Developing of a drum reactor model for critical metal recovery

IFP Energies nouvelles (IFPEN) est un acteur majeur de la recherche et de la formation dans les domaines de l’énergie, du transport et de l’environnement. De la recherche à l’industrie, l’innovation technologique est au cœur de son action, articulée autour de quatre priorités stratégiques : Mobilité Durable, Energies Nouvelles, Climat / Environnement / Economie circulaire et Hydrocarbures Responsables.

Dans le cadre de la mission d’intérêt général confiée par les pouvoirs publics, IFPEN concentre ses efforts sur :

l’apport de solutions aux défis sociétaux de l’énergie et du climat, en favorisant la transition vers une mobilité durable et l’émergence d’un mix énergétique plus diversifié ;
la création de richesse et d’emplois, en soutenant l’activité économique française et européenne et la compétitivité des filières industrielles associées.

Partie intégrante d’IFPEN, l’école d’ingénieurs IFP School prépare les générations futures à relever ces défis.

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 for conducting 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)