DESCRIPTION :

Abdul Rauf Sheik is a chemical engineering scientist engaged in industrial research in hydrometallurgy. His experience in research includes up-scaling of process metallurgy flow sheets, Basic Engineering Package preparation, techno-economic analysis, CFD simulations and membrane processes. Solvent extraction is his area of focus in process development including development of novel solvent extraction systems such as microreactors and electrochemical mixer-settlers. He is currently engaged industrial implementation of processes for recovery of base metal such as cobalt, nickel and manganese as electrolytic manganese dioxide.

• 2011 to 2016 Scientist.
• 2016 to 2020 Senior Scientist.
• since 2020 Principal Scientist

• Process development for recovery of battery metals, critical metals, high-pure materials from low grade ores/secondaries.
• Solid wastes and effluents processing for recovery of values
• Design and scale-up of hydrometallurgical unit operations 
• Basic engineering package and Techno-economic Feasibility Report
• Microfluidics and Computation Fluid Dynamics.

• Chevening CRISP Fellowship, Oxford University from FCDO, Gov. of UK. 
• Grand fly ash utilization challenge contest conducted by NTPC during 2018-19.

• Ag/biochar nanocomposites demonstrate remarkable catalytic activity towards reduction of p-nitrophenol via restricted agglomeration and leaching characteristics, M Behera, N Tiwari, S. Banerjee, A.R. Sheik, M. Kumar, M Pal, P Pal, R Chatterjee, S Chakrabortty, S.K. Tripathy, Colloids and Surfaces A: Physicochemical and Engineering Aspects, Volume 642, 2022, 128616.
  
• Sodium fluoride assisted acid leaching of coal fly ash for the extraction of alumina, AK Tripathy, B Behera, V Aishvarya, A R Sheik, B Dash, C K Sarangi, B C Tripathy, K Sanjay, I N Bhattacharya, Minerals Engineering, Vol 131, 140-145, 2019.
  
• Leaching of Rare Earth Metals from Phosphor Coating of Waste Fluorescent Lamps, A Anand, R Singh, A R Sheik, M K Ghosh, K Sanjay, Transactions of the Indian Institute of Metals, Volume 72, Issue 3, 623–634, 2019.
• Recovery of dimethylglyoxime (DMG) from Ni-DMG complexes, Meenakshi Rath, Laxmi Priya Behera, Barsha Dash, Abdul Rauf Sheik, Kali Sanjay, Hydrometallurgy, Vol 176, 229–234, 2018.
• Processing Nigerian pyrolusite ore, Part I: Characterization and dissolution kinetics analysis, A. A. Baba, L. Ibrahim, R. B. Bale, A. G. F. Alabi, F. A. Adekola, M. K. Ghosh, K. Sanjay, and A. R. Sheik, Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum Journal, Vol 7(1), 43-51, 2016.
• Aqueous processing of nickel spent catalyst for a value added product; Sheik, A.R., Ghosh, M.K., Sanjay, K., Subbaiah, T., Mishra, B.K., Baba, A.A.; Korean Journal of Chemical Engineering, Vol. 30 (2), 400-404, 2013.
• Dissolution kinetics of nickel from spent catalyst in nitric acid medium. Sheik, A.R., Ghosh, M.K., Sanjay, K., Subbaiah, T., Mishra, B.K. Journal of the Taiwan Institute of Chemical Engineers, Vol. 44, Issue 1, 34-39, 2013.

International

Hydrometallurgical process for the recovery of tellurium from high lead bearing copper refinery anode slime. (Paten File No: 2459DEL2013; US Patent App. US20150053572 A1).

 Indian

A pyro-hydrometallurgical process for the recovery of alumina and calcium silicate from fly ash (Patent File No: 0252NF2015)

Ongoing Projects: 

·        Nodule dewatering studies and prototype design development for onboard application, NIOT, Chennai (PI)

·        Kinetic studies on Precipitation of Bayer process at NALCO Refinery, NALCO, Bhubaneswar (PI)

·      Upscaling of Neodymium Metal/ Nd-Pr production along with other Rare Earth Metals (La, Ce) and their Alloys by Molten Salt Electrolysis Routes, CSIR (Co-PI)

·        Recovery of copper from copper oxide ore, Onshore Construction Ltd, Mumbai (Co-PI)

