BATTSi: Valorisation of Industrial Waste Streams for Battery Grade Silicon

Welcome to BATTSi – where local waste becomes tomorrow’s battery power. Across Finland, Iceland, Sweden, and Ireland, our universities and industry partners are joining forces to transform spent grain from breweries and distilleries, grain husks from spirit production and agrifood industry, geo-brine from energy production and other silicon-rich by-products into the silicon that powers electric vehicles and renewable energy storage.

By tapping into resources already under our feet, we’re cutting down on mining, slashing landfill, and creating new business opportunities in rural and remote communities. Over the next three years, we’ll:

• Map and characterise local silicon side streams
• Develop and pilot extraction and purification methods
• Host transnational workshops to share know-how and build SME capacity
• Assess environmental and economic impacts to chart a path for large-scale rollout

We are driving sustainable growth across the Northern Periphery & Arctic (NPA). Follow our website to keep up to date with the solutions we create.

BATTSi will produce a comprehensive roadmap for technology transfer and commercialization, supported by pilot actions and databases of testing services. The project will also assess the environmental impact and scalability of the technologies developed. It brings together research institutions, SMEs, and large industrial partners from Finland, Iceland, Ireland, and Sweden.

Luleå University of Technology-Lead: Mapping of Si-rich streams and quantifying the conservation of primary mineral reserves

The demand for high-purity silicon in battery manufacturing is rapidly increasing. However, traditional production methods are environmentally intensive. At the same time, various industries generate substantial amounts of silicon-rich by-products, such as brewers’ spent grain (BSG), agricultural husks, and geosilica from geothermal energy production—which remain largely underutilized.

The Northern Periphery and Arctic (NPA) region (herein, Finland, Iceland, Sweden, and Ireland) has a strong heritage in brewing and distilling, resulting in significant volumes of BSG. Despite being known sources of silicon, these by-products have yet to be fully tapped for their potential in circular economy strategies or their role in advancing the green energy transition. A key barrier has been the lack of comprehensive data on the material flows of these secondary silicon streams, which is essential for substituting primary mineral resources.

To address this, Luleå University of Technology (LTU) is leading the effort to map silicon-rich secondary streams and assess their potential to conserve primary mineral reserves across the NPA region. In close collaboration with all BATTSi project partners, LTU is dedicated to quantifying these alternative resources to support the next generation of sustainable battery technologies.

Funding