Horizon Europe AVANTIS

🎧 The new CIRAN #Podcast series “Reconciling Two Societal Needs: Resource Extraction and Nature Conservation” is surely a great addition to your to-do's list for the winter break! ✔️ ❄️ In case you have missed it, the CIRAN project 🌱 ⛏️ 🌍 has been launching a new episode every second Tuesday, all of them available from the PodBean App or website so that you can listen to them anytime from wherever you get your podcasts! 🎙️ - Also during the holidays! You will find all episodes on the CIRAN website 🔗 https://lnkd.in/dA5Kff7D & on YouTube 💻 https://lnkd.in/edTiwgSz 👉 Here's a preview from Episode 2 with Jorge Cristino (Former EDM - Empresa de Desenvolvimento Mineiro, S.A. Board Member) addressing: ✔️ Circular economy, through recycling and reuse actions ✔️ Minimising resource consumption ✔️ Mitigating environmental impacts related to CRM extraction and processing & Listen to E2 for more! 🎧 https://lnkd.in/dbm7twzS International Raw Materials Observatory alda* - European Association for Local Democracy Generator+ Consulting LPRC - La Palma Research Centre MacCabe Durney Barnes Geological Survey of Finland (GTK) / Geologian tutkimuskeskus (GTK) Vitor Correia W. Eberhard Falck Anita Stein Luís Rosendo Helena Robert i Campos

“Europe should not allow a tiny but vocal minority of anti-mining activists to hijack the implementation of badly-needed (ESG-friendly) strategic CRM mining projects in Europe.” My main takeaway from last week's European EnerGreenDeal Conference in Egmont Palace in Brussels during the session "Battery manufacturing and critical raw materials: overcoming the challenges of building new industrial value chains”. During this panel with Bruno Tobback, Chad Blewitt, Ilka von Dalwigk and Alison Atkinson (moderated by David Rose), we discussed many topics along the mine-to-battery(-recycling) value chain. What stood our for me is the discussion about the growing contradiction between constructive #environmentalism and destructive anti-mining activism. It's a topic we will also bring in our upcoming documentaries "Not in my country" and "Europe's lithium paradox" (interview with Julia Poliscanova (she/her) of T&E). It's time we expose this! Constructive environmentalism is an evidence-based approach that pushes the mining, metals and EV industry to perform better in terms of ESG. A huge difference with "ideological, activist-environmentalism”, which we have come across so often during filming our documentaries. The latest example being the intimidation we received in Portugal when trying to interview the resistance movement to the #Barroso #lithium project. The “cancel culture” tendency to refuse to engage in a dialogue about the need for #energytransition metal mining is plainly ridiculous. Also nicely summarised in this metaphorical conversation between Socrates and an anti-mining activist: "while you rally against regulated, safe, and accountable mining projects in your own backyard, you tacitly endorse a far darker truth elsewhere?" Post Baran Umut Baycan: https://lnkd.in/eHGeFhw8 As shown in the figure in the comment section, these activists who basically oppose Europe's CRMA and the #CleanIndustrialDeal targets have become - de facto - allies of the populist, conservative Orban-like movements that reject climate and environmental targets all together. Something to consider! Peter Tom Jones, 17/12/2024, Leuven. 🎬 Watch the trailer of "Not in my country": https://lnkd.in/eSejNCFV [🎬 Featuring Ne Damo Jadar and other local citizens in the Jadar valley; University of Belgrade’s Jelena Vasiljevic; Rio Tinto chief executives & experts (Marijanti Babic, Chad Blewitt, Sinead Kaufman), ElevenEs’s CEO Nemanja Mikac, Serbia’s Minister of Mining and Energy Dubravka Djedovic Handanovic, T&E's Julia Poliscanova (she/her), German MEP Hildegard Bentele, and anonymous Serbian political experts.] 📣 More background in this article in Chemistry World, Anthony King: https://lnkd.in/e4tnu8jC SIM2 KU Leuven PROMETIA BATTERY 2030+ Toni Eerola Kostas Komnitsas Patrick d'Hugues

