Overview
BIOWEG is building next-generation recycling and separation technology to recover critical metals (incl. rare earth elements) from challenging mineral and waste streams. This role is for a hands-on Bioleaching Scientist who is strong in the chemistry of leaching (kinetics, speciation, acidity/redox control, precipitation, impurity management). Bioleaching (leaching chemistry) experience is a must.
You will design and run bioleaching experiments and translate them into robust, scalable workflows. Typical bioleaching “types / modes” you’ll encounter include:
- Direct vs. indirect bioleaching (contact vs. non-contact mechanisms)
- Acidolysis/complexolysis/redoxolysis driven dissolution pathways
- Process formats from shake flasks/columns up to heap/vat/tank systems (depending on scale and material)
- And you’ll interface with downstream steps (depending on the stream): filtration/solid-liquid separation, selective precipitation, ion exchange/adsorption, solvent extraction concepts, and (nice-to-have) electrowinning
Your Role
Bioleaching experiment design & execution:
- Plan and run bioleaching campaigns on minerals, concentrates, industrial residues, or recycled materials (lab scale to pilot logic)
- Optimize leaching performance via pH/Eh control, oxidant balance, pulp density, particle size, temperature, residence time, and impurity management
- Build mass balances for metals, acids, and major ions across time (kinetics and yield)
Analytical monitoring (acids, metals and process control). You will set up practical measurement routines for:
- pH and ORP/Eh monitoring (ORP is often a key control parameter in bioleaching and ties strongly to Fe³⁺/Fe²⁺ behavior in many systems)
- Metal concentration in leach liquor using ICP-OES/ICP-MS (typical in bioleaching studies and scale-up monitoring)
- Acid/anion quantification (depending on system):
- Total acidity/free acidity via titration (routine control method)
- Organic acids via HPLC (common, reliable approach for organic acid quantification)
- Organic acids and inorganic anions via ion chromatography when matrices are complex
Separation collaboration (TU Berlin and BIOWEG):
- Work closely with TU Berlin partners on integrating leachates with selective capture/separation concepts (e.g., adsorption/column workflows)
- Prepare defined leach solutions, impurity profiles, and stability windows to support selective metal capture
Documentation & scale-up readiness
- Maintain clean lab documentation, SOPs, and decision-ready data packages for internal and partner reviews
- Translate bench results into “engineering-friendly” specs: expected acid consumption, yields, impurity constraints, and downstream requirements
Your Profile
- Degree (MSc/PhD) in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Hydrometallurgy, Metallurgy, Materials Chemistry, or similar
- Proven bioleaching experience (minerals or waste streams) with real experimental ownership
- Strong understanding of leaching chemistry: speciation, kinetics, thermodynamics, redox systems, complexation, precipitation
- Comfort with analytical workflows for leach liquors (ICP-OES/ICP-MS, titration, HPLC/IC, etc.)
- Ability to work in a fast-moving R&D environment and communicate clearly in English
Good-to-have (adds strong value)- Knowledge of recycling/hydrometallurgy routes and unit operations (pre-treatment, roasting concepts, neutralization, SX/IX, crystallization)
- Experience with mineral characterization (XRD, XRF, SEM-EDS, particle size) and solids handling
- Electrowinning/electrochemistry understanding (even conceptual and lab exposure is helpful)
- Biotech/microbiology understanding (helpful but not the core requirement)
How to apply- CV
- A short paragraph describing your bioleaching projects (materials, metals, acids used and your role)
- (Optional) Publications/patents or a project portfolio
What We Offer
- Direct ownership of a high-impact, sustainability-driven technology path in critical metals recycling
- Work at the interface of bioleaching, chemistry and separation, with TU Berlin collaboration
- High autonomy, fast iteration, and the chance to shape the technical direction early