PhD Advanced Electrochemical Treatment of Recycled Silicon for Upgraded Applications

The CSIRO Industry PhD Program (iPhD) is a four-year research training program that focuses on applied research and working with the industry sector. It aims to produce the next generation of innovation leaders with the skills to work at the interface of research and industry in Australia.

Electrochemical recovery of specific components within mixed waste streams is of high interest when considering complex or contaminated feedstock materials. Using paired electrochemical reactions of oxidatively stripping and reductive plating/recovery of materials can allow high selectivity due to the control enabled by electrochemical thermodynamics. This has been explored for contaminated silicon waste from used photovoltaic systems with the recovery of tin, silver and copper demonstrated via a room temperature electrochemical leaching process. It may also be possible to achieve this to recover silicon to high purity in high temperature electrochemical systems via electrochemically active silicates.

Electrochemical methods will be explored in this project experimentally using both low and high temperature approaches. This laboratory work will be paired with technoeconomic analysis to determine the best solution in different markets of varying price of electricity and materials.

PhD Scholarship details

Funding: $45,000 per annum over four years, and tuition fee scholarship for four years. Scholarships also include up to $1,500 relocation allowance.

The scholarship will be offered to the successful candidate subject to the grant/funding being fully established.

Supervisor: Dr Jessica Allen and Noel Duffy (CSIRO)

Available to: Domestic students

PhD

Eligibility Criteria

Student will have chemical or renewable energy engineering background with an interest in electrochemistry.

Experience in high temperature experimentation and passion for decarbonization and process development also essential

The applicant will need to meet the minimum eligibility criteria  for admission.

Application Procedure

Interested applicants should review the CSIRO Industry PhD Program Conditions and send an email expressing their interest along with scanned copies of their academic transcripts, CV, a brief statement of their research interests and a proposal that specifically links them to the research project.

Please send the email expressing interest to J.Allen@newcastle.edu.au by 5pm on 25 November 2022.