🎞️ "Not In My Country". The trailer! To mine or not to mine lithium in Serbia, that is the question. The full film will be launched through a series of avant-première events in February 2025. Distributed by Journeyman Pictures. In 2004, the Anglo-Australian mining giant Rio Tinto discovered a unique lithium-boron-silicate mineral in Serbia's fertile #Jadar Valley. Dubbed “Serbian kryptonite,” this potent #jadarite mineral promised immense wealth and a #cleantech future for #Serbia. Rio Tinto was welcomed with open arms. Fast forward to 2020: Rio Tinto’s land acquisition program began to divide the local villagers. The local resistance quickly evolved into a highly diverse national movement, culminating in the withdrawal of Rio Tinto's permits in 2022. When this decision was reversed in July 2024 by Serbia's Constitutional Court, it triggered a new wave of protests in Belgrade during the hot summer of 2024. In "Not in My Country,” Dr. Peter Tom Jones, Director of the KU Leuven Institute for Sustainable Metals & Minerals, engages with a multitude of voices to find answers. Can Rio Tinto be trusted to uphold the strictest ESG standards? Is Serbia merely an EU mining colony, sacrificing its environment so wealthy Europeans can drive oversized electric vehicles? Or is the Serbian population the target of a hybrid warfare campaign designed to hinder Serbia’s EU Membership aspirations? This documentary delves into Serbia's #lithium dilemma, featuring multiple voices from the Jadar Valley, Belgrade, and Brussels, amidst a backdrop of intimidation, confusion, distrust, and deep-seated historical emotions. Brace yourself! 🎬 Featuring Ne Damo Jadar and other local citizens in the Jadar valley; University of Belgrade’s Jelena Vasiljevic; Rio Tinto chief executives & experts (Marijanti Babic, Chad Blewitt, Sinead Kaufman), ElevenEs’s CEO Nemanja Mikac, Serbia’s Minister of Mining and Energy Dubravka Djedovic Handanovic, T&E's Julia Poliscanova (she/her), German MEP Hildegard Bentele, and anonymous Serbian political experts. 🎬 Funding: SIM2 KU Leuven & KU Leuven 🎬 Director: Stijn van Baarle (STORYRUNNER), Presenter: Peter Tom Jones (SIM2 KU Leuven), Cameramen: Michael Van de Velde & Jochen Maes; Sound technicians: Casimir De Kimpe, Jeroen De Vriese; Editor: Jasper Vander Elst. 🎬 EIT RawMaterials, PROMETIA, BATTERY 2030+, International Lithium Association (ILiA) CIRAN (CrItical RAw materials extraction in enviroNmentally protected areas) Eurometaux (European Metals Association) Euromines IMA-Europe (Industrial Minerals Association - Europe) 🙏 Luc Sels Sigrid Somers Isabelle Van Geet Ilse Frederickx Vitor Correia Marko Komac Vanessa Lorenz Emma Härdmark Mark Rachovides Aleksandar Davidovic Koen Binnemans Ann Mettler Roger Atkins Joe Lowry

