Raising public awareness on electronic waste as a source of valuable materials (AWARE)
a Wider Society Learning project of
AWARE. Raising public awareness on electronic waste as a source of valuable materials
The aim of the project is to increase the share of waste ending up in official take-back systems instead of losing the resource to waste disposal or incineration plants and collection outside official take-back systems. To achieve that, the project focuses on education and involvement of school children, both to raise the awareness of end-of-life electronics as a resource, and through them to bring the message into families and the society as whole.
Videos
News
Solvometallurgical cobalt recovery from Li-ion battery cathode materials
SOLVOMET/SIM² KU Leuven researchers developed a novel solvometallurgical approach to recover cobalt from Li-ion battery cathode materials. This work was supported by EU H2020 CROCODILE and published in the journal Green Chemistry.
AWARE Workshop – “Welcome to Weeeland and Relight”
On 5th November 2019, within the EIT PROJECT AWARE and specifically WP2 and WP3, the partner Relight organized a Workshop for the University of Trento students and high-school teachers. The session was organized in collaboration with the other project partners...
AWARE Project at webinar “ECONOMIA CIRCOLARE E RIFIUTO”
On 15th May 2020, Aware project was presented by Relight in the on-line academic seminar “ECONOMIA CIRCOLARE E RICICLO”. The webinar was organized by University of Milano-Bicocca (UNIMIB) within the Italian nation project PLS “Piano Lauree Scientifiche Scenza dei...
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.
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.
A new solvent extraction system for lithium purification from brines
SIM² KU Leuven – SOLVOMET researchers have developed a novel solvent extraction system to remove magnesium from lithium-rich solutions, allowing a major reduction of the eco-footprint of lithium recovery from brines.
Mining precious metals at home during the global COVID-19 lockdown?
A BBC Future article featuring Ana Maria Martinez (SINTEF) illustrates that old electronics are domestic mines of precious metals. Martina Orefice (SIM² KU Leuven) provides further background referring to several EU projects.
New video: The Missing Link of the Circular Economy 2.0
“The Missing Link of the Circular Economy 2.0” video shows why the waste of the past cannot be consigned to oblivion. A comprehensive Circular Economy vision should, therefore, find answers for Europe’s 500,000+ landfills.
The green transition challenged by the metal supply chain
How feasible is the transition to a climate-neutral economy (European Green Deal) in terms of the availability of the required (critical) metals? During the March 12 Seminar in Brussels an expert panel tried to provide answers.