Driving Europe's battery independence and sustainability

STREAMS GREEnMat bandeau

The GREEnMat laboratory from the University of Liège is pleased to be involved since January 2024 in the Horizon EUROPE project "STREAMS" that aims at developing sustainable technologies to reduce Europe's dependence on the raw materials used in batteries.

Embarking on a groundbreaking mission, the STREAMS Project aims to revolutionise Europe's position in the battery manufacturing landscape. Funded by the Horizon Europe Programme under Grant Agreement No. 101137771, this pioneering initiative aims to strengthen the domestic battery materials supply chain, diminish Europe's reliance on imported raw materials, and boost its resilience, competitiveness, and strategic autonomy in the global battery manufacturing industry.

Over a time period of three years, STREAMS will address the critical imperative to support Europe's economic foundation, aligning it with the green and digital transitions, while reducing dependence on Critical Raw Materials (CRMs) from external sources.

Led by the Austrian Institute of Technology (AIT GMBH), STREAMS addresses the European Union's challenges in sourcing critical raw materials for batteries, encompassing lithium, nickel, cobalt, and beyond. This initiative aligns closely with sustainable development goals, targeting clean energy, decent work, responsible consumption, and climate action. Positioned strategically, STREAMS contributes significantly to Europe's battery independence by pioneering sustainable technologies for raw material recovery, in accordance with the Strategic Action Plan on Batteries and proposed regulations.

To achieve its objectives effectively, STREAMS will focus on several key areas:

Strengthening the domestic supply chain: STREAMS will bolster Europe's battery materials supply chain, diminishing dependency on imported raw materials and bolstering resilience, competitiveness, and strategic autonomy in the global battery manufacturing industry.
Comprehensive technological solutions: the project will develop at least 12 innovative, flexible and scalable technologies for the sustainable production of battery-grade precursors, anode, and cathode active materials.
Utilisation of diverse material streams: STREAMS will advocate for the utilisation of various primary and secondary sources, along with recycled battery mass, to further diminish reliance on sourcing raw materials from third countries.
Circular models for sustainability: by establishing circular models, manufacturing battery cells at a pilot scale, and testing according to established standards, STREAMS will identify optimal conditions for future exploitation of project results.

STREAMS stands at the forefront of Europe's efforts to secure its position in the global battery manufacturing industry while advancing sustainability and resilience objectives. Through collaboration, innovation, and commitment, we will help reshaping the future of battery technology and propel Europe towards a greener, more sustainable future!

STREAMS brings together an excellent consortium of 19 partners from 13 different countries. The consortium is composed of 5 Research centres/organisations, 4 Universities and 10 Industries & SMEs.

The consortium is well balanced and each partner has a clear role defined and brings a specific contribution along the value chain of the project.

In STREAMS, ULiège (GREEnMat) is in charge of coordinating Work Package 4 on production processes for transition metal precursors (Co, Ni, Mn, Fe,…) recovery from secondary sources and their use to prepare cathode active materials for Li-ion batteries.

In particular, GREEnMat is responsible for the synthesis of cathode active materials (NMC) by spray drying from recycled precursors, as well as the direct recycling of these active materials from end-of-life Li-ion batteries.

Learn more

Learn more about our mission to revolutionise battery technology and sustainability:

Stream project

ULiège Contact

GREEnMat : Abdelfattah MAHMOUD, GREEnMat Battery Group Leader

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under the Grant Agreement No 101137771. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.

Published on 7/16/24