Objective
Desalination is an essential process for securing access to safe drinking water, but it produces large volumes of concentrated brine, which harms marine ecosystems and is costly to dispose of. Brine, however, also contains valuable elements, including EU designated Critical Raw Materials (CRMs). For example, magnesium, which is vital to pharmaceuticals, electronics, and transport, is routinely discarded. Recovering it offers environmental and economic gains and supports a circular economy, but no current technology selectively extracts high purity magnesium from complex, high-salinity brines at scale.
This PoC project aims to commercialize a functionalized metal-organic framework (MOF) glass membrane for highly selective magnesium recovery directly from desalination brine, turning a persistent waste stream into a CRM source. Embedding ion selective functional groups in the porous glass membrane creates a scalable device that is stable and can operate continuously. The technology reduces brine volume and disposal costs, lowers water production costs, and enables a sustainable CRM supply.
Building on discoveries in the parent ERC project (TRL 3), this project will advance to pilot scale validation (TRL 5). We will optimize scalable fabrication, demonstrate high magnesium selectivity with real brines, expand IP, and establish partnerships with desalination operators and materials manufacturers. Computational modelling will guide functional group design to maximize selectivity and capacity. Techno-economic analysis and life cycle assessment will confirm commercial viability and environmental benefits.
Leveraging the team’s expertise in glasses, MOFs, membranes, desalination, and resource recovery, we will address key risks, such as long-term material stability and scale up, through targeted testing and industry engagement. The successful project will deliver a circular economy solution for the desalination sector, enabling sustainable magnesium recovery at reduced cost.
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.
- engineering and technology environmental engineering water treatment processes drinking water treatment processes
- natural sciences chemical sciences inorganic chemistry alkaline earth metals
- engineering and technology environmental engineering mining and mineral processing
- engineering and technology chemical engineering separation technologies desalination
- social sciences economics and business economics sustainable economy
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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)
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.
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-POC - HORIZON ERC Proof of Concept 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-2026-POC
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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.
9220 Aalborg
Denmark
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.