Hydrometallurgy and Chemical-Separation Specialists

Houston, TX

Work arrangement: Remote within the United States, with potential international travel
Engagement: Contingent, part-time/on-call specialist
Anticipated compensation: $150–$300 per hour, depending on qualifications and assignment, or a negotiated fixed price by work package. $300 per hour is the maximum anticipated rate.

Opportunity

Axyde Analytics is assembling a multidisciplinary expert team for anticipated U.S. government-funded project-scoping assignments involving critical minerals and international infrastructure.

We seek hydrometallurgists, chemical engineers and separation specialists capable of evaluating critical-mineral extraction, purification, refining and recovery from primary, secondary, unconventional and recycled feedstocks.

Potential assignments may involve lithium, nickel, cobalt, copper, rare earths, graphite, manganese, vanadium, gallium, germanium, indium, antimony, tungsten, tantalum, niobium, uranium or other critical materials.

Axyde does not expect one candidate to cover every commodity or unit operation. Applicants should identify the feedstocks, chemistries and process systems in which they possess direct, demonstrable expertise.

Specialist Tracks

We are recruiting experts in one or more of the following tracks:

Atmospheric acid and alkaline leaching
Pressure oxidation and pressure-acid leaching
Chloride, sulfate, nitrate and ammoniacal systems
Heap, vat, agitation and in-situ leaching
Direct lithium extraction and brine processing
Solvent extraction and multistage separation
Ion exchange, adsorption and membrane separation
Selective precipitation and impurity removal
Crystallization and product-quality control
Electrowinning and electrorefining
Hydrometallurgical recovery from concentrates, residues and tailings
Battery-material and recycling flowsheets
Rare-earth cracking, leaching and separation
Water, reagent, recycle and effluent management
Process simulation, mass balance and scale-up
Pilot-plant design, commissioning and operations
Corrosion, materials selection and containment
Process safety involving acids, bases, oxidants, reductants and toxic reagents

Potential Responsibilities

Depending on the assignment and specialist track, selected experts may:

Evaluate feed mineralogy, variability, liberation and chemical characteristics.
Review testwork quality, sample representativeness and analytical methods.
Assess leach chemistry, kinetics, recovery, selectivity and reagent consumption.
Evaluate pressure, temperature, residence-time and materials-of-construction requirements.
Review solvent-extraction, ion-exchange, adsorption, membrane and precipitation circuits.
Assess impurity deportment, recycle streams, bleed streams and finished-product quality.
Develop or review integrated mass, solution, reagent and water balances.
Evaluate crystallization, electrowinning and product-finishing requirements.
Review residue neutralization, effluent treatment, emissions and disposal systems.
Assess corrosion, containment, operability, maintainability and worker-safety risks.
Review technology maturity, vendor claims, pilot results, operating references and scale-up evidence.
Identify decisive technical information gaps and define additional testwork or diligence.
Evaluate power, water, steam, oxygen, acid, alkali and other infrastructure dependencies.
Contribute to capital-cost, operating-cost, schedule and implementation assumptions.
Reconcile process assumptions with product specifications, market requirements and project economics.
Identify realistic opportunities for U.S. equipment, engineering, technology and services.
Develop or review feasibility-study, technical-assistance or pilot-project terms of reference, budgets and schedules.
Participate in sponsor, government, supplier, laboratory, customer or financing-source discussions.
Support international meetings, site visits and field verification when required.
Prepare concise analyses and recommendations for senior government decision-makers.
Serve as a discipline lead, contributor, same-discipline alternate or independent technical reviewer.

Required Qualifications

Candidates should possess:

At least 7–10 years of directly relevant professional experience, with greater experience preferred for discipline-lead and independent-review roles.
A degree in metallurgy, chemical engineering, mineral processing, chemistry, materials science or a closely related field.
Direct responsibility for identifiable hydrometallurgical plants, pilot programs, feasibility studies, process-development programs or operating-improvement assignments.
Demonstrated ability to connect feed characteristics, process chemistry, recovery, impurity control, product quality, scale-up and economics.
Experience developing or independently reviewing process-flow diagrams, mass balances, design criteria, testwork programs or operating data.
Strong written and verbal English-language communication skills.
Ability to prepare concise, decision-oriented technical work.
Ability to collaborate across geological, processing, environmental, safety, commercial and financial disciplines.
Either U.S. citizenship or lawful permanent-resident status in the United States.
Legal authorization to work in the United States without current or future sponsorship.
Willingness and ability to travel internationally when an assignment requires it.
No known employment, confidentiality, intellectual-property, noncompete or conflict-of-interest restriction that would prevent participation.

Operating, commissioning, troubleshooting and scale-up experience is particularly valuable. Academic or laboratory experience should be accompanied by evidence of industrial application or project-development responsibility.

Application Information Requested

Please submit a résumé and a brief response identifying:

The commodities, feedstocks and hydrometallurgical systems with which you have direct experience.
Your strongest unit-operation and process-chemistry specialties.
Up to five representative plants, projects, pilots or studies and your personal responsibilities on each.
The development stages you have supported, including laboratory testwork, pilot, demonstration, feasibility, design, construction, commissioning, ramp-up or operations.
Your experience developing or reviewing mass balances, design criteria, process models and testwork programs.
Countries and regions in which you have worked.
Whether you can serve as a discipline lead, independent reviewer, or both.
Your current U.S. location.
Whether you are a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident.
Your availability during the next 30 days.
Your ability to travel internationally and any geographic restrictions.
Your anticipated hourly rate.
Any actual or potential conflicts involving governments, project sponsors, technology providers, engineering firms, mining companies or current employers.

Engagement Conditions

This is a contingent opportunity supporting anticipated government-funded assignments. No employment, contract award, minimum workload or particular assignment is guaranteed.

Selection for an assignment will depend on contract award, the specific feedstock and technical question, qualifications, availability, eligibility, conflicts, travel requirements, mutually acceptable compensation and execution of appropriate employment or consulting documentation.

Axyde may tailor and reformat selected résumés for proposal compliance without materially changing the candidate’s qualifications or experience.

Axyde Analytics
Strategic minerals • Supply-chain security • U.S. industrial base