Dr. Maria Kalashnikova, D.Sc.

Executive Summary

Independent Metallurgy Consultant available for global EPCM engagements, technical due diligence, and bankable feasibility review. Over 40 years of industrial-scale experience de-risking base and precious metals projects — from flowsheet selection and CAPEX optimisation to commissioning support and post-start-up debottlenecking of hydromet refineries and matte smelter integrations.

Trusted technical authority for mining operators, financiers, and EPCM firms requiring an independent reviewer on acid consumption, recovery, scaling, and process-risk assumptions. Operates at the depth required for NI 43-101 Qualified Person and JORC Competent Person sign-offs on metallurgical test-work, recovery projections, and process plant design. 10 issued Russian Federation patents, 1 registered APC software IP (2025), and 3 industry textbooks — credibility grounded in delivered industrial outcomes, not theory.

Core Competencies & Areas of Expertise

Advanced Leaching

HPAL (High-Pressure Acid Leaching), POX (pressure oxidation), atmospheric leaching, laterite leaching.

Separation & Refining

Cobalt SX/EW (Solvent Extraction / Electrowinning), nickel sulphide flotation, non-toxic sulfide precipitation.

Matte Processing

Matte conversion, copper-nickel matte leaching, treatment of magnetic fractions.

Precious Metals

PGM recovery from sulfide copper-nickel raw materials and pyrrhotite-pentlandite concentrates.

Project Evaluation

Nickel laterite scoping study evaluation, technical due diligence, flowsheet auditing, process bottleneck resolution.

Specialty Chemistry

Thiosulphate precipitants, dissolution kinetics of nickel oxides, sulfide precipitation from dilute sulfate solutions.

Digital Metallurgy (APC)

Advanced Process Control algorithms for real-time iron-removal optimisation in nickel-solution refining.

Regulatory Reporting

NI 43-101 Qualified Person & JORC Competent Person grade reporting and sign-off.

Selected Project Experience & Technical Achievements

Independent Consultant — Project-Based Expert Engagements

2014 – Present · Global / Remote

Self-employed · Tel Aviv District, Israel · Contract-based expert assessment and Feasibility Study delivery for external projects.

Client: Skye Resources / Hatch — Project Phoenix (Fenix HPAL, Guatemala). Engaged on a contract basis to lead an independent flowsheet audit of the nickel-laterite scoping study on behalf of the financing party — ~$500M CAPEX scope. Surfaced 6 critical operational and commercial risks (Magnesia Recovery, Residue Stability, Ocean Outfall Pipeline, Scaling of the Ocean Outfall Pipeline, Power Plant Availability, and Cost of Sulphur) before Final Investment Decision. Engagement type: Independent Technical Due Diligence & Feasibility Study delivery — not employment.
Client: Nornickel Harjavalta (Finland) — Refinery Process Optimization. Diagnosed throughput bottlenecks across the integrated hydromet refinery and delivered targeted technical reports and operating regulations governing the precipitation circuit to optimize base-metal efficiency.
Client: BHP Billiton (Australia) — Precipitation Advisory. Architected the technical case and evaluated alternative flowsheets for adopting non-toxic Cu / Ni / Co sulfide precipitation from nickel-cobalt laterite leach solutions — multiple comparative options delivered to cut reagent toxicity and downstream tailings load. Underlying method is my authored IP — patent RU 2328537.

