Project Engineer - Chemist Critical Metals (All Genders)

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

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

• 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