News

In order to position this emerging branch within extraction metallurgy, Prof. Koen Binnemans and Dr. Peter Tom Jones (SIM² KU Leuven) have authored a milestone position paper to present the opportunities and challenges for this exciting development within the metallurgy domain.

On Thursday March 9, 2017, Prof. Yiannis Pontikes provided his inaugural lecture, titled “Fe-Ca-silicate slags: when purpose-driven research challenges perception of what is feasible”. The slides are available now.

Preceding the formal kick-off meeting of the EU MSCA-ETN NEW-MINE project on Enhanced Landfill Mining, a unique event “New-miners meet locals” was organised on February 6, 2017 in Houthalen, Belgium. Video is now available.

On March 9, 2017, the Flemish Government (VLAIO) officially approved the R&D project ANTARES, a strategic cooperation between Campine, one of the leading antimony trioxide producers in Europe, and SIM² KU Leuven, UCL, InsPyro and Praxair.

On 14-3-207 the European Parliament voted about its position with respect to EU Waste Policy. The so-called “Waste Package” concerns four Directives, incl. the Landfill Directive. For the first time, this Landfill Directive is now to endorse “Enhanced Landfill Mining”.

The Journal of Sustainable Metallurgy has just published its thematic section on “Green Rare Earth Elements” (Vol 3, Nr 1). The thematic section features a number of innovations with respect to REE production and recycling.

Devin Sapsford and colleagues from the University of Cardiff published an original research article in the Journal of Sustainable Metallurgy, dealing with in-situ mining of metals from landfills containing mining waste residues.

On February 6-8, 2017 two new EU projects on Enhanced Landfill Mining formally kicked off. In order to announce these two new projects (ETN NEW-MINE coordinated by SIM² KU Leuven & Interreg Europe COCOON) a widely attended press conference was held in Greenville, Houthalen, the location where also the flagship Closing the Circle project is situated. Several tv-reports were developed ...

<strong>Vacancy for a Post-doc (or PhD*) position for the SMART project – Sustainable Metal Extraction from Tailings </strong> Since the earliest days of the Industrial Revolution, the primary mining and metal processing industry has been and still is landfilling and/or stockpiling vast quantities of metal-containing tailings. Especially the older tailing ponds and associated landfills may represent an environmental and health ...

As China’s insatiable demand for REEs continues to grow over the coming ten years, China’s domestic production will struggle to keep up in all scenarios examined herein, leading the nation to become a net importer of some REEs.