SIM2 KU Leuven

Theodoros Dimas, Arne Eggers, Jef R. Peeters and Maarten Vanierschot of KU Leuven, Department of Mechanical Engineering, have published a new article in the journal Engineering Applications of Computational Fluid Mechanics on their work that involves developing and validating of a CFD-based model to simulate rotating-drum separators. 👉 Read more about this work in this latest SIM² article https://lnkd.in/d3wcdHt7 👉 Full reference of the paper Theodoros Dimas, Arne Eggers, Jef Peeters, Maarten Vanierschot. (2024). Development and validation of a CFD-based model for simulating rotating drum separators. Engineering Applications of Computational Fluid Mechanics, 18(1). https://lnkd.in/dSnegEN4 🙏 Acknowledgements The first author would like to express his sincere gratitude to Research Foundation Flanders - FWO to fund this work under the project number 1S67023N. The authors also grate-fully acknowledge the funding of this research by the VLAIO - Flanders Innovation & Entrepreneurship through the project Plastics Recycling 4.0 (HBC.2020.2750).

Donate for our crowdfunding campaign for SIM2 KU Leuven's new documentary "Europe’s lithium paradox": https://lnkd.in/ephpru_a For our new documentary project we will delve into the world of #lithium, the metal we need to manufacture #batteries for #emobility and stationary storage of #renewableenergy. Why this film? In an increasingly unpredictable and hostile global landscape, Europe stands on shaky ground, heavily dependent on foreign nations for lithium imports. This reliance leaves Europe in a vulnerable position. Yet, in a twist of irony, Europe is home to abundant lithium reserves spread across the continent. However, Europe currently struggles to convert these lithium deposits into operational mines. This struggle is largely due to slow permitting processes and opposition from mining-sceptic groups. The absence of lithium mines is further compounded by a lack of lithium refineries and lithium-ion battery recycling facilities. Our documentary will explore how Europe could potentially mine, refine, and recycle lithium in the future, supplemented by strategies for lowering primary demand for lithium (e.g. more public transport). We will highlight key European lithium mining projects, trying to understand where the mining opposition comes from. We will be giving the floor to all stakeholders, including the groups opposing mining projects. The documentary will also delve into lithium #refining and lithium-ion battery recycling. We will examine whether European companies are truly leading the way in terms of environmental and social standards. Will Europe be able to unravel its lithium paradox? The filming for this documentary will be done in the period September-December 2024. The film will be released in March-May 2025.   Why is your support needed? Making documentaries is costly, especially when footage is created abroad, requiring international transport for a film crew. Finding funding for such documentaries is not straightforward. In the past we have (just) been able to fund these projects through European research projects and additional KU Leuven support. However, the budget required for this new film is about 180,000 euro, only half of which is provided through EU project funding and SIM² KU Leuven. The other half we are hoping to raise through crowd funding. In this way, the general public becomes a co-owner of the film in many ways and we do not rely on direct company funding. This is essential for the unbiased character of the documentary project. Thank you for your support! If you donate at least 40 euros on an annual basis, you will be entitled to a tax certificate and a 45% tax reduction on the donated amount. You will receive your certificate in the month of March of the year following your donation. https://lnkd.in/ephpru_a

Please help us to #crowdfund our new film “Europe’s #lithium paradox” (SIM2 KU Leuven & STORYRUNNER) and be a part of this transformative journey! Find out more on this KU Leuven Crowdfunding platform that has just been up for our new documentary: https://lnkd.in/gh_Prrnv 🎬 Why crowdfunding? Making documentaries is costly, especially when footage is created abroad, requiring international transport for the film crew. Finding funding for such documentaries is not straightforward. In the past we have (just about) been able to fund these projects through EU research projects and additional KU Leuven support. However, the budget required for this new film is about 180k, only half of which is currently secured. The other half we are hoping to raise through crowd funding. In this way, the general public becomes a co-owner of the film and we do not rely on direct company funding. This is essential for the unbiased character of the documentary project. Without #lithium and other #metals, there is no cleantech production possible and without cleantech we cannot “save the climate”. 🎬 Why this film? In an increasingly hostile global landscape, Europe stands on shaky ground, heavily dependent on foreign nations for Li imports. This reliance leaves Europe in a vulnerable position. Yet, in a twist of irony, Europe is home to abundant Li reserves spread across the continent. However, Europe currently struggles to convert these Li deposits into operational mines. This struggle is largely due to slow permitting processes and opposition from #mining-sceptic groups. The absence of Li mines is further compounded by a lack of Li refineries and Li-ion battery recycling facilities. Our documentary will explore how Europe could potentially mine, refine, and recycle Li in the future, supplemented by strategies for lowering primary demand for Li (e.g. more #publictransport). We will highlight key European Li mining projects (Portugal-Boticas, Serbia-#Jadar), trying to understand where the mining opposition comes from. The documentary will also delve into Li refining and Li-ion #batteryrecycling (Finland-Pori). 🎬 Timing & updates Filming: September-December 2024. Release: Avant-première in March. Full release in May 2025. Regular updates about the filming will be shared on Peter Tom Jones' LinkedIn profile. 🎬 Watch our previous documentary “Made in Europe: from mine to electric vehicle” (2023 & 2024): https://lnkd.in/eE9k9smN (Journeyman Pictures). The film won 2 awards and received another nomination. It is also available on Prime Video & Amazon MGM Studios in 7 languages. [Stijn van Baarle Peter Tom Jones Michael Van de Velde Casimir De Kimpe Marius Acke Jasper Vander Elst]   Horizon Europe LITHOS European Lithium Institute eLi International Lithium Association (ILiA) PROMETIA BATTERY 2030+ EIT RawMaterials #electricvehicles #batteries https://lnkd.in/gh_Prrnv

