Patricio Ruz

Non-Metallic Process Manager

Patricio is the Non-Metallic Process Manager at Ausenco for our offices in Chile. With over 40 years of experience in the mining industry, he has gained extensive knowledge in chemical processes, material sciences, industrial minerals, copper concentrators and smelters, as well as lithium brines.
Based
Santiago, Chile
Languages
Spanish, English, German

At Ausenco, we don't just settle for meeting client requirements. We go further, listening to their ideas and offering solutions that exceed their initial expectations.

Patricio’s career has centered on process engineering, materials science, and experimental fluid dynamics, with experience across various countries. For the past 14 years, he has been fully dedicated to mining engineering consulting.

In his current role, Patricio leads studies and projects focused on lithium brine processing, specializing in materials critical to the energy transition, like copper and lithium. He values collaborating at Ausenco with a diverse, high-caliber team developing new technologies.

A key moment in his mining career was his first role as an Associate Researcher in the Refractory Maintenance Unit at Chuquicamata Smelter. In the pyrometallurgy lab, he worked on researching and modifying reactors, from one-ton models to industrial scales, laying the groundwork for his future in the industry.

Patricio holds a degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Chile and a PhD in Engineering from Friedrich Alexander University - Erlangen Nürnberg. He also has numerous patents, publications, and extensive training in process engineering, safety, and safe design.

Country experience:

  • Austria
  • Argentina
  • Bolivia
  • Brazil
  • Canada
  • Chile
  • Germany
  • Italy
  • Peru
  • United States
  • Venezuela