SCALE

  This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 730105.  

Title

Production of Scandium compounds and Scandium Aluminum alloys from European metallurgical by- products

Concept

Scandium (Sc) is one of the highest valued elements in the periodic table and an element which is usually grouped in REEs as it shares many characteristics with Yttrium. Scandium technological applications are unique, as it is a key component in producing Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (Scandia-Stabilized-Zirconia solid electrolyte layer) or high strength Aluminum alloys used in aerospace and 3D printing applications (SCALMALLOY®). Yet Scandium supply is limited due to its scarcity and the high cost of its production, which currently takes place in Asia and Russia. Europe has no production of Scandium, but is home to many Sc industrial end-users (Airbus, II-VI, KBM Affilips and others). In fact end-users like Airbus, are not deploying their Sc applications due to the lack of a secure Sc supply. The SCALE project sets about to develop and secure a European Sc supply chain through the development of technological innovations which will allow the extraction of Sc from European industrial residues.

Participants

• Mytilineos Anonimi Etairia – Omilos Epicheiriseon, Greece (Coordinator)
• Alouminion Tis Ellados Viomichaniki Kai Emporiki Anonymos Etaireia Veae, Greece (Participation ended)
• II-VI GmbH, Germany
• National Technical University of Athens – NTUA, Greece
• Kungliga Tekniska Hoegskolan, Sweden
• Budapesti Műszaki és Gazdaságtudományi Egyetem, Hungary
• Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und –prüfung, Germany
• Fachhochschule Nordwestschweiz, Switzerland
• Fraunhofer Gesellschaft zur Förderung der Angewandten Forschung e.V., Germany
• MEAB Chemie Technik GmbH, Germany
• Stiftelsen SINTEF, Norway (Participation ended)
• IoLiTec-Ionic Liquids Technologies GmbH, Germany
• KBM Master Alloys B.V., Netherlands
• Less Common Metals Limited, United Kingdom
• Tronox Pigments Holland B.V., Netherlands
• Aluminium Oxid Stade GmbH, Germany
• ITRB Ltd., Cyprus
• Wavestone Luxembourg SA, Luxembourg
• SINTEF AS, Norway