25 May PROMETIA Welcomes the University of Aveiro as a New Member
PROMETIA is pleased to welcome the University of Aveiro as a new member of the network.
Located in Aveiro, Portugal, the University of Aveiro is a recognised public research university with a strong focus on innovation, interdisciplinary collaboration, and cooperation with industry and society. Since its foundation in 1973, UA has developed extensive expertise across engineering, materials science, environmental technologies, geosciences, and chemical engineering, contributing to scientific and technological advancements at both national and European levels.
UA is actively involved in research and innovation initiatives addressing industrial and societal challenges, with a particular emphasis on sustainable resource management and circular economy approaches. In 2026, the university ranked first in Portugal for national patent registrations, reflecting its strong capacity to transform research into impactful innovation.
Expertise in mineral processing and sustainable resource recovery
Through its research activities, UA contributes expertise relevant to the sustainable processing, extraction, and valorisation of mineral resources, covering both primary and secondary raw materials. Its activities focus on the recovery, purification, and efficient use of metals, minerals, and valuable compounds from complex feedstocks.
The university’s main areas of expertise include:
- Mineral and material characterisation
- Physical and chemical processing of mineral resources
- Hydrometallurgical extraction, purification, and metal recovery
- Separation processes, including liquid–liquid extraction, membrane separations, and adsorption
- Recovery of valuable elements from industrial residues, mine tailings, and aqueous streams
- Thermodynamic modelling and physicochemical characterisation
- Process modelling, simulation, and optimisation
- Sustainable strategies supporting resource efficiency and circular economy applications
Research facilities and technological infrastructures
UA provides access to a wide range of laboratories, analytical facilities, and technological infrastructures supporting research activities from fundamental studies to process development and validation.
Its facilities and services include:
- Extraction and separation laboratories for leaching, liquid–liquid extraction, membrane separations, adsorption studies, and phase equilibrium investigations
- Advanced materials and mineral characterisation facilities, including XRD, SEM/EDS, TEM, XPS, FTIR, Raman spectroscopy, UV-Vis spectroscopy, and thermal analysis
- Chemical analysis instrumentation for elemental and compositional analysis of solids and liquids
- Facilities dedicated to physicochemical and thermodynamic studies, including interfacial phenomena and multiphase systems
- Bench-scale equipment for process development, testing, and optimisation
- Computational tools for thermodynamic modelling, process simulation, and optimisation of extraction and separation routes
By joining PROMETIA, the University of Aveiro strengthens the network’s expertise in sustainable mineral processing, resource recovery, and circular economy solutions, while contributing valuable scientific and technological capabilities to collaborative European research and innovation activities.
We look forward to working together and welcoming UA into the PROMETIA community.
Learn more about the University of Aveiro: University of Aveiro
Discover all PROMETIA members: PROMETIA Members
