Synergies
Explore the ongoing XTRACT synergy projects below. Stay tuned for updates as more collaborations are added!
LITHOS Project
LITHOS stands for a cost-effective processing and refining of lithium into lithium hydroxide from strategic European multi-mineral lithium hard-rock projects. LITHOS triggers innovations along the value chain – mineral processing, concentrate pre-treatment & hydrometallurgical refining – making it possible to deal with different levels and types of impurities in non-spodumene Li minerals (lepidolite & petalite). LITHOS gives specific attention to closed-loop water systems in the mineral processing (KPI: 90% less water consumption). The overall CO2 emissions of the LITHOS flowsheet will be 50% lower than today’s benchmark (production of spodumene concentrate in Australia & refining in China). This work is enriched by bespoke thermodynamic modelling and digital twins. LITHOS intends to replicate the LITHOS “responsible mining and refining” concept to the other 24 identified Li-hard-rock deposits in Europe. LITHOS’s meta-objective is to unleash Europe’s full Li-hard-rock ore potential (total: 8.8 Mt Li2O) so as to become self-sufficient by 2030–35 in terms of made-in-Europe LiOH·H2O.
NETHELIX Project
NETHELIX is dedicated to pioneering responsible mining. The focus includes developing eco-friendly machinery, ensuring worker safety, and pioneering new, less impactful extraction methods. The technology seeks to reshape the industry with a lighter ecological footprint. NETHELIX is deeply committed to fostering an eco-conscious and safety-focused mining industry. At its core, the approach involves developing environmentally friendly machinery and innovating in mineral extraction techniques. It emphasizes reducing ecological footprints and prioritizing worker safety.
METALLICO Project
The METALLICO project presents a new opportunity for the EU, as there are industrially underexploited and unexploited resources containing battery metals. METALLICO is composed of a strategic consortium spanning the entire 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 aiming to enhance social participation (including support from government bodies), sustainability, and the commercial potential of the proposed solutions.
METALLICO includes four case studies in the EU to recover: battery-grade Li2CO3 from a primary spodumene-lepidolite deposit; Co concentrates and battery-grade CoSO4 from a secondary resource at a mine; and Cu, Co, Mn, and Ni concentrates from metallurgical slag from a Pb refining company and from secondary mine tailings.
In this context, the upscaling of sustainable and innovative upstream and downstream processes will demonstrate the techno-economic recovery and production of these critical and strategic metals for the EU.
Objectives:
- Recover valuable materials from primary and secondary resources
- Demonstrate sustainable production and recovery of critical battery metals
- Assess the end use of recovered battery metals
- Identify and characterise critical battery metals using innovative technologies
- Enable social participation, stakeholder engagement, and networking
PERSEPHONE Project
The continuous effort and increased demand of the raw materials are directing the mining companies to excavate minerals at greater depths. This trend is challenging the current mining operations and the existing traditional technologies towards the objective to retain profitability, while achieving the latest Green Deal environmental vision and securing human workers safety. A key enabler, to address these challenges and to foster a sustainable development of the mining industry, is the development and deployment of innovative technologies for resource efficient extraction of the EU’s raw materials, as well as near mine exploration of critical raw materials in currently non-extracted ore bodies in existing or abandoned ones. PERSEPHONE is aiming to address these challenges by developing of the pioneering technologies for pushing the limits of EU mining industry and embodiment of autonomous and integrated near mine exploration capability to access deep deposits of critical raw materials through hard-to-reach deep and abandoned mines. The overall concept and vision of PERSEPHONE will be achieved by reducing the size of mining machines currently adapted to the human scale and embedding autonomy for risk-aware navigation and full digitalization of the extraction process by digital twin creation and key enabling technologies validation at TRL 5. Additionally, PERSEPHONE is introducing completely novel approaches in online near mine exploration core analysis and overall integration of related data analytics to the mine expansion. Thus, PERSEPHONE allows to foster green transition by reducing the cost and waste generated from deep-mining operations and foster the vision of zero human presence in highly hazardous areas. These will allow to achieve PERSEPHONE’s overall goal to digitalize and automate extraction value chain by creation of new concepts of energy-efficient autonomous drilling machines with advanced perception capabilities for navigation, face drilling, and core extraction, which will enable data-driven digital twin creation and geological modelling for further enhanced decision support and optimal extraction planning.
AVANTIS Project
AVANTIS addresses Europe’s largely unexploited low-grade vanadium-bearing titanomagnetite deposits across Finland, Sweden, Greenland, Norway, Poland and Ukraine, which are currently uneconomic due to their complex mineralogy. Without selective blasting, selective fragmentation and pre-concentration technologies to separate the Ti-rich ilmenite grains from the V-bearing magnetite, these deposits are not economically viable. By combining forensic geometallurgy with a novel selective-blasting strategy, the project aims to enhance early mineral liberation while reducing downstream energy use. In parallel, AVANTIS will develop tailored water-free and water-lean pre-concentration technologies to generate two separate products: a Ti-rich ilmenite pre-concentrate and an ilmenite-free V pre-concentrate.
