Critical raw materials and circular economy: A new way forward for Europe?

Since late 2019, the European Green Deal has been one of the defining themes of EU policy: a wide-ranging package of initiatives intended to put Europe on a path to becoming the world’s first climate-neutral continent by 2050. From the beginning, policy makers have underlined that attaining this long-term goal will depend heavily on European industry, plus other research and innovation (R&I) organisations, to lead the way – both in developing and adopting net-zero technologies, and in embracing circularity in mass production and consumption systems.

During the intervening years, various crises have revealed Europe’s vulnerabilities in global supply and manufacturing chains, not least around access to and use of critical raw materials. This has particular relevance for large-scale processing industries – such as aluminum, steel, cement and glass – which have become an international battleground for primary and secondary raw materials, as well as the location of key refining and processing facilities. Put simply, if the EU wishes to remain globally competitive and autonomous in these sectors in the years ahead, it will need to use every asset at its disposal – of which its historical excellence in science and technology is one of the most valuable.

So what can be done to make Europe more materially resilient while increasing climate-friendly competitiveness? The SisAl Pilot project is a ‘live’ case study of how industry-science partnerships can contribute – in this instance around silicon, a vital component in sectors ranging from semiconductors, steel and energy to aerospace, automotive and glass. Featuring a coalition of 22 partners funded by the EU’s Horizon 2020 research programme, the project’s strategic objective has been to scale up, demonstrate and patent a new carbon-clean technology to produce silicon and silicon alloys, along with metallurgical grade alumina (MGA) and high purity alumina (HPA).

Fundamentally, the SisAl Pilot is grounded in a novel approach to extracting these metals and alloys from quartz in slag. In basic terms, this means using secondary raw materials – such as aluminium scrap and dross – instead of high-carbon-intensity equivalents in furnace-based reduction processes. With partners having validated the solution up to TRL 7, along with product quality, environmental impact and economic parameters, the stage is now set for commercialisation and the creation of new opportunities for relevant European industries.  

The results of the SisAl project are thus an entry point into a wider set of discussions: what are the most effective pathways to commercialising circular, net-zero technologies and solutions in Europe? Which levers are available to support market uptake and scaling, including ways to secure access to the primary and secondary materials on which these breakthrough technologies depend? And what else should the EU and member-states consider to increase Europe’s production capacity and valorisation of waste streams?  On October 15, Science|Business – in collaboration with the SisAl Pilot consortium – will convene a select group of senior figures from the worlds of policy, industry, research and finance to address these important questions and generate recommendations for policy makers to consider as the EU prepares its next wave of R&I programmes to support climate neutrality, circular economy and competitiveness.