OUR MISSION
To develop, organise & implement problem-driven, science-deep research & future-oriented education, contributing to the environmentally friendly production & recycling of metals, minerals & engineered materials, supporting (…) a climate-friendly, circular-economy. Read more >
News
KU Leuven Institute SIM²: a new take on circular economy
In the first official SIM² interview on the KU Leuven website, SIM² Director Peter Tom Jones explains the new KU Leuven Institute for Metals & Minerals’ view on the Circular Economy, against the background of the Corona pandemic.
Can clay minerals act as precursors for eco-friendly cement?
Together with colleagues from the Universities of Bath and Leeds, SIM² KU Leuven researchers have published a critical review paper on alkali-activation of clay minerals in the journal Cement and Concrete Research.
Solvometallurgical process for extraction of copper from sulphidic ore minerals
SIM² KU Leuven researchers have developed a new solvometallurgical extraction process to produce copper from sulphidic copper ore minerals (e.g. chalcopyrite), allowing to reduce the eco-footprint of primary copper production.
Does cobalt and copper mining lead to birth defects in DR Congo?
SIM² KU Leuven member Prof. Erik Smolders contributed to a milestone paper in The Lancet Planetary Health. A team of Belgian and Congolese researchers studied the effects of mining-related pollution on newborns in Katanga, DRC.
Meet our SIM² colleagues
Meet our SIM² KU Leuven colleague: Prof. Jo Van Caneghem
Jo Van Caneghem is associate professor at the Faculty of Engineering Technology at KU Leuven Campus Group T, where she heads the research group ChEMaRTS. Her work focuses on material recovery from thermally processed non-recyclable waste.
Meet our SIM² KU Leuven colleague: Prof. Patrick Degryse
Patrick Degryse is professor at the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at the KU Leuven and at the faculty of Archaeology at Leiden University. He is head of the Archaeometry research unit.
Research Results
Can clay minerals act as precursors for eco-friendly cement?
Together with colleagues from the Universities of Bath and Leeds, SIM² KU Leuven researchers have published a critical review paper on alkali-activation of clay minerals in the journal Cement and Concrete Research.
Solvometallurgical process for extraction of copper from sulphidic ore minerals
SIM² KU Leuven researchers have developed a new solvometallurgical extraction process to produce copper from sulphidic copper ore minerals (e.g. chalcopyrite), allowing to reduce the eco-footprint of primary copper production.