START Project
The START Project (Sustainable Energy Harvesting Systems Based on Innovative Mine Waste Recycling) is an EU-funded initiative under the Horizon Europe Programme. It aims to create sustainable, tellurium-free thermoelectric systems for harvesting waste heat, using secondary raw materials sourced from mining waste within the European Union.
By collecting and repurposing waste sulphides from deactivated mine dumps and tailings, START offers an innovative solution to reduce resource dependency, align with the European Green Deal objectives, and promote a circular economy.
The project’s primary goal is to develop sustainable and economically viable thermoelectric technologies for applications in heavy industry, maritime sectors, and as power sources for off-grid sensors and IoT devices.
MINE.IO Project
MINE.IO , a Holistic Digital Mine 4.0 Ecosystem, is a €14M, 42-month project bringing together 25 partners focused on industrialization, informatization, and sustainable development of the mining sector. It aims to provide solutions that will build a novel mining digital ecosystem and a systemic structure for the implementation of Industry 4.0 in mining industrial environments. MINE.IO solution will embrace the whole mining system value chain from resources’ exploration, extraction, and processing to waste management and post-mining activities, with seven pilot use cases in Germany, Poland, Greece, Finland, and Portugal.
BLOOM Project
BLOOM is a Horizon Europe initiative with a €7.5M budget uniting 15 partners across 4 European countries, as well as Canada and Brazil. The project is focused on facilitating the exploitation of primary critical raw materials (CRMs, minerals and metals only) for the EU to strengthen EU supply chains by increasing efficiency in the extraction and processing of minerals with a smart and modular solids analysis system consisting of an online MLA (Mineral Liberation Analysis) with a sensor based on LIBS (Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy) technology, which enables the integration of advanced control loops at different stages of processing on mining sites, based on Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence techniques, or data-driven extraction operations based on accurate mineralogy information from the site.
REPTiS Project
The REPTiS project ("Responsible Extraction and Processing of Titanium and other Primary Raw Materials for Sourcing EU Industrial Value Chains and Strategic Sectors", Horizon Europe Grant agreement ID: 101177704) is a four-year initiative started in September 2024 to establish a sustainable EU supply chain for titanium alloy powders for powder metallurgy from a strategic partner country for the EU.
It focuses on scaling up an innovative process developed in Ukraine to convert local ilmenite ore into high-quality powders, bypassing traditional methods. The project aims to validate these powders for use in key EU industries like medical, consumer goods, and aerospace, through powder metallurgy processes. A comprehensive sustainability assessment will also be conducted. The goal is to create a reliable European source of this critical raw material, enhancing the EU's strategic autonomy.
ZEROSTEEL Project
The ZEROSTEEL project is a research and innovation initiative under the Horizon Europe Programme, specifically targeting the green and digital transition of the steel industry. It aims to radically reduce the carbon footprint of steel production by developing and integrating a suite of novel, near-zero-emission technologies across the entire production chain. The consortium brings together 18 leading partners from across Europe and beyond, including universities, research institutions, technology developers, small and medium-sized enterprises, and major industrial players from the steel, mining, and renewable energy sectors. The project's core ambition is to replace carbon-intensive processes with clean alternatives. Central to this effort is the development and scale-up of four innovative hydrogen-based iron ore reduction pathways: Fluidized Bed Direct Reduction, Rotary Kiln Direct Reduction, Hydrogen Plasma Smelting Reduction (HPSR), and Microwave-Assisted Reduction. These methods are designed to operate with hydrogen produced from renewable sources, process fine ores without the need for pelletization, and achieve very high metallization rates. Furthermore, ZEROSTEEL will integrate biomass valorization through a novel Chemical Looping Pre-reduction (CLpre) process, which uses low-grade biomass to pre-heat and partially pre-reduce iron ore, simultaneously generating a pure CO2 stream for utilization or storage. To close the loop on carbon, sustainably produced biochar will be investigated as a replacement for fossil carbon in slag foaming during Electric Arc Furnace (EAF) operations. Beyond the reduction stage, ZEROSTEEL addresses downstream emissions by pioneering CO2-free technologies for reheating and shaping steel. This includes a hybrid hydrogen plasma torch system and Renewable Energy Source (RES)-based induction and conduction heating methods. A key digital innovation is the development of a Digital Twin for AI-based steel quality monitoring and process optimization, aimed at enhancing efficiency, consistency, and predictive maintenance. The technical work is supported by comprehensive Sustainability Life Cycle Assessment to quantify the benefits, alongside the development of a clear business case and exploitation plan to facilitate future market adoption. The expected impact of ZEROSTEEL is significant, targeting a reduction of over 90% in CO2 emissions compared to conventional routes, while strengthening European leadership in clean steel technology, contributing to the goals of the European Green Deal, and promoting a sustainable, competitive, and resilient industrial future.
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This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Programme under Grant Agreement no. 101138432
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