Li
Mn
Co
Ni
EIT RawMaterials · Upscaling project · 2026–2027
BRACE upscales an AI decision-intelligence platform for battery recycling plants: deployed at Sunlight’s lithium battery recycling pilot plant in Xanthi, Greece, and taken to market-ready TRL 9 by the end of 2027.
Project at a glance
Programme
EIT RawMaterials · Acceleration (Upscaling)
Coordinator
IntelliSense
Consortium
4 partners
Pilot site
Sunlight pilot plant, Xanthi (GR)
Target
TRL 9 · market-ready
Duration
24 months · Jan 2026 – Dec 2027
Four battery metals · One closed loop
Recycled end-of-life batteries and gigafactory scrap could cover up to this share of EU demand for each metal by 2030, if recovery keeps pace.
3
6.94
Li
Lithium
14%
of EU demand by 2030
25
54.94
Mn
Manganese
17%
of EU demand by 2030
27
58.93
Co
Cobalt
25%
of EU demand by 2030
28
58.69
Ni
Nickel
16%
of EU demand by 2030
The challenge
By 2030 Europe will need to recycle around 420 kilotonnes of batteries a year, rising to 2,100 kilotonnes by 2040. Those batteries are a strategic source of lithium, nickel, manganese and cobalt.
Yet recycling is held back by chemistry-specific processes, low recovery rates and a high environmental footprint. Lead-acid batteries are recycled at around 99%; for lithium-ion batteries the rate is still below 5%.
Inside the plant, operators contend with variable feeds, unplanned downtime, slow analytical feedback and fragmented data, so critical decisions still rely on individual experience.
The challenge, in numbers
420 kt
batteries to recycle in Europe in 2030
Scenario range 200–800 kt (Fraunhofer ISI).
2,100 kt
expected by 2040
Scenario range 1,100–3,300 kt.
<5%
of Li-ion batteries recycled today
Compared with around 99% for lead-acid batteries.
≈€10 bn
European battery recycling market by 2034
Growing at a 20.1% CAGR.
The BRACE platform
Built on brains.app, IntelliSense’s decision-intelligence platform with 26 installations on four continents, BRACE combines Scientific AI, digital twins and generative AI into one closed-loop system for battery recyclers.
01
AI apps that tune each recycling step in real time: sorting, pyrolysis, crushing, flotation, leaching and solid–liquid separation.
02
MTI follows material through every step and predicts how its properties affect the process, maximising net metal production per tonne.
03
A Virtual Operations Simulator: a strategic digital twin for testing plant designs, new equipment and market scenarios before investing.
04
Generative AI that answers operators’ questions in their own language, speeds up onboarding and helps upskill the workforce.
Expected impact
Validated at Sunlight’s pilot plant and quantified through life cycle assessment (LCA), life cycle costing (LCC) and social LCA.
+1–3%
Metal recovery
Worth €25–50 M in additional value for recyclers.
−20%
Operational costs
Through lower energy use, downtime and labour time.
−30%
Energy use
With a matching cut in operational greenhouse gas emissions.
−16%
Chemicals
Plus 5–8% less acid consumption, based on prior results.
−25%
CO₂ emissions
Compared with operations without the optimisation apps.
22,000 m³
Water saved
Per plant, per year, with up to 40% water recovery.
Sunlight recycling flowsheet
01
Sorting
02
Pyrolysis
03
Crushing
04
Flotation
05
Leaching
06
Solid–liquid separation
MTI · material tracking across every step
brains.VOS · strategic digital twin
Demonstration
BRACE will be deployed at Sunlight Group’s lithium battery recycling pilot plant: a 500 tonnes-per-year facility that processes cells, modules, packs and manufacturing scrap of any chemistry, from LFP and NMC to LTO and LMFP.
With Sunlight’s operators and the hydrometallurgy experts of TU Bergakademie Freiberg, IntelliSense will configure, test and validate the platform on the live flowsheet, closing the loop between real-time control and strategic planning.
500 t / year capacity
Any lithium chemistry
TRL 9 by end-2027
Explore
01 · About
Why Europe needs smarter battery recycling, and what BRACE sets out to achieve in 24 months.
Read more →
02 · Technology
Scientific AI, digital twins and generative AI working together across the recycling flowsheet.
Read more →
03 · Impact
Higher recovery, lower costs and a smaller footprint, validated through LCA, LCC and S-LCA.
Read more →
04 · Consortium
Four organisations combining industrial AI, battery recycling, metallurgy and communication.
Read more →
The consortium
Industrial AI, battery recycling at pilot scale, metallurgical research, and communication and sustainability expertise, working together for 24 months.
Find out how BRACE can help you recover more metal with less energy, fewer chemicals and fewer unplanned stops.