Imagine if we could treat old mining waste and rocks like a gold mine for battery materials. Instead of relying on expensive imports from across the world, this project finds ways to pull lithium, cobalt, and nickel out of materials already found in Europe. It's like recycling the leftovers of previous mining efforts to power the next generation of electric cars.
The EU relies almost entirely on imports for battery metals, with 100% reliance on third countries for refined lithium. This creates a high supply risk as demand for lithium and cobalt is projected to surge by 60 and 15 times by 2050.
A digital platform containing an inventory of metal sources and digital twins of recovery processes. It also includes industrial-scale recovery trains for battery-grade lithium, cobalt, copper, manganese, and nickel.
If you are a battery cell producer dealing with a 100% import reliance for refined lithium compounds — this project developed sustainable recovery trains that provide battery-grade Li2CO3 and CoSO4. This reduces your exposure to volatile external markets.
If you are a mining company dealing with unused metallurgical slag or mine tailings — this project developed processes to recover Cu, Co, Mn, and Ni concentrates. This turns waste liabilities into revenue-generating battery metals.
If you are a chemical manufacturer dealing with inefficient metal extraction — this project developed the COOL+ process which recovers over 90% lithium from spodumene samples. This increases your yield and resource efficiency.
The project demonstrates metal production and recovery trains at a relevant industrial scale, specifically targeting TRL 6-7.
Based on available project data, specific cost figures are not provided, but the project focuses on creating cost-effective and sustainable recovery trains.
Based on available project data, specific licensing terms are not mentioned, though the project aims to facilitate market uptake through a digital platform and digital twins.
The project period runs from 2023-01-01 to 2026-12-31, indicating that full validation and demonstration occur within this window.
It integrates by providing an inventory of primary and secondary sources and using digital twins to optimize the production of battery-grade materials.
The consortium is heavily weighted toward industrial application, with 11 industry partners (48% of the total 23 partners) across 10 countries. This strong industrial presence, combined with 8 research centers and 4 universities, suggests a high focus on commercial viability and practical implementation rather than pure academic research.
Contact IDENER RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT AIE in Spain
Contact us to connect with the METALLICO consortium for pilot implementation.
