Sidenor is taking part in SINCER – Industrial Symbiosis for Circularity and Economy of Critical Raw Materials, an R&D initiative that researches new technological solutions to recover, valorise and reuse critical metals found in industrial waste and by-products.
Steelmaking, electric mobility, energy storage and renewable energy all need more and more critical raw materials. This growing demand raises major challenges around their availability, their sustainability and the security of their supply.
Against this backdrop, SINCER is researching technologies to recover metals such as manganese, silicon, magnesium, nickel, chromium, zinc and iron from a range of industrial waste streams.
To do this, the project works on advanced processes for separating, conditioning, recovering and purifying materials. It combines hydrometallurgical and pyrometallurgical technologies with digital tools based on artificial intelligence and traceability.
The aim is to build the knowledge needed to turn waste that is currently underused into new sources of secondary raw materials, so that they can go back into production processes.
Sidenor’s part in the project is researching ways to recover and valorise metals of industrial interest from the waste produced during steelmaking. The work focuses on steelmaking dust, post-combustion dust and stainless steel slags, which are currently a major technological challenge to valorise. A key objective is to recover zinc, nickel and chromium. The project also looks at using other metals in this waste for later industrial use.
Recovering metals from industrial waste is an opportunity to rely less on primary raw materials, send less waste to disposal and move towards production models that use resources more efficiently. Sidenor’s participation in SINCER is part of its commitment to research and to developing solutions that make the steel industry more sustainable.
SINCER is being carried out by a business consortium coordinated by FERROGLOBE SPAIN METALS, S.A. Its other members are AUTLAN EMD, S.L., TERRESIS Centro de Magnesitas Navarras, S.A., SEMANTIC SYSTEMS, S.L., TÉCNICAS REUNIDAS INTERNACIONAL, S.A. and SIDENOR ACEROS ESPECIALES, S.L.
Specialised research organisations and technology centres also collaborate on the project: GAIKER, CETIM, IDONIAL, LUREDERRA, CTC, TECNALIA, LEITAT, the University of Barcelona and the University of Navarra.
The project is supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities and by CDTI, under the State Plan for Scientific, Technical and Innovation Research 2024–2027.
Funded by CDTI. File no.: MIG-20251225.