Project description
Tracing material pathways to close the loop for critical metals
Technology metals are key candidates for clean energy, digitalisation and aerospace applications, but their supply chains remain under strain. Global demand is increasing as metal cycles remain open, causing waste, resource insecurity and environmental degradation. A circular economy depends on a better understanding of the flow of metals through mining, production, use and recycling. With this in mind, the ERC-funded SEMPATHY project aims to create a novel method of tracing metals through their full life cycle, from raw material to product and waste. Named Material Pathway Analysis, the method will use process simulation, a detailed composition hierarchy and interactive visualisations to identify opportunities for keeping materials in the loop longer. In general, the project’s goal is to contribute towards the sustainable use of critical materials.
Objective
SEMPATHY aims to develop and apply a multi-material, mass balance-consistent, composition-aware, and process simulation-based method called Material Pathway Analysis to provide the basis for modelling, simulating, and optimising sustainable global material cycles for technology metals. SEMPATHY addresses the urgent challenge of global metal cycles not being closed and the environmental impacts of metal production and processing becoming more relevant globally. At the same time, global demand for technology metals rises due to the shift to renewable energy, electromobility, clean energy-intensive industry, digitalisation, and aerospace. The SEMPATHY project promises a revolutionary better understanding of global anthropogenic metal cycles and, for that purpose, develops a better modelling framework for examining metals' pathways in the anthroposphere. SEMPATHY leverages new information on the first and final use of metals and metalloids in materials, components, and products. It creates a database for the elemental composition of these materials, components, and products. The project uses process simulation to identify composition-dependent processes and recycling yields for technology metals. By providing access to these yields to sociometabolic research, it identifies optimisation potentials in the circular economy. SEMPATHY creates a new revolutionary modelling framework that allows the development of a new Material Pathway Analysis methodology that provides a systemic view of global metal cycles and allows tracing metals even within their use as alloying elements, contaminants, or waste streams. These metal pathways will be visualised through interactive maps generated using the data and computational methods developed throughout the project. SEMPATHY creates the basis for next-level modelling, simulation, and evaluation of material flows, essential for a sustainable, resilient, and secure supply of technology metals, many of which are Critical Raw Materials.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
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Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-ERC - HORIZON ERC Grants
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) ERC-2025-STG
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
95447 Bayreuth
Germany
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.