
News
Rare-earth recycling needs market intervention (Nature Reviews Materials)
SIM2 KU Leuven’s Koen Binnemans and Peter Tom Jones published a Comment article “Rare-earth recycling needs market intervention” in Nature Reviews Materials (IF = 75). The paper was co-authored by magnet expert Paul McGuiness.
Oxidative dissolution of metals in organic solvents: a critical review
SOLVOMET/SIM² researchers have published a critical review paper in the high-impact journal “Chemical Reviews” on the oxidative dissolution of metals in organic solvents, which can offer a solution when aqueous systems fail.
Interactive launch event for Flanders Metals Valley vzw (31 March, 14-16h)
Flanders Metals Valley, the catalyst for a vibrant, climate-neutral and circular metallurgical cluster in Flanders, will be launched on March 31. Stakeholders are warmly invited to get involved in this new, multi-actor organisation.
How to recover and purify platinum-group metals from spent autocatalysts?
SOLVOMET/SIM2 KU Leuven researchers developed three methods to recover & purify Pd, Pt and Rh from spent autocatalysts. This work, which was performed in EU PLATIRUS, is featured in journal Johnson Matthey Technology Review.
Enhanced separation of neodymium and dysprosium using non-aqueous solvent extraction
SOLVOMET/SIM² researchers have enhanced the separation of neodymium and dysprosium by replacing the aqueous phase in their solvent extraction process largely by a green solvent. The work was published in ACS Sustain. Chem. Eng.
The curse of white oil?
“The curse of ‘white oil’: electric vehicles’ dirty secret” is the attention-grabbing headline of an in-depth article on lithium mining published in The Guardian (Dec’ 8, 2020). Peter Tom Jones (SIM², KU Leuven) reacts in this piece.
P. Xanthopoulos wins “Best Oral Presentation Award” at 2020 Intern. AMD Conf.
SIM²/SOLVOMET researcher Panagiotis Xanthopoulos (ETN SULTAN) has been awarded the Best Oral Presentation Award at the 2020 International AMD online conference “Mine-impacted Water: From Waste to Resource” (SAIMM).
Selective leaching of lead from matte and slag of lead smelter plants using EDTA
SOLVOMET/SIM² KU Leuven researchers have developed a process, using EDTA as lixiviant, to selectively leach lead from matte and slag residues originating from lead smelter plants. The work was published in RSC Advances.
Has SIM² KU Leuven brought us a step closer to rechargeable magnesium batteries?
SIM² KU Leuven researchers have developed a process to deposit and strip magnesium metal from molten mixtures of solvate ionic liquids (SILs) and tetrabutylammonium chloride (TBACl) at 80 °C for use in rechargeable Mg batteries.
An in-depth review on hydrometallurgical metal recovery from steel industry by-products
A joint team of SIM² KU Leuven/SOLVOMET & ArcelorMittal researchers have just published a critical review paper on the hydrometallurgical recovery of metals from steel industry by-products in the Journal of Sustainable Metallurgy.