The European Union is stepping up efforts to secure critical raw materials for the energy transition through a new Horizon Europe–funded initiative called M-BAT, in which the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (Fraunhofer ISE) is participating, according to information released the consortium and the institute.

The project, formally titled “Recovery of battery-grade materials from primary and secondary sources using innovative technologies”, brings together 18 partners from seven countries and aims to reduce Europe’s dependence on raw material imports by developing advanced chemical processes to recover lithium, cobalt, nickel, manganese, and graphite. These materials are essential for electric vehicles, energy storage systems, and electronic devices, all central to the EU’s energy transition strategy.

A core objective of M-BAT is to bring recycling and extraction technologies closer to industrial deployment. The consortium will demonstrate four sustainable and cost-efficient processes up to pilot scale (Technology Readiness Level 6/7), with validation carried out alongside industrial partners. The recovered materials will be integrated into NMC811 cathodes and anodes to test their suitability for battery manufacturing.

Pilot and demonstration activities will be carried out in Spain, Poland, and the United Kingdom, where the technologies will be tested under near-industrial operating conditions, helping bridge the gap between research and commercial deployment.

The project will focus on multiple primary and secondary raw material sources, including mining waste, industrial sludge, “black mass” from end-of-life lithium-ion batteries, and lithium-rich geothermal brines.

Fraunhofer ISE will contribute its expertise in direct lithium extraction (DLE) from geothermal brines. As part of the project, the institute will install a demonstrator at a geothermal power plant operated by Cornish Lithium PLC in the United Kingdom. The system will cover the full extraction chain, from selective lithium recovery to lithium carbonate precipitation, producing battery-grade material.

The technology is based on an electrochemical ion pump system designed to separate lithium from complex geothermal brines without energy-intensive precipitation steps, improving process efficiency in challenging extraction environments, according to Fraunhofer ISE project manager Dr. Joachim Koschikowski.

Funded under the European Union’s Horizon Europe programme, M-BAT is part of broader EU efforts to strengthen strategic autonomy in critical raw materials while scaling up circular and domestic supply chains for the battery industry.