“The KU Leuven researcher Peter Tom Jones became known as a climate activist, but now advocates for more mining on domestic soil and the protection of European industry.” Deep-dive interview in the Dutch newspaper Trouw in which SIM2 KU Leuven Director Peter Tom Jones calls for an integration of the EU Green Deal targets with a profound Industrial Deal. Also an interview about his personal journey and the sensitive character of the discussion about the transition to #climateneutrality and the need for #metals and mining. Jones: "You can't recycle your way out of the fossil fuel economy". Text: Daan Marselis #lithium #copper #nickel #rareearths #electricvehicles #pv #windturbines Horizon Europe LITHOS Horizon Europe EXCEED Horizon Europe AVANTIS Horizon Europe ENICON CICERO Project

Shiny, happy people! What a brilliant second day we had at the first International Circular Hydrometallurgy Symposium! The 150+ participants from all over the world enjoyed 8 keynote lectures on the past, present and future of hydrometallurgy, presented by some of the best in the world. A symposium formula where speakers get enough time to develop a proper lecture, where there is ample room for discussion and where the coffee breaks are long enough to really engage with people, especially with those that were presenting posters. Lamot , Mechelen, is a marvelous conference location! And we even had entertainment outside of the building with colourful banners. So who took the floor on the 2nd day of #ichs2024? Kicking off was the Greek-Canadian hydro-powerhouse George P Demopoulos of McGill University, who showed how to deal with potentially hazardous elements in hydromet. "Thou shall electrify", was the core message of the dazzling performance of Finland's Mari Lundström. "And now for something completely different" - Monty Python - was the opener of the Welsh-South African-Australian David Robinson who presented the #vanadium recovery process for Nordic steel slags. As final speaker before the break Germany's Tobias Urban shed light on the intricacies of MSA, the new kid on the block in hydrometallurgy. The afternoon session was opened by Markus A. Reuter, one of the world's most famous metallurgists. In his traditional style Markus spoke about exergy & the second law of #thermodynamics, explaining how a sound physical base is essential to understand the #metallurgy of #recycling. In response the moderator, the undersigned, presented the informal fourth law of thermodynamics, the conservation of misery (kudos to Jef Roos). This law also served as background for Boliden's Mohammad Khoshkhoo who organised a Champions League contest to decide which element is the most annoying or inconvenient in hydrometallurgy. Iron came out on top. Finland's other shining light in CRMs, Päivi Kinnunen, gave a thorough presentation on the importance of water stewardship during mineral processing of metal ores, i.e. the difference between no SLO and a proper SLO. Closing off the 2nd day was Peter Ehren & son Matias who presented the LithiumArk process for salt lake #lithium brines, highlighting the improved LCA score. Today, we complete the symposium with lectures by Jacques Eksteen on glycine leaching; Anne-Gwénaëlle Guezennec on biohydrometallurgy and Koen Binnemans on salt splitting. The closing panel debate on the future of hydrometallurgy will shed light on what to do next! 🙏 SOLVOMET R&I Centre SIM2 KU Leuven CICERO Project Horizon Europe ENICON Horizon Europe LITHOS Horizon Europe EXCEED 👉 Call for papers (Special Issue): https://lnkd.in/e6gysWdk 👉 Speakers: https://lnkd.in/erHYTA7J PROMETIA EIT RawMaterials Eurometaux (European Metals Association) Euromines David Dreisinger Kathy Sole Ryan Ravenelle Kerstin Forsberg Photos: Elisabeth De Decker

