The aim of the VUB-ULB project SUBLIMUS is to develop a cheap and green way to harvest gold and silver from the sludge residues of the sewage treatment plants of the Brussels-Capital Region. The Analytical, Environmental and Geo-Chemistry research group coordinates this project at the VUB.
VUB and ULB scientists are investigating how they can purify and recycle the precious metals from this metal mixture in an environmentally friendly way. An example is the development of specific gold-binding nanomaterials with magnetic properties that can be removed from the mixture with a magnet after bonding.
The research programme started in March 2019 and will continue until the end of February 2022. It is financed by Innoviris, the regional institute for research and innovation.
Read more on VUB Today and De Standaard. Watch the video on BX1.