Demonstration of battery metals recovery from primary and secondary resources through a sustainable processing methodology

Projektinformationen

METALLICO

ID Finanzhilfevereinbarung: 101091682

DOI

10.3030/101091682

EK-Unterschriftsdatum 29 November 2022

Startdatum 1 Januar 2023

Enddatum 31 Dezember 2026

Finanziert unter

• Digital, Industry and Space

Gesamtkosten

€ 13 064 159,50

EU-Beitrag

€ 11 798 783,25

Koordiniert durch

IDENER RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT AIE
Spain

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - METALLICO (Demonstration of battery metals recovery from primary and secondary resources through a sustainable processing methodology)

Berichtszeitraum: 2024-07-01 bis 2025-12-31

Zusammenfassung vom Kontext und den Gesamtzielen des Projekts

The EU Green Deal’s climate-neutrality and digitalization goals for 2030 and 2050 necessitate substantial consumption of critical raw materials (CRMs). The COVID-19 pandemic and the 2022 Russia-Ukraine conflict have heightened the urgency to secure these materials, which are vital due to their economic importance and the associated risks in the global market. The demand for lithium and cobalt, used in electric vehicle batteries and energy storage, is expected to surge by 60 and 15 times respectively by 2050. Similarly, the need for rare earth elements in permanent magnets is projected to increase tenfold by 2050. With many CRMs sourced from outside the EU, there is fierce competition for supply, driven by geopolitical and economic challenges. To mitigate this external dependency, the EU's Action Plan for CRMs and COVID-19 Recovery Plan emphasize the need for new, sustainable supply channels within Europe, focusing on both primary and secondary sources and circular economy strategies. However, challenges such as technical innovation, investment, and social awareness must be addressed, alongside fostering alliances across the value chain. There is also a critical lack of information on the availability of raw materials in existing mineral deposits, extractive wastes, and products, hindering new project development.

METALLICO aims to reduce dependency on volatile external markets for CRMs by tackling these cross-cutting barriers. The project will develop a digital platform that includes an inventory of primary and secondary sources and digital twins of novel metal production and recovery processes. These digital twins will be informed by operational data from innovative, cost-effective, and sustainable metal production and recovery trains, demonstrated at a relevant industrial scale (TRL6-7) and validated across diverse EU-based sources. This approach will facilitate market uptake and reduce Europe’s reliance on imports from third countries.

Arbeit, die ab Beginn des Projekts bis zum Ende des durch den Bericht erfassten Berichtszeitraums geleistet wurde, und die wichtigsten bis dahin erzielten Ergebnisse

Work performed until M36 and main achievements are described below:
- WP1: Lab-scale optimization finalized for all processes
- T2.1: Mathematical models for the five processes delivered (D2.1) with technical deviations confirmed below 10%. Preliminary techno-economic optimization (MDO) initiated using literature-based cost data.
- T2.2: Conceptual, basic, and detailed engineering (D2.2) completed for all pilot plants, resolving critical design and site-specific power constraints for upscaling.
- T2.3–T2.4: Digital Twin platform architecture established (backend/frontend); interoperability protocols between the simulation tool and the Battery Metals Inventory successfully implemented via REST APIs.
- T3.1: COOL+ pilot re-scoped to a 230L/35kW configuration for financial and technical feasibility at Cetaqua.
- T3.2: TAILCO and PURGES pilot plants successfully constructed and commissioned. TAILCO continuous operation initiated at CLC reaching a capacity of 150 L/h.
- T3.3–T3.4: CONI pilot built and commissioned with a processing capacity of 100kg/h
- T3.4: COMAN pilot already built; COMAN pretreatment pilot (25 kg/h) and bioleaching circuits operational for concentrate production.
- WP4: Validation by end-users ongoing. Key results include CoSO4 suitability for NMC 622 batteries (CICe), Li2CO3 and leaching residue performance in cement/ceramics (Cruz/Euroatomizado), and successful leaching tests of CONI concentrates (GNN).
- T5.1–T5.3: Iterative LCAs for all processes refined. Methodological frameworks for Carbon Footprint (D5.2) and Circularity Indicators (D5.3) delivered, identifying energy and chemical hotspots for optimization.
- T5.4: Social LCA (sLCA) framework (D5.5) defined, including risk screening at country levels and the development of social inventory tools for demonstration sites.
- WP6: Governance instruments consolidated through the Advisory Board and the Andalusian Metallic Mining Forum, providing high-level technical feedback and cross-project clustering (Cluster Hub). METALLICO podcast and inmersive expience ongoing
- WP7: C&D methodolgy established since the beginning of the project and first business plan update (D7.3) completed

Fortschritte, die über den aktuellen Stand der Technik hinausgehen und voraussichtliche potenzielle Auswirkungen (einschließlich der bis dato erzielten sozioökonomischen Auswirkungen und weiter gefassten gesellschaftlichen Auswirkungen des Projekts)

Technical Achievements in Pilot Demonstration (TRL 6-7):
The METALLICO project has successfully advanced the state of the art in battery metals recovery by transitioning five innovative processes from laboratory optimization to industrial-scale pilot demonstration.
- TAILCO & PURGES: These pilots have reached an industrial capacity of 150 L/h. Key innovations include the use of advanced nanofiltration for acid recovery and selective cobalt cementation, and the integration of selective Co separation via ion exchange and diffusion dialysis to optimize reagent cycles.
- COOL+ Rescaling & Innovation: To overcome technical and financial barriers identified in D2.2 the COOL+ process has been re-engineered into a 230L/35kW configuration. Beyond the state of the art, it incorporates a redesigned downstream (Silicon removal and Reverse Osmosis) to handle sodium co-mobilization during supercritical leaching, targeting >99% Li2CO3 purity.
- The COMAN process demonstrates a breakthrough in pre-treatment (flotation at 25 kg/h) followed by a bioleaching circuit.
- The CONI pilot (100 kg/day) advances arsenic management through innovative scorodite precipitation, enabling high-purity concentrate recovery.

PURGES process

METALLICO value chain

COMAN process

CONI process

COOL+ process

TAILCO process