·        Arsenic reduction in copper liberator cake, Hindalco Industries, Dahej (Co-PI)

·        Technology development (Extractive metallurgy) for Polymetallic nodules (PMN); Ministry of Earth Sciences, Govt. of India (Co-PI)

·       Process development and bench scale testing for recovery of Lithium and Cobalt from spent Lithium batteries, Excel Industries Ltd, Mumbai

Recent projects as PI: 

• Feasibility of bauxite leaching under high temperature conditions; Hindalco, Belgavi, (PI)
• Optimization of process for the treatment of Spent Pot Lining carbon for the recovery of valuables and bench scale testing; NALCO, Bhubaneswar (PI)
• Sedimentation studies, up-scale testing and basic engineering for thickener for treatment of Mn ore fines; MOIL, Nagpur (PI)

Projects related to battery metals:  

• Recovery of Electrolytic Manganese Dioxide (EMD) from Manganese Ore: Process optimization for existing plant at MOIL, and alternate process development; MOIL, Nagpur (Co-PI).
• Technology transfer of cobalt manufacture; Mishra Dhatu Nigam Limited (MIDHANI), Hyderabad (Co-PI).
• Recycling of Lithium-ion batteries; Renault Nissan Technology and Business Centre, Chennai
• Cobalt technology from impure cobalt hydroxide: Process flow sheet development; Mishra Dhatu Nigam Limited (MIDHANI), Hyderabad.
• Nickel recovery from refinery electrolyte (Phase-I&II); Hindalco Industries (Birla copper unit), Dahej
• Evaluation of suitability of Nano iron/ iron oxide powders for energy and sensor applications; NMDC, Hyderabad.
• Feasibility studies to recover Electrolytic Manganese Metal (EMM) from low grade Mn ore; TATA Steel Ltd., Jamshedpur.

Engineering packages 

• Basic engineering package for 400 TPD Mn ore fines thickener plant; Manganese Ore India Limited, Nagpur (PI).
• Basic engineering package for 10,000 TPA Li ion battery grade EMD for Manganese Ore India Limited Ltd, Nagpur (Co-PI)
• Basic engineering package for 1500 TPA Co scrap plant, MIDHANI, Hyderabad (Co-PI)
• Basic engineering package (BEP) for setting up of pilot/demonstration plant of fly/pond ash for production of wear resistant ceramic tiles, National Aluminium Corporation, Bhubaneswar (Co-PI)
• Basic engineering package for production of 60 TPA Te, 300 TPA Cu and 600 TPA PbS from anode slimes, Hindalco Industries, Dahej.

Design and Scale-up 

• Technology development, demonstration and shifting of 1000 cm2 EM cell for splitting of sodium sulphate solution to sodium hydroxide and sulphuric acid; Heavy Water Board, Mumbai, (Co-PI)
• Process scale-up and feasibility study for improving Mn/Fe ratio of low-grade manganese ore; TATA Steel Ltd., Jamshedpur (Co-PI)
• Evaluation of design parameters for dewatering of manganese nodules; National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT), Chennai. (Co-PI)
• Multi-helical microfluidic system for integrated extraction-separation of metal ions; Department of Science and Technology (DST), Govt. of India, (Co-PI)

National programmes

• Technology development (Extractive metallurgy) for Polymetallic nodules (PMN); Ministry of Earth Sciences, Govt. of India (Co-PI)
• Extraction of Tungsten values from Hutti gold mine tailings concentrate and scrap: process flow sheet development, bench scale studies and pilot scale testing; Defense Metallurgical Research Laboratory (DRDO), (Co-PI)       
• Development of electrochemical mixer-settler and optimization studies for the recovery of palladium from high-level liquid waste, IGCAR, Kalpakkam

Alumina industry

• Recovery of alumina from Fly ash, CSIR (FTT Project) and National Aluminium Corporation, Bhubaneswar, (Co-PI);
• Development of process for production of pure and white Alumina Tri Hydrate (ATH) for solid surface application; National Aluminium Company Ltd. (NALCO), Bhubaneswar; 
• Electrochemical process for improving productivity of alumina in Bayer liquor; National Aluminium Company Ltd. (NALCO), Bhubaneswar