Head of Hydrometallurgy Laboratory

1986 – 2025 · St. Petersburg, Russia

Gipronickel Institute

Kola MMC Roasting–Leaching–Electrowinning Circuit: Spearheaded the 17-year R&D-to-industrial roll-out of the matte-separation flowsheet for the Kola MMC refinery; optimised downstream matte conversion across nominal high-grade nickel production variants ranging from 125,000 to 170,000 tpa.
Norilsk Nickel Pyrrhotite Treatment & PGM Recovery: Developed and patented an advanced pressure-leaching flowsheet for complex pyrrhotite-pentlandite concentrates — previously a tailings stream — unlocking a 10–25% increase in base-metal recovery and a 15–30% boost in Platinum Group Metals (PGMs) extraction depending on feed composition. Basis of patents RU 2114195, RU 2444573, RU 2573306, RU 2626257, and RU 2712160.
Laterite & Polymetallic Ore Processing (Bulgaria & Kazakhstan): Evaluated custom leach profiles for ultra-low-grade Bulgarian laterites (<0.5% Ni) and complex Pb-Zn concentrates from Zhairem, Kazakhstan. Demonstrated the technical and economic limits of traditional pyrometallurgical processing for these specific ores, providing the critical data that guided strategic project-development decisions and prevented uneconomic capital commitments.
Magnetic Fraction Processing (Kola MMC): Designed and evaluated alternative leaching and nickel-sulphide-flotation methodologies to liberate base metals trapped in the magnetic fraction of fine mattes, with options sized for industrial-scale piloting.
APC Algorithm for Iron Removal (2024–2025): Co-developed and registered a proprietary mathematical algorithm for real-time control of the iron-removal stage in nickel-solution purification, minimising base-metal losses — State Registration Certificate No. 2025665318.

Consultative & Advisory Roles

Subject Matter Expert (SME) & Technical Advisor.
Providing high-level metallurgical strategy for global engineering firms (EPCM) and mining operators on a contract basis — never as a permanent employee of any single operator.
Independent Reviewer.
Auditing feasibility studies, scoping studies, and metallurgical test-work programs to ensure compliance with international financing standards.
Expert Competence.
Operating at the technical depth required for NI 43-101 QP and JORC Competent Person reporting, specifically in the domains of metallurgical test-work, recovery projections, and process plant design for base and precious metals.

Core Proprietary Solutions & Author’s Developments Independent IP — not bound to any single employer

Processes, flowsheets and control algorithms registered as my own intellectual property. Available for licensing, joint development or transfer-of-know-how engagements.

Advanced Process Control (APC) Algorithm — Iron Removal from Nickel Solutions.
Proprietary mathematical algorithm calculating real-time control actions for the iron-removal stage in nickel-solution refining, radically minimising base-metal losses. Co-developed and registered as my own intellectual property. State Registration Certificate No. 2025665318 (2025).
Non-Toxic Cu / Ni / Co Sulfide Precipitation from Sulfate Solutions.
Authored method for selective precipitation of nickel, cobalt and copper as sulfides from dilute sulfate streams — replacing toxic reagents and reducing tailings load. Independently licensable IP. Patent RU 2328537.
Pressure-Leaching Flowsheet for Pyrrhotite-Pentlandite Concentrates.
Authored advanced pressure-leaching configuration converting low-grade sulfide pyrrhotite — previously a tailings stream — into a profitable feedstock. Unlocks 10–25% base-metal and 15–30% PGM recovery gains depending on feed. Patents RU 2114195 · RU 2444573 · RU 2573306 · RU 2626257 · RU 2712160.
Custom Flowsheets for Refractory Polymetallic & Pb-Zn Concentrates.
Authored specialised chemical parameters and atmospheric / pressure flowsheets for ultra-low-grade laterites and complex Pb-Zn concentrates unsuited to conventional smelting routes — bypassing pyrometallurgical limits. Patents RU 2182183 · RU 2601722 and related.
Pressure Hydrometallurgy of Non-Ferrous Metals (Reference Series).
Co-author of the two-volume Russian-language reference series used as standard literature in non-ferrous metallurgy programmes; plus sole-authored monograph on the scientific basis of modern nickel and copper hydrometallurgy.

Patents & Intellectual Property 10 issued Russian Federation patents + 1 software IP

RU 2114195 Method of processing sulfide pyrrhotite-containing raw materials. (1998)
RU 2167101 Method of producing thiosulphates. (2001)
RU 2182183 Method of precipitating non-ferrous metals from solutions. (2002)
RU 2328537 Method of selective precipitation of nickel, cobalt and copper from zinc in sulfate solutions in the form of sulfides. (2008)
RU 2319754 Method of processing materials containing minerals in which nickel is in the oxide form. (2008)
RU 2444573 Method for producing precious metals concentrate from sulfide copper-nickel raw materials. (2012)
RU 2573306 Method of processing sulfide pyrrhotite-pentlandite concentrates containing precious metals. (2016)
RU 2601722 Method of processing solutions containing non-ferrous metals. (2016)
RU 2626257 Method of processing sulfide pyrrhotite-pentlandite concentrates containing precious metals. (2017)
RU 2712160 Method of processing sulfide concentrate containing pyrrhotite, pyrite, chalcopyrite, pentlandite, and precious metals. (2020)

Software & Process-Control IP

Method of Calculating Control Actions for Purification of Nickel Solution from Iron — APC Algorithm

Klimenko, Greyver, Kalashnikova, Abramova. State Registration Certificate № 2025665318, registered 16 June 2025.

