Get to know our partners
Aalborg University
Aalborg University (AAU) is a young, dynamic institution with over 20,000 students and 3,000 academic staff. AAU collaborates with businesses, organizations, and institutions in teaching and research. Two departments of AAU are involved in the BeyondBattRec project namely Department of Chemistry and Bioscience and AAU Energy, which provide a unique platform for research and knowledge sharing to support and advance research within the framework of the project.
Role in BeyondBattRec: AAU is coordinating the project and is lead for work package 4: Recycling and Regeneration. As Coordinator, AAU will ensure the overall legal, contractual, financial, and administrative management of the project. On the research side, AAU will contribute to the recovery of anode, cathode, and polymeric materials from spent Li-ion batteries. Specifically, AAU will focus on optimizing the biogenic acid production process for use in metal leaching from cathode materials and will work on the selective recovery of both metals and acids from polymetallic solution.
Aamer Ali
Cejna Anna Quist-Jensen
Dalia Stakennaite
Marco Malaguti
Cristiano Varrone
Coventry University
Established in 1843, Coventry University has a long history of unlocking potential, breaking down barriers and making a real difference to lives around the world. The Centre for E-Mobility & Clean Growth (CECG) unites industry and the academic community globally, delivering integrated solutions to accelerate the adoption and commercialisation of clean technologies. We help businesses transition to a sustainable economy by offering academic expertise, access to advanced facilities, and enabling skills. Our unique collaborations and deep industry and scientific expertise drive the market success of clean solutions.
In the BeyondBattRec project we will implement protocols and methodologies to optimize recycling, reuse and zero-waste practices. Characterization of the black mass/concentrates. Investigate direct recovery of cathode active materials, maximizing material recovery and efficiency. Assessment on lab scale to classify recycled materials and components for the re-use in LiBs against the specifications and requirements set.
Alexander Roberts
Gemma Turner
VARTA Microbattery GmbH
VARTA AG manufactures and markets a comprehensive battery portfolio ranging from microbatteries, household batteries and energy storage systems to customised battery solutions for a wide range of applications. Through intensive research and development, VARTA AG sets global standards in many areas of lithium-ion technology and microbatteries and is the recognised innovation leader in the important growth markets for lithium-ion technology and primary hearing aid batteries. The VARTA AG Group currently employs around 4,000 people. With five production and manufacturing sites in Europe and Asia as well as distribution centres in Asia, Europe and the USA, VARTA AG’s operating subsidiaries are currently active in over 100 countries worldwide.
Within this project VARTA aims on the assessment of recycled materials and demonstration via an implementation into industrial relevant cell formats.
Sebastian Schebesta
Nicolas Bucher
Accurec Recycling GmbH
ACCUREC Recycling GmbH is a leading German company specializing in the recycling of batteries, including lithium-ion, nickel-cadmium, and other advanced chemistries. With a focus on sustainability and innovation, ACCUREC provides tailored solutions for recovering critical raw materials and ensuring compliance with environmental directives. The company is dedicated to advancing circular economy practices in the battery industry.
Siemens
Siemens is a leading technology company focused on industry, infrastructure, mobility, and healthcare. The company’s purpose is to create technology to transform the everyday, for everyone. By combining the real and the digital worlds, Siemens empowers customers to accelerate their digital and sustainability transformations, making factories more efficient, cities more livable, and transportation more sustainable.
Our team operates within the central R&D unit, focusing on projects across the entire battery value chain. We address key areas such as cell production, battery operation, second-life applications, and recycling. Our battery testing lab is equipped with advanced power electronics, cycling equipment, and climate chambers, enabling us to perform electrical and thermal characterizations, conduct battery system testing, and execute model parameterization.
In the BeyondBattRec project, we concentrate on the electrical deactivation of battery modules and the development of a decision-making algorithm for second-life or recycling application. This includes evaluating the initial quality of the modules, conducting prolonged load tests, and performing cost-benefit analyses. We are committed to ensuring a consistent material flow of deactivated battery modules and coordinating with our partners for subsequent processing.
Michael Fischer
Nora Jeske
Andreas Albrecht
acib GmbH
acib is an international competence centre, developing new, environmentally friendly, economically and technically advanced processes for the biotechnological, pharmaceutical and chemical industry – all of them modelled on nature. acib is bridging the gap between academic research and producing industry. The big advantage for acib partner organisations is the possibility to translate scientific results into concrete processes and products by using scientific know-how, academic infrastructure or industrial networks. Our platform offers tailor-made solutions for our stakeholders from Academia, Industry and Investors.
acib contributes to BeyondBattRec with expertise in bioleaching, using biogenic sulfuric acid for sustainable metal recovery from batteries. Additionally, as leader of Work Package 6, acib manages communication, dissemination, and exploitation to maximize the project’s impact.
Silja Välimets
Katrin Weinhandl
SK tes
SK tes, formerly known as TES and originally founded as RECUPYL SAS by Dr. Farouk Tedjar, is a global leader in battery recycling and sustainable technology lifecycle services. Established in France and later expanding internationally, SK tes specializes in developing innovative processes for recycling lithium-ion batteries from electric vehicles and other sources. The company holds multiple patents and operates advanced recycling facilities, including a high-capacity plant in France. Following its acquisition by SK ecoplant, TES rebranded to SK tes in 2024 to reflect a strengthened commitment to sustainability and innovation.
Within the BeyondBattRec project, SK tes leads Work Package 1 (Battery Pack Dismantling and Classification) and contributes to Work Package 3, focusing on mechano-physical treatment to enhance material recovery efficiency.
Farouk Tedjar
Zijun Lu
Stephane Tocchini
Mickal Cortes
Serey Phoas Sowath
Andaltec
Andaltec is a non-profit R&D technology centre specialising in the development of innovative polymer materials and composites. With extensive experience in the plastics sector, it supports diverse applications such as lighting, recycling and packaging. Andaltec’s capabilities include the design and simulation of parts and processes, as well as the scale-up of prototypes using advanced plastics processing technologies such as extrusion, injection moulding, thermoforming, compounding and additive manufacturing.
With its expertise, Andaltec will play a key role in the BeyondBattRec project, focusing on the development of efficient processes to isolate, recycle and process polymer components from batteries into new products or components, thus contributing to innovation and sustainability in the battery recycling industry.
Francisco Javier Navas
José Antonio Rodríguez Liébana
UVR-FIA
UVR-FIA GmbH is a research competence center with 30 highly qualified employees, primarily engaged in the development of processes for the mechanical processing of waste, raw materials, and ores. For this purpose, laboratory, and pilot plant facilities with more than 300 different machines are available for carrying out research and technological testing in lab scale and pilot plant scale for comminution, classification, and mechanical separation. Its competence in reprocessing, also of lithium-ion accumulators, has been proven in several government-funded research projects.
Beside the mechanical separation of the black mass by froth flotation and therefore the recovery of the graphite, comprehensive chemical and physical analysis is done by UVR-FIA GmbH ranging from mineralogical, granulometric and physical to chemical methods for liquid and solid materials.
Shift Materials
Shift Materials (SHIFT) is a Norwegian SME specializing in the production of high-quality, cost-effective LFP/LMFP cathode active materials in accordance with European regulations. Committed to sustainability, we integrate recycled materials into our production process and directly regenerate spent LFPs. As part of the BeyonBattRec project, we aim to collaborate on shaping the future of energy storage through innovation. Our role includes implementing protocols and methodologies to optimize recycling and reuse practices, maximizing material recovery and efficiency. Specifically, Shift Materials evaluates the suitability of recycled and recovered materials from spent batteries by reusing them in our LFP production process. This approach demonstrates the recycled product’s battery-grade quality and ensures that the materials meet the required quality standards.
Azadeh Motealleh
University of Jaén
The University of Jaén (UJA) is an EHEA medium-sized Spanish public university, established in 1993 and organized into 6 main Schools, 100 research groups and 6 specialized centres, among which CEACTEMA (Earth, Energy and Environmental Sciences) is highlighted. The Hybrid Materials and Surfaces Research Group involved in BeyondBattRec has strong expertise in the design, development and characterization of innovative hybrid carbon-based materials (graphite, carbon black, …) and nanomaterials (MWCNT, GNP, …), obtained by combining novel organic synthetic approaches applied to carbon-based surface modifications, thus providing unique materials with outstanding properties for catalytic and energy applications.
Our main role in the BeyondBattRec project is to develop new efficient processes for recycling and regenerating the graphite anode component under green and sustainable conditions.
Antonio Penas
EurA AG
EurA AG is an international consulting company headquartered in Germany specialized in innovation and technology. We support companies, research institutions and public clients in enabling technical innovations. We accompany tomorrow‘s market leaders through the entire innovation process: from generating ideas, to developing new products and services, managing complex projects, and finally launching the innovation internationally. With our dedicated sustainability team, we can furthermore support our clients in their sustainable product development or even in their transformation into a sustainable company. We are sector-independent but have extensive experience in life cycle assessment of batteries and battery recycling approaches as well as in life cycle costing and will contribute to the project through these competencies.
Stefan Durm
Daniel Habermeier
Abhishek Khairnar
Advisory Board
Juan José Pérez Uceta
Juan José Pérez Uceta is a mechanical industrial technical engineer with over 20 years of experience in business management and leadership within the industrial sector. Throughout his career, he has led multidisciplinary teams and managed innovation, development, and operations projects in leading companies such as Grupo Greening 2022 SA, United Caro SL, Instalaciones y Montajes INOXA SL, and Grupo Salmerón.
A specialist in business strategy, commercial management, process optimization, and team leadership, Juan José has driven the implementation of management models, quality systems, and R&D&I projects, earning recognition such as awards for energy innovation and circular economy. His profile stands out for analytical skills, results orientation, innovation, and the ability to motivate and develop talent.
He is currently the Director of R&D&I at Grupo Greening, where he sets the future strategy for several companies within the group, fosters institutional collaborations, and leads projects in circular economy and sustainability. In addition, he actively participates in professional organizations and has been recognized multiple times for his career and contributions to the sector.
Rafael Castillo
Rafael Castillo is an international project manager at Corporación Tecnológica de Andalucía (CTA) specialising in circular economy, sustainable energy systems, and innovative finance for green industrial transitions. With strong expertise in investment-readiness assessment, valuation tools, business model development, technical due-diligence and piloting support, he helps companies and regional authorities scale up climate and circular technologies, catalysing new value chains and supporting market deployment.
His work integrates financial innovation with ecosystem building, leading stakeholder mapping, multi-actor engagement, and exploitation strategies that connect industry, research, governments, and investors. Rafael designs and facilitates mechanisms such as blended finance instruments, PPP models, market uptake pathways, and circular business cases to accelerate technology adoption, mainly in energy storage, industrial decarbonisation, bio-based solutions, and secondary raw materials.
Representing Andalusia (Spain) as a Less Developed Region, he is Coordinator of the S3 Partnership on Advanced Materials for Batteries for Electromobility and Stationary Energy Storage (AMBP), guiding interregional collaboration, demonstration strategies, and investment pipelines for a European circular battery ecosystem.
- BATMASS – building the EU Circular Battery Valley for second life applications, recycling, and re-manufacturing of materials and black mass.
- IRMHUB – enabling European Raw Materials Innovation Hubs to strengthen circular and green supply chains of critical raw materials, boosting resilience and industrial autonomy in less developed regions.
Rong Lan
Dr Rong Lan is an Associate Professor on energy Materials at University of Exeter, Faculty of Energy, Environment and Economy. With extensive expertise in electrochemistry, advanced materials, and sustainable energy technologies, her research spans catalyst development, recycling of lithium-ion batteries, development of aqueous batteries, electrochemical synthesis and electrolysers.
A specialist in energy materials and electrochemical systems, Dr. Lan has contributed significantly to the development of innovative solutions in energy conversion and storage. She has published ~100 peer-reviewed papers, with more than 8,700 citations and an H-index of 40, highlighting her international impact in the field. She was also the initiator of the EU project BeyondBattRec, focusing on sustainable lithium-ion battery recycling (direct recycling of cathode active materials). She actively serves as a reviewer for research journals such as Nature Energy, Chem Engineering Journal, etc., and interview panel member for the UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC).
Her profile is characterized by scientific rigor, innovation, and a strong commitment to sustainability. As a member of the advisory board, Dr. Lan brings strategic insight into electrochemical processes, materials development, and clean-energy technologies, strengthening the board’s capacity to guide research and innovation.