ACCIONA Launches the MINERALS Project

ACCIONA has launched the MINERALS project titled "Selective extraction of high-value elements from seawater brine" in partnership with the LEITAT Technology Centre.

The European Commission has classified certain minerals such as magnesium, calcium, potassium, lithium, rubidium or boron as critical raw materials. This is due to limited terrestrial reserves and the growing demand associated with population growth and industrialisation. As a result, obtaining these minerals from seawater becomes a feasible option and a sustainable alternative to the problem of shortages of certain elements.

The MINERALS project will address the development and validation, at pilot scale, of advanced technologies for the selective extraction of high-value elements from the brine created in the reverse osmosis seawater desalination process. The technologies include liquid membranes based on the incorporation of ionic liquids and extractants into a polymer matrix, nanofibre adsorbents based on the incorporation of selective nanoparticles, and precipitation processes.

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