JCV Expert · Metallurgy Processes & Engineering
Founder & Metallurgy Processes and Engineering Manager
44 years leading concentration, hydrometallurgy, geometallurgy and tailings disposal at Codelco, BHP, AMSA, Collahuasi and SQM. Today, that same experience at the service of your operation.
Add technical, economic and sustainable value to the company through continuous improvement of its business processes.
Profile
JCV Expert in Metallurgical Processes and Engineering SpA is a management consultancy specialized in hydrometallurgy and mineral processing, with experience in independent due diligence reviews of mining operations and projects in Australia, Brazil and Chile, and participation as peer reviewer on projects for Codelco, AMSA, Collahuasi and BHP.
Its founder, Juan Carlos Villarroel Mella, is a Metallurgical Civil Engineer (Universidad de Santiago de Chile) and holds an MBA (Universidad de Chile), with executive leadership across Cu-Mo-Au concentrator plants, Cu-Au hydrometallurgy, geometallurgy, mine-to-port transport and tailings disposal, from feasibility study through steady-state operation.
From ore characterization to concentrate at the port, value is created, or lost, at every step of the process.
JCV Expert · Metallurgy Processes & EngineeringServices
Ten lines of work spanning from the boardroom to the control room.
Corporate governance and strategic advisory to boards on process, risk and business development.
Independent review of projects and processes for investment, merger or financing decisions.
Facility audits and evaluations, bottleneck identification and operational risk mitigation.
Design of metallurgical work plans and design criteria from mine to port.
Monitoring, control and development of metallurgical characterization and laboratory test programs.
Design of electrical/electronic instrumentation and advanced process control strategies.
Design and optimization of thickening systems, pipeline transport and conventional and paste tailings deposition, with a focus on water recovery and geotechnical stability.
End-to-end project lifecycle support: conceptual studies, selection, definition and detailed engineering (PFS/FS), construction, commissioning, operations readiness and continuous improvement.
Evaluation and implementation of new process technologies (high-intensity flotation cells, HIG grinding, sensors and digitalization) to capture additional value across the production chain.
Current engagements
Track record
Nine stages of a career built across Chile's leading copper, molybdenum, gold, silver, iron, potassium salts and lithium operations.
Founder & General Manager · Santiago, Chile
Independent consulting in process, audit, projects and due diligence. Leads an expert team of five specialist managers (maintenance, flotation, advanced control, electrical/electronics and gold processes), each with 20 to 40 years of experience.
Head → Practice Lead, Technical & Development
Debottlenecking of the “Spence Concentrate Upgrade,” from 95 to 104.5 KTPD with SFR flotation cells and HIG mills. Water recovery and conventional/unconventional tailings disposal studies.
Growth & Integration Project Manager
Execution of the DMC project: mine expansion from 450 to 1,500 KTPD and plant up to 150 KTPD, including trade-off studies on crushing technology, seawater supply and paste tailings thickening.
Hydrometallurgy & Start-up Manager / Development Manager
Start-up of the Encuentro Oxide project (50 KTMF Cu/year) and management of the 51 KTPD oxide leaching plant, with zero lost-time injuries during ramp-up.
Senior Process Manager → Operational Interface Manager
FQAR review and due diligence of corporate projects; operational readiness and execution of the CMDC debottlenecking, expanding from 160 to 380 KTPD plus a 25 KTPD leach pad.
Cu & Mo Concentrator Manager
Management of the 165 KTPD copper and molybdenum concentrator plant (400 KTMF Cu/year). Reduced the lost-time injury frequency rate from 4 to 1.
VP Processing / Planning & Development Manager
Operation of the Los Colorados and Laguna Seca concentrators (1,000 KTMF Cu/year), oxide plant and sulfide bioleaching, with 814 direct employees and 1,200 contractors.
Operation Plant Manager / Development Manager
Twelve years leading exploration, piloting, PFS/FS, construction, start-up and operation of the concentrator, hydrometallurgical and port plants; expansion from 60 to 110 KTPD.
Project Director / Cu-Au Metallurgist
PFS/FS studies on cyanide leaching and SX-EW at El Salvador; began his career as a Cu-Au metallurgist at the El Indio Mine and El Teniente.
Projects
CuEq grade block model, oxide, transition and sulfide zones: the foundation of every metallurgical work plan.
Conventional and unconventional deposit studies, above 60% solids, at Spence, BHP.
SX-EW oxide and bioleaching plants, from Escondida to Centinela.
Operational preparation and handover in concentrate stockpile and handling sheds.
Materials handling and logistics, from crushing through to shiploading.
Expanding and upgrading concentrator plants in operation, without stopping production.
Continuous improvement strategy
The framework behind every intervention: stabilize first, then optimize, then transform.
Stage 1 · Low ROI
Initial operation: years 1–2
Stage 2 · Medium ROI
Production and cost: years 1–10
Stage 3 · Maximum ROI
Business process improvement: years 5–25+
Automation & APC
Advanced process control adjusts the operation within the control limit to increase economic benefit: the lower the standard deviation, the smaller the safety margin required and the more capacity available for production.
The normal-control mean, the stage with the highest variability, is between 5% and 10% lower than the mean reached with APC active, which in turn operates between 20% and 30% below the highest mean achieved with optimized control, always moving closer to the operational limit.
JCV Expert designs the electrical and electronic instrumentation, defines the control strategy and supports the start-up until the reduction in variability translates into energy savings and sustained higher production.
Global reach
Due diligence in Australia and Brazil for AMSA and BHP; six months of operational exchange in Canada; technical visits to Peru and Brazil.
Metallurgical Civil Engineer, Universidad de Santiago de Chile, highest distinction
Postgraduate studies in Management for Engineers, Universidad de Chile
MBA, Universidad de Chile
Member of the Society for Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration (SME) · President of Procemin
Director of the 11th Hydroprocess International Workshop
Member of FAUSIMM
Experience breakdown
From feasibility study to general management: the same career, organized by the type of responsibility held in each operation.
44 years of total executive responsibility in management, operations and project development roles
Contact
Due diligence, debottlenecking, geometallurgy or advanced process control: available for targeted advisory engagements and board participation.
