PhD Candidate in Recycling and Extraction/Refining of Metals from Spent Batteries

12 Feb 2024
Job Information

Organisation/Company

NTNU Norwegian University of Science and Technology

Department

Department of Materials Science and Engineering

Research Field

Engineering » Materials engineering
Engineering » Process engineering
Chemistry

Researcher Profile

First Stage Researcher (R1)

Country

Norway

Application Deadline

25 Feb 2024 - 23:59 (Europe/Oslo)

Type of Contract

Temporary

Job Status

Full-time

Hours Per Week

37,5

Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme?

Not funded by an EU programme

Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure?

No

Offer Description
This is NTNU

NTNU is a broad-based university with a technical-scientific profile and a focus in professional education. The university is located in three cities with headquarters in Trondheim.

At NTNU, 9,000 employees and 43,000 students work to create knowledge for a better world.

You will find more information about working at NTNU and the application process here.

About the job

The Department of Material Science and Engineering has a vacancy for a PhD student in pyro- and hydrometallurgy, focusing on recycling Electric Vehicle (EV) batteries. The position is for 3 years, with the possibility of 1 year of duty work by mutual agreement.

For a position as a PhD Candidate, the goal is a completed doctoral education up to an obtained doctoral degree.

This PhD position is a collaborative effort between the Department of Material Science and Engineering at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Norway, and the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering at Chalmers University of Technology (CTH), Sweden. This collaboration is part of the Nordic Five Tech (N5T) alliance, which brings together the leading technical universities in the Nordic region. Both departments have strategic initiatives in sustainable metallurgy and applying material science and chemical engineering to extract and recycle valuable elements from secondary resources, including EV batteries.

The selected candidate will join the Resources, Energy & Environment (IMA-REM) research group at NTNU and work alongside co-supervisors from the Nuclear Chemistry/Industrial Materials Recycling research group at CTH.

The battery value chain represents a remarkable opportunity for sustainable value creation, particularly from a European perspective. This opportunity is based on the comparative advantage of the Scandinavian countries and their competence-driven materials sector, which is powered by renewable energy sources. The sustainability of this value chain depends on the ability to reuse and recycle batteries, as well as their compounds. However, research on factors influencing customer acceptance of repurposed batteries is limited. Developing a robust recycling process capable of accommodating diverse battery types, designs, chemistries, and other variables is therefore essential. In view of this, computational thermodynamics can be a valuable tool to enhance the design of the process, reduce experimental trials, and increase the yield of the recycling process. Furthermore, it is also crucial for achieving a competitive disruption in the battery market. Currently, there is no techno-economically efficient lithium (Li) recycling process, and graphite from Lithium Ion Battery (LIB) anodes is not recycled. Developing innovative separation processes is expected to positively impact the circular economy and enable Sustainable Business Model (SBM) innovation. 

The current project's goal is to contribute to the establishment of new knowledge and principles for recycling spent LIBs by developing innovative processes to recover Li and other essential metals. The focus is on developing process steps with lower energy demand and reduced chemical consumption of reagents compared to the current state of the art. The process steps should also be flexible enough to accommodate changing cathode chemistries.

Duties of the position

The PhD candidate will be responsible for conducting a theoretical/modelling and practical study of the separation, pre-treatment, extraction, and recovery processes for Li from spent LIBs. This will include Material Flow Analyses (MFA) and Life Cycle Analyses (LCA) from a value chain perspective. The candidate will also work with computational thermodynamics using commercial software to support the experimental work. The scheduled activities for this position include:

• Documenting the state-of-the-art of current and new recycling processes for spent LIBs.
• Developing process steps for separating and pre-treatment of spent LIBs on a laboratory scale.
• Developing process steps for Li extraction/recovery from anodes and cathodes in spent LIBs on a laboratory scale.
• Compiling a holistic understanding of the advantages and disadvantages of pyrochemical and hydrochemical recycling routes.
• Perform thermodynamic simulation and modelling activities to support the experimental design, enhance the discovery of reaction mechanisms, underline the governed fundamental phenomena involved in the chemical processing, and identify potential limitations in the Li extraction processing.
• Proposing a plan for further development and industrialisation of the proposed value chain for recycling spent LIBs.

The candidate is expected to spend time at both universities and provide mentorship and co-supervision to MSc. and BSc. students. Additionally, flexibility in attending conferences, meetings, and workshops is required.

Required selection criteria

• You must have a professionally relevant background in materials science and engineering, chemical engineering, or a related field such as chemistry, process technology, or process engineering.
• Your education must correspond to a five-year Norwegian degree program, where 120 credits are obtained at the master's level.
• You must have a solid academic background from your previous studies and an average grade from the master's degree program or equivalent education, which is equal to B or better compared with NTNU's grading scale. If you do not have letter grades from previous studies, you must have an equally good academic basis. If you have a weaker grade background, you may be assessed if you can document that you are particularly suitable for a PhD education.
• Master's students can apply, but they must obtain and document their master's degree before taking the position.
• You must meet the requirements for admission to the faculty's doctoral program  https://www.ntnu.edu/nv/phd
• You must have good written and oral English language skills.

The appointment is to be made in accordance with Regulations on terms of employment for positions such as postdoctoral fellow, Phd candidate, research assistant and specialist candidate  and Regulations concerning the degrees of Philosophiae Doctor (PhD) and Philosodophiae Doctor (PhD) in artistic research national guidelines for appointment as PhD, post doctor and research assistant 

Preferred selection criteria

• Solid experimental background in unit operations and/or pyro- and hydrometallurgy.
•  Experience in different characterisation techniques relevant to metal quantification.
• Good understanding of the thermodynamic principles of high temperature and aqueous processes.
• Solid background in data and/or statistical analysis.
•  Willingness to design and build equipment and scientific instruments.

