Research activities

Focus: Industrial crystallization, resource recovery, crystallization and adsorption in natural systems

Team members
PhD student Halide Nur Dursun
PhD student Mohammadreza Akbarkermani
PhD student Raquel Varela Rodriguez
Postdoc Anna Zaykovskaya
Postdoc Nahla Osmanbegovic
Postdoc Ribooga Chang
Postdoc Samaneh Teimouri

Co-supervision
PhD student Ren Tao (Main supervisor M. Svärd)
PhD student Emircan Uysal (Main supervisor M. Svärd)
PhD student Joao Manuel Silva Mendes (Main supervisor S. Dalahmeh) 

On-going as project leader (at KTH)

Crystallization of calcium carbonate in natural systems, funded by Formas, 5.700.000 SEK, 2025.09- 2029.09. Postdoc in recruitment, apply here: LINK (application deadline Oct 28th)

Crystallization in Closed Loop Recycling of Battery Materials, funded by WISE, ca 5.000.000 SEK, 2025.09- 2030.09. PhD student Halide Nur Dursun.

Recycling of blended cathode materials, funded by STEM, 4.980.000 SEK, 2024.12- 2027.12. Collaborator Reza Younesi at Volvo/ Uppsala University. Postdoc Anna Zaykovskaya.

MSA-based circular hydrometallurgy for sustainable, cost-effective production of NMC cathode materials (CICERO), funded by Horizon Europe, ca 8.000.000 SEK for KTH, coordinated by KU Leuven SIM2, 2023.11- 2027.11. Postdocs Nahla Osmanbegovic and Ribooga Chang.

Eutectic freeze crystallization in battery recycling, funded by Formas, KTH (3PC), ca 5.000.000 SEK, 2020.08- 2026.12. PhD student Mohammadreza Akbarkermani.

New Crystallization Methods for Resource Recovery, collaboration with University of Cape Town (PI at UCT Prof. Alison Lewis), funded by STINT, 500.000 SEK. 2020.01- 2025.12.

Kombinerte Elektriske og Termiske Mikrogrid, Forskningsrådet i Norge, ca 450.000 for KTH. 2025- 2029. (T. Harsem, Norkonsult), contribute with expertise in chem. eng., primarily related to application of phase change materials (PCMs).

Titanium and Gallium Recycling from Red Mud in a Zero Waste Concept - TiGAR, the Austrian Research Promotion Agency FFG, ca 1.400.000 for KTH. 2025.07- 2028.06. (Stefan Steinlechner, Montanuniversität Leoben), Samaneh Teimouri

On-going in collaboration

BASE2 (Batteries Sweden), a competence center for battery research led by Uppsala University, 2025- 2029, participating in recycling and hydrometallurgy. LINK

3PC, KTH Battery 3PC - a circular battery production initiative, 2025- 2029. LINK

Biochar project, led by Sahar Dalahmeh, 2025.11- 2029.11. (KTH, UU)

Upscaling tools for energy efficient recovery of Ni, Co and Mn recovery from battery electrodes, STEM, 4.900.000 SEK. 2023.09 - 2026-04. (Christophe Duwig, KTH), Samaneh Teimouri, Vandana Kumari Jha

Sorption of Se, Mo and Tc to cement under reducing conditions, SKB, funding for a postdoc, 2023.12- 2025.12. (Mats Jonsson, KTH), Meng Luo

Controlled crystallization of rare earth elements from deep eutectic solvents for recycling of permanent magnets, Formas, 2.998.000 SEK, 2023.01- 2025.12. (Michael Svärd, KTH)

Previous projects, as project leader at KTH

Green Recycling of Battery Materials. Swedish Energy Agency, STEM. 2023.01.09- 2023.12.31.

Selective Vanadium recovery from ALumina Refinery (VALORE). EIT Raw Materials Upscaling project. 2022.01- 2024.12. Coordinated by Mytilinios S.A., Greece.

Scaling up Scandium production from European Bauxite Residues (SCALE-Up). EIT Raw Materials Upscaling project. 2022.01- 2024.12. Coordinated by Mytilinios S.A., Greece.

Eutectic Freeze Crystallization for Recovery of Pure Salts and Water. Formas, Swedish research council for sustainable development. 2021.01- 2023.12.

Antisolvent precipitation to extract the value from end-of-life Nd-Fe-B magnets (ANTISOLVO). ERA-MIN2/ Vinnova. 2021.01- 2023.12. Coordinated by Prof. Koen Binnemans, KU Leuven, Belgium.

Raw Matter ambassadors at schools 4.0, RM@Schools 4.0. EIT Raw Materials Wider Society Learning. 2021.01- 2023.12. Coordinated by Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), Italy.

Green Recycling of Battery Materials by Deep Eutectic Solvents. Swedish Energy Agency, STEM. 2020.08.01- 2022.12.31.

Raw Materials Students Internships, RAISE. EIT Raw Materials Wider Society Learning. 2019.07- 2021.12. Coordinated by Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), Italy.

Processes for Efficient Recycling of Lithium Ion Batteries. Swedish Energy Agency, STEM, 2019.08.05- 2022.12.31.

Recovery of REE by precipitation in the production of fertilizers. Yara (Porsgrunn, Norway), 2018.01- 2018.12.

Raw Matter ambassadors at schools 3.0, EIT Raw Materials Wider Society Learning. RM@Schools 3.0. 2018.01- 2020.12. Coordinated by Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), Italy.

Production of scandium compounds and scandium aluminium alloys from European metallurgical by-products, SCALE. Horizon 2020, RIA. 2016.12- 2020.12. Coordinated by Alouminion AE, Greece.

Intensified Flow Separator Infrastructure and Expertise. EIT Raw Materials Network of Infrastructure. INSPIRE. 2016- 2019. Coordinated by KU Leuven, Belgium.

Co-crystallization and phase transformations of Ca, Sr and Eu isosaccharinates. The Swedish Radiation Safety Authority, SSM, 2016.09- 2017.06.

Impact of cement additives on the mobility of radionuclides. Swedish Nuclear Fuel and Waste Management Co, SKB, 2016.05- 2017.12.

Systems Analysis and Hydrometallurgical Process Development for Recycling of Spent NiMH Battery Systems from the Transport Sector. Swedish Energy Agency, STEM. 2013.12.01- 2018.12.31.

Mobility grants: ERASMUS (2021, 2024, 2025), SASUF (2019), Institut francais FRÖ program (2017), Nobelska stiftelsen (2009), Åke Linders minnesfond (2006 and 2008), Stiftelsen Gustaf Janssons Jernkontorsfond (2006) (Jernkontoret is the Swedish Steel Producers' Association).

Previous projects in collaboration

New Separation Methods for Recovery of Critical Rare Earth Elements. Formas. 2020.01- 2022.12. Main applicant: Michael Svärd