About the job
About Mariana Minerals
Mariana Minerals is building the future of minerals with a software-driven approach. The team delivers essential minerals that support energy, artificial intelligence, and defense technologies. By combining industry experience with software, automation, and data-focused methods, Mariana Minerals is changing how the minerals supply chain operates.
Internship Overview
The Chemical Engineering Intern will join the Process & Plant Engineering team in Houston, TX. This internship centers on meaningful, hands-on work supporting the LithiumOne project. Interns collaborate with seasoned engineers and industry experts, contributing directly to project outcomes rather than only performing support tasks.
Key Responsibilities
- Assist in developing and refining process flow diagrams (PFDs) and piping & instrumentation diagrams (P&IDs) for lithium brine extraction and purification.
- Help conduct mass and energy balance modeling for core unit operations such as evaporation, impurity removal, and lithium product conversion.
- Perform literature reviews and interact with vendors to evaluate reagent choices, membrane technologies, and downstream processing options.
- Support the preparation of engineering documents for feasibility and prefeasibility studies, including equipment sizing and capital cost estimates.
- Assist in analyzing lab or pilot-scale test data to validate process assumptions and improve flowsheet design.
Desired Qualifications
- Current enrollment in a B. S. or M. S. Chemical Engineering program, with coursework in thermodynamics, mass transfer, and reaction engineering.
- Familiarity with process simulation tools (such as METSIM, Aspen, or similar) is a plus.
- Strong analytical skills and technical writing ability, with experience synthesizing data into clear engineering summaries.
- Interest in hydrometallurgy, critical minerals, or battery materials supply chains is preferred.
