CIC energiGUNE, the Basque benchmark research centre in electrochemical and thermal energy storage and conversion, is participating as a partner in the European project M-BAT – Battery-grade materials recovery from primary and secondary sources through innovative technologies. Funded by the Horizon Europe programme, the initiative aims to reduce the European Union’s dependence on critical raw materials by developing and scaling up sustainable technologies for the recovery of key battery materials.
Coordinated by IDENER, the project brings together a consortium of 18 partners and will run for 42 months, starting on 1 May 2026. Its objective is to advance the industrial scale-up, at TRL 6/7 levels, of four innovative technologies designed to produce nickel, cobalt, manganese, lithium and graphite from European sources such as mining waste, industrial sludges, black mass from end-of-life lithium-ion batteries, and mineral-rich geothermal waters.
Within this framework, CIC energiGUNE will contribute its specialised expertise in battery materials and technologies, with a role particularly focused on validating the recovered materials for use in real applications within the sector. This contribution will make it possible to assess whether the materials obtained meet the technical requirements of industry, strengthening the bridge between recovery processes and their future integration into the European battery value chain.
