SEArcularMINE

SEArcularMINE is developing leading technologies to ensure the sustainable supply of raw materials for key industrial value chains in Europe. Environmental sustainability is central to the project, embracing the respect for nature of ancient saltwork processes. The project aims to advance the traditional saltworks industry into the 21st Century using current infrastructure and minimising environmental and physical impacts by design. Using very concentrated seawater brine the team will focus on developing innovative, sustainable and cost-effective technologies that will contribute to securing European access to CRM. A critical aspect of the project will be a circular approach, aiming to eliminate the generation of waste streams. This circularity also avoids the use of any external inputs, maximising resource efficiency and economic viability. The project will target very low energy consumption, alongside using novel technology to generate electricity from salinity gradients of seawater. The team will also consider integration with desalination technologies which could potentially help mitigate the water scarcity crisis for local communities. The SEArcularMINE team is composed of 12 partner organisations from universities, research institutes, SMEs and multinationals from Europe and the wider Mediterranean basin co-ordinated by the University of Palermo in Sicily. SEArcularMINE has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 869467 (SEArcularMINE). This output reflects only the author’s view. The Executive Agency fo Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (EASME) and the European Commission cannot be held responsible for any use that may be made of the information contained therein.