| Por Elixabete Ayerbe | Team Leader del Equipo de Modelización y Postmortem Analysis |
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| This movement is further supported by the digital wave, where automation, artificial intelligence, and data analytics contribute to the acceleration of new developments. In this regard, CIDETEC Energy Storage has long been committed to the development and implementation of digital solutions to advance battery technologies. Recently, it launched the digital platform PROTEO, which accelerates cell development and marks a significant milestone in innovation and efficiency within the energy sector. PROTEO, based on multiphysics models, artificial intelligence, and a dynamic database, offers a revolutionary approach to the construction, testing, and optimization of cells. The platform consists of three modules: PROTEO Design, based on thermo-electrochemical-mechanical models, allows users to virtually design and optimize cells from scratch, providing insights into cell design, identifying optimal conditions for SEI formation, and detecting potential failure modes throughout their lifespan PROTEO Prediction, supported by AI, predicts the lifespan of a battery cell based on electrode characteristics, cell design, and usage profiles, accelerating the testing and validation phase PROTEO Data Analytics, which automatically collects data from various sources for efficient management and visualization. |
The Department of Sustainability of the Gipuzkoa Provincial Council and CIDETEC, in collaboration with the NATURKLIMA Foundation, will launch in the Eskuzaitzeta industrial area:
• A Laboratory for Characterizing Recycled Materials from Used Batteries.
• Implementation of a State-of-the-Art Energy Microgrid in the Eskuzaitzeta Business Environment. Oscar Miguel, Deputy Director of CIDETEC Energy Storage, tells us the general lines of this agreement that positions the territory at the forefront of the circular economy and energy transition.
In collaboration with INCOM and SOFITEC, it will develop new and more sustainable composite materials for sectors such as wind, transport, construction or aeronautics.
The COMAR project focuses on finding new ways to recycle and reuse waste from composites based on thermosetting and vitrimeric matrices, through different chemical recycling techniques, such as pyrolysis and solvolysis.
The aim of the project is to develop new products for the construction, wind energy and transport sectors, based on materials obtained from the recycling of composite waste, under conditions that preserve or, if necessary, restore the mechanical properties of the fibres obtained. The by-products obtained, for example, in processes such as solvolysis, will lead to the formation of new matrices that can be used in these or other sectors of interest.
This will aim to:
• Establish innovative ways to reuse and recycle composites waste to minimise energy consumption and maximise the properties of the recovered fibres.
• Enhance the sustainability of the composites industry through the valorisation of by-products.
• Reduce the environmental impact of solvolysis and pyrolysis by exploring the use of catalysts.
• Provide a waste recovery strategy for each application.
• Promote the circular economy in the composites sector.
• Promote digitalisation and Industry 4.0 in the composites sector in order to improve productivity, quality and costs.
CIDETEC Surface Engineering collaborates with INCOM and SOFITEC:
Together with INCOM, CIDETEC is working on the creation of next generation fully recyclable, 3R glass resin composites, from recovered fibres and cores. These materials will be validated by INCOM in the manufacture of prototypes for sectors such as wind, transport and construction.
On the other hand, the collaboration between CIDETEC and SOFITEC is geared towards the aeronautical sector, where the use of more sustainable composites is also being explored. CIDETEC is responsible for recovering high added value carbon fibres from first generation composites based on 3R glass resins, for reuse in new second generation composites.
The COMAR project, funded by the CDTI through the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities and co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) 2021-2027, aims to achieve sustainability and reduce the environmental impact in the composites industry, promoting the circular economy in this sector.
The limitations imposed by the reach regulation have led to a significant reduction in the sector’s activity.
The project proposes several methods without hexavalent chromium, highly toxic to human health and the environment.
Training will be held to implement the new proposals in the Spanish, Portuguese and French industry, with the aim of empowering the sector.
The RESINSURF project, part of the Interreg SUDOE Program and coordinated by CIDETEC Surface Engineering, is aimed at developing surface treatments without hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)), used in industries such as metal galvanizing, pigment production and leather tanning. This highly toxic and carcinogenic compound, is harmful to both human health and the environment. For this reason, the EU banned its use in September 2017, under the REACH regulation, with a temporary extension allowing limited use until 2024. This makes it urgent to find alternatives so that the industry dedicated to the sector, which in recent years has suffered an exodus of activity to countries outside the EU where the aforementioned regulations do not apply, does not disappear.
RESINSURF, through the implementation of alternative sustainable technologies, will prioritize the transfer of knowledge and the training of professionals through seminars, workshops and open days, thus training both professionals and companies in the SUDOE territory, contributing to maintaining regional employment.
The project involves companies in the sector such as Titania (Spain), Prifer (Portugal) or Chrome Dur Industriel (France), with which the solutions offered by RESINSURF will be implemented. At the same time, it is planned to work together with policy makers, with the aim of encouraging policies that facilitate the transition to the surface finishing industry.
This project, funded with a budget of almost 2 million euros, is also participated in by other entities in the SUDOE territory, such as INEOSURF, Universidade de Aveiro, Université de Pau et des Pays de l’Adour, Smallmatek and the Association of Surface Finishing Industries (AIAS).
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.
