Description du projet
Une nouvelle approche pour extraire les métaux critiques des déchets électroniques
La récente «crise des terres rares» a mis en évidence la nécessité de disposer de matériaux abondants et rentables. Financé par le Conseil européen de la recherche, le projet SOLCRIMET s’attaque à ce problème en développant une approche unique appelée solvométallurgie, qui permet d’extraire les métaux critiques des déchets. Il s’agit d’un défi différent de celui de l’extraction de métal pur à partir de gisements de minerais primaires. La méthode proposée utilise des paires de solvants non aqueux permettant d’extraire les métaux à des températures modérées, pour obtenir des métaux recyclés d’une grande pureté. SOLCRIMET prévoit des démonstrations à l’échelle du laboratoire du processus solvométallurgique, avec des implications importantes pour la chimie, la métallurgie et l’ingénierie des matériaux, tout en augmentant de manière significative les taux de recyclage des métaux critiques à l’échelle mondiale.
Objectif
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, extracting a critical metal from complex waste is a very different challenge to that faced when attempting to produce a pure metal from a primary ore deposit. SOLCRIMET therefore develops a ground-breaking, novel approach called “solvometallurgy”, a new branch within metallurgy, next to conventional hydro- and pyrometallurgy. SOLCRIMET’s aim is to successfully apply this approach to the extraction of specific critical metals, i.e. rare earths, tantalum, niobium, cobalt, indium, gallium, germanium and antimony. As these critical metals are essential components for clean-tech and high-tech applications, they are key enablers of the required transition to a low-carbon, circular economy. The approach involves the discovery of non-aqueous solvent pairs that are immiscible and allow the extraction of metal complexes at moderate temperatures, leading to high-purity recycled metals. The idea is certainly high risk, but the preliminary results already obtained are highly encouraging. The main outcomes of the project will be lab-scale demonstrators that show the enhanced efficiency, utility and applicability of the new solvometallurgical process, with respect to conventional hydro- and pyrometallurgy. SOLCRIMET’s impact on chemistry, chemical technology, metallurgy and materials engineering science will be game-changing. The possibility to recycle critical metals with energy-efficient, low-cost processes could have a significant impact on the global recycling rates of these metals.
Champ scientifique
Mots‑clés
Programme(s)
Thème(s)
Régime de financement
ERC-ADG - Advanced GrantInstitution d’accueil
3000 Leuven
Belgique