About
BATCircle3.0 - Joint industry-academia project
- 4 research organizations
- 3 universities
- 1 research center
- 13 companies
- 5 large companies
- 8 small and medium-sized enterprises
- €13.1M funding
- granted by Business Finland
- three years
The BATCircle3.0 ecosystem consists of key Finnish research and industrial actors involved in the battery metals sector. The ecosystem comprises three universities (Aalto University, University of Oulu, LUT University), one research centre (VTT), five large and eight small or medium size companies (see full list of project members below) with a total funding of €13.1M. The BATCircle3.0 ecosystem has been formed under Business Finland's “Hydrogen & Batteries – Dual Helix of Decarbonization” program. The cooperation effort is expected to lead to the formation of a domestic battery metals ecosystem that follows the principles of circular economy.
Key topics
Battery chemistries are ever-evolving and becoming more complex over time. This is an inevitable development, as innovations are necessary to further improve the performance of future batteries. Radical shifts in the field could unleash significant economic potential for those who get involved early.
Recycling processes must also evolve with the changing world, as new chemistries complicate the material feed. Often, extensive effort is required to produce commercial-grade products from complex raw materials, which is no different for battery recycling. From a closed-loop perspective, it is imperative to stay ahead of the curve when adapting to changing feed compositions.
Research efforts in this area catalyze the transition of the Finnish battery ecosystem to the next generation of battery materials. Essentially, the focus is on synthesizing cobalt-free precursors from recycled batteries, creating battery materials of the future, integrating their recycling into existing processes, and developing more accurate material testing methods.
Synthesizing new products from recycled materials is tricky. Companies running recycling processes seldom have the privilege of knowing exactly what type of input they are receiving at any given time. Unlike in primary production, where concentrates are well-analyzed and blending can be used to mitigate fluctuations in the feed, recycled streams are more heterogeneous due to the vast number of different types of batteries in circulation, which complicates the production of pure precursor chemicals.
To synthesize well-performing new batteries from recycled ones, ways to purify the recycled feed and the effect of impurities on the products must be studied. Under this topic, the research aims to answer these questions. Improving the recycling efficiency of under-recovered elements and developing new recycling methods are also in the scope of this work package.
Battery recycling is not a purely standalone industry but a part of the broader chemical and metallurgical complex. Just like metallurgical processes benefit from being intertwined, integrating battery recycling into existing chemical processes presents synergistic opportunities. Sustainability and minimization of waste are essential topics when considering new processing routes, and comparably, the impact of introducing new raw materials to old processes must be considered beforehand.
This area focuses on synergistic recycling, sustainability of battery materials processing, and improving material efficiency through better chemical circulation in the processes.
Project members and roles
Open research in BATCircle3.0 is conducted by academic partners, while confidential research is undertaken in company-specific R&I projects. The ecosystem is coordinated by Aalto University.
Members of BATCircle3.0 are tightly involved in EU-level decision-making and other activities at different levels. For example, Aalto University is heading the Working Group 2 of ETIP Batteries Europe, “Raw Materials and Recycling”. Company members Fortum, Keliber and Terrafame have participated in an Important Project of Common European Interest (IPCEI). Additionally, Aalto University, GTK, VTT, University of Oulu, Finnish Minerals Group, Fortum and Metso Outotec are represented in the Batteries European Partnership Association (BEPA).
A key objective of the BATCircle projects is to find ways to add value to the battery metals sector and strengthen collaboration between companies and research organizations. The aim is to conduct high quality research throughout this value chain, both in academia and industry, to increase the competitiveness and business potential of Finnish battery metals sector. This will be achieved through more efficient screening and utilization of domestic mineral resources, enhancement of metal refining processes, more efficient recycling of battery metals, improved cooperation between companies and research organizations, and identification of new business opportunities between partners.
Consortium
The BATCircle3.0 consortium consists of four research organizations, five large companies and eight small- and medium-sized enterprises:
Research organizations
Aalto University | LUT University
University of Oulu | VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland
Large companies (IND)
Umicore Battery Materials Finland | Finnish Minerals Group
Fortum Battery Technologies | Metso | Keliber Technology
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)
AkkuSer | BroadBit | Grafintec
FinnCobalt | FunktioMat | CeLLife Technologies
WeeeFiner | X-Ray Mineral Services
Advisory board
AaltoECS | AaltoDIEM | Aurubis | Akkukierrätys Pb | Boliden | CLIC Innovation | Detection Technology | EIT InnoEnergy | EIT RawMaterials | Ethica | Glencore Nikkelverk | Hitachi High Tech Analytical Science Finland | Hycamite | Kemira | Koppers | Linde Gas | Mitsubishi Corporation | Primobius | Recser | SAMK | Sensmet | Shift Materials | Spinverse | Stora Enso | Tracegrow | University of Vaasa | Veolia | Worley
What is the purpose of the Advisory Board?
The Advisory Board (AB) was established to extend the battery network from Finland to Europe and worldwide. The AB will support the consortium through regular collaboration and knowledge exchange, e.g., on battery recycling, safety, and the evaluation of new developments. The AB also contributes to making use of the results, however having no decision-making power. The role of an AB member is informal, requiring no money or fixed manpower; it’s all about the AB members' will to participate.
What do the members receive?
- Annual invitations to open seminars
- A chance to meet consortium/other AB members
- Hear about the development of BATCircle open research
- Share and exchange knowledge with other stakeholders in the battery sector
- Annual invitations to AB webinars
- The opportunity to arrange webinars/discussions with other stakeholders
How to join the AB?
Interested in being a part of bleeding-edge battery research? To join the AB, send an email describing your interest in the Finnish battery sector and your competencies to the project manager, Sipi Seisko (sipi.seisko@aalto.fi).
