Postdoc in Mineral Processing, Materials Chemistry, Hydrometallurgy, Geology

About the role

As part of the project "Hydrothermally Treated Silicate Rocks as a Potassium Fertilizer - From Lab to Field Validation", GSMI (Geology & Sustainable Mining Institute) at Mohammed VI Polytechnic University is looking for a postdoctoral researcher with strong expertise in the physico-chemical characterization of materials. The work builds on a previous lab-scale project and focuses on scaling up the hydrothermal treatment of syenite rocks to improve nutrient release, so that they can act as a low-cost alternative to conventional potassium fertilizers. The postdoc plays a central role in characterizing the raw and treated rocks and linking process parameters to their properties and performance.

Key responsibilities

• Optimize the hydrothermal treatment process (temperature, time, additives) at a larger scale to enhance nutrient release.
• Perform multi-scale mineralogical, structural and physico-chemical characterization (XRD, XRF, FTIR, TGA, SEM, ICP) of the raw and treated rocks.
• Evaluate nutrient release and the mobility of potentially toxic elements through leaching studies, and assess the environmental performance of the treated rock.
• Collaborate with technical, agronomic and industrial partners, contribute to industrial validations, results presentations and scientific publications.
• Process design: perform mass and energy balances, equipment sizing and develop process flow diagrams (PFDs).
• Teco-economic assessment: estimate CAPEX and OPEX and evaluate the economic viability of the scaled-up process.

Required profile

• PhD in Materials Chemistry, Physical Chemistry, Geology or a related field.
• Solid skills in mineralogical and geochemical analysis.
• Experience with hydrothermal and/or hydrometallurgical processes for extracting elements from silicate rocks or mining wastes.
• Knowledge of environmental impact evaluation, including life cycle assessment (LCA).

The position is 12 months long, renewable once, based at the UM6P Benguerir campus, with a preferred start date as soon as possible. Applications should include a cover letter, a list of publications and references or recommendation letters.