Spanish industrial plant engineering firm specializing in raw materials recovery, hydrometallurgy, and process scale-up for EU resource security projects.
Técnicas Reunidas is a major Spanish engineering and construction company that designs and builds industrial processing plants — refineries, petrochemical facilities, and power plants worldwide. In EU research, they contribute process engineering expertise to projects focused on resource recovery, advanced metallurgy, and bio-based chemical production. Their role is typically to bring industrial-scale plant design knowledge, helping translate laboratory processes into viable industrial operations. They bridge the gap between research-stage chemical/metallurgical processes and real-world plant engineering.
INTMET (hydrometallurgical processing of polymetallic ores), BIORECOVER (bio-recovery of critical raw materials), and SEA4VALUE (mineral extraction from desalination brines) form a consistent thread.
Across ButaNexT, INTMET, SEA4VALUE, BIORECOVER, and SPHERE, their contribution centers on scaling chemical and metallurgical processes to industrial plant level.
ButaNexT focused on biobutanol production from lignocellulosic feedstocks via the ABE fermentation process, their largest single grant (EUR 920K).
SPHERE involved digital twin technology for building design, maintenance, and retrofitting — a departure from their core chemical process work.
MYRTE (MYRRHA Research and Transmutation Endeavour) involved nuclear transmutation research, where they contributed as a third party.
In the early H2020 period (2015-2017), Técnicas Reunidas worked on biofuel production (ButaNexT's biobutanol from lignocellulosic feedstocks), nuclear research (MYRTE), and aerospace engine simulation (DEMOS) — a scattered portfolio reflecting a large company exploring multiple R&D directions. From 2016 onward, a clear convergence emerged toward critical raw materials and resource recovery: INTMET's hydrometallurgical processing, BIORECOVER's bio-recovery methods, and SEA4VALUE's desalination brine mineral extraction form a coherent strategic line. This shift mirrors Europe's growing urgency around reducing dependency on imported raw materials, and positions the company squarely in the circular economy and resource security space.
Técnicas Reunidas is concentrating its EU research on extracting valuable minerals and metals from unconventional sources (ores, waste streams, seawater brines), aligning with Europe's critical raw materials strategy.
Técnicas Reunidas has never coordinated an H2020 project — they consistently join as a participant or third party, contributing specialized industrial engineering capability to research-led consortia. With 118 unique partners across 22 countries, they operate in large, diverse consortia rather than tight repeat partnerships. This profile suggests a reliable industrial partner that brings real-world plant engineering credibility without seeking to lead the research agenda — valuable for coordinators who need a strong industry voice without competing for project leadership.
Extensive network of 118 unique partners spanning 22 countries, indicating they are well-connected across European research and industry. Their participation in environment and energy projects gives them ties to both academic research groups and fellow industrial companies across the EU.
As a large-scale industrial plant engineering company, Técnicas Reunidas brings something most research consortia lack: hands-on experience building and operating the kind of processing plants that lab-stage technologies aspire to become. Their concentrated move into raw materials recovery from unconventional sources (brines, low-grade ores, bio-recovery) makes them a rare partner who can assess the industrial feasibility of novel extraction methods. For any consortium developing mineral processing or hydrometallurgical technology, they offer the credibility and practical knowledge to bridge the gap from pilot to plant.
