Also called: Hydrometallurgist
Develops processes to recover lithium, nickel, and cobalt from old batteries so they can be used again.
You dissolve shredded battery 'black mass' in acid, separate out the metals step by step, and scale the process up at a recycling plant.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Bachelor's degree (4-year), about 4 years after high school. Bachelor's in chemistry or chemical engineering; graduate degree for research.
Ways in: 4-year college, Graduate school. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Metallurgy.
Growing faster than average (about 5% over 10 years).
Medium risk for 10 years. Automated lab analysis takes over routine testing; designing new recovery processes stays human.
Classes: AP Chemistry, AP Biology, Algebra 2.
Official data: O*NET occupation 19-2031.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.