News

Rare-earths permanent magnets were selectively roasted with 5 wt.% carbon to obtain a rare-earth phase, separated from iron particles. After mechanical removal of the iron particles, the rare-earth phase was recovered in only 20 min by using the ionic liquid [Hbet][Tf2N].

On 26-11-2019, the KU Leuven Academic Council recognised SIM² KU Leuven as one of the 4 flagship “KU Leuven Institutes” to start their activities on January 1, 2020. The KU Leuven Institute for Sustainable Metals and Minerals contributes to the eco-friendly production and recycling of metals and minerals.

Public acceptance or the ‘Social License to Operate’ is widely acknowledged as the biggest financial risk for the mining sector. Six different perspectives and recommendations coming from six different sectors were debated during a satellite event of the EU Raw Materials Week (22 Nov. 2019).

The short movie ‘Stairway to Sustainability’ reveals the results of the MSCA-ETN SOCRATES project. The researchers have found ways to transform the various metal-containing industrial process residues into recyclables and high-added value outputs. And they even made a staircase out of it!

Within the SOLCRIMET project (ERC Advanced Grant), SOLVOMET researchers have developed a solvometallurgical process for the separation of yttrium and europium, showing increased efficiency over conventional hydrometallurgical separation routes. The work has been published in Separation and Purification Technology.

The Science, Engineering & Technology Group of KU Leuven, Faculty of Engineering Technology, Department of Materials Engineering and Department of Chemical Engineering, has a joint, full-time academic vacancy in the area of metal recovery from mineral flows. We...

Within the SOLCRIMET project (Advanced ERC Grant) Zheng Li et al. (KU Leuven) and colleagues from the University of Texas (Austin) have developed a solvometallurgical process for the separation of GaCl3 and AlCl3. The work has been published in Ind. Eng. Chem. Res.

On November 8, 2019, the EIT RawMaterials AWARE consortium is organising a mini-symposium on raising awareness on recycling of electronic waste. The event is co-organised by Recupel, SUMA and SIM² KU Leuven. Registration is now open.

Within the SOLCRIMET project (ERC Advanced Grant), Zheng Li et al. discovered that selection of suitable polar solvents can enhance metal separations in liquid-liquid extraction. The work has been published in Chem. Eur. J.

Within the SMART project, Nerea Rodriguez et al. have shown that Deep Eutectic Solvents based on carboxylic acids and choline chloride are not stable in time nor at high temperatures. The work was published in ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering.