Practical trainings, student assistants and theses

Cobalt (Co) and Molybdenum (Mo) are critical raw materials widely used across industry and predominantly obtained from primary ores. However, the depletion of high-grade mineral ores and limited extraction efficiency of lower-grade ores have created concerns about the long-term sustainable supply of these metals. As a result, the focus has shifted to recovering valuable metals from secondary resources such as end-of-life products, industrial waste, and manufacturing by-products. Among these secondary sources, Co-based catalytic waste has drawn attention, which can be an important secondary resource for Co, Mo, and Bi. In this study, an industrial catalytic waste rich in cobalt and bismuth is proposed for investigation as a potential secondary resource for the recovery of valuable metals, particularly cobalt and molybdenum.
The goal of the proposed master thesis is to develop a hydrometallurgical process for the recovery of valuable metals, especially Co and Mo from the Co-Bi-rich catalytic waste. Innovative hydrometallurgical approaches will be investigated for the selective recovery of cobalt and molybdenum, comprising leaching, selective precipitation, and solvent extraction. The operating parameters of each stage will be optimized to achieve higher metal recovery. In addition, the solvent extraction stage will be further enhanced through the development of a selective supported liquid membrane (SLM) system. The performance of solvent extraction and SLM-based separation will be systematically compared in terms of selectivity, extraction efficiency, and overall metal recovery to identify the most effective process for cobalt and molybdenum recovery.

• Bachelor's degree in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Environmental Engineering, or related field
• Knowledge of hydrometallurgical methods such as Leaching, precipitation, solvent extraction, crystallization, and membrane technologies
• Knowledge of analytical techniques such as ICP-OES, AAS, MS or similar for metal concentration analysis
• Good oral and written communication skills in English
• Ability to work independently and systematically

• Conduct literature research on the recovery of cobalt, molybdenum, and other metals through Hydro metallurgic process and membrane technologies
• Characterization and understanding of the feed materials using various techniques, XRD, FTIR, ICPOES, XRF, etc before and after the experimental process
• Optimize experimental conditions for high recovery efficiencies for cobalt and other valuable metals
• Prepare a comprehensive thesis report and, if possible, present findings at relevant conferences or workshops.

• Duration: 6 months
• Start Date: Start in October 2026 is possible
• Funding: Remuneration according to HZDR internal regulations

The old smelting activities in different regions in Germany generated large quantities of metallurgical and mining residues containing significant concentrations of valuable metals. In recent days, the contaminated surface water from these residues is treated at a wastewater treatment plant by lime precipitation. During the treatment process, dissolved heavy metals such as zinc, iron, copper, nickel, and cadmium are removed by chemical precipitation using calcium hydroxide. The generated sludge has been dewatered using a chamber filter press and is currently disposed of as a landfill. Recent investigations have demonstrated that these wastewater treatment precipitates contain a considerable of valuable metals, and it represents a promising secondary raw material for the recovery of valuable metals, especially zinc.
The objective of the proposed master thesis is to develop a hydrometallurgical process for the selective recovery of zinc from the wastewater treatment precipitates. The work will investigate selective acid leaching conditions to dissolve zinc while minimizing the dissolution of calcium, magnesium and silicon. Subsequently, the pregnant leach solution will be purified through selective precipitation of metals other than zinc by pH adjustment. After purification, high-purity metallic zinc will be recovered by electrowinning. Furthermore, the calcium-rich leaching residue will be characterized thoroughly in order to evaluate its potential for industrial applications. The process wastewater generated during the metal recovery process will be treated with membrane purification studies, contributing towards a circular economy approach.

• Conduct literature research on the recovery of zinc, calcium, and other metals through Hydro metallurgic process as well as water treatment processes through membrane technologies
• Characterization and understanding of the feed materials using various techniques, XRD, FTIR, ICPOES, XRF, etc. before and after the experimental process
• Optimize experimental conditions for high recovery rates for zinc and other valuable metals
• Design and carry out laboratory experiments with selected nanofiltration membranes, focusing on variables like pressure, pH, and concentration
• Prepare a comprehensive thesis report and, if possible, present findings at relevant conferences or workshops

• Bachelor's degree in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Environmental Engineering or related field
• Knowledge of hydrometallurgical methods such as Leaching, precipitation, solvent extraction, and membrane technologies
• Knowledge of analytical techniques such as ICP-OES, AAS,MS or similar for metal concentration analysis
• Good oral and written communication skills in English
• Ability to work independently and systematically
• Duration: 6 months
• Start Date: Start in September 2026 is possible
• Funding: Remuneration according to HZDR internal regulations

Rare earth elements (REEs) are vital to numerous industrial applications. The studies on REEs recovery from various secondary resources revealed that spent permanent magnets contain a significant amount (approximately 31-32 wt%) of rare earth metals. However, the presence of Fe and other metals poses a challenge for recovering REE from the leachate solution. It was observed that the REE will also co-precipitate with Fe upon precipitation, resulting in the loss of resources. To address this, an extraction chromatography method has been proposed for the selective recovery of REE from leachate solutions. Our latest research reveals that selective ligands based on different media can recover REE from aqueous solutions even in the presence of other metals.
The master's thesis aims to develop novel diglycolamide-phosphoric acid combined impregnated resins with different compositions for the selective recovery of the REE from the spent magnet leachates. The prepared impregnated resins will be optimised with different experimental parameters to assess the best possible recovery of REEs. Furthermore, the studies will be examined through various spectroscopic and analytical investigations to understand the insights into the extraction/sorption behaviour. The application to real magnet leachates would be tested.

• Bachelor's degree in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Environmental Engineering, or related field
• Knowledge of ion or extraction chromatography, and impregnation of inert carrier resins
• Knowledge of analytical techniques such as FTIR, SEM, AFM, XRD, etc
• Duration: 6 months
• Start Date: Starting in September 2026 is possible
• Work location : Freiberg

• Conduct literature research on extraction chromatography on resins, impregnation with various ligands, and their applications in metal recovery
• The characterization and understanding of the insights of impregnation behaviour using various techniques, XRD, FTIR, Raman, XPS, etc
• Design and conduct laboratory experiments under several parameters such as contact time, acid concentration, sorption models, etc
• Optimize experimental conditions for recovery of REE from magnet leachates
• Prepare a thesis report and present findings at conferences or workshops