EU grants consortium €7.3 million for sustainable titanium extraction project
September 18, 2024
An EU project coordinated by the European Powder Metallurgy Association (EPMA) has been granted €7.3 million. The funding, divided between thirteen partners under the REPTiS project, is intended to support the responsible extraction and processing of titanium and other primary raw materials for sourcing EU industrial value chains and strategic sectors.
Together, the companies are required to use the grant to demonstrate the feasibility of titanium extraction, processing, and utilisation within the EU through a partnership with Ukraine.
In addition to the EPMA, key participants include Ukrainian titanium producer Velta and global aerospace manufacturer GKN Aerospace.
The majority of the funding is reportedly designated for Velta and the EPMA; other recipients include companies specialising in Metal Injection Molding and Additive Manufacturing, research centres, and universities. However, the current allocation of funding does not cover the entire €7.3 million budget.
The aim of the project is to demonstrate solutions for extracting and processing titanium across the value chain – including open-pit ilmenite ore mining at Velta’s Byrzulivske deposit – and the production of low-carbon titanium powder and use of other technologies including Additive Manufacturing and Metal Injection Molding.
The collaboration will focus on areas such as energy efficiency and environmental impact, titanium powder production and final product manufacturing. For example, Sweden’s University West will manufacture an aerospace demonstrator component, defined by GKN, using Powder Bed Fusion Additive Manufacturing and titanium powder from Velta. Other final products include medical implants and watch casings.
A life cycle assessment will be carried out from the extraction of raw materials to the final products in order to evaluate the differences between the methods used in the REPTiS project and conventional practices.
“The substantial funding for our consortium project underscores the EU’s recognition of Ukraine as a strategic partner — one capable of establishing a secure titanium supply chain from raw materials to final titanium products, which are critical globally,” Velta chief executive Andriy Brodsky said.
Ukrainian state-owned property fund SPFU manages various titanium assets in Ukraine and it has been pushing for international investment into the country’s titanium industry. One of SPFU’s key assets is titanium minerals mining firm UMCC, which manages and operates the Vilnohirsk and Irshansk mining and ore processing complexes. UMCC is set to be auctioned on October 9.
The project is funded under the EU’s Horizon Europe programme and is scheduled to run for four years, with a planned end date of August 31, 2028.
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