Developing of a drum reactor model for critical metal recovery

IFP Energies nouvelles - Lyon; Solaize; On-site; EUR 12,000 - 14,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Stipend 1150€/mo gross

Job summary

IFP Energies Nouvelles - Lyon is offering a 6-month internship to develop a drum reactor model for critical metal recovery, focusing on acid leaching kinetics and mechanochemical activation. The work includes literature review and model development.

You should hold a Master’s in chemical engineering with Python scripting experience and an interest in machine-learning tools and kinetics calculations; the workplace is Lyon, and the internship pays 1150€ gross per month.

Qualifications

• Master's degree in chemical engineering.
• Experience in python scripting, programming skills.
• Interested in developing machine-learning tools and kinetics calculations.

Responsibilities

• Conduct literature review to select a framework for drum reactor modeling.
• Develop first reactor model accounting for acid leaching kinetics for a single particle size.
• Implement a population balance.

Skills

Python scripting

Machine learning tools

Kinetics calculations

Education

Master's degree in chemical engineering

Job description

Developing of a drum reactor model for critical metal recovery

Lithium-ion batteries are essential for electric vehicles and stationary energy storage, and are pivotal to the energy and ecological transition. These materials, which include critical metals such as lithium, nickel, cobalt, and copper, are in high demand, with supply chains heavily reliant on imports from Asia. In order to ensure industrial sovereignty and reduce environmental impact, Europe is prioritizing circularity, meaning that efficient recycling is essential.

The black mass, a powder derived from dismantling and shredding used batteries, is central to this effort. Despite its abundance of valuable metals, the chemical and morphological heterogeneity of the ore poses significant processing challenges. Hydrometallurgy, particularly acid-reductive leaching, is the most effective method for metal recovery. Mechanochemical treatment involves applying mechanical energy, generally through grinding, to induce chemical transformations. This process reduces particle size, increases the specific surface area, disrupts the crystal structure, and enhances reactivity, thereby accelerating leaching kinetics and improving metal recovery. The synergistic combination of mechanochemical activation and leaching with mild organic acids shows strong potential for developing greener and more efficient black mass recovery processes.

Description

The CFD simulation of reactive systems often requires the calculation of equilibrium thermodynamic properties, which in turn, can be computationally demanding. An example of such reactive systems is the precipitation process for pCAM production, in which the nucleation and growth of particles usually depend on the distance between the actual state of the system and its equilibrium state. In this regard, accelerating the evaluation of equilibrium thermodynamic properties can significantly help to reduce the time required to conduct simulations of this process.

The main goal of this internship is to develop a drum reactor model for critical metal recovery.

For this task, the work will be divided into the following tasks:

• Conduct a literature review to select a suitable framework for drum reactor modeling


• Development of first reactor model accounting for acid leaching kinetics for a single particle size


• Implementation of a population balance

Required profile

Master's degree in chemical engineering with an experience in python scripting, programming skills, interested in developing machine-learning tools, familiar with kinetics calculations of chemical systems.

Additional information
- Duration of the internship : 6 months
- Workplace : IFPEN Lyon, Rond-point de l'échangeur de Solaize, 69360 Solaize
- Transport : public transportation / personal vehicle
- Paid internship 1150€/month (gross)