Projet SOCRATES (Horizon 2020, appel à projets 2016)
Action : Doctoral Networks
Panel : Chemistry
Statut du projet : CLOSED

Unlike China, Russia or South Africa, the EU-28 Member States are not in the fortunate position of having vast, easily accessible ore deposits containing valuable metals. However, Europe does have large quantities of secondary industrial residues (tailings, sludges, slags and ashes) that contain sig¬nificant concentrations of both critical and economically important metals. The Euro¬pean Training Network for the Sustainable, zero-waste valorisation of critical-metal-containing industrial process residues (SOCRATES) targets ground-breaking metallurgical processes, incl. plasma-, bio-, solvo-, electro- and ionometallurgy, that can be integrated into environmentally friendly, zero-waste valorisation flow sheets. By unlocking the potential of these secondary raw materials, SOCRATES contributes to a more diversified and sustainable supply chain for critical metals (cf. Priority area 3 in EC Circular Economy Action Plan; COM(2015)614/2). The SOCRATES consortium brings together all the relevant stakeholders along the value chain, from metal extraction, to metal recovery, and to residual matrix valorisation in added-value applications, such as supplementary cementitious materials, inorganic polymers and catalysts. To maximise applicability, SOCRATES has selected four commonly available and chemically complementary residue families: (1) flotation tailings from primary Cu production, (2) Fe-rich sludges from Zn production, (3) fayalitic slags from non-ferrous metallurgy, and (4) bottom ashes from incineration plants. As a basis for a concerted effort to strengthen the EU’s critical-metal supply chain for Ge, In, Ga and Sb, SOCRATES trains 15 early-stage researchers (ESRs) in technological innovation: metal extraction (WP1), metal recovery (WP2), residual matrix valorisation (WP3) and integrated assessment (WP4). By training the ESRs in scientific, technical and soft skills, they are the next generation of highly employable scientists and engineers in the raw-materials sector.

Mots clés : critical metals, ionometallurgy, plasma metallurgy, solvometallurgy, electrowinning, extractants, modelling, supplementary cementitious materials, geopolymers, catalysts, exergy

Participants :
- Aalto University (Finlande) — Partner, organization partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
- Metallo-chimique n.v. (Belgique) — Partner, beneficiary, Organismes privés (hors enseignement), subvention : 250560.0 €
- VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland (Finlande) — Partner, organization partner, Recherche, subvention : 0.0 €
- Outotec (Finland) (Finlande) — Partner, beneficiary, Organismes privés (hors enseignement), subvention : 538290.72 €
- Utrecht University (Pays-Bas) — Partner, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 510748.56 €
- Avr-afvalverwerking b.v. (Pays-Bas) — Partner, organization partner, Organismes privés (hors enseignement), subvention : 0.0 €
- TU Bergakademie Freiberg (Allemagne) — Partner, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 249216.48 €
- University of Bonn (Allemagne) — Partner, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 498432.96 €
- Umicore (Belgium) (Belgique) — Partner, organization partner, Organismes privés (hors enseignement), subvention : 0.0 €
- KU Leuven (Belgique) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 1002240.0 €
- Boliden kokkola oy (Finlande) — Partner, organization partner, Organismes privés (hors enseignement), subvention : 0.0 €
- Imerys aluminates (France) — Partner, beneficiary, Organismes privés (hors enseignement), subvention : 262875.6 €
- University of Leicester (Royaume-Uni) — Partner, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 546575.76 €