UMI VOLTA

Joint research unit on silicon-based solutions driving Galician technological and sustainable leadership.

Partners:

• CETIM
• Ferroglobe Innovation

OBJECTIVE:

The general objective of UMI VOLTA is the research and development of technologically advanced electrochemical solutions, with high energy efficiency and environmentally sustainable based on silicon, with the study of sustainable compounds mainly based on biochars from high-impact species/waste in Galicia and recovery strategies for other residual materials of high interest in electrochemistry. Additionally, it will focus on the development of digitalization strategies and new applications that allow, through support for modernization and digitalization, to promote the Galician industrial model and advance not only towards highly innovative scientific-technological solutions, but also towards sustainability and decarbonisation.

To achieve this goal, VOLTA includes the following 5 lines of research:

• Micro and nano silicon synthesis technologies.
• Synthesis of biochars from natural/residual sources and CRMs from secondary sources: traceability.
• Obtaining anode materials.
• Coin-type electrochemical cell component configuration.
• Scaling of the developed materials and their evaluation in pouch cells.

FILE: IN853A2022/06

TOTAL PROJECT BUDGET: €2,058,878.57

GRANT: €823,551.43

2022 ANNUITY ADVANCES:

During the year 2022, the first tasks of the UMI VOLTA have been started, which has allowed to begin to establish the main sources of biochar, their production processes, as well as the main strategies for obtaining micro and nano silicon. In addition, CRM recovery strategies, 4.0 traceability strategies and possible new uses and applications of biochar and micro/nano silicon have been successfully addressed.

2023 ANNUITY ADVANCES:

During the year 2023, the work carried out has enabled progress to be made in all aspects relating to strategies for obtaining micro and nanosilicon, carbonaceous raw materials, CRM recovery, new uses and all of this accompanied by 4.0 traceability strategies. The optimisation and development of electrochemical cells for testing the materials under study has begun, making it possible to evaluate their suitability for the development of high-performance lithium-ion cells.

2024 ANNUITY ADVANCES:

During the year 2024, studies have been completed on the location of sustainable sources for obtaining carbonaceous materials, the design of the traceability system for obtaining these materials at the UMI and the location of sources of CRMs and technology assessment. The processes for obtaining silicon micro and nanoparticles by means of different types of milling, and obtaining coals from different local biomass sources by applying different thermal and activation treatments have been advanced and optimised. At the same time, techniques for the improvement of these materials by means of doping, coating, etc., to avoid the degradation of the anode and the battery, have been studied in depth. The materials obtained have been characterised physico-chemically and electrochemically, studying the materials in the latter through their assembly in button cells and pouch cells. In the latter, the most promising formulations studied so far are being tested.

On the other hand, for the registration and traceability of all the materials present in the UMI VOLTA, a decentralised application has been developed consisting of a web application and a smart contract. The design of the contract allows the tokenisation in blockchain using the ERC-1155 standard of each of the materials present in the UMI VOLTA, representing them digitally in an immutable way and assigning them an owner. For its part, the web application allows authorised users to register new materials and any user to consult and trace any material present in the project, obtaining end-to-end traceability of the material and guaranteeing transparency throughout the value chain.

2025 ANNUITY ADVANCES:

During this year, CETIM has focused its efforts on optimising the biochar manufacturing process, specifically addressing the optimisation and conditioning stages. The work has extended to the preparation of anodic recipes incorporating these optimised bio-carbons, evaluating their performance both individually and as a conductive additive in anodic formulations with high silicon content. All this has been complemented by the corresponding electrochemical studies in half cells and full cells, coin-type cells and pouch-type cells. The results obtained have demonstrated the existence of synergistic behaviour between silicon and biochar, representing a significant advance in the development of high-performance anode materials.

The actions carried out by the Unidad Mixta de Investigación “VOLTA” are subsidized by the Galician Innovation Agency (Xunta de Galicia) within the framework of the 2022 call for the Unidad Mixta de Investigación Program, co-financed by the European Union through the European Regional Development Fund (FEDER) – Galicia Operational Programme FEDER 2021-2027.