Critical raw materials: from spent catalysts to batteries, here are the 4 Italian projects chosen by Brussels
The four projects were selected from the European list of strategic projects. Minister Pichetto Fratin: Italy's strong orientation towards circularity is confirmed
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Key points
3' min read
From the recovery of palladium from spent catalysts in Tuscany to the treatment of battery materials in Sardinia, via the optimisation of industrial waste water or the recycling of permanent magnets extracted from hard disks and electric motors. These are the strands at the heart of the four Italian projects selected by the European Commission in the final list of strategic projects for critical raw materials. These 47 European projects will contribute to strengthening the Union's self-sufficiency in terms of raw material supplies, reducing dependence on external sources and making value chains increasingly resilient and sustainable.
A multi-stage process
.The new projects represent an important milestone in the implementation of the Critical Raw Materials Act, which aims to ensure that European extraction, processing and recycling of critical and strategic raw materials meet respectively 10%, 40% and 25% of EU demand by 2030. After a process developed in several stages, both European and national, Italy achieved an important result: out of ten recycling projects recognised as strategic at European level, four are in Italy: in Veneto, Tuscany, Lazio and Sardinia.
Pichetto Fratin: projects confirm Italy's strong orientation towards circularity
According to the Minister for the Environment and Energy Security, Gilberto Pichetto Fratin, 'the result obtained - for the first time since the approval of the Critical Raw Materials Act and the approval of the new Italian law - gives the start to a new vision of the raw materials sector in Italy, focused on competitiveness but also on environmental, economic and social sustainability. Finally,' the minister adds, 'the Italian projects that have been recognised as strategic projects confirm our country's strong orientation towards circularity, valorisation, and the efficient use of resources'.
Palladium Recovery in Tuscany
.In detail, the Tuscan 'Alpha Project', promoted by Solvay Chimica Italia, aims to build a plant to recover palladium from spent catalysts and reuse it to produce new catalysts. The plant, to be built in Rosignano Marittimo, will apply a technology conceptualised and tested at laboratory level by the Belgian group. Hydrogen peroxide, in its 'ultrapure' version - like the one made at the Solvay site in Rosignano - is used in the semiconductor industry, for the manufacture of chips used in latest-generation devices.
The road to hydrometallurgy in Lazio
.In Lazio, the EU's choice fell on the 'Life22-Env-It-Inspiree' project, promoted by Itelyum Regeneration. The project aims to create one of Europe's first industrial plants for the recovery of rare earths from permanent magnets extracted from hard disks and electric motors. The project involves the disassembly of magnets and the recovery of rare earths through hydrometallurgy. Inspiree will build on results from previous EU-funded pilot projects. The hydrometallurgical process, patented by one of the partners, was transferred to Itelyum.