Key Publications & Academic Leadership

Author of three fundamental textbooks and numerous international symposium papers on the hydrometallurgy of non-ferrous metals.

Books

S.S. Naboychenko, Ya.M. Shneerson, M.I. Kalashnikova, L.V. Chugaev. Pressure Hydrometallurgy of Non-Ferrous Metals, Vol. 1. UGTU-UPI, Yekaterinburg, 2008 (376 pp.)
S.S. Naboychenko, Ya.M. Shneerson, M.I. Kalashnikova, L.V. Chugaev. Pressure Hydrometallurgy of Non-Ferrous Metals, Vol. 2. UGTU-UPI, Yekaterinburg, 2009 (612 pp.)
M.I. Kalashnikova. Scientific Basics of Modern Nickel and Copper Hydrometallurgy. LAP LAMBERT Academic Publishing, 2011 (368 pp.)

Selected International Symposium & Peer-Reviewed Papers

Shneerson, Ryabko, Volkov, Muravin, Kalashnikova. Wasteless hydrometallurgical technology for matte treatment. Clean Technology for the Mining Industry, University of Concepción, Chile, 1996, pp. 323–331.
Kalashnikova, Shneerson, Keskinova, Chetvertakov. Non-Toxic Method of Nickel/Cobalt/Copper Sulfides Precipitation as Rich Concentrates from Diluted Sulfate Solutions. Yazawa International Symposium, San Diego, USA, 2003.
Kalashnikova, Shneerson, Keskinova. Interactions of ferriferous copper-nickel mattes with sulphuric acid: study of chemistry and kinetics. Pressure Hydrometallurgy 2004, Alberta, Canada, pp. 887–898.
Kalashnikova, Shneerson, Keskinova, Chetvertakov. Non-Traditional Methods of Heavy Metals Precipitation from Solution in the Form of Sulfide. Sohn International Symposium, San Diego, USA, 2006, pp. 555–561.
Kalashnikova, Shneerson, Lapin, Saltykov, Keskinova. Hydrometallurgical Treatment of Substandard Pb–Zn Concentrates with Production of Zinc, Lead and Silver. Sohn International Symposium, San Diego, USA, 2006, pp. 573–579.
Volkov, Kalashnikova, Shneerson. The behaviour of copper during the dissolution of metallic nickel in CuSO₄ solutions. Copper / Cobre 2007, John E. Dutrizac Symposium on Copper Hydrometallurgy, Toronto, Canada, pp. 333–343.
Volkov, Kalashnikova. Mechanism of nickel oxides dissolving by sulphuric acid solutions in acid environment. Non-Ferrous Metals, 2011, №2, pp. 68–71.
G.V. Petrov, M.I. Kalashnikova, S.B. Fokina. Regularities of Selenium and Chromium Behavior in Redox Processes During Hydrometallurgical Treatment of Solid-Phase Products of Rhenium Extraction. Notes of the Mining Institute (PMI), 2016, Vol. 220, pp. 601–606.
M.I. Kalashnikova, L.B. Tsymbulov, S.S. Naboychenko, O.B. Kolmachikhina. Promising Directions for the Processing of Oxidized Nickel Ores (Laterites) Applicable to Ural Deposits. Tsvetnye Metally (Non-Ferrous Metals), 2019, №8, pp. 4–10.
I.V. Klimenko, M.B. Greyver, M.I. Kalashnikova, N.M. Vostrikova. Influence of Various Factors on Iron Oxidation in Highly Concentrated Chloride Nickel Solutions. Tsvetnye Metally, 2024, №10, pp. 47–54.