Klaas van der Wielen is a Technical Consultant at Ausenco, specializing in comminution, metallurgical process design, geometallurgy, and lithium processing. With over 13 years of international experience across Europe, Africa, Australia, and the Americas, he has developed a reputation for delivering innovative solutions to complex mineral processing challenges.
Klaas has led the design of metallurgical test work programs, piloted lithium flowsheets from ROM ore to battery-grade carbonate, and developed comminution and geometallurgical strategies for a wide range of commodities, including lithium, tin, tungsten, copper, nickel, PGEs, and iron. He has worked on projects for leading companies such as Capstone Copper, Glencore, Lundin Mining and Sibelco.
Klaas supports major feasibility studies, trade-off assessments, and strategic battery recycling and carbon capture evaluations. His work emphasizes sustainability through mineral carbonation research and carbon/energy balance methodologies.
Klaas holds a PhD in Minerals Engineering from the Camborne School of Mines (UK), an MSc in Resource Engineering from the Technical University of Delft (Netherlands), and a BSc in Geology from the University of Utrecht (Netherlands).
He is a published author in Minerals Engineering and a regular speaker at key global conferences including Comminution, Procemin-Geomet, and IMPC.
Country experience:
- Australia Pacific (Australia)
- Europe (Bosnia & Herzegovina, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Ireland, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom)
- Asia (Kazakhstan)
- Africa (Morocco, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe)
- South America (Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Peru)
- North America (Canada, Greenland, United States)