Imagine trying to build high-tech gear but the essential ingredients are locked away in far-off lands or made using old, polluting methods. This effort finds a way to get these rare metals from Central Asia using a 'green' recipe that cuts out most of the smoke and waste. It's like upgrading a dirty old factory to a clean, digital-first operation to ensure we have the materials needed for future tech.
The EU faces high supply risks and economic dependence on foreign sources for Titanium and Beryllium. Current production methods for these metals are often carbon-intensive and inefficient.
A green hydrogen-based Ti reduction process and a Be mineral recovery scheme. These include digital twins for extraction and refining to produce high-value alloys.
If you are a manufacturer dealing with unstable supply chains for critical metals — this project developed a way to produce Be-Ti and Al-Ti alloys from Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan assets. This ensures a steady flow of materials required for high-strength components. It reduces reliance on traditional, high-risk supply routes.
If you are a plant operator dealing with high carbon taxes and emissions — this project developed a green hydrogen-based Ti reduction process. This achieves over 90% reduction in CO2 emissions compared to the conventional Kroll process. It allows for the production of Ti powder and alloys with a minimal carbon footprint.
If you are a mining company dealing with low-grade complex ores — this project developed a mineral processing scheme to recover Be from ore with 0.1–0.3% grade. This transforms low-grade material into a high-quality concentrate with BeO > 4%. It unlocks the economic value of previously unusable deposits.
Based on available project data, the project focuses on reducing CO2 emissions by over 90% and using digital twins for efficiency, which may lower long-term environmental costs and operational waste.
The project aims to demonstrate processes on existing mining assets in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan and utilize the ULBA refinery, indicating a move toward industrial-scale application.
Based on available project data, the consortium includes 25 partners across 12 countries, but specific licensing or IP agreements are not detailed in the project description.
The project is aligned with the EU Critical Raw Materials Act to improve the resilience and sustainability of industrial value chains.
The project period is from 2026-05-01 to 2030-04-30.
The consortium is well-balanced for commercialization, featuring a 44% industry ratio with 11 industrial partners and 5 SMEs. The collaboration spans 12 countries, crucially including the source regions (Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan) and the end-market (EU), which minimizes the gap between raw material extraction and final industrial use.
Contact the Technical University of Mining and Metallurgy Academy Freiberg (TU Bergakademie Freiberg)
Contact us to connect with the TiBeRIUM consortium for early adoption of green Ti processing.
