Novel thioether-based porous materials for precious metal capture from secondary waste

By Artem Rashevskii

Abstract

Urban mining of precious metals from electronic waste has emerged as a sustainable alternative to traditional mining; however, it remains a formidable challenge due to energy-intensive separation processes, environmental concerns, and potential risks to human health. Among various urban mining strategies, hydrometallurgical approaches are considered particularly promising, as they enable metal recovery under comparatively mild conditions. Within this framework, adsorption-based methods employing selective sorbents offer an environmentally friendly and energy-efficient route for precious metal extraction.

Porous organic polymers (POPs) have demonstrated considerable potential as sorbent materials for metal capture, owing to their structural tunability and high surface areas. In particular, sulfide-based polymers have been widely explored for gold recovery because of the strong affinity between sulfur sites and metal ions. Based on this concept, here we report a new family of poly(thioether)s synthesized via polycondensation of perfluoroaromatic compounds with potassium sulfide. Such approach combines facile and scalable synthesis with high surface area and elevated sulfur content for obtained materials. These features translate into good adsorption performance toward precious metals, highlighting the potential of these materials for efficient and sustainable urban mining applications.

Biography

Artem Rashevskii is a current Ph.D. student under the supervision of Prof. Cafer Yavuz at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST). Artem obtained his Master’s degree of Chemistry (2023) from St. Petersburg State University, Russia, under the supervision of Prof. Regina Islamova. Artem's research interests focus on the design, synthesis and application of porous organic materials.

 

Molecular Engineering of Supramolecular Macrocyclic Systems for Separation Applications

By Khozama Al Mohawes 

Biography and Abstract

Khozama Almohawes is a PhD student in Chemistry at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) and a lecturer in the Chemistry Department at Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University (PNU). She joined the Smart Hybrid Materials (SHMs) Laboratory in Fall 2023. Her research focuses on the rational design and synthesis of macrocyclic systems for selective chemical separations, including hydrocarbon and ion separations, aimed at reducing the energy demands of conventional separation processes. Her work highlights the principles of molecular recognition and the structure-selectivity relationships that dictate binding affinity and separation efficiency. Recently, she has developed adaptive fluorinated porous molecular sieves capable of selectively separating benzene from azeotropic mixtures, such as benzene-cyclohexane and benzene-methanol systems.