Finland-Based Circular Ecosystem of Battery Metals, BATCircle2.0

Introduction

The key objective of the BATCircle2.0 project is to find innovative, cost-effective and sustainable ways of adding value to the Finnish battery metals sector. This will be achieved by technological research and innovations in battery minerals exploration and responsible mining, enhanced battery materials recycling, advanced minerals and metals processing and development of state-of-the-art high-value battery materials. Moreover, an increased focus on sustainability will strengthen our understanding as well as capabilities and competitiveness within the circular battery materials value system. The BATCircle2.0 consortium comprises four universities (Aalto University, University of Oulu, University of Eastern Finland, LUT University), two research centers (GTK, VTT), seven large companies and nine SMEs. In addition, its Advisory board has a wide range of national and international stakeholders. Over the next years this wide-ranging co-operation between the key stakeholders is expected to intensify the transition from a domestic battery metals ecosystem into a wider European battery metals network, which incorporates the principles of circular economy.

GTK’s main focus is the development of methods and modelling for the exploration of lithium and cobalt, and the improvement of regional geological understanding in key areas in Ostrobothnia and Kuusamo. The environmental perspective and sustainability will be addressed by studying the improved recovery of battery metals from industrial side streams. With regard to the manufacture of battery materials, we will develop new types of graphite processing methods. In addition, GTK will investigate the availability of materials required for different types of batteries and perform compositional characterization of lithium, nickel and cobalt ores as well as build a reference materials library for battery mineral ores.

Reports

Autio, U. & Järvinen, V. 2023. Geoelectric model of the Kuusamo belt from magnetotelluric data acquired in the BATCircle2.0 project. Geological Survey of Finland, Open File Work Report 49/2023. 16 p.

Autio, U., Jokinen, J., Salmirinne. H. & Koskela, E. 2023. Report on the acquisition of the new regional geophysical data in Kuusamo schist belt. Geological Survey of Finland. Open File Work Report 5/2023. 19 p. Available at: https://tupa.gtk.fi/raportti/arkisto/5_2023.pdf

Butcher, A., Ester, M., Lukkari, S., Heikkilä, P., Nuorivaara, T., Michallik, R. M., Michaux, S. P., Sardisco, L., Apeiranthitis, N., Franzel, M., Hirani, J., Tepsell, J. & Pearce, T. J. 2023. Towards creating a set of Battery Mineral Reference Materials for Applied Mineralogy and Mineral Processing Research. Part 1: Nickel Reference Materials. Geological Survey of Finland. Open File Work Report 26/2023. 36 p., 8 app. pages. Available at: https://tupa.gtk.fi/raportti/arkisto/26_2023.pdf

Butcher, A., Sardisco, L., Apeiranthitis, N., Franzel, M., Tepsell, J. & Pearce, T. J. 2023. Towards creating a set of Battery Mineral Reference Materials for Applied Mineralogy and Mineral Processing Research. Part 2: Lithium Reference Materials. Geological Survey of Finland, Open File Work Report 86/2023. 41 p. Available at:
https://tupa.gtk.fi/raportti/arkisto/86_2023.pdf

Butcher, A., Sardisco, L., Apeiranthitis, N., Tepsell, J. & Pearce, T. J. 2023. Towards creating a set of Battery Mineral Reference Materials for Applied Mineralogy and Mineral Processing Research. Part 3: Cobalt Reference Materials. Geological Survey of Finland, Open File Work Report 87/2023. 20 p. Available at: https://tupa.gtk.fi/raportti/arkisto/87_2023.pdf

Chudasama, B. & Sarala, P. 2022. Mineral prospectivity mapping of lithium-spodumene pegmatites in the Kaustinen region of Finland: Implications for lithium exploration in Finland. Geological Survey of Finland, Open File Work Report 28/2022. 21 p. Available at: https://tupa.gtk.fi/raportti/arkisto/28_2022.pdf

