After over four years of groundbreaking work, the Horizon 2020 SEArcularMINE project officially concluded in August 2024. Focused on addressing Europe’s dependence on imported Critical Raw Materials (CRMs), the project successfully demonstrated a sustainable and circular process for extracting these valuable minerals from seawater bitterns—a byproduct of traditional salt production.   

 

The SEArcularMINE project built on the ancient method of saltworks, where seawater is evaporated in shallow basins to produce salt. This process leaves behind bittern, a highly concentrated solution containing magnesium, lithium, boron, rubidium, and other CRMs. Using cutting-edge, low-carbon technologies like electro membrane processes and renewable energy, SEArcularMINE transformed this often-wasted resource into a valuable input for the sustainable recovery of critical materials. This process was designed to be fully circular, as seen in the project concept figure below.  

The project’s crowning achievement was the development of a fully operational pilot plant near the historic Trapani saltworks in Sicily. The pilot demonstrated the feasibility of recovering CRMs with zero chemical inputs, producing high-purity magnesium hydroxide, up to 100 kg/day of target materials, and the proof of the potential for 100% renewable energy operation, paving the way for grid independence. Explore a behind-the scenes tour of the SEArcularMINE pilot plant in the video here. 

 

These innovations have significant implications for Europe’s raw materials strategy. By tapping into seawater as a sustainable CRM source, SEArcularMINE could help the EU reduce its reliance on imports, address global demand for critical materials, and foster economic growth in the Mediterranean region.

 

The Trapani saltworks, which provide the necessary bittern for the SEArcularMINE process.

While SEArcularMINE has officially concluded, its legacy is far from over. ResourSEAs, one of the project’s partners, is actively pursuing commercial partnerships with Mediterranean saltworks to develop full-scale plants. The transition of many of the SEArcularMINE team into the MareMag LIFE project will further advance the technologies, focusing on scaling up operations and integrating desalination brines into the process.  Additionally, project partners like SUEZ and SOSALT are working as partners in the value chain of CRM extraction processes, while researchers from institutions such as UPC and iBET continue to refine processes for lithium, boron, and other trace element recovery. 

 

The SEArcularMINE team at the Integrated PIlot site in Trapani, Sicily.

Following the conclusion of the project, the results of this work have continued to be of interest to the wider European community. SEArcularMINE was recently featured in the CORDIS Results Pack and at the EU Raw Materials Week in December 2024. You can learn more about the results of SEArcularMINE here: CORDIS Article on SEArcularMINE.