Professor M Akbar Rhamdhani obtained his PhD from McMaster University Canada in Materials Science and Engineering. He has been a teaching-research academic at Institute of Technology Bandung (ITB) and the University of Queensland, before joining Swinburne in the Dept of Mechanical and Product Design Engineering. Akbar was also a Visiting Professor at Katholieke Universiteit Leuven Belgium and currently an Adjunct Professor in Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Indonesia.

Akbar’s research focuses on advanced metal/material refining and impurities removal (e.g. in steel, aluminium, magnesium, silicon, nickel, and minerals); development of new processes for metal production; thermodynamics and kinetics of high temperature metal and chemical processes; and physical chemistry of interface. Akbar’s recent research projects include: Thermodynamic behaviour of valuable trace elements during e-waste processing in copper smelting; Oxidation behaviour of rare-earth elements in permanent magnet scrap; Electrically enhanced silicon refining; Development of novel high temperature aluminium production process; Impurities control in electronic conductor grade aluminium; Removal of impurities from Titanium ore; Solar processing of minerals/metals; and Minerals/Metals Processing in Space.

Akbar has been working conducting joint research, delivering courses and workshops with/to metals industries in Europe and Indonesia. He is an author/co-author of more than 190 publications (book chapters, journal papers, conference papers, conference proceedings) and 2 patents. Akbar and research teams have been awarded a number of international awards including the 2019 Kent D Peaslee Award from AIST USA; the 2015 Mann Redmayne Medal from IOM3 United Kingdom; the 2015 Marcus Grossmann Medal from ASM International USA; and the 2015 MetSoc Award from Metallurgical Society of Canada. Also recently, Akbar was awarded a 2018 World Class Professor and 2018 World Class Scholar from the Ministry of Research, Technology and Higher Education, Republic of Indonesia.

http://www.swinburne.edu.au/science-engineering-technology/staff/profile/index.php?id=arhamdhani

Swinburne University of Technology, Australia

Extractive Metallurgy, Pyrometallurgy, Metals Recycling

• Metals Recycling (from E-Waste, Li-Ion Battery, Permanent Magnet, EV Battery)
• Advanced metal/material refining and impurities removal
• Development of new processes for metals production and recycling with low carbon footprint
• Thermodynamics and kinetics of high temperature metal and chemical processes
• Metal-slag-gas reactions, physical chemistry interface of high temperature systems
• Astro metallurgy, processing metals and minerals in space
• Solar metallurgy, processing of metals and minerals using concentrated solar energy