Three battery development projects will receive a total of nearly 14.5 million euros in funding from NWO and the National Growth Fund programme Battery Competence Cluster NL (BCC-NL). The financial support can accelerate the sustainability of batteries.
Three programme lines
The money was awarded as part of the Call 'Technology development for circular batteries'. Within this call, there are three programme lines:
- Recovery of materials from lithium iron phosphate battery waste streams
- Development of sustainable sodium ion batteries
- Development of bulk batteries for Long Duration Energy Storage and grid stability
Projects have been selected within each programme line. The applications were made by consortia of different universities and knowledge institutions, working together with companies.
The following projects have been awarded funding:
ADAPT-BATT: Adaptive Processing for LFP-mixed Battery Waste Streams
This project led by Dr Shoshan Abrahami of TU Delft focuses on recycling lithium-ion batteries. Current recycling methods focus mainly on cobalt- and nickel-rich cathodes. However, cheaper and safer lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries remain largely untapped. The ADAPT-BATT project deploys LFP chemistry and electrochemical techniques for the selective recovery of pure metals from mixed battery waste.
The focus within the project is on reducing costs, minimising waste and preserving valuable materials in circulation. Thus, the project should support a sustainable, circular battery value chain in the Netherlands, while complying with EU battery regulations.
NANEXBAT: Sustainable materials innovation for next-generation sodium-ion batteries
Sodium-ion batteries are a promising solution for reducing dependence on critical materials and developing battery technology with improved circularity. However, a lack of fundamental understanding creates limitations. This project led by Prof Dr Mark Huijben of the University of Twente aims, among other things, to investigate material innovations through experimental and computational studies of the structure-property relationships of promising sodium-ion battery materials. In addition, their mutual interactions under working conditions will be investigated, as well as an analysis of durability, material availability and techno-economic aspects. The research should thus pave the way for the next generation of commercially viable sodium-ion batteries.
Consortium partners for this project are Bor-Lyte, Clean Fuels, DAF, Damen, Euro Support, Hyster-Yale, Nobian, University of Groningen, TU Eindhoven, Utrecht University and VDL.
REDOX BLEND: REDOX flow Batteries with Large ENergy Density
Within this project led by Prof Dr Edwin Otten of the University of Groningen, a team of academic researchers, TNO and industrial partners is working to develop new batteries that can store renewable energy reliably and affordably for several days. Important because the increasing use of solar and wind energy is putting pressure on the stability of the electricity grid. The batteries the researchers are working on should help improve the balance on the grid, support the energy transition and strengthen the Dutch battery sector.
Consortium partners for this project are AQUABATTERY, DIFFER - Dutch Institute for Fundamental Energy Research, Elestor, Ore Energy, Radboud University, TNO, TU Eindhoven and the University of Twente. Technical manager is Dr David A. Vermaas from TU Delft.
National Growth Fund project Material Independence & Circular Batteries
The call is part of the National Growth Fund project Material Independence & Circular Batteries, implemented by the Battery Competence Cluster - NL (BCC-NL). The project received an allocation of nearly 158 million euros from the National Growth Fund in 2023.
BCC-NL is the cluster organisation that formulates and implements the Dutch battery strategy and innovation programmes. Its aim is to develop and grow the Dutch battery value chain. The cluster organisation is a public-private partnership that enables companies, knowledge institutes and (public) organisations to develop the required knowledge and competences in the field of battery technology. In addition, the cluster organisation brings together the Dutch battery, high-tech, chemical, mobility and energy industries.
