Technospheric mining of critical metals node within EIT KIC raw materials

Umicore, KU Leuven, UGent

EU Raw Materials policy. To make the transition toward

resource efficient, low-carbon circular economies, the EC has
proposed action on the following, equally important areas:

(1) Trade and investment policy;

(2) Technospheric mining of critical metals &
commodity recycling;
(3) Sustainable primary mining (incl. deep-see mining);
(4) Substitution of critical metals by less critical metals
and substitutes for commodities.

These different pillars for a comprehensive raw materials policy for the EU can form the basic building blocks for a
KIC Raw Materials. A distinction is made between critical metals and/or materials (e.g. rare earths) and commodity
metals and/or materials, as the challenges for these resources are different.

EIT KIC node technospheric mining of critical metals. Within this node the following core activities are required:

(1) Zero-waste recycling of solid/aqueous residual waste streams containing critical metals in low
concentrations (e.g. REEs in mine water, bauxite residues or phosphogypsum);
(2) Recycling of pre-consumer manufacturing scrap (e.g. REE manufacturing swarf);
(3) Urban mining of post-consumer End-of-Life products (e.g. recovery of REEs from electronic waste);
(4) Landfill mining of historic (and future) industrial and urban waste streams containing critical metals.

The advanced treatment of secondary raw materials

containing critical metals is part of Flanders strength in
recycling. Umicore is a world-leading WEEE recycling
company with cutting-edge expertise in critical metal
recovery (e.g. PGM and REE). KU Leuven currently runs
several urban/landfill mining platforms (Smart-Pro2, CR3,
RARE, Centre for High Temperature Processes and
SMM, Policy Research Centre SuMMa, ELFM) in which it
cooperates with industry and other research centres.
Umicore and KU Leuven are jointly involved in Flemish
and EU research activities and project proposals devoted to critical raw materials (incl. REEs). UGent has a strong
track record to precipitate critical metals on microbial biomass for biotechnological applications (FWO and EU
project ULIXES with several successful spin-offs). Umicore, KU Leuven and UGent will expand the technospheric
mining node with unique partners in Flanders, France, the Netherlands, Germany and UK. Innovation in recycling
critical materials is considered not only at the technological level, but also on the system level, including new
business models, policy, logistics, education. The following disciplines will be brought together in the node:
pyrometallurgy, hydrometallurgy, electrometallurgy, geometallurgy, biometallurgy, Enhanced Landfill Mining,
characterisation, Design for Recycling, materials Life Cycle Assessment, policy instrumentation and business
development. Collaboration with complementary nodes on mining & deep sea mining, substitutes for critical raw
materials, substitutes for commodities in the automotive, aerospace and construction sector and commodity
recycling is sought for.
Contact details:
Maurits Van Camp | Umicore | +32 475 926073 | Maurits.Vancamp@eu.umicore.com (for the KIC/Node level)
Karel Van Acker | KU Leuven | +32 16 321271 | Karel.VanAcker@lrd.kuleuven.be (for the KIC Level)
Peter Tom Jones | KU Leuven | +32 486 836494 | Peter.Jones@mtm.kuleuven.be (for the Node Level)
Willy Verstraete | UGent | +32 475 971307 | Willy.Verstraete@ugent.be (coordination for UGent)

Websites:
http://www.umicore.com/en/ourBusinesses/recycling/ | http://www.wpi.edu/academics/Research/CR3/index.html | http://www.elfm-
symposium.eu/ | http://www.mtm.kuleuven.be/Onderzoek/Semper/Hitemp/group | http://sirius.mtm.kuleuven.be/Research/MRC/|
http://smartpro2.eu/ | http://labmet.ugent.be/