution and Classification
• Modelling and Simulation of Processes

Peer-reviewed articles

• Nghipulile, T., Bwalya, M. M., Govender, I., Simonsen, H. (2024). Discrete element modelling of the breakage of single irregular polyhedral particles in the rotary offset crusher. Minerals 14(6). https://doi.org/10.3390/min14060630
• Nghipulile, T., Nkwanyana, S., Lameck, N. (2023). The effect of HPGR and conventional crushing on the extent of micro-cracks, mill energy requirements, and the degree of liberation. Minerals 13 (10). https://doi.org/10.3390/min13101309
• Nghipulile, T., Moongo, T. E., Dzinomwa, G., Nkwanyana, S., Mapani, B., Kurasha, J. T. (2022). Evaluation of the relationship between the milling breakage parameters and mineralogical data: a case study of three copper ores from a multi-mineralized deposit. Minerals 12 (10). https://doi.org/10.3390/min12101263
• Dzinomwa, G., Mapani, B., Nghipulile, T., Maweja, K., Kurasha, J. T., Amwaama, M., Chigayo, K. (2023). Mineralogical characterization of historic copper slag to guide the recovery of valuable metals: A Namibian case study. Materials, 16 (18). https://doi.org/10.3390/ma16186126
• Nghipulile, T., Moongo, T. E., Dzinomwa, G., Maweja, K., Mapani, B., Kurasha, J. T., Amwaama, M. (2022). Effect of mineralogy on grindability: a case study of copper ores. Journal of the Southern Africa Institute of Mining and Metallurgy 123 (3). http://dx.doi.org/10.17159/2411-9717/1714/2023
• Nghipulile, T., Bwalya, M., Moys, M., Simonsen, H. (2021). Exploratory development of a rotary offset crusher. Journal of the Southern Africa Institute of Mining and Metallurgy 121 (1). http://dx.doi.org/10.17159/2411-9717/1325/2021

Conference presentations & invited talks

• Nkwanyana, S., Nghipulile, T., Govender, I., Loveday, B. (2024). Composite media milling in ball mill circuits - Practical considerations. Mill Circuits ’24, Minerals Engineering International, Online, 13th – 14th June 2024.
• Nkwanyana, S., Govender, I., Loveday, B., Nghipulile, T. (2024). Composite media milling in ball mill circuits – opportunity for throughput expansion. The 13th International Comminution Symposium (Comminution '23), Cape Town, 17th – 20th April 2023.
• Nghipulile, T., Bwalya, M., Govender, I., Simonsen, H., Nkwanyana, S. (2023). Using the DEM to study material breakage and transport in the novel crushing device. The 13th International Comminution Symposium (Comminution '23), Minerals Engineering International, Cape Town, 17th – 20th April 2023.
• Nghipulile, T., Bwalya, M., Govender, I., Simonsen, H., Nkwanyana, S. (2023). Mathematical modelling of single particle breakage in a novel crushing device. The 13th International Comminution Symposium (Comminution '23), Minerals Engineering International, Cape Town, 17th – 20th April 2023.
• Nghipulile, T., Nkwanyana, S., Lameck, N. (2023). Comparative study on the effect of HPGR and cone crushing on the ball mill energy requirement and degree of liberation: a case study of platinum ore. The 13th International Comminution Symposium (Comminution '23), Minerals Engineering International, Cape Town, 17th – 20th April 2023.
• Nghipulile, T., Govender, I., Bwalya, M. (2023). The effect of rotational speed on the degree of dominance of breakage mechanisms in the rotary offset crusher. Qfinsoft Engineering Simulation Conference, Cape Town, 07th September 2023.
• Nghipulile, T., Moongo, T. E., Dzinomwa, G, Mapani, B., Kurasha, J. T., Amwaama, M. (2021). Effect of process mineralogy on grindability: a case study of three copper ores. The 12th International Comminution Symposium (Comminution '21), Minerals Engineering International, Online, 17th – 20th April 2021.
• Nghipulile, T., Bwalya, M., M., Simonsen, H., Moys, M. (2021). Modelling the rotary offset crusher. The 12th International Comminution Symposium (Comminution '21), Minerals Engineering International, Online, 17th – 20th April 2021.
• Moongo, T. E., Nghipulile, T., Dzinomwa, G. (2022). Sustainable extraction of base metals in multi-mineralized deposits: a case study of a copper deposit in Namibia. 10th International SDIMI Conference, Windhoek, Namibia, 15th – 17th September 2022
• Nghipulile, T., Bwalya, M., Simonsen, H. (2018). Development of a rotary offset crusher. South Africa Minerals to metals Research Institute (SAMMRI) workshop, Cape Town, November 2018.
• Nghipulile, T., Bwalya, M., Simonsen, H. (2018). Development of novel crushing devices in the mineral industry. The 11th Cross faculty postgraduate research symposium, University of the Witwatersrand, Online, September 2020.
• Nghipulile, T., Bwalya, M., Simonsen, H. (2018). Progress on development of a rotary offset crusher. South Africa Minerals to metals Research Institute (SAMMRI) workshop, Mintek, Johannesburg, July 2019.

Social Media

• Research gate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Titus-Nghipulile-2
• ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4399-2620