The overall objective of the project is to develop a new generation of hydrometallurgical technologies aimed at solving some of the main challenges that the sector of metal raw materials is facing today. These challenges, though of a different nature, affect to base metals, namely aluminum, lead, copper, zinc, tin and nickel, a to the so-called technology metals, which play a key role in strategic sectors of our economy (renewable energy, IT, automotive, aerospace, etc…). Under this premise, the project focuses on the most critical operations of any hydrometallurgical process, i.e. leaching and purification, looking for technologies that will be able to retrieve the maximum economic value from polymetallic complex minerals. A successful implementation to the results of the project will:

• Increase the existing feasible reserves of base metals globally and particularly Spanish and European reserves.
• Contribute to create a transparent market of minor technology metals ensuring the supply of these critical raw materials to European industry.
• Provide multi-metal refining processes, flexible and robust, adaptable to complex mineral raw materials.