Jeroen Spooren

Within the H2020 MSCA-ETN SULTAN project, VITO and KU Leuven researchers developed a novel and straightforward solvometallurgical process to extract and recover copper from chrysocolla, an oxidized copper mineral that is difficult to process via traditional hydrometallurgical routes. As such, this new technique has the potential to improve the extraction efficiency of copper, a key metal in the energy transition.

Europe has taken a decision. After the corona pandemic caused a life-threatening shortage of mouth masks as we are dependent on China for their production, as a result of the war in Ukraine and the many tensions in unstable countries that supply us with strategic and critical raw materials, Europe wants to focus on self-sufficiency. It has therefore drawn up an act with three spearheads. VITO did not wait for this Critical Raw Materials Act (CRM Act). We have been taking the lead for years. This act gives us the opportunity to strengthen our technologies and spread them more widely.