MONOLITHOS KATALITES KE ANAKIKLOSI ETAIREIA PERIORISMENIS EVTHINIS

Their core work

Monolithos is a Greek SME specialized in recovering platinum group metals (PGMs) and other critical raw materials from end-of-life products such as spent automotive catalysts, electronic waste, and photovoltaic panels. They develop and apply advanced metallurgical processes — including hydrometallurgy, solvometallurgy, ionometallurgy, and electrochemistry — to extract valuable metals from secondary raw materials. Beyond recycling, they contribute to green hydrogen and CO2 conversion technologies by developing CRM-free electrocatalysts and electrolyser components. Their core business sits at the intersection of precious metals chemistry and circular economy industrial processes.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

Monolithos began their H2020 journey (2016–2019) firmly rooted in metallurgical recovery of platinum group metals and critical raw materials, using classical techniques like hydrometallurgy, solvometallurgy, and pyrometallurgy across projects like PLATIRUS and CROCODILE. From 2020 onward, their focus broadened significantly into electrochemistry, green hydrogen production (PROMET-H2), CO2 conversion to fuels (ECO2Fuel), and nanosafety (DIAGONAL), while maintaining their PGM recovery core through PEACOC and CHemPGM. The trajectory shows a company expanding from pure materials recycling into the broader energy transition value chain — applying their metals expertise to clean energy technologies.

Monolithos is pivoting from a metals recycling specialist toward a broader role in the green energy supply chain, combining their materials expertise with electrochemical conversion and hydrogen technologies.

How they like to work

Monolithos operates primarily as a contributing partner (7 of 10 projects) but has proven coordination capacity, leading 3 projects including their flagship PROMETHEUS Phase 2 (EUR 984K). With 100 unique consortium partners across 25 countries, they are highly networked and comfortable in large, multi-national consortia. Their coordination of both an SME Instrument project and a research coordination action (CHemPGM) shows they can lead when the topic aligns tightly with their core PGM expertise.

Monolithos has built a remarkably wide network for an SME — 100 unique partners across 25 countries over 10 projects. This pan-European reach reflects their position in critical raw materials supply chains, which inherently require cross-border collaboration.

What sets them apart

Monolithos occupies a rare niche: they are an SME with deep, hands-on expertise in precious metals chemistry and industrial-scale recycling processes, not just academic research. Their progression from the SME Instrument (Phase 1 and 2 for PROMETHEUS) to coordinating a MSCA research network (CHemPGM) demonstrates both commercial ambition and scientific credibility. For consortium builders, they offer something hard to find — a small company that can bridge the gap between laboratory metallurgy and real-world industrial recycling of critical raw materials.

Highlights from their portfolio

• PROMETHEUS
  Their flagship — progressed from SME Phase 1 (EUR 50K feasibility) to Phase 2 (EUR 984K, their largest grant), demonstrating a validated business case for disruptive catalyst recycling.
• PEACOC
  Pre-commercial pilot for precious metals recovery from automotive catalysts, WEEE, and photovoltaic panels — represents the scale-up of their core technology toward market readiness.
• ECO2Fuel
  Their largest participant grant (EUR 631K) and a significant departure into electrochemical CO2 conversion, signaling strategic expansion beyond recycling.