Innovative Process Loops and Materials for Electrified Brine Valorizationbroad
BrinE-loop · Horizon Europe grant · 2026-10-01–2030-09-30
EC contribution
Total cost
Beneficiaries
About the data
Source: CORDIS (official EU open data), Horizon Europe. Framework HORIZON · call HORIZON-EIC-2025-PATHFINDERCHALLENGES-01 · scheme HORIZON-EIC · topic HORIZON-EIC-2025-PATHFINDERCHALLENGES-01-04. CORDIS record →
Objective
Desalination brines are usually discarded or treated using costly, chemical- and energy-intensive methods, leading to loss of critical metals and high emissions. BrinE-Loop introduces an electrified, closed-loop system that generates its own reagents for brine treatment, minimizing external chemical use. For the first time, this project will also demonstrate the use of desalination brine as a reagent to selectively recover lithium from battery black mass containing lithium iron phosphate (LFP).BrinE-Loop integrates interoperable electrochemical processes that treat brine as a resource. Electrodialysis with monovalent-selective membranes separates divalent- and monovalent-rich streams; ion-selective redox flow desalination separates magnesium; and electrochemical lithium ion pumping captures lithium selectively. The monovalent-rich stream feeds a chlor-alkali reactor, whose anodic products are internally captured and utilized as redox mediators to selectively dissolve lithium from LFP black mass. The cathodic alkali hydroxides serve as reagents to remove divalent ions by precipitation. Hydrogen from the chlor-alkali step is consumed by a fuel-cell deionization reactor that deionizes lithium halide streams, forming LiOH and acid as key products. The acid is reused to release CO2 from brines, which is then internally converted into lithium carbonate and calcium carbonate.BrinE-Loop’s defining innovation is the complete internal reuse of all electrochemical co-products (acid, alkali, hydrogen, halogens, and CO2), transforming desalination brines from waste into a valuable source of reagents. This approach turns a major waste stream into high-value critical minerals and industrial chemicals, cutting environmental impact while generating new revenue.
Beneficiaries (5)
| Organisation | Country | Role | EC contribution | SME |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| POLITECHNIKA WROCLAWSKA | PL | coordinator | €779,728 | |
| Ioniqs B.V. | NL | participant | €1,193,330 | |
| UNIVERSITE LIBRE DE BRUXELLES | BE | participant | €815,616 | |
| NORGES TEKNISK-NATURVITENSKAPELIGE UNIVERSITET NTNU | NO | participant | €609,280 | |
| UNIVERSITAET BREMEN | DE | participant | €588,350 |
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