Partner Search - HORIZON-CL4-2026-01-MAT-PROD-14 (IA): Improving availability of secondary raw materials through recycling (IA)

Bondalti Water offers a technology integrator/end-user role focused on the water, wastewater and process-utility dimension of advanced recycling systems for secondary metal raw materials, with a particular fit where water efficiency, effluent management, and robustness are decisive for economic viability and environmental performance.

What we can contribute (work packages / tasks)

• Recycling process water loops & water efficiency: design and optimisation of water circuits (reuse, minimisation, ZLD concepts where appropriate) to support “sustainable embedment” of recycling processes, including water efficiency requirements.

• Effluent and residue treatment integration: advanced treatment trains for challenging recycling effluents (e.g., high salinity, complexing agents, organics, fine solids), enabling stable operations and compliance without compromising recovery yields.

• Support to high-quality purification steps: engineering support to purification/refining stages by delivering fit-for-purpose utilities and wastewater handling (e.g., polishing, selective removal of interferents, sludge management) to maintain output quality and avoid “downcycling” pathways (out of scope).

• Monitoring, QA/QC and digitalisation: instrumentation strategy (online analytics), data pipelines, and model-based performance monitoring (yield, purity, water/energy KPIs, drift/maintenance), facilitating scale-up and replication.

• Biodiversity impact mitigation & site renaturation interface: technical contributions on water/leachate control, treatment and nature-based elements supporting reduced biodiversity impacts and the renaturation aspects referenced in the topic scope.

• Business case & exploitation package: OPEX/CAPEX modelling for the water/wastewater subsystem; contribution to bankable deployment plans and post-project commitments expected for TRL6–7 actions.

Assets

• Industrial track record in water-intensive, fouling-prone environments and robust treatment (including membrane-based solutions and process optimisation).

• Ability to support pilot-to-demonstration scale integration with industrial engineering rigor (P&IDs, HAZOP interface, commissioning/operation support).

Partners sought
Given the topic’s requirement that the EU-based recycling industry and users of recovered secondary raw materials play a prominent role, we seek consortia including: recyclers (batteries/WEEE/urban mines), metallurgical/hydrometallurgical technology providers, separation and sorting specialists, off-takers/users of secondary metals, and LCA/biodiversity experts—where Bondalti Water strengthens the water/resource efficiency and environmental integration pillar.

Keywords / tags
Critical raw materials; secondary raw materials; metals recycling; urban mining; high-quality recycling (no downcycling); water efficiency; wastewater treatment; process integration; purification support; digital monitoring; scale-up; TRL 5–7; biodiversity impact mitigation; renaturation; CRMA-aligned supply resilience.