Project description
Targeted recovery of critical raw materials from aqueous solutions
The EU’s Critical Raw Materials Act aims to reduce European reliance on foreign sources for essential metals and rare earth elements. This includes establishing sustainable circular strategies to recover and recycle critical raw materials (CRMs) from industrial waste. Supported by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the DIGISEP project seeks to achieve this by developing energy-efficient and cost-effective separation techniques that can selectively recover CRMs from complex, low-concentration aqueous solutions. Using an electrochemical approach, it will create a novel class of electro-active, smart membranes with tuneable properties that facilitate programmable ion separation and enable the digitally controlled capture and release of target ions without the use of bulk chemical regenerants.
Objective
The selective recovery of Critical Raw Materials (CRMs) from dilute, multi-component aqueous solutions is fundamentally constrained by the limitations of conventional separation technologies, which lack simultaneous high selectivity and energy-efficient reversibility. This project, DIGISEP, aims to overcome this scientific barrier by developing a novel class of electro-active, stimuli-responsive membranes for programmable ion separation. The primary objectives are to engineer intrinsic chemical selectivity into a sustainable, conductive composite and to elucidate a new dual-mode separation mechanism. This mechanism synergistically combines voltage-gated physical transport (actuation) with electrochemically modulated chemical affinity. This will be achieved by fabricating a bicontinuous network of cellulose nanofibers, functionalized with covalently grafted chelating ligands, and the conductive polymer PEDOT:PSS and carbon nanotubes. The application of a low voltage potential will be used to induce localized electrochemical phenomena (pH swings or direct redox reactions) at the ligand sites. This will reversibly modulate the ligands' binding affinity, enabling a digitally controlled capture and release of target ions (e.g. REEs, Pb²⁺, AuCl₄⁻) without the use of bulk chemical regenerants. The relevance of this work to the programme is direct and substantial. By creating a breakthrough technology for valorizing secondary resources, DIGISEP provides a tangible scientific pathway to achieving the EU's strategic autonomy goals as defined in the Critical Raw Materials Act and advancing the Circular Economy Action Plan. This project pioneers a fundamental, low-energy separation platform to address a critical European technological and environmental challenge.
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.
- natural sciences chemical sciences organic chemistry organic reactions
- engineering and technology environmental engineering mining and mineral processing
- natural sciences chemical sciences polymer sciences
- social sciences economics and business economics sustainable economy
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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.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
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-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
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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) HORIZON-MSCA-2025-PF
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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.
100 44 Stockholm
Sweden
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.