Opportunities

PhD Positions

Project 1: Development of novel bespoke hydrophobic materials having large specific surface area to support selective separations

Position Summary

The Monash node of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Enabling Eco-Efficient Beneficiation of Minerals is seeking Ph.D. candidates to contribute to this project of National Significance. The candidate must be an Australian resident for tax purposes and hold a first-class undergraduate degree or equivalent.

An Opportunity to Make a Difference

The green economy, digital revolution, improved health, and living standards all depend on metals supplied at a minimal environmental cost. However, the declining grade of the more accessible minerals, increasing complexity of mineralogy, and the growing need to extract minerals from deeper mines, have reached a tipping point, making current practices technologically, economically, and environmentally unsustainable

The Centre will develop transformational technologies for enabling a competitive and environmentally sustainable future for Australia’s minerals industry through:

  • Reduced environmental footprint
  • Significant reductions in energy and water use
  • Higher resource recovery
  • Future leaders to support the sector

Project Outline: Understanding the non-covalent interactions between minerals and the polymeric materials used in froth flotation technologies is central to improving the performance of these so-called “collectors”. Through the design and structural engineering of ‘smart’ polymeric materials via the incorporation of responsive chemical functionality, we envisage controlling these interactions by applying an external stimulus or stimuli. Polymeric materials inspired by naturally occurring components that can be modified to respond to temperature, light, and pH will be synthesized and characterized by the candidate within the Monash node of the CoE.

Academic Supervisors: Dr. Chris Ritchie and Prof. San Thang

Location: School of Chemistry, Clayton Campus, Monash University

Selection Criteria Required

  • H1 or equivalent in chemistry
  • Strong synthetic chemistry skills
  • Demonstrated problem-solving abilities
  • Lateral thinker with excellent organizational and communication skills
  • Capacity to work independently and in a team

Desirable

  • Knowledge of polymeric materials and spectroscopic techniques

Remuneration: Stipends are available for a minimum of three years and are subject to performance at a rate of

A$ 29 500 (tax-free) p.a.

Contact: [email protected] or [email protected] using subject line CoE Ph.D. Application

Project 2: Influence of hydrophobic particles on interfacial stability of emulsions and foams

Project Leader:  Professor Erica Wanless (University of Newcastle)
Student based at: University of Newcastle
Collaborators: Professor Karen Hapgood (Deakin University) and Dr Ellen Moon (Deakin University) 

Sponsors: ARC Centre of Excellence for Enabling Eco-Efficient Beneficiation of Minerals
Primary contact: Professor Erica Wanless ([email protected]) or Professor Karen Hapgood ([email protected])

Description: This project seeks to build a fundamental understanding of Pickering emulsions, liquid marbles, and froth stability through the application of hydrophobic particles. This project will focus on characterising and optimising the adsorption of hydrophobic particles at air-water, oil-water and air-oil interfaces in the presence and absence of novel synthetic and biopolymer reagents. As rapid adsorption is desirable for the enhancement of flotation for the selective separation of value minerals, the kinetics of adsorption will be studied in addition to adsorption equilibria (isotherms).  Direct investigation of bubble-bubble and droplet-droplet interactions in the presence of the adsorbed hydrophobic particles will be studied using high speed video techniques. For certain hydrophobic particles, the electrostatic formation of liquid marbles will also be investigated 

Qualifications: First class honours degree (or Honours Class 2A) in Chemistry or Chemical Engineering or equivalent.

Note: Due to current border closures in Australia, no candidate based overseas can be consdiered. This information is a brief summary, for full details on the PhD project and eligibility please contact Professor Wanless or Professor Hapgood. 

Project 3: Dewatering small hydrophobic flocs

Project Leader: Dr Anthony Stickland (University of Melbourne)
Student based at: University of Melbourne
Collaborators: Professor Karen Hapgood (Deakin University) and Dr Ellen Moon (Deakin University)

Sponsors: ARC Centre of Excellence for Enabling Eco-Efficient Beneficiation of Minerals
Primary Contact: Dr Anthony Stickland ([email protected]) or Professor karen Hapgood ([email protected])

Description: Improved water recovery and the production of tailings with minimal water content requires consideration of new methodologies to aggregate particles. The addition of oil to a mineral suspension will cause hydrophobic particles to agglomerate and reject water. The microstructure of these agglomerates is a function of (a) the particle size, morphology and hydrophobicity; (b) the type of oil (viscosity and surface tension); (c) the relative amounts of the oil, water and solid phases; and (d) the shear environment. This study seeks to explore the relationships between the structure of hydrophobic flocs and their processing during dewatering, and to provide an optimised process for industrial implementation. Material characterisation will include shear rheology, solid-liquid separation and microstructural analysis (e.g. cryo-SEM). The separation properties will be used in models of thickening and filtration to predict the performance of these operations. Based on the modelling results, a lab-scale process will be developed to demonstrate the effectiveness of the aggregation technique.

Qualifications: First class honours degree (or Honours Class 2A) in Chemistry or Chemical Engineering or equivalent.

Note: Due to current border closures in Australia, no candidate based overseas can be consdiered. This information is a brief summary, for full details on the PhD project and eligibility please contact Dr Stickland or Professor Hapgood.

Further information on all projects: https://coeminerals.org.au/

The Centre of Excellence encourages diversity. Women are especially encouraged to apply. Open to domestic Australian students.

Note: The PhD projects are linked with and require close collaboration with the partner institutes