Process Chemist - Group 14 Metals
About The Position
Kunin Technologies is revolutionizing the critical mineral supply chain by implementing advanced separation technologies to capture value from overlooked resources. Group 14 metals (germanium, tin, silicon) are critical materials of the data center build-out, and Kunin is designing, guaranteeing and commissioning a group 14 metal chlorination plant overseas for an industrial partner. This role involves running the chemistry at the bench and on mini-pilots, executing experiments on chlorination, hydrolysis, and calcination, closing mass balances, preparing product samples, and running continuous mini-pilot campaigns. The data generated will form the design basis for the plant. This is a founding member role in Kunin's Capital Projects team, with expectations to work on multiple projects in parallel after the initial plant commissioning.
Requirements
- Bachelor's degree in chemistry or chemical engineering required
- 2+ years of laboratory process development in hydrometallurgy, inorganic or specialty chemicals
- Comfortable handling chlorine, concentrated hydrochloric acid and moisture-sensitive chlorides under nitrogen in glass and PFA equipment.
- Competent with ICP-OES sample preparation, mass balance spreadsheets and clear experimental write-ups.
- Ability to work in fast paced and demanding atmosphere
- Creative problem solving that brings together inorganic chemistry, careful experiment and plant thinking to turn bench results into a design basis.
Nice To Haves
- Master's degree preferred
- experience with chlorination, acid leaching, precipitation or calcination preferred
Responsibilities
- Bench chlorination, hydrolysis and calcination experiments on metal-bearing oxide and solid feeds; chlorine and HCl handling
- Ion-exchange loading and elution runs on dilute metal liquors with Kunin media: breakthrough, elution, cycling and fouling studies
- Metal and impurity mass balances across chlorination, distillation, hydrolysis, recovery and calcination
- Continuous mini-pilot operation in campaigns, including shift coverage, sampling plans and campaign reports
- Preparation and documentation of product samples and the experimental record that supports the plant design basis
Benefits
- equity
- no income tax in Tennessee
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Entry Level
