REECOVERY

May 14, 2025

The REECOVERY project is a European research initiative co-funded by the European Commission through the EIT Raw Materials programme. Its goal is to develop and validate a resource recovery system to extract critical raw materials—such as rare earth elements (REEs), cobalt, zinc, and copper—from acidic contact water associated with old mining sites or mining activities.

By implementing this system, the project aimed to reduce Europe's reliance on imported critical raw materials and support the transition to a more sustainable and circular economy. The project was tested at a pilot site in Aznalcóllar, Spain, operated by Minera Los Frailes. Among the project's partners, the Resource Recovery and Environmental Management (R2EM) group at the CCEM Barcelona contributed its expertise in environmental assessment and materials science. The project lasted for 4 years and successfully concluded in January 2025.