Engis, Belgium
HYDROMETAL S.A. is pleased to join the Important Project of Common European Interest (IPCEI) along the entire battery value chain initiated by the European Commission. This project involves ambitious research and development activities to deliver beyond the state-of-the-art innovation across the batteries value chain, from mining and processing the raw materials, production of advanced chemical materials, the design of battery cells and modules and their integration into smart systems, to the recycling and repurposing of used batteries. Innovation will also specifically aim at improving the environmental sustainability in all segments of the battery value chain. It aims to reduce the CO2 footprint and the waste generated along the different production processes as well as develop environmentally friendly and sustainable dismantling, recycling and refining in line with circular economy principles. The 42 direct participants, including small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and start-ups will closely cooperate with each other through nearly 300 collaborations envisaged, and with over 150 external partners, such as universities, research organisations and SMEs across Europe.
HYDROMETAL SA is a major recycling and recovery plant for complex materials and by- products containing a wide range of non-ferrous metals. HYDROMETAL is a subsidiary of JEAN GOLDSCHMIDT INTERNATIONAL S.A. (JGI) a Belgium based company active in the recycling and trading of non-ferrous metals bearing materials. The company offers a valuable alternative to the disposal of waste and contributes significantly to the development of sustainable solutions to reduce the consumption of natural resources and more specifically critical raw materials. It has a proven track record in developing specific process technology recovering valuable critical raw materials from different complex metal bearing streams and hydrometallurgical processes generating low CO2 emissions and limited ultimate waste.
The aim of HYDROMETAL within the “IPCEI” is to contribute to the development of recycling streams for spent battery materials using hydrometallurgical technologies and allow the critical materials to be re-introduced as raw materials in order to close the loop and reduce European dependency on these critical elements. Its ambition is also to improve the recycling efficiency rate for those battery materials by offering a larger range of recycling possibilities to the various valuable components.