Projects
Solvometallurgy for recovering metals from secondary resources KU Leuven
Metals are mainly recovered from primary resources such as ores, concentrates or from secondary resources such as waste residues. Solvometallurgy uses non-aqueous media for the recovery of valuable metals from these sources. Unit operations of a simplified solvometallurgical flowsheet are: 1) solvoleaching, in which metals from the solid material are transferred into a non-aqueous solution (i.e. lixiviant), and 2) ...
Solvometallurgy for critical metals KU Leuven
The recent “rare-earth crisis” has brought about the widespread realisation that the long-term availability and cost stability of many materials – not just the rare earths – can no longer be guaranteed. Increasing the levels of critical metal recycling from pre-consumer, manufacturing waste and complex, multicomponent end-of-life consumer products is considered as arguably the most important and realistic mitigation strategy. However, ...
Solvometallurgy for battery-grade refining of lithium KU Leuven
o allow the rollout of e-mobility and stationary renewable energy storage in Europe, a secure, affordable and sustainable supply of battery-grade lithium salts for Li-ion batteries (LIBs) is key. However, Europe’s lithium supply chain is extremely vulnerable: Europe’s primary lithium resources (present as “hard rock”) are underexploited and, even if lithium would be mined domestically, there is no lithium refining capacity available in Europe ...
Solvometallurgy-based Process for Battery-grade Lithium Refining (SOLVOLi+) KU Leuven
To allow the rollout of e-mobility and energy storage, a secure supply of lithium salts for Li-ion batteries (LIBs) is key. As the chemistry of choice for LIBs is shifting towards Ni-enriched NMC622 & 811, the lithium industry needs to transition to lithium hydroxide monohydrate (LiOH·H2O) production rather than lithium carbonate (Li2CO3). LiOH·H2O production typically comprises a costly and environmentally burdensome two-step process via ...
Advanced Leaching of Cu-Zn, Zn-Pb and Cu-Zn-Pb Tailings using Microwave Heating KU Leuven
This PhD will develop and advance the knowledge on innovative leaching processes to extract valuable (e.g. Cu, Zn, Pb), critical (e.g. In, Ga, Ge) and heavy (e.g. As, Cd) metals from low-grade sulphidic mine tailings. Particularly, the application of microwave (MW) radiation within a whole new research field of metallurgy, namely solvometallurgy, will be studied. An amount of approximately 900 Mt/y of extractive waste, that potentially leads ...
Solvometallurgical leaching for selective extraction of platinum-group elements from end-of-life autocatalysts, electronic waste and tailings KU Leuven
Different lixiviants based on organic solvents will be developed with the aim to selectively dissolve PGMs (Pt, Pd or Rh) from end-of-life autocatalysts, electronic waste and tailings. . A first class of lixiviants consists of CuCl2 or FeCl3 dissolved in DMSO, DMF or acetonitrile, and where Cu(II) and Fe(III) acts as oxidizing agents. In contrast to in aqueous solutions, these metal ions are strong oxidants in organic solvents because ...
Advanced leaching of Cu-Zn, Zn-Pb and Cu-Zn-Pb tailings using microwave heating KU Leuven
This Ph.D. is part of the H2020-MSCA-ETN project SULTAN (grant agreement number 812580). The aim of the PhD project is to develop advanced metal extraction processes with the usage of microwaves (MWs) to increase the selectivity, efficiency and kinetics of hydro- and solvometallurgical leaching systems for sulfidic tailings. The Ph.D. candidate will investigate the interactions of MWs with solid tailing materials (i.e. causing local crack ...
Sustainable Metallurgy(SUSMET) KU Leuven
By combining pyrometallurgy (Blanpain) with solvometallurgy (Binnemans), the IOF-M SUSMET programme focuses on developing and valorising Sustainable Metallurgy solutions. The SUSMET programme will link up with the other ZAP Members involved in SIM² KU Leuven, thus providing a comprehensive offer to metallurgical (and other) companies in Flanders, Europe and the Rest of the World. In large-scale EU projects, the different Research Lines of ...
Development of radical innovations to recover minerals and metals from seawater desalination brines KU Leuven
SEA4VALUE wants to deliver a Multi-mineral Modular Brine Mining Process (MMBMP) for the recovery of valuable metals and minerals from brines produced in sea-water desalination plants. The project will proof the feasibility of the next generation technologies (including advanced concentration and crystallization processes and highly selective separation processes) for recovery of Mg, B, Sc, In, V, Ga, Li, Rb, Mo and set the basis for their ...