EUROPEAN UNION PROJECTS

Introducing the STREAMS Project Sustainable Technologies for Reducing Europe’s battery raw Materials dependence

Driving Europe's Battery Independence and Sustainability

Embarking on a groundbreaking mission, the STREAMS Project aims to revolutionise Europe's position in the battery manufacturing landscape. Funded by the Horizon Europe Programme under Grant Agreement No. 101137771, this pioneering initiative aims to strengthen the domestic battery materials supply chain, diminish Europe's reliance on imported raw materials, and boost its resilience, competitiveness, and strategic autonomy in the global battery manufacturing industry.

Over a time period of three years, STREAMS will address the critical imperative to support Europe's economic foundation, aligning it with the green and digital transitions, while reducing dependence on Critical Raw Materials (CRMs) from external sources.

Led by the AIT Austrian Institute of Technology GMBH, STREAMS addresses the European Union's challenges in sourcing critical raw materials for batteries, encompassing lithium, nickel, cobalt, and beyond. This initiative aligns closely with sustainable development goals, targeting clean energy, decent work, responsible consumption, and climate action. Positioned strategically, STREAMS contributes significantly to Europe's battery independence by pioneering sustainable technologies for raw material recovery, in accordance with the Strategic Action Plan on Batteries and proposed regulations.

To achieve its objectives effectively, STREAMS will focus on several key areas:

1. Strengthening the domestic supply chain: STREAMS will bolster Europe's battery materials supply chain, diminishing dependency on imported raw materials and bolstering resilience, competitiveness, and strategic autonomy in the global battery manufacturing industry.
2. Comprehensive technological solutions: the project will develop at least 12 innovative, flexible and scalable technologies for the sustainable production of battery-grade precursors, anode, and cathode active materials.
3. Utilisation of diverse material streams: STREAMS will advocate for the utilisation of various primary and secondary sources, along with recycled battery mass, to further diminish reliance on third countries.
4. Circular models for sustainability: by establishing circular models, manufacturing battery cells at a pilot scale, and testing according to established standards, STREAMS will identify optimal conditions for future exploitation of project results.

STREAMS stands at the forefront of Europe's efforts to secure its position in the global battery manufacturing industry while advancing sustainability and resilience objectives. Through collaboration, innovation, and commitment, we will help reshaping the future of battery technology and propel Europe towards a greener, more sustainable future!

STREAMS brings together an excellent consortium of 19 partners from 13 different countries. The consortium is composed of 5 Research centres/organisations, 4 Universities and 10 Industries & SMEs.

The consortium is well balanced and each partner has a clear role defined and brings a specific contribution along the value chain of the project.

Research and development activities on secondary lithium ion batteries (LIB) are gaining value day by day with the increasing demand for portable electrical and electronic devices as well as the increasing importance of electric cars. It has many advantages, including cost reduction, slower capacity degradation, higher energy/power densities, and improved safety performance. For this reason, studies are being carried out to reduce external dependence on secondary metals such as Li and to improve the raw material supply chain. Recently, as an alternative to the development of new active materials and cell chemistries, new ways to convert existing, proven chemicals into more effective and efficient arrangements within LIB electrodes have begun to be explored. Without proper disposal, these waste batteries pose a serious threat to the environment, and the lost precious metals cause a huge waste of resources. Cathode active materials in spent LIBs are of interest due to their high precious metal content and high recycling value. STREAMS, under the name Horizon, strives to develop technologies that will strengthen the domestic battery materials supply chain, reduce Europe's dependence on imported raw material supplies, and increase its resilience, competitiveness and strategic autonomy in the global battery manufacturing industry. It will also be able to determine optimum conditions for future use of the project results by developing circular models, producing battery cells on a pilot scale and testing them according to established standards.

Eti Gübre treats 500,000 tons of pyrite annually as a mining by-product. This pyrite contains impurities such as aluminium, calcium, magnesium and silisium, as well as valuable elements such as cobalt, nickel and manganese. Precious metals in the calcine ash formed as a result of burning pyrite in the sulfuric acid production unit located in Eti Gübre metal recovery and integrated fertilizer facilities are recovered by the leaching process. Calcine ash is ground into sludge and then dissolved in an autoclave under high temperature and pressure conditions with the addition of oxygen and sulfuric acid. During this process, elements such as cobalt, zinc, copper, nickel and manganese pass into the solution. This solution, which contains metal sulfates, is enriched through appropriate hydrometallurgical process steps. In addition, Eti Gübre produces fertilizer along with metal recovery.

Under the Horizon project, Bayer liquor, extracted during alumina refining from bauxite residue, serves as a secondary source of lithium. Cengiz Holding subsidiary Eti Alüminyum supplies concentrated lithium in solid cake form to Eti Gübre for the production of lithium hydroxide and/or lithium carbonate. Eti Gübre, in collaboration with UOulu, will develop sustainable hydrometallurgical processes to produce lithium hydroxide and/or lithium carbonate from black mass and residual Bayer liquor. After laboratory optimization, scale-up will be carried out using semi-continuous pilot line units to maximize efficiency, improve product quality and minimize resource usage. The final lithium precursors will be distributed from the project partners to the work package four partners. At the same time, Eti Gübre will supply the work package four by recovering metals from Bayer cake and Ni-Co cake, purifying critical metals such as Co, Ni, Li, Mn by leaching method and creating sulfate salts from them. The aluminum-rich material remaining after lithium extraction at Eti Gübre will be characterized and sent back to Eti Alüminyum for reuse in the alumina refinery processes. The ash obtained from the roasting of pyrite at Eti Gübre will be used as a source for the extraction of cobalt, nickel and manganese. In the process flow, the materials that will be raw materials for cathode active materials, nickel sulfate hexahydrate from the solvent extraction raffinate, and manganese in the enriched cobalt sulfate solution will be separated; cobalt sulfate hepta hydrate and manganese sulfate mono hydrate salts will be produced and delivered to STREAMS partners.