Wake up Europe! My Euronews video clip about the lithium paradox in Europe, the Rio Tinto Jadar project, the anti-mining opposition in Mina do Barroso in Portugal, the Critical Raw Materials Act and (the delay in announcing) the Strategic Projects, the superior lithium refining and recycling technology we have in Europe (cf. Umicore, Metso) and the need for Europe to wake up to avoid an irreversible decline. Monty Python and football analogies were never far away. I also had the chance to speak about our soon to be launched documentaries "Not in my country: Serbia's lithium dilemma" and "Europe's lithium paradox". In the Q&A session I focused on the importance of complementing fact-based dialogues and reports with new formats that allow for reaching out to the general public in this post-truth, post-Western world. The venue for this interview by Hannah Brown was the Euronews / European Automobile Manufacturers' Association (ACEA) event "From Ore to Road: The Mineral Race to Electric Mobility" (📅 Thursday, December 5, 2024 - Place du Luxembourg 26, Brussels). Video clip courtesy of Euronews recording. Full recording of event is here: https://lnkd.in/eh7QWGFW Speakers of the preceding panel discussion were: Julia Poliscanova (she/her) (T&E), Javier Felipe Andreu and James Watson (Eurometaux (European Metals Association)). 🎬 Europe's lithium paradox. The making of the documentary... 👉 Our Serbian hashtag #Jadar #lithium adventure: https://lnkd.in/dQsH2uPm [also featured in a separate 50-minute documentary "Not in my country" - trailer to be released soon. Avant-premières from January 2025 on.] 👉 Metso’s unique spodumene-to-LiOH process: https://lnkd.in/es_QYm5P 👉 Our Mina do Barroso adventure: https://lnkd.in/e6abxCht 👉 Demand-side management & constructive environmentalism: T&E's view: https://lnkd.in/e8bMVDqH 👉 Umicore's unique pyrometallurgical #batteryrecycling process: https://lnkd.in/eQTjZdkn 👉 Can the CRMA save Europe? Interviewing Hildegard Bentele: https://lnkd.in/e8juJapa [STORYRUNNER, Stijn van Baarle, SIM2 KU Leuven, Peter Tom Jones] 🎬 "Europe's lithium paradox" explores how Europe could potentially mine, refine & #recycle Li, while lowering primary demand. Featuring Julia Poliscanova (she/her), Dubravka Djedovic Handanovic, Sinead Kaufman, Charles Stuyck, Janne Karonen, Thomas Gaultier, Alexandre Lima, Toni Eerola, Hildegard Bentele, Ne Damo Jadar, local citizens & many more. Avant-premiere: March 2025. Crowdfunding: https://lnkd.in/gh_Prrnv KU Leuven PROMETIA BATTERY 2030+Horizon Europe LITHOS Horizon Europe AVANTIS Horizon Europe EXCEED International Lithium Association (ILiA) EIT RawMaterials CIRAN (CrItical RAw materials extraction in enviroNmentally protected areas) Euromines European Environmental Bureau Luc Sels Peter Lievens Isabelle Van Geet Philippe Muchez

Will the Critical Raw Materials Act save Europe (in terms of its #lithium mine-to-battery supply chain strategy)? For the final Part (VI) of “The making of Europe’s lithium paradox” we traveled to the European Parliament to interview the German MEP Hildegard Bentele. Bentele has been instrumental in developing and finetuning the CRMA on behalf of the #europeanparliament. She is also a member of #CRMBoard that needs to decide which projects will be announced as “Strategic Projects for Europe”. In this short report I’m happy to provide some of the questions addressed to Bentele. For Bentele's exciting answers one will need to wait until the release of the film 🎞️ later in 2025: 👉 Why is it important for the EU to have domestic lithium mining and refining? 👉 The CRMA will earmark certain lithium projects as strategic projects for the EU. Will this strategy work? How many lithium mines will be open in Europe by 2030? 👉 A lot of Serbs say: “if the rich Europeans want to drive around in oversized #electricvehicles, let them mine their own lithium”. Do they have a point? 👉 Are Europeans hypocritical if they want LIB-powered EVs, smart phones and laptops but they don’t want lithium mines in Europe? 👉 Lately we are seeing disturbing news about the made-in-Europe (Li) mine-to-battery/EV value chain (cf. major problems at Northvolt, scrapped/postponed plans for new Li refineries and battery recycling plants). Are we not missing a more concerted, hard-hitting industrial strategy in Europe to counteract the US and Chinese approaches (cf. Ann Mettler)? 🎬 Europe's lithium paradox. The making of... 👉 Our Serbian #Jadar #lithium adventure: https://lnkd.in/dQsH2uPm [+ documentary "Not in my country"] 👉 Metso’s unique spodumene-to-LiOH process: https://lnkd.in/es_QYm5P 👉 Our Mina do Barroso adventure: https://lnkd.in/e6abxCht 👉 Demand-side management & constructive environmentalism: T&E's view: https://lnkd.in/e8bMVDqH 👉 Umicore's unique pyrometallurgical #batteryrecycling process: https://lnkd.in/eQTjZdkn 👉 Can the CRMA save Europe? Interviewing Hildegard Bentele: this post 🎬 "Europe's lithium paradox" explores how Europe could potentially mine, refine & #recycle Li, while lowering primary demand. Featuring Julia Poliscanova (she/her), Dubravka Djedovic Handanovic, Sinead Kaufman, Charles Stuyck, Janne Karonen, Thomas Gaultier, Alexandre Lima, Toni Eerola, Hildegard Bentele, Ne Damo Jadar, local citizens & many more. Avant-premiere: March 2025. Crowdfunding: https://lnkd.in/gh_Prrnv KU Leuven PROMETIA BATTERY 2030+Horizon Europe LITHOS Horizon Europe EXCEED SIM2 KU Leuven International Lithium Association (ILiA) International Energy Agency (IEA) EIT RawMaterials CIRAN (CrItical RAw materials extraction in enviroNmentally protected areas) Sara Matthieu