The Twelve Principles of Circular Hydrometallurgy have now truly taken off. The 12 Principles formed the background for the first day of the International Circular Hydrometallurgy Symposium (#ichs2024). More than 150 experts joined from all over the world to discuss how the production, refining and #recycling of #energytransition #metals can be taken to the next level. On the first day of the symposium we were indulged with lectures by SOLVOMET R&I Centre leader Prof. Koen Binnemans (the core inventor of the Principles), Prof. David Dreisinger who spoke about a new low-carbon HCl-based process to recover #nickel and #cobalt from saprolitic laterite ores, Prof. Kathy Sole who shared her expertise on the leach-SX-EW process for producing copper using several of the 12 Principles, Dr. Ryan Ravenelle who introduced the first-of-its-kind hydroprocess for the Thacker Pass/McDermitt #lithium clays (“probably the largest lithium reserve in the world”), and Prof. Kerstin Forsberg, a pioneer in eutectic freeze crystallization of battery metal salts. Photos by Elisabeth De Decker Looking forward to the second and third day of the event, with an exciting panel debate to come that I will be moderating with great pleasure. ✔ How to create more synergy between academic and industrial hydrometallurgical research? ✔ How to avoid that so many academics are working on trying to find solutions for problems that don’t really exist in the real (industrial) world? ✔ How can industry guide academics in a better way so that we avoid wasting money on researching “zombie technologies”? ✔ How can industry communicate to academics what the real challenges are that need to be solved (without IP/confidentiality issues)? ✔ How to overcome certain myths (e.g. the more new molecules we develop the better for industry…)? ✔ How to overcome the gap between “successful piloting work” and actual implementation in industry? KEY LINKS/DATA ICHS 2024 🙏 Organisers: SOLVOMET R&I Centre SIM2 KU Leuven CICERO Project Horizon Europe ENICON Horizon Europe LITHOS Horizon Europe EXCEED 👉 Full programme: https://lnkd.in/eZuMF6JJ 👉 Call for papers (Special Issue): https://lnkd.in/e6gysWdk 👉 Invited speakers: David Dreisinger Kathy Sole Ryan Ravenelle Kerstin Forsberg George P Demopoulos Mari Lundström David Robinson Tobias Urban Markus A. Reuter Mohammad Khoshkhoo Päivi Kinnunen Peter Ehren Jacques Eksteen Anne-Gwénaëlle Guezennec Koen Binnemans 👉 Speakers info: https://lnkd.in/erHYTA7J The Twelve Principles paper can be downloaded for free: https://lnkd.in/eSD76W-B PROMETIA EIT RawMaterials Eurometaux (European Metals Association) Euromines Lithium Americas Corp. Aalto University

“You can’t burn the candle at both ends” is one of my favourite expressions in English. Creatively translated to the world of the #climatetransition and critical/strategic raw materials: you can’t be in favour of the transition to a climate-neutral society AND AT THE SAME TIME fight and obstruct the need for the production and #refining of the #metals that are needed to support the transition to renewable energy, electric (shared) mobility, sustainable heating and cooling… That was my main conclusion after events unfolded at our EU Clustering Event on “the SLO for responsible mining” in Mechelen, Belgium on 9 September.   I loved moderating the whole event and enjoyed the presentations and the ensuing panel discussion. Although no Serbian representatives were present in the room, the #Jadar #lithium project definitely was. Conclusion of it all? There was a wide consensus amongst the 70-person rich audience in the refurbished chapel in Mechelen as regards all 6 statements (see below). We need to move towards an integrated supply and demand, evidence and fact-based approach when dealing with mining and refining of CRMs for the climate transition. Ideological discussions lead us nowhere, while we should always realise that while we are talking about how to become 100% perfect in terms of ESG “the Chinese are digging” and Europe is losing out (Draghi report is clear!)…   ✔ #StrategicProjects will be essential to implement the CRMA. However, some environmental law experts claim that EU legislators have put EU-based mining operators in a more difficult situation now. ✔ The CRMA focuses too much on the CRM supply side and not enough on the CRM demand side. ✔ Even in a post-growth, post-consumerist society, there will be a need for primary extraction of metals if we want to become a climate-neutral continent/world. ✔ Responsible sourcing of metals from third countries is hypocritical if the EU Member States do not initiate their own domestic mining projects. ✔EU-based mining companies need to up their game to gain public acceptance for a community-centric, benefit-sharing #responsiblemining model. ✔ As responsible sourcing is part of the EU’s CRM strategy, the EU should support responsible mining standards (e.g. IRMA) for Strategic Projects carried out abroad. Speakers: Antoine Oger (Institute for European Environmental Policy (IEEP) william todts (Transport & Environment (T&E)) Anders Sand (Boliden Mineral AB) Thomas Gaultier (Savannah Resources PLC) Kostas Komnitsas (Technical University of Crete) Susana XARÁ (European Health and Digital Executive Agency (HaDEA)) Toni Eerola (Geological Survey of Finland (GTK) / Geologian tutkimuskeskus (GTK) [Emily Iona Stewart (Global Witness) was excused]   PROMETIA Euromines Eurometaux (European Metals Association) EIT RawMaterials BATTERY 2030+ Sustainable Innovation Institute (SII) Technical University of Crete Horizon Europe LITHOS Horizon Europe AVANTIS Horizon Europe EXCEED CICERO Project

