Research Projects
BLOOM Project
LIBERATION ANALYSIS FOR OPTIMIZING EXTRACTION AND PROCESSING OF CRMS
Funded by the European Union – Budget about 8 Mi Euros
Duration: from 01/01/2025 to 31/12/2028
The project aims to facilitate exploitation of the primary raw critical raw materials (minerals and metals only) for the EU to strengthen the EU supply chains, by increasing the efficiency on extraction and processing of minerals with a smart and modular solids analysis system consisting on an online MLA (mineral liberation analysis) with a sensor based on LIBS (Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy) technology, which enables the integration on mining sites of advanced control loops in different stages of the processing, based on machine learning and artificial intelligence techniques, or data-driven extraction operations based on accurate mineralogy information from the site.
QUEEN Project
QUARTZ ENRICHMENT ENABLING NEAR-ZERO SILICON PRODUCTION
Funded by the European Union – Budget about 8 Mi Euros
Duration: from 01/11/2024 to 31/10/2028
The overall objective is the development of new environmentally friendly metallurgical silicon (MG-Si) from quarry sands (mineral extraction) process reducing CO2 total emissions, potentially transforming any EU quarry with quartz into an MG-Si reservoir, with technologies adaptable to other materials.
METALLICO Project
DEMONSTRATION OF BATTERY METALS RECOVERY FROM PRIMARY AND SECONDARY RESOURCES THROUGH A SUSTAINABLE PROCESSING MATHODOLOGY
Funded by the European Union – Budget about 12 Mi Euros
Duration: from 01/01/2023 to 31/12/2026
The European Union has underexploited potential to produce critical raw materials (CRM) and special metals, as stated in the Study on the EU’s list of Critical Raw Materials. Concretely, the battery sector is considered as a key strategic sector for the EU due to the increased use of batteries in different important sectors such as electric mobility. Thus, METALLICO proposal presents a new opportunity for the European Union. It is composed by an strategic consortium along the value chain, including mining and industrial sites with primary and secondary sources of critical and battery metals (Li, Co, Cu, Mn, Ni); experienced partners to pilot novel processes for producing battery-grade materials based on previous projects and activities; industrial and SME end-users in the battery, cement, paint, and ceramic sectors; and partners to demonstrate the social-license-to-operate (including the support of government bodies), sustainability and commercial chances that the solution represents. Worldwide, these battery metals are predominantly in Chile, Australia, South Africa, China, and The Democratic Republic of Congo, representing a high risk for the EU in terms of supply shortage. For example, in the case of Li, the EU import reliance is 87% for lithium concentrates and 100% for refined compounds as there is no domestic refining. METALLICO includes 4 cases studies in the EU to recover: battery-grade Li2CO3 from a primary spodumene/lepidolite/petalite deposit; Co concentrates and battery-grade CoSO4 from a mine secondary resource (CLC); and Cu, Co, Mn, and Ni concentrates from metallurgical slag from a Pb refining company (KHGM) and secondary mine tailings (THARSIS). Upscaling of sustainable and innovative upstream and downstream processes will demonstrate the techno-economic recovery and production of these critical and important metals for the EU.
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