The science of #selectiveblasting, the future of #mineralsextraction, and much more…in an interview with Horizon Europe AVANTIS work package leader, Prof. José Angel Sanchidrián in the Department of #Mining #Engineering and #EarthSciences at the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid. An interesting read: https://lnkd.in/emQqEKtB #Titanium #Vanadium #blasting #minerals

My new podcast for the 4th EnerGreenDeal conference in Brussels next week. For this episode Ignacio Guibert Suárez sat down with me to discuss the state of the EU's #cleantech & #battery industry; the problematic shift to a post-truth world; Rio Tinto's #lithium #Jadar project in #Serbia; the difference between constructive #environmentalism and ideological anti-mining "degrowthism"; the delay in announcing the Strategic Projects of the CRMA; the silo approach in the EU supply chain; and our upcoming #lithium documentaries with STORYRUNNER... Trying to connect the dots. Ignacio Guibert Suarez: 🗨️ "Between first-hand experience and [Liverpool FC] football references, this discussion offers excellent insight into Europe's Critical Raw Material landscape." 🎙️ Podcast is available on Spotify: https://lnkd.in/eS8uvW8i European EnerGreenDeal Conference "Peter Tom Jones will also speak at the EnerGreenDeal Conference on December 12th, sharing his knowledge in the session "Battery manufacturing and #criticalrawmaterials: overcoming the challenges of building new industrial value chains." This session features: 👉 Hildegard Bentele [MEP, Member of the ITRE committee, European Parliament 👉 Peter Tom Jones [Director KU Leuven Institute for Sustainable Metals and Minerals, SIM2 KU Leuven] 👉 Chad Blewitt [Managing Director of the Jadar lithium and boron project, Rio Tinto] 👉 Alison Atkinson [Projects and Development Director, Anglo American] Want to know more? Follow the progress on the two new documentaries in the making or watch our previous work: 🎬 Not In My Country: Serbia's lithium dilemma [avant-première in Ljubljana; https://lnkd.in/gd2aPDNB] 🎬 Europe's lithium paradox. The making of... 👉 Our Serbian Jadar Li adventure: https://lnkd.in/dQsH2uPm [Separate documentary "Not in my country" 👉 Can we refine & #recycle lithium in Europe? (Metso): https://lnkd.in/es_QYm5P 👉 Our Mina do Barroso filming adventure: https://lnkd.in/e6abxCht 👉 Demand-side management & constructive environmentalism: T&E's view: https://lnkd.in/e8bMVDqH 👉 Umicore's unique pyrometallurgical #batteryrecycling process: forthcoming 🎬 Made in Europe: from mine to electric vehicle: https://lnkd.in/eE9k9smN 🙏 EIT RawMaterials, PROMETIA, BATTERY 2030+, International Lithium Association (ILiA) CIRAN (CrItical RAw materials extraction in enviroNmentally protected areas) Eurometaux (European Metals Association) Euromines IMA-Europe (Industrial Minerals Association - Europe) IRTC | International Round Table on Materials Criticality T&E IRMA Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance LISTEN TO THE SPOTIFY PODCAST HERE: https://lnkd.in/eS8uvW8i

📢 #Battery enthusiasts, mark your calendars for 🗓️ 12 December 2024 and join us for the 3rd edition of the annual workshop of the Cluster Hub "Production of #rawmaterials for #batteries from European resources". The event is co-organised by #Eufunded projects CICERO Project, RHINOCEROS EU Project, CRM-geothermal. The event will take place in a #hybrid format: 📍Brussels 🔗 Registration for on site participation: https://lnkd.in/deDVSJHA. Seats are limited and assigned on a first come first served basis. 💻 Online participation with unlimited 'seats': https://lnkd.in/dHWVT7Yb  Whether you are a representative of industry, cross-sector activities, the research community, or a policy-maker, this event will provide a good overview of the EU #researchandinnovation environment in the battery sector. The technical sessions will be complemented by presentations and discussions around the European policy context, delivered by representatives of HaDeA and BEPA.  https://lnkd.in/ereu3bhN

