Thesis supervisor: Viktória Dóra Feigl
Location of studies (in Hungarian): BME Department of Applied Biotechnology and Food Science Abbreviation of location of studies: BME
Description of the research topic:
Bauxite residue (red mud) is the waste of alumina production from bauxite by the Bayer process. It is an ideal resource for economically important elements, such as Sc, Ga, Ti, V and rare earth elements (REEs), due to the increasing demand for critical raw materials (CRMs) in Europe with increasing supply risk. Biotechnological approaches for CRM recovery show advantages compared to pyro- and hydrometallurgical processes, e.g., lower temperatures, less chemical consumption, and lower costs. Bioleaching (biomining) applies microorganisms to solubilise metals from hardly soluble substrates. This PhD project aims to understand the mechanisms of bioleaching processes for the leaching of targeted CRMs by fungi and bacteria from various European bauxite residues. The PhD candidate will examine the effect of microbial media composition, BR pulp density, contact time, temperature, and shaking on bioleaching and the potential for selective leaching of elements. They will also assess the characteristics of the leaching residue and its reusability. Environmental and economic aspects of the novel biotechnological approach will be investigated. The ideal candidate knows the fields of biotechnology, microbiology and environmental chemistry. The results will contribute to the potential application of bioleaching as a green, bio-based technology for CRM extraction from bauxite residues.
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