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Research

Research projects and networks

Contact, project leaders 
(prinicpal investigators)

F Kerstin Forsberg
S  Michael Svärd
P  Frederico Marques Penha

Ongoing projects

Green Recycling of Battery Materials F

The project if funded by the Swedish Energy Agency (2023.01- 2024.01). The project is a collaboration with Reza Younesi at Uppsala University.

REEDESign - Recycling of rare earth elements from permanent magnets using deep eutectic solvents S

Postdoktor: Chunyan Ma

This is a three-year project funded by Formas. The project will investigate separation and recovery of rare earth elements from permanent magnet scrap and EoL waste, using novel green solvents of the type deep euitectic solvents (DES). The project is currently starting up.

VALORE - selective vanadium recovery from alumina refinery F

European collaboration project, 2022.01- 2024.12 (EIT Raw Materials).

Postdoc: Cledwyn Mangunda

SCALE-Up - Scaling up scandium production from European bauxite residues F

European collaboration project, 2022.01- 2024.12 (EIT Raw Materials).

Postdoc: Wen Xuan

DysCovery - Sustainable REE, Co-Ni supply from magnet recycling: closing the loop S, F

European collaboration project, 2022.01- 2024.12 (EIT Raw Materials).

Postdoc: Tiaan Punt

Eutectic Freeze Crystallization for Recovery of Pure Salts and Water F

This project is funded by Formas 2021.01- 2023.12.

PhD student: Mohammadreza Akbarkermani

ANTISOLVO - Antisolvent precipitation to extract the value from end-of-life Nd-Fe-B magnets F

Postdoctor: Nitin Pawar

This is a collaboration project between KU Leuven (coordinator), Jozef Stefan Institute and KTH. It is funded by ERA-MIN2, 2021.01- 2023.12.

Clustering of organic molecules in solution and its role in crystal nucleation S

A research project funded by the Swedish Research Council (VR), 2020- 2023.

Green Recycling of Battery Materials by Deep Eutectic Solvents F

Postdoctor: Chunyan Ma  

The project if funded by the Swedish Energy Agency (2020.08- 2022.12). The project is a collaboration between Kerstin Forsberg , Michael Svärd  and Chunyan Ma  at KTH and Reza Younesi and Jorge Gamarra at Uppsala University.

REEform - New separation methods for recycling of critical rare earth elements S

Postdoctor: Meher Sanku

This project investigates and develops new processes for separation and recovery of rare earth elements and other valuable metals from acidic leach solutions, within the context of recycling of various sources including permanent magnets and NiMH batteries. A combination of two technologies are investigated: antisolvent precipitation and preparative chromatography. This three-year project ran from 2020-2022 and was funded by Formas.

New Crystallization Methods for Resource Recovery F

Collaboration project together with University of Cape Town funded by STINT/ NRF (2019.05- 2022.05).

RM@Schools 4.0 - Raw Matters ambassadors at Schools 4.0 F

European wider society project, 2021.01- 2023.12 (EIT Raw Materials)

Previous projects

PERLI - Processes for Efficient Recycling of Lithium Ion Batteries F

Postdoctors: Yiqian Ma , Xiong Xiao , Suchithra Ashoka Sahadevan

This project focused on developing innovative processes for recycling of lithium ion batteries. The project was funded by the Swedish Energy Agency (2019.08- 2022.12). PERLI was a collaboration between Kerstin Forsberg , James Gardner  and Richard T. Olsson  at KTH.

SCALE  - Production of scandium compounds and scandium aluminium alloys from European metallurgical by-products F

PhD student: Edward Peters

The work at KTH is focused on the separation of scandium by crystallization. The project is funded by Horizon 2020 (GA No. 730105).

RM@Schools 3.0 - Raw Matters ambassadors at Schools 3.0 F

Wider society learning project funded by EIT Raw Materials sorting under the main theme: recycling and material chain optimization for End-of-Life products.

RAISE - Raw Materials Students Internships F

Wider society learning project funded by EIT Raw Materials.

Systems analysis and hydrometallurgical process development for recycling of spent NiMH battery systems from the transport sector F

PhD student: Kivanc Korkmaz

Research project in co-operation with the Swedish environmental research institute IVL, funded by the Swedish Energy Agency. The work concerns developing hydrometallurgical separation processes in laboratory scale to recover the main elements in an environmentally and economically sustainable process. An environmental assessment and a technical and economic analysis for the recycling of the battery system will be performed.

INSPIRE  - Intensified flow separator infrastructure and expertise network F

Network of infrastructure within EIT Raw Materials.

Supported metal organic frameworks for separation of metal ions F

Postdoctoral researcher: Dr. Ahmed Fawzy Abdel-Magied

Supported metal organic frameworks were synthesized and evaluated for separation of metal ions from aqueous solutions.

Crystallization of Ca(II), Sr(II) and Eu(III) isosaccharinates F

Postdoctoral researcher: Dr. Song Chen

The purpose of the project is to increase the knowledge about crystallization processes occurring in a deep repository for short-lived radioactive waste. The project was funded by the Swedish Radiation and Safety Authority SSM.

Impact of cement additives on the mobility of radionuclides F

Postdoctoral researcher: Dr. Alexander Chernyshev

The purpose of the project is to increase the fundamental understanding of mechanisms with an impact on the mobility of radionuclides in the Swedish repository for short-lived radioactive waste. The project was funded by the Swedish Nuclear Fuel and Waste Management Company SKB.

Production of fertilizers F

Postdoctoral researcher: Dr. Minyu Zuo

Research project funded by Yara.

Novel hydrometallurgical methods for rare earth metals F

Project at the Div. of Transport Phenomena.

PhD students: Raquel Rodríguez Varela, Mahmood Alemrajabi

Research project financed by the Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research. The project is a co-operation with the Dept. of Chemistry at KTH and the Swedish environmental research institute IVL. The goal of the project is to develop techniques for separation of rare earth elements from leach solutions, primarily from the mining industry. The techniques being studied are precipitation, supported liquid membrane extraction and chromatography.

Recycling of spent stainless steel pickling acid F

Project at the Div. of Transport Phenomena.

The goal of the project was to develop a process for recycling of acid and recovery of metals from spent stainless steel pickling liquor. A process was developed in co-operation with the Swedish environmental research institute IVL where the solution was concentrated by nanofiltration and then the metals were separated from the mixed acid as metal fluoride hydrates in a continuous crystallization process. The process was also scaled up and operated in pilot scale within the project. The Swedish Energy Agency funded the project.