Cost-effective, sustainable and responsible extraction routes for recovering distinct critical metals and industrial minerals as by-products from key European hard-rock lithium projects

Project Information

EXCEED

Grant agreement ID: 101091543

DOI

10.3030/101091543

EC signature date 29 November 2022

Start date 1 January 2023

End date 31 December 2026

Funded under

• Digital, Industry and Space

Total cost

€ 12 268 115,71

EU contribution

€ 11 178 103,51

Coordinated by

TEKNOLOGIAN TUTKIMUSKESKUS VTT OY
Finland

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - EXCEED (Cost-effective, sustainable and responsible extraction routes for recovering distinct critical metals and industrial minerals as by-products from key European hard-rock lithium projects)

Reporting period: 2024-07-01 to 2025-12-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

To achieve climate neutrality by 2050, many industry sectors must undergo a radical transformation. This will see
batteries – and lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) in particular – acting as key enablers for decarbonising the energy and
mobility sectors. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA) and its report on The Role of Critical Minerals
in Clean Energy Transitions, this will see the demand for lithium (Li) increase 42 times in less than 20 years.1

EXCEED’s meta-objective is to unleash the full CRM and industrial mineral potential of Europe’s vast Li LCT-pegmatite and Rare-Metal Granite hard-rock resources. EXCEED’s multi-metal/mineral, zero-waste mining-and-refining approach adopts a mineral-centric, integrated methodology via the application of a first-of-its-kind predictive and forensic geometallurgy, supported by enhanced in-line characterisation tools and the development of digital twins. Using four premier European pegmatite and RMG case studies, EXCEED develops, upscales & demonstrates cost-effective, sustainable and responsible extraction routes for recovering the CRMs and industrial minerals as by-products from Li-bearing hard-rock ores. A suite of CRMs will be extracted and refined, while diverse industrial minerals will be refined and valorised in low-carbon building materials.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

As the work is still in progress, with no formal conclusions, report consists in activities only, described per WP.

- WP1 - Concluded the detailed characterization of ore samples and investigated the properties of potential by-products using an integrated analytical workflow. Successfully developed and applied cost-effective in-situ tools (LIBS, Raman, and FTIR) to mineral streams, reporting the results in Deliverable D1.3.
- WP2 - Finalized bench-scale test work for critical raw materials and industrial minerals, including magnetic separation, flotation, and gravity tests. Completed several pilot campaigns using Barroso ore to validate flowsheet optimizations.
- WP3 - Performed a comprehensive characterization of five distinct tailings streams and documented their suitability for valorization. Developed and tested ceramic formulations for tiles and bricks, as well as alkali-activated materials and lightweight aggregates.
- WP4 - Validated flowsheets for removing Thorium and Uranium from concentrates and achieved over 90% leaching efficiency for Rare Earth Elements and Beryllium. Demonstrated a selective chlorination process for tin extraction from cassiterite-rich concentrates.
- WP5 - Completed the conceptual development of the digital twin components, including surrogate models and the graphical user interface. Successfully executed mineral processing pilots using Beauvoir and Rapasaari/Syväjärvi ores to produce samples for industrial site trials.
- WP6 - Applied an LCA framework to the Greenbushes reference system and EXCEED processing routes, identifying reduced net impact potentials. Conducted a techno-economic assessment (TEA) of the reference beneficiation plant and published findings on public acceptance across four European lithium projects.
- WP7 - Identified and monitored related projects and contributed to multiple clustering workshops and webinars, such as the "MINEARC" series. Participated in the Annual Workshops of the Cluster Hub for European battery raw materials in 2024 and 2025
- WP8 - Launched the documentary Europe’s Lithium Paradox and completed a 14-stop screening tour with expert panels across Europe and Brazil. Organized several events and presented project results at numerous international conferences between 2024 and 2025.
- WP9 - Prepared and submitted the updated project implementation plan (D9.3) and managed the administrative, financial, and legal risks of the consortium. Coordinated the management of material flows and internal communication practices throughout the reporting period.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

Project management: ensuring timely delivery of quality project results to achieve contractual objectives and commitments.

The planned works and expected actions, both from Savannah and response from the Partners is inside the plan outlined, and at the current stage there are no risks or additional needs, found to affect Savannah's objectives.