Li-ion batteries are a key technology for e-mobility. To supply the rapidly growing battery industry with sustainable and high-quality carbon additives, the low carbon footprint Acetylene Black of Orion and the resource-efficient Carbon Nanotubes of Arkema will be upscaled, combined and commercialized. The materials will be evaluated on lab and pilot scale by the Fraunhofer, Aalto and Customcells. An LCA will be performed by University Bordeaux.

To meet the goals of the European Green Deal’s Circular Economy Action Plan and support the implementation of the new Batteries Regulation, a holistic battery LCA database will be created to enable more reliable and relevant Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) studies. The database will be commercialized by ecoinvent in cooperation with a new start-up (created within the project), which will offer unique benchmarking, certification and consulting services as well as new tools and datasets.

The IMAGINE-III project is the extension of the successful legacy KAVA IMAGINE-I and IMAGINE-II projects. A consortium of five top universities and 1 industry partner, established 8 double master degree tracks that deliver the EIT-Labelled Sustainable Materials (SUMA) Master Programme. IMAGINE-III will expand the consortium to RIS countries, add digitalization into curricula and strengthen the SUMA innovation and entrepreneurship initiatives.

There is a strong need to implement Rare-Earths recycling technologies in large-scale systems. The INSPIRES project aims at recovering and supplying Rare-Earths within the EU through radical innovations in the recycling of permanent magnets, focusing on one of the most readily available sources: home appliances. INSPIRES will optimize methods at industrial scale for sustainable extraction and recycling and use of recycled magnets in new motors.

The project will establish courses that train industry professionals, making them “material risk managers” capable to identify and take action to mitigate their specific company supply risks. The trainings will be connected to a newly established conference on criticality, which will be the internationally leading platform to discuss global trends in criticality and share industry practices. A special focus will be on REEs in magnetic motors.

LYDIA aims to commercialize low cost components (30% lower to commercial) for hydrogen devices (fuel cell, electrolyzers) through recycling end of life membrane electrode assembly (MEAs) and extraction of PGMs. The new LYDIA unit through a joint venture will recycle 3 M MEAs to produce 200 kg PGM electrocatalysts and 36000 m2 Nafion membrane, to be applied in new MEAs and be utilised in the manufacturing of low-cost green energy production devices for e-mobility.

Development and consolidation of the MEITIM EIT Label MSc program (120 ECTS) to train and educate the new generations of technologists and entrepreneurs that will understand the whole raw materials value chain and will have the ability to integrate innovations and new technologies into innovative and feasible business solutions with high impact and added value in the raw materials industry.