Process Engineer

About Travertine

Travertine is a Climate Tech start-up based in Boulder, CO, that is rapidly scaling an electrochemical technology for carbon dioxide removal (CDR) and sustainable critical element extraction. Our process takes carbon dioxide from the air and industrial waste minerals to produce cementitious materials, carbon credits, and sulfuric acid. The sulfuric acid is used in the extraction of critical elements like lithium and phosphorus for EV batteries and fertilizer. The Travertine ProcessTM was developed by Prof. Laura Lammers at her UC Berkeley lab. Travertine was founded in 2022 to scale this process to gigatons of carbon sequestration and massively reduce industrial waste.

Since founding, Travertine has raised over $25M in capital, including over $5M in US Federal and State government grants. As one of the first companies to receive pre-purchases of CDR from the new Stripe-led $1B Frontier fund, and as founding members of the Carbon Removal Alliance, we are committed to industrial decarbonization at scale. We were named C&EN 10 startups to watch in 2022, a Bloomberg NEF Pioneer in 2023, and RMI Third Derivative 1st Gigaton Captured program participants in 2024. Today we are focused on scaling up commercial deployments of our technology, starting with a Demonstration Plant to be commissioned in mid-2025. We believe in developing practical approaches to solving the climate crisis.

The Role

We are recruiting a Process Engineer with experience in chemical process engineering as well as new process scale-up. This role combines desk engineering with strategic problem-solving. You will collaborate with scientists, engineers and operations teams to bring cutting-edge solutions from concept to pilot and commercial scales. This role will report to the Director of Process Engineering and play a key part in scale up and commercialization of our novel critical minerals production technology. You will work with a senior process engineer to develop process engineering design and system optimization based on the learnings from our Demo Plant. You will develop cost scenarios (CAPEX and OPEX estimates) to optimize flow sheets and advance the FEED study for a first of a kind commercial chemical facility. 

The successful candidate will have proven abilities to perform mass and energy balance modeling, cost estimation, and engineering design (PFDs, P&IDs) to convert pilot data into scalable process designs. If you are a Process Engineer looking to play a pivotal role in driving the global energy transition through developing the low-emissions processing technologies needed for a cleaner, more sustainable supply chain, this is the role for you.

• Lead the conceptual design of new chemical processes, including mass and energy balances, PFDs, and P&IDs.
• Experience developing CAPEX/OPEX estimates for chemical processes using AspenPlus.
• Analyze data from benchtop and pilot plant experiments to validate scale-up models.
• Engage with EPCs, equipment vendors, consultants, and external partners to support process development and deployment.
• Implement best practices in design review and risk assessments to ensure processes comply with environmental, health and safety regulations. 
• Assist in the operation of lab-scale and pilot-scale systems.

• Bachelor's or Master’s degree in engineering (chemical, metallurgical, mechanical) or equivalent experience.
• 3+ years experience in the engineering of new process technology. 
• Proven skills in chemical process design, mass balance development, and translation of laboratory results to process design.
• Competent using AspenPlus including CAPEX estimation.
• Demonstrated involvement in transitioning technologies from lab-scale to commercial plant.
• Experience reading and writing process flow diagrams (PFDs) and piping and instrumentation diagrams (P&IDs).
• Experience with process safety management principles.
• Strong organizational and communication skills with ability to work independently in a fast paced environment.
• Experience with decarbonization technologies, electrochemical processes, or novel leaching/extraction methods is a plus.

• Competitive pay and stock options
• Health, Dental, Vision, Life Insurance
• 401k with 3% match
• Flexible time off policy