AutoMat was in Oviedo, participating in “Critical Raw Materials and Batteries” – a successful cross fertilisation and clustering event organised for Li4Life by ISMC, held on Tuesday, 11th March 2025.

Luca Polidori, EU Relations & Innovation Exploitation Lead at ERP Italia Servizi, and Alberto González, Sustainability Technical Officer at LOMARTOV SL, delivered a joint presentation on the AutoMat Retrieve. Recycle. Recharge. and RENOVATE EU projects. Their talk highlighted collaborations and interoperable data sharing among Horizon-funded pilots, including SNAM, BeePlanet Factory, and FAAM – Energy Saving Battery.

Several key topics were discussed during the event, including innovative approaches to direct recycling and the application of the twelve principles of circular hydrometallurgy to reduce Europe’s dependence on nickel, cobalt, and manganese. A pilot project for lithium recovery and refining from underexploited deposits was also presented, alongside the development of an international circular supply chain focused on anodes and cathodes.

The challenges of solar panel recycling emerged as well, with proposals for reusing Si and SiC in new solar cells and batteries. Finally, zero-waste extraction processes and advanced analytical techniques were showcased, reinforcing the idea that today’s by-products could become tomorrow’s valuable resources.