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Gipuzkoa is positioning itself at the forefront of the circular economy and energy transition by signing two strategic agreements for the implementation of innovative projects in Eskuzaitzeta.

With a total investment of 400,000 euros, the Department of Sustainability of the Gipuzkoa Provincial Council and CIDETEC, in collaboration with the NATURKLIMA Foundation, will launch a material characterization laboratory for batteries and a state-of-the-art energy microgrid in the Eskuzaitzeta industrial area.

Jose Ignacio Asensio: “The Eskuzaitzeta Energy Microgrid and the Battery Material Characterization Laboratory significantly accelerate the energy transition in Gipuzkoa, creating a new niche for quality employment and leading an emerging industry around battery recycling”.

Javier Rodriguez: “The proliferation of batteries challenges us to manage them effectively. CIDETEC will leverage its knowledge and experience to make Gipuzkoa a leader in battery recycling”.

This morning, José Ignacio Asensio, Deputy for Sustainability and President of Naturklima, and Javier Rodríguez, General Director of Cidetec, signed two collaboration agreements between the Department of Sustainability of the Gipuzkoa Provincial Council, Naturklima, and Cidetec, amounting to 390,000 euros.

The signing of these agreements highlights the commitment to innovation, sustainability, and decarbonization, marking a decisive step in Gipuzkoa’s comprehensive strategy to create a new industrial ecosystem centered on the emerging battery sector. José Ignacio Asensio, Deputy for Sustainability and President of Naturklima, stated: “The expected enormous growth in battery evolution not only highlights the opportunity for growth and employment in a new sector but also underscores the urgent need to address the end-of-life of these batteries and thereby accelerate the main challenge of renewable energies: storage.”

According to official data from the FHG ISI Cell Production Database, battery production in Europe will surge in the next decade, increasing from 120 GWh in 2024 to over 750 GWh by 2030, accumulating a total of 1 TWh throughout the 2020-2030 decade. This vast expansion presents a crucial challenge: sustainably managing batteries at the end of their lifecycle. Therefore, repair, remanufacture, reuse, and recycling are essential concepts to address this issue.

For this reason, the Department of Sustainability of the Gipuzkoa Provincial Council, together with NATURKLIMA and CIDETEC, launched the ZIRKULAR BAT Forum in 2022, a hub that already brings together twenty companies aiming to create synergies and generate opportunities around batteries.

“ZIRKULAR BAT is just the beginning of a mid-term strategy that will allow us to have an industrial and technological ecosystem in Gipuzkoa around batteries, enabling us to respond to future energy and environmental challenges,” emphasized Deputy Asensio. “The signing of these two agreements allows us to launch two new projects that will significantly accelerate the energy transition in Gipuzkoa, create a new niche of quality employment, and lead an emerging industry around battery recycling.”

The two projects agreed upon are:

A Laboratory for Characterizing Recycled Materials from Used Batteries: This will be located in Cidetec’s new facilities in the Eskuzaitzeta industrial area. The laboratory will advance the research and development of battery recycling technologies, optimizing the reuse of valuable resources, marking a significant step towards creating a pilot battery recycling plant by 2027. This space will be equipped with devices provided by the agreement and additional equipment from CIDETEC, coinciding with the inauguration of CIDETEC Energy Storage’s new facilities in Eskuzaitzeta.

Implementation of a State-of-the-Art Energy Microgrid in the Eskuzaitzeta Business Environment: This microgrid will utilize second-life battery energy storage systems and integrate distributed renewable generation systems, waste heat, electric vehicles, and advanced storage systems. The initiative aims to establish an energy community promoting the energy autonomy of Eskuzaitzeta industries and integrate an energy microgrid combining photovoltaic panels, waste heat generation, electric vehicles, and second-life batteries to optimize the energy activities of businesses in the area. This project is developed as a Living Lab, a living laboratory to co-generate knowledge about the network’s operation and co-create solutions to optimize systems. “These projects not only create a new niche of quality employment but also position Gipuzkoa as an international benchmark in the circular economy of batteries and renewable energies,” said Deputy Asensio.

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The new bio-based materials will replace the current SVHCs that pose a high risk to human health and the environment.

The BioPhenom project, in which CIDETEC Surface Engineering participates, aims to offer a solution to the widespread use of hazardous petrochemicals, many of which are high-risk substances (SVHC) due to their harmful effects on the environment and health human. Current industrial practices use SVHC to formulate and improve the functionality of thermoplastic and thermostable materials and wood, which are toxic and non-biodegradable, making it necessary to find safer and more sustainable alternatives for these products urgently.

In this regard, the European Green Pact and its zero pollution target has established the introduction of bio-based, safe and sustainable solutions by design, which can accelerate the transition to a circular economy and reduce waste. The BioPhenom project, using advanced technologies and processes (such as fast pyrolysis and liquid extraction), seeks to explore the isolation of biophenols from secondary streams of industrial biomass to produce bio-flame retardants (bio-IFRs) and therefore replace SVHC with safe, sustainable and recyclable materials. This will make it possible to have wood products, thermostable carbon fibre composites and thermoplastic composite materials for different applications without using harmful products in their manufacture.

