October 2023 – Envirobat España

Envirobat España participated with the presence of our CEO, Mr. Borja Álvarez, and the Commercial Director, Mr. Christophe Kleindienst, on October 19th at the Kick-off Meeting of the BATMASS Project, held at the Sala Consiglio, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Politecnico di Milano, Italy.

Envirobat is part of a consortium consisting of 15 entities that will develop the BATMASS Project, including notable participants such as Green Vision SASU, Universita Degli Studi di Pavia (UNIPV), Verkor, Lomarttov SL, Orano Mining, Politecnico di Milano (POLIMI), ERP Italia Servizi SRL, Fundación Corporación Tecnológica de Andalucía (FCTA), Nanofaber SRL, Associazione Fabbrica Intelligente Lombardia (AFIL), N-Able, among others.

BATMASS aims to establish the first Circular Battery Valley in the EU for second-life, recycling, and remanufacturing of materials and black mass. It offers a portfolio of interregional investment in TRL6+ innovations in circular technologies and processes for battery materials. BATMASS mobilizes an interregional ecosystem centered around four demonstrators or “demonstration beacons” aimed at scaling up, commercializing, and deploying innovative green technologies. With a total investment cost close to €10,000,000.00, funded through the EU’s I3 Interregional Innovation and Research program, Envirobat is the 4th partner to receive the highest amount of granted aid for project development, with over €820,000.00.

BATMASS will save 59,000 tons of precursor materials and contribute to achieving the EU’s strategic objectives in terms of resilience and the environment. BATMASS mobilizes an interregional integrated ecosystem focused on scaling up, commercializing, and deploying innovative green recycling technology. Stay tuned for more updates on the EU BATMASS project!

On October 19th, Envirobat España participated in the sessions of the II Meeting of the Circular Economy Agents Network of Castilla-La Mancha, held at the Cigarral del Ángel Custodio #Toledo Auditorium, organized by the General Directorate of Circular Economy of Castilla-La Mancha. Our R&D Department Director, Mr. Micheel Acosta, participated and was part of the panel on “Advancements and Needs: Preparing for New Initiatives: Secondary Raw Materials in the EU,” sharing the panel with Ms. Margarita Ruiz, Deputy Director General of Circular Economy at the Ministry for Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge; Mr. Luis Moreno, CEO of the Ecolec Foundation; Mr. Victor Monsalvo, Director of Innovation at Aqualia; and with moderation by the Co-director of the Circular Economy Chair at the University of Castilla-La Mancha.

Envirobat understands that Circular Economy is a sustainable production and consumption model that aims to transition from the loss of value in a linear model to capturing value in a circular model, keeping resources in the chain of productive cycles for as long as possible. Mr. Micheel Acosta presented the 2Cycle Project (Second Life in Lithium-Ion Batteries) developed by Envirobat as a clear example of a circular economy business model in the extension of the lifespan of cylindrical 18650 and 21700 Lithium-Ion battery cells derived from battery waste. The 2Cycle initiative will apply sustainable design implementation (Ecodesign), combining design thinking with circularity methodology, for the manufacturing of new battery packs intended for stationary use in homes, connected to clean energy generation plants, to supply renewable energy to individual mobility vehicles (electric scooters, bicycles, hoverboards, etc.).

The 2Cycle Project aims to reduce 500 tons of this waste, as well as reduce GHG emissions by 1,631.43 t CO2e, promoting a circular business model, enhancing the generation of renewable energy and sustainable mobility, offering scalable and efficient reuse of recovered cells for their second life. This initiative is supported by a grant from the Junta de Comunidades de Castilla-La Mancha “Ayudas – Adelante Inversión” for the promotion of investment and improvement of business productivity, co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund.