Our Smelter
Transforming complex waste streams into strategic value for Europe.
At the heart of POLVOLT lies a next-generation metallurgical complex designed to recover and refine critical, precious and base metals from end-of-life batteries and electronic waste.
The POLVOLT Smelter is designed as a fully integrated metallurgical ecosystem where multiple processing technologies work together to maximize resource recovery and environmental performance.
Unlike traditional facilities focused on a single material stream, POLVOLT will process both battery-derived materials and electronic waste, enabling the recovery of a broad portfolio of strategically important metals.
The integration of pyrometallurgical and hydrometallurgical technologies allows for efficient treatment of complex secondary raw materials while achieving high recovery rates and exceptional material purity.
Advanced Metallurgical Technologies
Three interconnected stages of recovery
Stage 01 · Thermal
Pyrometallurgical Processing
Advanced thermal treatment technologies will enable the recovery of valuable metals contained in complex waste streams — the foundation for efficient material separation and concentration.
Stage 02 · Aqueous
Hydrometallurgical Refining
State-of-the-art refining processes will further separate and purify recovered materials, producing metals suitable for industrial and battery-grade applications.
Stage 03 · Digital
Intelligent Process Control
Digital monitoring and optimization systems will continuously analyze operational parameters, ensuring maximum efficiency, resource recovery and environmental performance.
Materials We Recover
A broad portfolio of strategic elements
The facility is designed to recover and produce a wide range of strategic materials essential to modern industry — from critical battery metals to precious and base metals used across electric vehicles, renewable energy, energy storage and advanced electronics.
Group 01
Critical Battery Metals
4 elementsLithium
Nickel
Cobalt
Manganese
Group 02
Precious Metals
4 elementsGold
Silver
Platinum
Palladium
Group 03
Base Metals
5 elementsCopper
Aluminum
Lead
Tin
Iron
These materials are essential components of electric vehicles, renewable energy technologies, energy storage systems, consumer electronics and advanced industrial applications.
Sustainability by Design
Environmental performance built in from day one.
Environmental performance has been incorporated into the project from the earliest stages of development.
The facility is expected to achieve approximately 86% lower relative greenhouse gas emissions compared to conventional production routes by replacing primary extraction with advanced recycling processes.
Dedicated renewable energy infrastructure, resource efficiency systems and advanced emissions control technologies will further support POLVOLT’s ambition to become one of Europe’s leading green metals production facilities.
Relative GHG reduction
86%
Lower greenhouse gas emissions compared to conventional production routes, based on POLVOLT’s advanced recycling processes.
Supporting Europe
A cornerstone of Europe’s strategic autonomy.
As demand for critical raw materials continues to grow, securing sustainable and reliable supply chains has become a strategic priority for Europe.
POLVOLT will play an important role in strengthening European industrial resilience by recovering valuable resources already present within the economy and returning them to the manufacturing cycle.
Through urban mining, advanced recycling and innovative metallurgy, the POLVOLT Smelter will help transform waste into strategic value while supporting Europe’s long-term climate and industrial goals.
Innovation Fund
Supported by the European Union
POLVOLT is co-financed by the European Union Innovation Fund — one of the world’s largest funding programmes for innovative low-carbon technologies.
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.