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When you join the Albemarle team, you contribute to a better tomorrow. You will play a role in powering many of the world's largest and most critical industries, from energy and communications to transportation and electronics. We are putting innovation to work to improve people's lives and we want YOU to be a part of it.

Job Description

Battery Recycling Scientist

Company and Job Overview

Albemarle Corporation, headquartered in Charlotte, NC, is a leading global specialty chemicals company in lithium, bromine and refining catalysts. The company's lithium business unit is at the forefront of one of the highest growth markets in the specialty chemicals industry. Our unique lithium natural resource position, derivatization capabilities and technology leadership allow Albemarle to execute an aggressive and sustainable long-term growth strategy.

The "Battery Recycling Scientist" position is within the fast-growing Lithium Research & Development group based at Kings Mountain, NC. The successful candidate will join a diverse and passionate team and will be an essential contributor to developing new sustainable products and technologies for Albemarle and its customers. They will design and perform battery lithium extraction and purification using advanced techniques, characterize product physicochemical properties and evaluate process economic.

The candidate must demonstrate deep hands-on expertise in applying advanced chemical extraction and separation techniques (e.g., solvent extraction, membrane and IER) for battery metal industry, food industry or bioindustry. The ability to collaborate and communicate across multiple groups (especially the process engineering group) and projects, internal and external to Albemarle, is a must.

Job Responsibilities

• Practice proper laboratory procedures in compliance with Corporate HS&E policy and maintain a safe lab environment
• Develop and validate non-conventional chemical processes to extract and purify lithium from end-of-life batteries, and manufacturing wastes
• Develop and implement commercially-relevant lithium recycling processes
• Collaborate closely with process development team to scale up lithium recycling process
• Collaborate with analytical team to characterize the chemical composition, and physical properties (e.g. PSD) of recycled lithium salts
• Set up, operate, and maintain necessary R&D scale extraction and purification equipment, enable PLC sequence control for automatic cycling and sample collection
• Plan and execute statistical designs of experiment (DoE's) to identify key process variables and optimize them to achieve highest possible efficiency and lowest cost
• Incorporate necessary quality control methods to ensure material performance
• Coordinate instruments installation and support test infrastructure improvements
• Mentor junior team members, technicians, and interns

Required Qualifications

• PhD in chemical engineering, chemistry and material science or related scientific discipline with a minimum of 5 years of commercially relevant post-graduate experience in chemical separation, battery metals and/or battery cathodes field
• Demonstrated first principles thinking and agile data-driven decision making
• Fundamental understanding in both chemistry and chemical engineering or material science and chemical engineering
• Familiar with unit operation and optimization of chemical extraction and metal separation using membrane and resins at both bench and commercial scale
• Able to prioritize and manage time effectively in a fast-paced environment
• High attention to detail, accuracy and precision in experimental design and analysis of results
• Excellent communication skills and ability to simplify complexity

Desired Competencies

• Prior experience working in battery recycling and metal salt purification field
• Deep understanding of advanced chemical extraction, metal ion separation processes
• Demonstrated understanding of properties of ion exchange membrane, nanofiltration (NF) membrane, chelating resins, lithium selective resins/sorbents
• Basic knowledge of lithium-ion batteries and cathode chemistry
• Experience in hands-on dissection of lithium-ion batteries, and cathode metal extraction
• Demonstrated proficiency with metal ion separation testing protocols, data analysis and interpretation
• Demonstrated ability to partner with suppliers and external experts to accelerate innovation

Physical Demands

• Must be able to work in a wet chemical laboratory, which requires standing for 25% or more of the time
• Must be able to physically operate scientific equipment and instruments
• Occasional travel to customers and suppliers may be required

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