DESignSX
Project Description
Sustainable metallurgy stands uniquely poised to reduce the environmental impact of existing processes whilst recovering the metal value in end-of-life devices, thereby closing the resource loop. Despite their growing demand and geopolitical criticality, lanthanide separation remains technologically challenging due to the small monotonic variation in their properties, negatively affecting the economics of their recycling. In this context, the ERC-funded DESignSX project will use non-ionic hydrophobic eutectic solvents (DES) for lanthanide separation through solvent extraction (SX).
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The project endeavors to enhance lanthanide separation by augmenting steric factors that dictate the interactions between lanthanide ions and ligands, achieved by incorporating complexing agents as constituents of DES. Given that the separation of adjacent lanthanide cations occurs over dozens of counter-current extraction stages, even seemingly small increases in the separation factors yield measurable environmental and economic gains. DESignSX relies on a tandem experimental-computational approach spanning multiple time and size scales, from a molecular description of pair-wise interactions to laboratory-scale process optimisation. DESignSX aims to overcome the traditional SX issues of complex flowsheets, third-phase formation, toxicity of the organic diluent through the inclusion of bio-derived components, and entrainment losses, whilst improving the selectivity of the separation. DESignSX outcomes are expected to be transferable to other critical SX separations.
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Project within CICECO
Latest News
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31/07/2025 - Our latest publication in Green Chemistry investigates the recycling of rare earth elements a diglycolamide-based hydrophobic eutectic solvent. The work is a result of an international collaboration between the University of Aveiro and Institut de Chimie Séparative de Marcoule (France), thank you to all the contributors!
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20-24/07/2025 - Participation of DESignSX members at the IUPAC International Conference on Chemical Thermodynamics 2025 in Porto (Portugal). Inês Vaz presented the team's recent work on the quantification of the thermal signature of metal partition in biphasic systems. More information can be found here.
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10/07/2025 - The DESignSX project hosted the Symposium on Hydrometallurgical Innovations and Technologies - HIMET 2025 at the University of Aveiro. HIMET is an event dedicated to innovation and sustainability in hydrometallurgical processes. It provided a unique platform to explore the latest advancements in the field, focusing on the development of sustainable technologies and efficient solutions for the management and recovery of valuable metals. More information on the program and event is available here. Find the coverage of the event using the following link.
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01-02/07/2025 - Participation of Nicolas Schaeffer to the NEPHEWS Twinning Programme along with the team of Dr Pierre Baudouin from ICSM (France), getting first hand knowledge of SANS technique and analysis at the ILL in Grenoble. A big thank you for a very intense but fulfilling experience!
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01-30/06/2025 - A big welcome to PhD student Rodrigo Colhe as well as Dr Felipe Olea Chandia and Dr João Pinto who will study the structure-performance relationship in deep eutectic solvents for liquid-liquid separation. All the best to the new DESignSX members!
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08/04/2025 - Our latest publication in ACS Sustainable Chemistry and Engineering presents our opinion as to the pitfalls to avoid when characterizing natural deep eutectic solvents as "green" or "sustainable.