The Catalan Minister for European Union and Foreign Action, Jaume Duch, has visited Eurecat’s headquarters in Manresa, where he was able to learn about the impact of the solutions it develops on European technological sovereignty, in areas such as the recovery and valorisation of fundamental raw materials, including lithium, magnesium, nickel, cobalt and rare-earth elements, which are considered essential in Europe, as well as in water reuse and soil decontamination.
The visit by the head of the European Union and Foreign Action of the Generalitat de Catalunya took place at Eurecat’s Manresa facilities, where he was able to gain deeper insight into Eurecat’s experience in a range of international technological cooperation projects and into the extensive network of partners it maintains in Europe, Asia, Ibero-America and other regions of the world. Eurecat, which collaborates with more than 500 organisations worldwide, also presented to the Minister the results of some of the more than 200 major consortium R&D&I projects of high strategic value through which it addresses global challenges such as sustainability, health and advanced industry.
Duch emphasised that “Eurecat is a benchmark technology centre in Catalonia and Europe, helping to strengthen our strategic autonomy in sectors that may be determining. And it does so precisely at a time when the international context and future global challenges force us to build greater capacity in areas such as research and innovation.” The Minister also underlined that “Eurecat’s presence throughout the territory should be highlighted, as it contributes to structuring the country and transforming scientific knowledge into competitiveness for Catalan companies.”
In the words of Eurecat’s Director General, Xavier López, “Eurecat is a multidisciplinary technology centre with capabilities across five major fields of knowledge, which we bring together to address complex challenges faced by companies and society, linked to digital technologies, cyber-physical systems, materials and manufacturing processes, life and health sciences and technologies, and environmental sciences and technologies.”
Circular economy and clean technologies
Eurecat’s Manresa headquarters houses specialised capabilities and infrastructures for the integration of environmental technologies for the strategic management of resources such as water, soil and waste, and for the creation of new sustainable materials and processes.
Eurecat operates under the principles of the circular economy as a mitigation strategy in response to climate change, which are estimated to enable a 45 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions if the main production systems are taken into account. In this field, Eurecat has begun to calculate the estimated environmental gains of the technological innovation processes it develops using the life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology, which makes it possible to quantify the carbon dioxide emissions avoided in each project, with the aim of generating new data to help mitigate climate change.
Moreover, Eurecat is leading the Cassandra programme, supported by more than 300 supranational institutions, NGOs, universities and research centres, including the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and the United Nations. In its latest edition, the third, held earlier this month, it analysed the effects arising from climate change and their relationship with health, migration, gender equality and potential conflicts. The conference showcased the experiences of the Local Climate Forums promoted by Cassandra in 38 countries across the Mediterranean region, Africa, India and the Middle East.
Leaders in water reuse and recovery of fundamental raw materials
Eurecat has succeeded in developing new technologies for the recovery and valorisation of rare-earth elements and strategic raw materials, such as lithium, magnesium, nickel and cobalt, from waste, in order to help guarantee their supply, avoid the environmental impact caused by their extraction and contribute to the decarbonisation of industry by promoting the circular economy.
Among the innovations developed by Eurecat in Manresa is also the Decideix project, a pioneering innovation initiative in Europe aimed at developing planning tools for the use of water reuse models as a safe and reliable source in Catalonia, in a context shaped by the impact of climate change.
During the visit, the Minister was accompanied by Eurecat’s Vice-President, Francesc Santasusana; Eurecat’s Director General, Xavier López; the Director of the Sustainability Area, Miquel Rovira; the Director of Corporate Affairs and Public Policy, Joan Guasch; and the Manager of Eurecat in Central Catalonia, Juanjo Martín, as well as Manresa’s Councillor for Business, Tourism and Knowledge, Joan Vila.
