SOLVOMET is a KU Leuven Service Centre for its industrial partners and large RTD Centres, who are leading actors in the fields of primary mining, mining chemicals and chemical metallurgy.

SOLVOMET goal and synergies

SOLVOMET is KU Leuven’s Centre for Solvometallurgy. SOLVOMET is developed as a Service Centre for its industrial partners and large RTD Centres, who are leading actors in the fields of primary mining, mining chemicals and chemical metallurgy. The Centre is set up to industrially valorise the expertise in solvometallurgy (incl. hydrometallurgy) that has been and is being developed in Prof. Koen Binnemans’ Research Group (Dept. Chemistry, KU Leuven) and his associated Advanced ERC Grant SOLCRIMET project. The Centre works in synergy with the HiTemp Centre and SIM² KU Leuven, as the goal is to embed the developed chemicals and processes into zero-waste valorisation flow sheets for base and critical-metal-containing End-of-Life waste as well as low-grade primary ores, extractive waste and industrial process residues.

SOLVOMET mission

SOLVOMET’s mission is to support its industrial and RTD partners in the conceptual and practical development of more sustainable solvometallurgical separation processes and new mining chemicals, which are subsequently tested using state-of-the-art lab-scale and mini pilot-scale experimental facilities. The mission of the Centre also includes upscaling the processes and solutions that have been developed on a lab-scale towards a mini-pilot-scale, thus taking TRL levels from 3-4 to 5-6.