Is China's lead in #batteries and #electricvehicles unassailable? That was the question I was asked in this new article by Daan Marselis in the Dutch newspaper Trouw. As discussed in more depth in our documentary "Made in Europe: from mine to electric vehicle", the answer is "likely, yes... but". The tsunami of cheap, state-subsidised batteries and EVs heading to Europe risks blowing away the European battery and EV sector (as has happened with our PV sector). Hundreds of thousands of jobs in the mine-to-EV supply chain are on the line, as also recently noted by william todts of Transport & Environment (T&E) and Judith Kirton-Darling of industriAll Europe. 👉 The new European Commission should waste no time in developing an integrated #CleanIndustrialDeal (rather than having a separate #EuGreenDeal and an Industrial Deal). The deal needs to create a genuine business case (cf. Ann Mettler) for producing the cleantech in Europe that is needed for meeting our climate targets in Europe. Here is what the EC can do to avoid sleepwalking into the abyss. "Europe must emulate China’s success over the past decades by taking control of its cleantech production chains. To support made-in-Europe EV/cleantech chains, several measures are necessary, including establishing a minimum content of made-in-Europe or recycled materials, providing output-based OPEX support, while implementing trade defence mechanisms against ESG-unfriendly imports of #metals, batteries, and cleantech products. Additionally, stable and lower energy prices, faster and predictable permitting procedures, green public procurement with ESG/made-in-Europe criteria at its core, favourable tax rates for leasing cars, and social leasing formulas for the broader public are essential." 👉 On-line version in Trouw: https://lnkd.in/e_p3eCEs 🎬 "Made in Europe, from mine to electric vehicle": https://lnkd.in/eE9k9smN 🌍 A tsunami of hashtag #electricvehicles from China could lead to a nightmarish de-industrialisation in Europe. Dr Peter Tom Jones, a well known climate author, is convinced that Europe has to take the full value chain back in its own hands, from mine to #electricvehicle. He undertakes a road trip in the Nordic countries to visit iconic mines and show best practices. He talks to the indigenous Sami people and to European leaders. 👉 Team: Director: Stijn van Baarle (STORYRUNNER). Presenter: Peter Tom Jones (SIM2 KU Leuven / SOLVOMET R&I Centre). Camera man: Michael Van de Velde. Sound technicians: Casimir De Kimpe & Marius Acke. Graphic designer: Jasper Vander Elst BATTERY 2030+ PROMETIA Eurometaux (European Metals Association) Euromines EIT RawMaterials The European Steel Association (EUROFER)

Yesterday SIM2 KU Leuven's Bart Blanpain, Koen Binnemans, Clio Deferm and Peter Tom Jones proudly participated in the grand opening of Aurubis Beerse's new hydrometallurgical ASPA plant (Anode Sludge Processing Aurubis). We are proud to have made a small contribution to the development of this process, through our KU Leuven's bilateral collaboration with Aurubis. Kudos to SOLVOMET R&I Centre members (Clio Deferm, Koen Binnemans, Jakob Bussé, Thomas Abo atia, Alexandra Alexandri, Azadeh Ghannad Asadollahi) and HITEMP member Annelies Malfliet. A wonderful achievement by the Aurubis team led by Nick Hoeven and Yves De Visscher. And for SIM2 KU Leuven it's great to see that some of our work also helps to build an actual industrial plant! Peter Tom Jones, for SIM2 KU Leuven

SIM2 KU Leuven's award-winning documentary "Made in Europe: from mine to electric vehicle" is now also being streamed on Prime Video & Amazon MGM Studios, with subtitles in 7 different languages. In terms of wider dissemination to a global audience this is a massive success. Read more in the post below! Kudos to the Director Stijn van Baarle, STORYRUNNER, who was in charge of the first and second edition of this film!