Aalto University's BATCircle3.0 provides a leap in battery material and recycling research in Finland

In October 2024, Business Finland granted the BATCircle3.0 (Finland-based Circular Ecosystem of Battery Metals) consortium with 13.4 million euros for the next three years. BATCircle3.0 represents one of the most relevant and timely research areas as it targets the material transition in energy storage. BATCircle3.0 boosts dedicated battery recycling and battery materials research that builds on the earlier successes in pioneering national battery metal ecosystems 2019-2024. Moreover, BATCircle3.0 is a key project in Business Finland’s Hydrogen & Batteries – Dual Helix of Decarbonization[1] program. 

'I am extremely happy that the BATCircle consortium continues research and innovation work in form of BATCircle3.0 financed by Business Finland. BATCircle3.0 starts at exactly the right time when critical minerals, sustainability and recycling discussions are very active in big markets like Australia, EU and Canada. By working together as a big consortium, BATCircle3.0 partners will produce enhanced research results that will lead to creative application solutions of international significance. The Hydrogen and Batteries program welcomes this project as part of its growing innovation portfolio', explains Ilkka Homanen, Head of Hydrogen & Batteries, Business Finland. 

Finland is among the global leaders in the Li-ion battery value chain, as reflected by Bloomberg’s recent ranking[2, 3] due to strong ESG (environmental, social, and governance) and III (infrastructure, innovation, and industry) performances. This expertise in battery materials extraction, synthesis and recycling is critical for competitiveness in the green transition and ongoing global electrification efforts. Furthermore, the new EU Battery Regulation[4] has increased the demand for the recycling of specific battery components. BATCircle3.0 aims to enhance the circulation of valuable battery materials and develop feasible solutions for components that are currently not recycled. As the goals go beyond the ambition of the existing Battery Regulation, the intention is to further decrease the dependence on critical raw materials. Overall, such ambition highlights the need for co-innovative research at the academy-industry interface – based on good collaboration and knowledge exchange – to support both battery value chain development in Finland and enhance European competitiveness. 

'We are honoured to continue the BATCircle saga with focus on material transition in energy storage. Research focus has reformed from previous projects with a major emphasis on battery recycling and battery materials processing. We expect to create new innovations and future business potential for domestic battery metals ecosystem enabling the growth of a European ecosystem and further strengthening Finland´s position in the field', says Mari Lundström, Principal Investigator of BATCircle3.0 and Associate Professor at Aalto University, School of Chemical Engineering.  

The Finnish National Battery Strategy[5] highlights the importance of battery research to support the evolution towards a circular economy and sustainable societies. Through research and technological innovations, BATCircle3.0 will develop novel, innovative and sustainable ways of adding value to Finnish battery materials, refining and recycling sectors. In addition to strong domestic partnerships, the consortium has focus on international collaboration to strengthen capabilities, and competitiveness within the circular battery materials value chain.

BATCircle3.0 strives to develop next-generation battery chemistries and characterization methods as well as to understand the recyclability of future battery waste fractions, for example, the effects of impurities on processing. One aim is to establish a synergistic approach to processing, recycling, and chemical circulation for the economically sound and responsible use of recycled raw materials.   

'The BATCircle and BATCircle2.0 projects supported Fortum Battery Recycling (FBR) to develop comprehensive recycling services for lithium-ion battery customers. These projects aimed to make FBR one of the first recycled battery chemicals producers with a very low CO2 footprint. BATCircle3.0 will further aid FBR and the entire Finnish battery value chain, by building on previous knowledge and addressing development needs to create an even stronger battery ecosystem in Finland', says Dr Pasi Kauppinen, CTD Manager, Fortum Battery Recycling Oy.

Led by Aalto University, the BATCircle3.0 consortium consists of three universities (Aalto University, University of Oulu, LUT University), one research centre (VTT), seven large companies and eight SMEs. The associated advisory board, which consists of key national and international stakeholders in the field, promotes co-operation between the companies, research organisations, and other interested stakeholders, to facilitate international research openings. 

BATCircle3.0 consortium consists of

Research organisations

• Aalto University, LUT University, University of Oulu, VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland  

Large companies

• Detection Technology Oyj, Fortum Battery Recycling Oy, Hitachi High-Tech Analytical Science Finland Oy, Metso Finland Oy, Sibanye-Stillwater's Keliber lithium project, Suomen Malmijalostus Oy (Finnish Minerals Group), Umicore Battery Materials Finland Oy 

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)

• AkkuSer Oy, BroadBit Batteries Oy, CeLLife Technologies Oy, FinnCobalt Oy, FunktioMat Oy, Grafintec Oy, Weeefiner Oy, X-Ray Mineral Services Oy 

This article was first published on 11 November by Aalto University.