Personal characteristics

• Positive, creative, result-oriented, and enthusiastic.
• Thrives on new challenges in the workplace.
• Keen interest in working in interdisciplinary teams.
• Clear and effective communication skills, both orally and in writing.

Emphasis will be placed on personal and interpersonal qualities.

We offer

• exciting and stimulating tasks in a strong international academic environment
• an open and inclusive work environment  with dedicated colleagues
• favourable terms in the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund
• employee benefits

Salary and conditions

PhD candidates are remunerated in code 1017 and are usually remunerated at gross from NOK 532 200 per annum before tax, depending on qualifications and seniority. From the salary, 2% is deducted as a contribution to the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund.

The period of employment is 3 years with the possibility of 1 additional year of duty work upon agreement.

Appointment to a PhD position requires that you are admitted to the PhD programme in Materials Science andd Engineering  within three months of employment and participate in an organised PhD programme during the employment period.

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The engagement is to be made in accordance with the regulations in force concerning State Employees and Civil Servants , and the acts relating to Control of the Export of Strategic Goods, Services and Technology. Candidates who by assessment of the application and attachment are seen to conflict with the criteria in the latter law will be prohibited from recruitment to NTNU. After the appointment you must assume that there may be changes in the area of work.

The position is subject to external funding.

It is a prerequisite you can be present at and accessible to the institution daily.

About the application

The application and supporting documentation to be used as the basis for the assessment must be in English.

Publications and other scientific work must be attached to the application. Please note that your application will be considered based solely on information submitted by the application deadline. You must therefore ensure that your application clearly demonstrates how your skills and experience fulfil the criteria specified above.

The application must include: 

• CV and certificates
• transcripts and diplomas for bachelor's and master's degrees. If you have not completed the master's degree, you must submit a confirmation that the master's thesis has been submitted.
• A copy of the master's thesis. If you recently have submitted your master's thesis, you can attach a draft of the thesis. Documentation of a completed master's degree must be presented before taking up the position.
• Name and contact information of three referees
• If you have publications or other relevant research work

If all, or parts, of your education has been taken abroad, we also ask you to attach documentation of the scope and quality of your entire education, both bachelor's and master's education, in addition to other higher education. Description of the documentation required can be found here . If you already have a statement from NOKUT, please attach this as well.

We will take joint work into account. If it is difficult to identify your efforts in the joint work, you must enclose a short description of your participation.

In the evaluation of which candidate is best qualified, emphasis will be placed on education, experience and personal and interpersonal qualities. Motivation, ambitions, and potential will also count in the assessment of the candidates. 

NTNU is committed to following evaluation criteria for research quality according to The San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment - DORA.

General information

Working at NTNU

NTNU believes that inclusion and diversity is our strength. We want to recruit people with different competencies, educational backgrounds, life experiences and perspectives to contribute to solving our social responsibilities within education and research. We will facilitate for our employees’ needs.

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The city of Trondheim is a modern European city with a rich cultural scene. Trondheim is the innovation capital of Norway with a population of 200,000. The Norwegian welfare state, including healthcare, schools, kindergartens and overall equality, is probably the best of its kind in the world. Professional subsidized day-care for children is easily available. Furthermore, Trondheim offers great opportunities for education (including international schools) and possibilities to enjoy nature, culture and family life and has low crime rates and clean air quality.

Gothenburg is the major port city of Sweden, as well as the home of one of the two major technical universities in Sweden (of which one is CTH). The city is known for its friendly atmosphere and closeness to all essential facilities and hosts about 500,000 inhabitants. If the surrounding municipalities with which the city is directly connected are counted, the number of inhabitants is approximately 1,000,000. Due to its location with about equal distance to Oslo, Copenhagen, and Stockholm, it is a centrally located city.

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As an employee at NTNU, you must at all times adhere to the changes that the development in the subject entails and the organizational changes that are adopted.

A public list of applicants with name, age, job title and municipality of residence is prepared after the application deadline. If you want to reserve yourself from entry on the public applicant list, this must be justified. Assessment will be made in accordance with current legislation . You will be notified if the reservation is not accepted.

If you have any questions about the position, please contact Ragnhild Elizabeth Aune by emailing [email protected] . If you have any questions about the recruitment process, please contact Marie Kristiansen, e-mail: [email protected]

If you think this looks interesting and in line with your qualifications, please submit your application electronically via jobbnorge.no with your CV, diplomas and certificates attached. Applications submitted elsewhere will not be considered. Upon request, you must be able to obtain certified copies of your documentation.  

Application deadline: 25.02.2024.

NTNU - knowledge for a better world

The Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) creates knowledge for a better world and solutions that can change everyday life.

 

Department of Materials Science and Engineering  

We are Norway's leading educational and research environment in materials engineering, materials chemistry and materials science.  In collaboration with business and industry, we are a driving force for the development of innovative materials as well as new applications and manufacturing processes.  Activities in our disciplines are vital for the green shift. The Department of Materials Science and Engineering  is one of eight departments in the Faculty of Natural Sciences .

Requirements

Research Field

Engineering » Materials engineering

Education Level

Master Degree or equivalent

Research Field

Engineering » Process engineering

Education Level

Master Degree or equivalent

Research Field

Chemistry

Education Level

Master Degree or equivalent

Additional Information
Work Location(s)

Number of offers available

1

Company/Institute

NTNU - Norwegian University of Science and Technology

Country

Norway

Geofield

Where to apply

Website

https://www.jobbnorge.no/en/available-jobs/job/258035/phd-candidate-in-recyclin…

Contact

City

Trondheim

Website

http://www.ntnu.no

Street

Gløshaugen

Postal Code

N-7491

STATUS: EXPIRED