Meet Our Global Team
Jean Jacques Mbayo
Project Engineer
Jean Jacques Kalombo Mbayo is a Chemical and Metallurgical Engineer in the Process Development Division at Paterson & Cooke Cape Town, where he has been based since February 2025. He specialises in hydrometallurgy, gold processing, and process intensification, with a strong focus on translating laboratory concepts into robust pilot-scale and industrially relevant solutions.
Jean Jacques holds an MSc in Metallurgical Engineering with distinction from the University of the Witwatersrand and is currently completing his PhD, which focuses on cavitation-assisted leaching and reagent efficiency in gold processing. His academic work has been conducted in close collaboration with industry, including DRDGold (Ergo).
Since joining Paterson & Cooke, Jean Jacques has been actively involved in the design, execution, and commissioning of bench-scale and pilot-scale metallurgical test work, with exposure to leaching, flotation, and counter-current washing systems. He played a key role in the design and commissioning of Paterson & Cooke’s first continuous six-stage counter-current pilot unit, developed to replicate industrial behaviour for advanced metallurgical test programmes.
Jean Jacques combines strong analytical capability with practical plant experience gained in large copper and cobalt operations in the DRC, enabling him to deliver clear, defensible test work outcomes for clients. He has project experience across Southern and Central Africa, and is fluent in English, French and Swahili.
Kalombo Mbayo, J.J.K., Simonsen, H., & Ndlovu, S. (2019), Improving the gold leaching process of refractory ores using the Jetleach reactor. Minerals Engineering, 134, 300–308. Article page (Elsevier): https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0892687519300500 ScienceDirect, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mineng.2019.02.003 ScienceDirect
Bare, G.T., Kalombo Mbayo, J.J.K., Ndlovu, S., Shemi, A., & Chipise, L. (2021), Mineralogical characterization and acid pretreatment of a gold calcine leach residue. Minerals, 12(1), Article 10. Article page (MDPI Open Access): https://www.mdpi.com/2075-163X/12/1/10 MDPI, DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/min12010010 MDPI
Kalombo Mbayo, J.J.K., Simonsen, H., & Ndlovu, S. (2022), Use of cavitation to enhance the leaching kinetics of refractory gold ores. Mineral Processing and Extractive Metallurgy (SAGE Journals). Abstract page (SAGE): https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1080/25726641.2022.2153484