PRICE - NRC Supported Hydrometallurgy Project

Research Council BIA Competence Building Project

Since 2014 NTNU and UiO have worked on (re)building competence within the hydrometallurgy field (extracting metals using aqueous solution chemistry and related processes). The first project, funded be the Norwegian Research Council, ran until 2018. Besides the Research Council, funding was provided by three large Norwegian companies: Boliden Odda, Glencore Nikkelverk og Yara in Porsgrunn. A new, and nearly twice as large, project started up in April 2019: PRICE. PRICE is an acronym for "PRocess Industries in the Circular Economy" and reflects how important it for Norwegian industry to prepare for the "Circular Economy". That is to say that resources is used to the maximum potential and that the complete life-cycle of products is considered right from the start. This includes environmental concerns and sustainable production methods. The research institute  SINTEF was an important partner in the first project ("Hydromet") and has got an even larger role in PRICE, in particular they will play a major role in Life Cycle Analysis and considerations regarding the Circular Ecconomy. 

For students PRICE represents an exciting and challenging opportunity to work with research in close collaboration with one of Norway's largest research institutes and important industry companies. This in addition to the joint suppervision and education at Norway's two largest universitites. 

The main objective of the project is to prepare the collaborating industrial partners to the circular economy. The paths to achieving this can be different for the various industry partners, but five sub-objectives that is common for all or at least several partners can be defined:

1. Increased recirculation and recovery of metals and minerals - in general
   and between the participants in PRICE.
2. Understanding the behavior (speciation) of and recovery or removal of
   valuable elements and toxic components present in low concentrations in
   process solutions.
3. Use of electrochemical means to enhance separation of elements present
   in trace concentrations.
4. Value chain assessment to evaluate the impacts of circular economy
   value-chains through environmental modelling (LCA) and techno/economic
   optimization.

In addition, we have as a secondary objective to arrange excursions to production sites, courses and seminars for students as well as employees in the enterprises taking part.

Four PhD positions have been announced within the PRICE project:

• Two at NTNU, follow these links: PhD within electrodialysis (call closed) + PhD within membrane development for electrodialysis 
• Two at UiO, follow this link: Two PhD within tracer studies and speciation directed at hydrometllurgical problems 

We alse encourage students looking for exciting MSc projects, either in Trondheim or Oslo, to contact us to discuss project topics. See the contact info in the panel to the right.