The BioPhenom project, which will run for four years with a budget of 3.6 million euros, brings together a dynamic consortium of 12 partners, including 5 RTOs (VTT, NIBIO, LIST, CIDETEC, CNR), 1 university (UoB) and 6 SMEs (NT, INVENT, SP, EwC, CRCF, TALOS) from 10 different countries across Europe.

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  • The launch will take place with a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket at Cape Canaveral in June 2025.
  • The new CIDETEC spin-off will thus validate its new high energy density modular batteries using the Orbital Transfer Vehicle (OTV) platform called OSSIE provided by UARX Space..

LANZO Batteries, CIDETEC’s new spin-off, will validate a new battery technology designed for the aerospace sector with a launch to be held in June 2025. The battery will provide back-up power five times a day, activating once every three orbits. This mission will evaluate all of the battery’s characteristics in orbit, travelling aboard UARX Space’s Orbital Transfer Vehicle (OTV) platform.

According to Jesús Marcos, CEO of LANZO Batteries, “with this launch, LANZO batteries will be qualified in orbit, ensuring the reliability of our products for future space missions”. The LANZO battery will be integrated with the OSSIE OTV satellite platform made by the company UARX Space OSSIE, which serves as a testbed for a variety of experiments, making it the perfect scenario for testing the effectiveness of LANZO’s new high power density modular batteries.

The launch will take place from Cape Canaveral using a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. The mission, which will reach an altitude of 500-600 km, will remain in orbit for at least six months and could be extended up to two years depending on the results. During their stay, the batteries and battery management system (BMS) will be monitored to assess their performance in the space environment.

“We are very pleased to be able to work alongside LANZO, giving us the possibility to provide with our OTV not only the capability to deploy satellites, but also to offer the in-orbit validation service for products that want to achieve their heritage in space as required by their batteries”, said Federico Perazzo Business Development Manager of UARX Space.

Since LANZO batteries use commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) components, the main objective is to ensure that there is no reduction in performance during their lifetime in space environmental conditions. This will demonstrate the functionality and reliability of the system, underlining LANZO Batteries’ ability to safely maintain flight elements.

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  • It takes over from its predecessor—the SURFERA project—in the quest for excellence in surface technologies.
  • The project aims to impact the industry by strengthening technical and scientific capabilities.

The SURFERA-PLUS Excellence Network project has begun as a continuation of the SURFERA network (CER-2019-1003), focusing on Surface Technologies as an industrial driver. CIDETEC Surface Engineering participates in this initiative, with CDTI granting its participants the Cervera Excellence Network qualification (CER-2023-1008). Led by AIN, the network also includes the participation of TEKNIKER, IDONIAL, and the newly incorporated CTME.

SURFERA-PLUS aims to expand the achievements of its predecessor through strategies that strengthen its technical and scientific capabilities. It will focus on the valorization of pilot plants and pre-industrial technological facilities, the adaptation of development and demonstration methodologies under the Safe & Sustainable by Design (SSbD) approach, and the implementation of data preservation principles according to FAIR methodologies, as well as a thorough multivariable analysis. Thanks to these advances, it is expected to achieve an impact on the industry through technology transfer.

The SURFERA-PLUS research program focuses on addressing technological demands of the transportation and energy sectors, covering two main areas: coatings and advanced surfaces for extreme environments, and active (smart) surfaces and coatings. This network offers CIDETEC Surface Engineering the opportunity to advance its research lines and consolidate its position in the field of surface technologies. It also facilitates collaboration with other centers, strengthening the network as a reference of excellence for the industry and the R&D system. Joint activities will include applied research, technological training, exploitation, internationalization, and communication of innovations to society.

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Researching lighter and more sustainable materials for future electric and autonomous vehicles

CIDETEC Surface Engineering and Hyundai Motor Company / KIA will engage in a strategic collaboration to research and develop new solutions in more sustainable and lightweight materials to be used in future autonomous and electric vehicles. This project focuses on addressing two major critical challenges for the advancement of tomorrow’s mobility:

Reducing the weight of automotive parts:

The structures of vehicles, traditionally made from aluminum or steel, present a significant challenge in terms of weight. The collaboration will focus on the use of composite materials based on polymer matrices to lighten body parts, which is essential for improving the efficiency and range of electric vehicles.

Reduce the environmental impact:

A key objective is the use of more sustainable and recyclable materials. This approach not only aims to reduce the carbon footprint of vehicle manufacturing but also to promote a more sustainable lifecycle for the materials used.

The collaboration will leverage CIDETEC Surface Engineering’s advanced 3R technology (Recyclable, Reusable, and Reprocessable). Through this, various solutions will be explored to ensure the recyclability of thermoset composite materials. This innovative approach will not only significantly reduce the environmental impact of the automotive sector but also facilitate the transition towards a lighter, more sustainable, and connected mobility model.

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