Product Development Chemist to Lixea in Bäckhammar

Lixea is a UK and Estonia-based start-up company which originally spun-out from Imperial College in London in 2017. Our first product is the BioFlex process that uses waste wood and agricultural by-products as well as sustainably grown biomass to produce a greener alternative to today’s petrochemical industry while providing unwanted waste materials with a new purpose. As our company is focused around sustainability and we are a diverse team that values diversity and inclusivity.

We are now seeking a Chemist to support our product development from cellulose and lignin. Lixea has received a grant from the EIC to build a pilot plant in Bäckhammar for our novel chemical process, which uses ionic liquids to fractionate wood biomass. The plant will produce cellulose and lignin, which will need to be characterised for quality control and product development purposes and compared to products isolated under well-controlled laboratory conditions.

By joining the team, you will work in a fast-paced R&D environment alongside world-leading researchers and ambitious entrepreneurs in sustainable solvent technologies. You will also get first-hand experience of research and development work in biorefining, joining the fight for a more sustainable future.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

- Oversee a small team of laboratory scientist and engineers
- Coordinate the production of cellulose and lignin from lignocellulosic input materials under various conditions at a lab-scale using the proprietary ionic liquid based process and characterise them
- Characterise cellulose and lignin produced in the pilot plant and suggest process alteration to optimise product quality based on findings from laboratory scale and commercially available products
- Identify and develop applications from the isolated cellulose and lignin through in-house analysis and/or external tests and further conversion into intermediate or final products
- Liaise with commercial partners and potential customers to evaluate samples of lignin and cellulose and identify suitable applications for the materials while understanding what impact process conditions and characteristics of the input material have on product quality and value
- Travel to/participate in conferences and represent the company


Specific tasks related to the EIC project:

- Pre-pilot studies - Using lab-scale samples of cellulose and lignin, validate target applications
- Produced product properties and applications dossier will be as well as a small catalogue that will be disseminated to prospective customers



- Pilot validation - Confirm the results obtained from pre-pilot tests in this large-scale environment against identified KPIs for the targeted applications
- Suggest changes to the process where necessary in order to meet quality requirements of cellulose and lignin
- Use obtained cellulose and lignin to continue building the commercial traction with partners
- Produce at least one prototype product from both the cellulose and lignin at the multi-kilo scale with a partner



- Preparation for commercialization and communication - Contribute to commercialisation plan with insights on cellulose and lignin market
- Communication: Participate in communication activities





In addition to these functions, employees are required to carry out such other duties as may reasonably be required.

QUALIFICATIONS AND SKILLS

- First degree (or equivalent) in Chemistry or a closely related discipline
- Proven experience in a research environment and experience in setting up laboratory protocols, including health and safety considerations - Working with lignocellulosic biomass
- Biorefining
- Ionic liquids
- Various analytical techniques, such as cellulose viscosity and kappa number measurements
- Materials chemistry
- Basic understanding of chemical and process engineering





- Desired skills and knowledge includes:


- Have high level of self-motivation
- Ability to effectively plan and organise work, allowing you to work on multiple projects in parallel and coordinate your work with that of the engineering team
- Experience in managing a small team
- Ability to produce clear written reports
- Willingness to carry out varied tasks
- Have excellent communication skills in English and speak at least basic Swedish
- Ability to engage with other team members who work remotely using online meeting tools and file sharing systems


APPLICATION

In this recruitment, we have chosen to collaborate with Technogarden. You apply via the ad by clicking “SKICKA ANSÖKAN”. Due to GDPR, we are unable to accept applications via email. For more information about the position, you are welcome to contact Krisztina Kovacs-Schreiner who can be reached at krisztina@lixea.co.

We are looking forward to your application! The last day to apply is February 7th.