£8.2M award from ESPRC to transform how technology critical materials are recycled and reused

The RECREATE project, involving scientists from the University of Leicester, has received funding following recent rounds of the ESPRC Circular Economy Critical Mass Programme.

Professor Allan Walton from the University of Birmingham will lead and coordinate the five-year project entitled RECREATE (REcycling CRitical Elements in Advanced Technologies for the Environment) with Professor Andy Abbott from the University of Leicester and Professor Louise Horsfall from the University of Edinburgh.

RECREATE aims to develop a circular economy for technology-critical materials (TCMs), keeping the materials or components in the highest value form with the lowest environmental footprint.

Professor Allan Walton said: "This is a groundbreaking project and a real opportunity to realise very real change at all stages of critical materials supply chains. Each partner's unique expertise will feed into the complex task of recovering TCMs from end-of-life materials whilst maximising both the rate and efficiency of recovery."

RECREATE is informed by a system-wide perspective derived from a deep understanding of the industrial challenges for recycling these materials and the governance structures that drive a circular economy. The research project will bring together leading industrial and public sector players and policymakers, all involved in the drive to create a circular economy for critical materials in the UK, to uncover radical improvements to how critical materials are sorted, reused and recycled to reduce environmental impact and waste by-products, and how to design new materials and products that use these materials. Hence, they are easier to recycle and reuse later.

Professor Louise Horsfall commented: "Global de-fossilisation will inevitably change us to a more metal-dependent society, one that could be supported by a sustainable and circular economy. We need new technologies to bring about this transition, and we're thrilled to have the opportunity to integrate engineering biology with other sustainable processing approaches to improve the reuse and recycling of technology-critical materials."

The project will integrate engineering biology technologies into the recycling of TCMs, building upon multiple existing projects including the development of the DER-funded scale-up magnet recycling plant in Tyseley Energy Park, ReLiB, Sonocat, Met4Tech and Apollo. It will regularly bring new and existing industrial partners together to develop and inform the wider TCM community, bringing forward a real and measurable change to every stage of the associated supply chain to influence national and international policy and standards directly.

Professor Allan Walton said: "This is a groundbreaking project and a real opportunity to realise very real change at all stages of critical materials supply chains. Each partner's unique expertise will feed into the complex task of recovering TCMs from end-of-life materials whilst maximising both the rate and efficiency of recovery."

Professor Andy Abbott of the University of Leicester's School of Chemistry said: "A unique aspect of this project is the ability to link the complete manufacturing and use chain to create new technology designed to simplify the repair, reuse, and recycling process."

The RECREATE team has extensive expertise across a range of critical material supply chains and processing approaches. They run many of the largest high-TRL projects in the UK and EU with over 150 companies. This expertise, coupled with the wealth of industrial and policy partners, reflects the team's well-developed networks and provides pathways for skills development and rapid impact.

For more information or to engage with the project or its’ regular stakeholder meetings please contact the team via recreate-hub@contacts.bham.ac.uk.