Uzbek Technological Metals Plant and Solvomet R&D team at KU Leuven University signed a cooperation agreement to implement European hydrometallurgical technologies in Uzbekistan at the EU Critical Raw Materials Week in Brussels, the plant's press service said.
Reportedly, these technologies will be implemented to expand rhenium salt production and extract additional rare and rare earth elements.
The company emphasized that this would be an important step in increasing technological autonomy and deepening the processing of critical minerals.
KU Leuven is one of the oldest and most prestigious universities in Europe, founded in 1425. The Solvomet laboratory is considered a world leader in hydrometallurgy and the development of innovative industrial technologies.
In 2021, Uzbekistan completed years of research and mastered a technology for producing 99.9% pure metallic rhenium. This rare earth metal was obtained from ammonium perrhenate using hydrogen reduction. In June 2025, TMK began exporting metallic rhenium to the EU.
