Projects
Recovery of rare earths from bauxite residue leachates by functionalised sorbents KU Leuven
Bauxite residue, better known as red mud, is a waste product of the alumina industry, but with many unexploited values. The estimated inventory of bauxite residue in operating and closed alumina refineries reaches the value of several billion of tonnes. Stockpiling of huge amounts of residue can create environmental problems. Bauxite residue comprises iron, aluminium, titanium, sodium and even more interestingly, valuable rare-earth elements ...
The application of iron-rich sorbents to mitigate phosphorus release from sediments in lowland rivers KU Leuven
Eutrophication, mainly caused by increasing inputs of nutrients, is the most widespread water quality problem throughout the world. In some regions (such as Flanders) there is a strong seasonal trend in regard to phosphate concentrations with typically high P concentrations during summer low flows. This trend is probably controlled by redox cycles of iron. Deoxygenation of stream waters and associated development of reducing conditions at the ...
The development and testing of granular iron-based phosphate sorbents from waste materials KU Leuven
Drinking water treatment sludge, usually iron (hydr)oxide based, has the potential to be valorized as a P-adsorbent material. However, several challenges currently prevent its application as an adsorbent in industrial setting, e.g. a fine particle size resulting in percolation problems in adsorption bed setups. In this PhD, granular sorption materials with a high stability and performance are developed from drinking water sludge. Processes ...
Light from the Orient / Light on the Orient Ghent University
The title refers to form and content of this exhibition of a unique photocollection of the Ghent professor Franz Cumont (1868-1947), accumulated on his travels and excavations in Turkey, the Lebanon and Syria. Cumont was a specialist of ancient mysterycults like Mithras, Adonis and Syrian Ba’als, popular in the Roman Empire. He traveled extensively and made purchases for musea in Brussels and Mariemont. His archives in Ghent and Rome contain ...
N-heterocyclic carbent ligands for catalysis in ionic solvents Ghent University
Recovery of scandium, yttrium and lanthanides from bauxite residue using solvent extraction with ionic liquids. KU Leuven
Secondary resources are essential to maintain the supply of critical metals in our fast-developing society. Recovery of metals from waste materials is not only important to meet the increasing demand, but also in view of a sustainable future for our planet. The rare-earth elements are listed as critical metals by the European Commission because of their essential role in, amongst others, permanent magnets for many high-tech and green ...
Intensified metal purification by solvent extraction with ionic liquids in milliflow reactors KU Leuven
High-purity metals are essential for many modern applications such as electric vehicles, solar cells, wind turbines, and smartphones. Metals are, however, not readily available in the necessary purity and metal production processes typically require a variety of different operations. Among such operations is solvent extraction, a technique commonly used for the purification and separation of metallic species based on differences in their ...
PVDF membranes for filtrations in aqueous and solvent media KU Leuven
Membrane technology has become a well-established technology for the treatment of various waste water streams. However, membrane fouling often remains a problem, while some waste water streams contain harsh solvents, impurities, an extreme pH or an elevated temperature and thus demand for a more stable membrane type. To overcome these fouling and stability problems, two approaches were investigated in this research: (i) fouling mitigation by ...
Advanced Membrane Synthesis Methods: Exploration of 3D Printed Membranes for Oil/Water Separation and Development of Novel Polymers for Organic Solvent Nanofiltration KU Leuven
Various fabrication methods and different polymers have been applied in recent years to synthesize membranes. Combined with current membrane fabrication methods and commercial polymers, almost all kinds of polymeric membrane ranging from porous microfiltration membranes to dense reverse osmosis membranes have been fabricated in academic and commercial environments. However, membranes synthesized by currently used methods and polymers cannot ...