INEGI obtains 2.25 M€ of european funding to make the battery value chain more sustainable

INEGI will participate in five collaborative projects within a European program dedicated to climate, energy and mobility and, more specifically, to the future of the battery value chain.

These five projects focus on various points in the battery value chain, such as lithium recovery and recycling, development of 4th generation solid-state batteries, new techniques for producing and processing cell components, and manufacturing solutions, between others.

With the energy transition underway, the European Union anticipates that demand for batteries will grow in the coming years, forecasting a turnover of 250 billion euros per year in 2025. Batteries are also a fundamental part of the commitment to carbon neutrality, therefore, alongside the commitment to technological and industrial leadership, it is considered essential to guarantee sustainable processes in the refining and recycling of batteries.

INEGI will lead research activities related to sustainability, being responsible for carrying out life cycle assessment studies (LCA), and economic and social analysis of the solutions to be developed.

As Luís Oliveira, responsible for projects at the Institute, explains, "from the extraction of raw materials to recycling, it is imperative to focus on reducing the carbon footprint and increasing energy efficiency and the resources associated with these new technologies”.

"Our objective is to introduce sustainability parameters in the design of these products and systems to optimize their final performance, always from a system perspective", adds Joana Gouveia, member of the INEGI team.

Funded under Horizon Europe 2021, the work will run until 2026, and will contribute to creating a resilient, sustainable and globally competitive European industry, less dependent on its competitors in terms of technology and the import of chemicals and raw materials.