The Institute of Solid State Physics, University of Latvia (ISSP UL) is a part of a new Horizon Europe project – CIRCULOOP (High-Throughput Circular Closed-Loop Direct Recycling for Low-Value Battery Chemistries in European Gigafactories). Supported by the BATT4EU Partnership, it’s launching a 3-year effort to establish a direct battery recycling platform.
As Europe rapidly scales up battery manufacturing in gigafactories, up to 10% of production is lost as scrap. Traditional pyrometallurgical and hydrometallurgical recycling routes are too energy-intensive and economically unsuited for low-intrinsic-value battery chemistries such as Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) and Lithium Manganese Iron Phosphate (LMFP).
CIRCULOOP aims to preserve the cathode structure, recover over 90% of cathode materials, and restore electrochemical performance to near-virgin levels. The technological framework combines cold-gas delamination, green solvent separation, and redox-mediated regeneration.
Once integrated into industrial gigafactory workflows, the platform will reduce energy demand, retain tens of millions of euros in material value annually, and strengthen Europe’s strategic raw material autonomy.
Coordinated by the Spanish research centre EURECAT, the CIRCULOOP consortium brings together 8 partners from Spain, Germany, Portugal, Belgium, the UK, and Latvia.
ISSP UL will provide research support for electrode delamination, solvent-based separation, and cathode material regeneration tasks. We’ll also be developing integrated sustainability frameworks and sustainability assessments for industrial implementation. Led by Gints Kučinskis, Head of the Energy Materials Laboratory, the ISSP UL team will formulate "Design for Direct Recycling" (DfDR) guidelines – a set of 10–15 practical, ranked design rules fully compliant with the EU Battery Regulation 2023/1542.
