News

The GeMMe research group of the University of Liège is pleased to report its participation to the 8th edition of the Going Green CARE INNOVATION symposium, in Vienna, Austria. From May 9^th to 11^th leading industrialists, research directors, environmental experts and scientists brought us up to date on sustainable initiatives and the development of eco-efficient electronics, in one of the world´s leading and most prominent congress on such topics.

Our colleague Miguel Simão, R&D Engineer at the GeMMe, was on site to present our latest research results on the valorization of the antimony value chain developed within the context of the LIFE PlasPLUS project.

The main topics of Miguel Simão’s presentation covered:

• The latest developments in a Sulfide-Alkaline leaching system as a means to recycle antimony, a critical raw material, from the flame-retardant plastics found in ELV and WEEE. By generating sulfide ions in alkaline solutions, up to 70% of Sb contained in flame retardant plastics can be extracted and then precipitated as NaSb(OH)6.
• State of the art technologies to recycle high-quality secondary thermoplastics from ELV and WEEE, such as PP, PS, ABS, and FPP.

The conference was an incredible opportunity to present our laboratory’s research as well as learn & exchange about the latest innovations in plastic and raw materials recycling. Fruitful exchanges linking ideas and subjects only occur in platforms such as Going Green, where humanity’s ingenuity is exceptionally evident.

LIFE PlasPLUS revisits the concept of recycling with its holistic approach to simultaneously close the loop for two traditionally siloed material value chains, plastics and minerals, by producing high purity recycled thermoplastics and antimony, two materials in high demand, notably for the emerging electric mobility sector requiring the increased use of lightweight materials and flame retardants to, respectively, lower energy consumption and increase fire safety.