Corfe, I. J. & Butcher, A. R. 2022. Literature survey of potential raw materials for rechargeable batteries. Geological Survey of Finland, Open File Work Report 32/2022. 32 p. Available at: https://tupa.gtk.fi/raportti/arkisto/32_2022.pdf

Jokinen, J., Valasti, P. & Leinonen, S. 2023. Novel application of geophysical measurements, lithium targets. Geological Survey of Finland, Open File Work Report 48/2023. 16 p. Available at: https://tupa.gtk.fi/raportti/arkisto/48_2023.pdf

Korhonen, T. 2023. Alkali roasting method for purifying graphite concentrate. Geological Survey of Finland, Open File Work Report 52/2023. 8 p., 15 app. pages. Available at: https://tupa.gtk.fi/raportti/arkisto/52_2023.pdf

Korhonen, T. & Michaux, S. P. 2023. Preliminary flotation tests on Aitolampi drill core samples. Geological Survey of Finland, Open File Work Report 65/2023. 26 p., 108 app. pages. Available at: https://tupa.gtk.fi/raportti/arkisto/65_2023.pdf

Korhonen, T., Leinonen, S. & Knauf, O. 2023. Characterization of graphite ore feed samples. Geological Survey of Finland, Open File Work Report 63/2023. 3 p., 15 app. pages. Available at: https://tupa.gtk.fi/raportti/arkisto/63_2023.pdf

Leinonen, S. 2023. Progress report on sampling methods for identifying geochemical halos. Geological Survey of Finland, Open File Work Report 13/2023. 8 p. Available at: https://tupa.gtk.fi/raportti/arkisto/13_2023.pdf

Leinonen, S. 2023. Production of purified spherical graphite. Geological Survey of Finland, Open File Work Report 64/2023. 5 p. Available at: https://tupa.gtk.fi/raportti/arkisto/64_2023.pdf

Leväniemi, H., Nousiainen, M., Järvinen, V. & Kamm, J. 2023. Petrophysics in BATCircle2.0 project: Regional petrophysics and Juomasuo drill hole data in Koillismaa, NE Finland. Geological Survey of Finland, Open File Work Report 51/2023. 17 p.

Michaux, S. 2022. Survey of end of life Finnish industrial battery metal sites that have potential acid mine drainage impacts. Geological Survey of Finland, Open File Work Report 21/2022. 83 p. Available at: https://tupa.gtk.fi/raportti/arkisto/21_2022.pdf

Michaux, S. P., Hirani, J., Nad, A., Korhonen, T., Rytkönen, S., Sardisco, L., Tepsell, J., Apeiranthitis, N., Franzel, M., Pirrie, D., Wray, D., Jolis, E. M., Davidson, M. & Butcher, A. R. 2023. Geometallurgical characterization of samples from Aitolampi graphite ore. Geological Survey of Finland, Open File Work Report 17/2023. 235 p. Available at: https://tupa.gtk.fi/raportti/arkisto/17_2023.pdf

Michaux, S., Hirani, J., Nad, A., Korhonen, T., Yutong, X., Rytkönen, S., Sardisco, L., Tepsell, J., Apeiranthitis, N., Franzel, M., Pirrie, D., Wray, D. & Lukkari, S. 2022. Harjavalta Smelter Side Stream Sample Characterization. Geological Survey of Finland, Open File Work Report 45/2022. 177 p. 

Sardisco, L., Apeiranthitis, N., Hirani, J., Franzel, M., Jolis, E. M., Lukkari, S., Michallik, R. M., Tepsell, J., Pearce, T. J. & Butcher, A. R. 2024. Battery Mineral Characterization – A Case Study of a Nickel Reference Material. Mater. Proc. 2024, 15, 83. 6 p. Available at: https://doi.org/10.3390/materproc2023015083

Thurman, N. & Järvinen, V. 2023. Potential field model of the Kuusamo belt from gravity and magnetic data acquired in the BATCircle2.0 project. Geological Survey of Finland, Open File Work Report 50/2023. 29 p.

Contact person: Jussi Pokki

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