A “Certified Indigenous LFP Battery” – with lithium, iron & phosphate extracted and processed from First Nations lands by a First Nation-owned mining company. This is the inspiring vision of Grand Chief Gilbert Dominique of the Inu Nation in Canada! During my time at QME2024 in Quebec, I had the privilege of speaking with Grand Chiefs & spokespersons from various First Nations and Indigenous communities in Quebec. I was truly amazed by what I learned. In Europe, we assume that Indigenous peoples are inherently opposed to mining projects. This belief is reinforced by international environmental organizations that are skeptical of mining. However, my experience in Quebec painted a completely different picture. Through deep conversations with representatives from the Cree Nation, Inu Nation, and Inuit communities, I discovered that First Nations and #Indigenous peoples in #Quebec are open to metal #mining. As long as they are in control, with their hands on the wheel and their feet ready to brake or accelerate. 👉 CREE NATION: My 1st meeting was with a delegation from the #Cree Nation, led by Norman Wapachee. About 22,000 Cree people live in a vast territory in Western Quebec, where several #lithium mining projects, including the Whabouchi project by Nemaska Lithium, are in the pipeline. I was struck by their entrepreneurial spirit. They are not anti-development; they simply want to be fully involved in decision-making processes and ensure they receive proper royalties. Job creation for Cree youth is a top priority. 👉 INU NATION: In my 2nd encounter, I met Grand Chief Gilbert Dominique and Armand MacKenzie. The Inu support mining projects as long as they are small-scale, adhere to strict ESG standards, and include local downstream processing and refining. They insist on genuine partnerships with incoming companies and are even establishing their own Inu Nation mining company. Their ultimate goal: a certified Indigenous #LFP #battery! 👉 INUIT: My third meeting was with two proud Inuit leaders, David Angutinguak and Tommy Kudluk. The Inuit live in the northernmost parts of Quebec along the shores, relying on fishing and hunting. Their relationship with mining is less straightforward than that of the Inu and Cree, but they recognize the need to look forward. They refuse to be “second-class citizens” or sitting ducks. They also envision having their own mining companies in the future, adding to their existing airline, Air Inuit, and shipping company. For them, Impact Benefit Agreements are crucial, ensuring they are compensated for any losses. During an unforgettable dinner, I learned that in Inuit culture, vegetarians like me are considered “bad hunters". The ancient stories they told were so beautiful. I will never look at the moon in the same way.🙏 Stijn van Baarle: a new documentary about this? Cynthia Brind'Amour-Côté, P. géo Jean Quenneville Jocelyn Douheret Démétrie D. Isabelle Tremblay-Brosseau Luc Sels T&E Peter Lievens

✨ People have asked for a titanium Materialism Podcast episode for ages! Well, it's finally here. I have to admit... I did not realize how complex and complicated Titanium was from a materials science perspective! 🧪🤯 🔷🔶 Two phases with very different properties 🛠️🧬 A gazillion ways to alloy the metal and modify which phase dominates 🧺⚪ Two different microstructures (basketweave and equiaxed) 🚀🛞 Tons of processing routes to make these fine, coarse, or mixed... Its specific strength is bonkers and it boasts some pretty terrific corrosion resistance. No wonder it's been a game-changer in fields ranging from aerospace to medical implants—and yes, the latest iPhones! 📱 Some additional tidbits you'll learn about: - how engineers used to blow things up on football fields to test it? Yes, really. 🏈💥 - markers that almost ruined titanium aerospace parts - how city water was sabotaging titanium welds - you find titanium in Oreo frosting!? 🍪 Some additional tidbits you'll learn about: - how engineers used to blow things up on football fields to test it? Yes, really. - markers that almost ruined titanium aerospace parts - how city water was sabotaging titanium welds - you find titanium in Oreo frosting!? Huge thanks to sponsors California Nanotechnologies Inc (TSX.V: CNO.V, OTCMKTS: CANOF) and Elsevier Materials Today! links below #MaterialScience #Engineering #Innovation #Podcast #Titanium