Danielle Bearman

Background

About Danielle Bearman

After completion of a degree in Chemical Engineering at the University of Cape Town, South Africa, I worked as an environmental consultant. In 2010 I joined S.A. Precious Metals as a research engineer focusing on the company’s e-waste project which involved recovery of precious metals. E-waste is one of the urban mining materials in the spotlight as globally this is a growing waste stream requiring R&D and innovation. This project involved planning various experimental rigs as well as mini pilot plants, analyzing and interpreting data from the test work performed as well as planning the way forward in terms of the requirements for the design work to be completed. Project management was a key component of this post. The recovery of PGM’s from autocatalysts, another project within the R&D portfolio, opened up the potential to set up another economically viable recovery process as part of the company's existing reclamation processes. Seeing that these projects, among others, successfully transitioned from pilot to end point afforded me a wealth of experience. It also provided exposure to invaluable knowledge pertaining to a wide array of chemical processes. My current role focuses on business development and marketing, and places an emphasis on relationship building and networking, working towards strong CRM's. As such, I have refined my expertise in process optimisation, problem solving, and procurement. I have also integrated an ERP system into the everyday operation of the plant activities. While working full-time, I completed my MSc (2016) focusing on effluent and wastewater treatment by turning one of the side streams produced during the process into a saleable by-product. This helped develop skills around available water treatment technologies I look forward to promoting and growing circular economies around the treatment of waste materials as this ties in and further promotes sustainable operations, especially when recycling scrap materials.