M-BAT

Project description

M-BAT is a European research and innovation initiative focused on strengthening Europe's independence in the battery raw materials supply chain by recovering critical materials from both primary and secondary resources available within Europe.

The project addresses the rapidly increasing demand for lithium, cobalt, nickel, manganese, and graphite driven by electric mobility and stationary energy storage systesm, while reducing reliance on imported raw materials that are often associated with geopolitical risks and environmental or social concerns. To achieve this, the consortium develops and demonstrates advanced recovery processes capable of extracting battery-grade materials from mining residues, metallurgical sludges, recycled battery “black mass”, and lithium-rich geothermal brines. The project combines hydrometallurgical, electrochemical, and flotation-based technologies to produce high-purity cobalt, nickel, and manganese sulfates, graphite, and lithium carbonate suitable for NMC811 cathodes and battery anodes.

A key contribution comes from ESECS, University of Bremen, which will be in charges of the development of the electrochemical ion-pump technology, aimed at the direct lithium extraction. In this process, lithium ions are selectively captured from the brines (various sources) within lithium-selective electrodes (e.g. based on manganese oxide) under an applied electric current and subsequently released into a separate recovery solution. This enables the generation of concentrated, high-purity lithium chloride streams under realistic operating conditions.

The project aims to validate all process routes in industriall relevant environments at TRL 6-7 while following safe and sustainable by design principles. Environmental performance, economic feasibility, and social impacts are evaluated alongside the technical development to support future industrial deployment across Europe. Demonstration activities include a pilot installation at the Cornish Lithium geothermal site designed to produce approximately 350 kg of lithium carbonate annually. The recovered materials will be tested in complete battery cells, including NMC811 cathodes and graphite anodes, to verify their suitability for next-generation battery applications and to provide a foundation for large-scale European implementation of sustainable battery material recovery technologies.