Building an Industrial Demonstrator: From the Lab to Scaling Up

Moving from a technology developed in the laboratory to an industrial-scale facility is a major challenge. This transition requires adapting the equipment and operating conditions to meet the demands of scaling up.

At Mecaware, this progress is reflected in our pilot project in Vénissieux and the construction of our industrial demonstration facility in Béthune—two key milestones in the development of our hydrometallurgy technology.

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From the Lab to the Prototype: The Steps Involved in Scaling Up

In the laboratory, initial experiments have validated the extraction of strategic metals—including lithium, nickel, and cobalt—on a gram scale. The process is being tested on various mineral deposits to evaluate its performance with different compositions.

Once this initial step has been validated, testing continues on a kilogram scale at our pilot plant in Vénissieux. The operations are replicated and scaled up to handle larger quantities in order to verify the stability of the process.

When the results are conclusive, a new scale-up can be initiated using the industrial demonstrator in Béthune, to increase the scale from kilograms to metric tons.

The construction of an industrial demonstrator therefore involves several steps:

• Design and sizing: defining treatment capacities, selecting equipment, and organizing process operations.
• Site preparation: adapting the infrastructure to technical and safety requirements.
• Installation and connection: Set up the equipment and connect it to the necessary networks.
• Commissioning: Check that the systems and safety devices are functioning properly.
• Testing and optimization: adjusting process parameters and evaluating process performance.

These phases draw on expertise in research, engineering, and industrial operations to ensure the transition to a facility with greater capacity.

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The Technical Challenges of Scaling Up

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Unlike a cake recipe, where you simply increase the ingredients proportionally, scaling up an industrial process is more complex. Operating parameters change with the volumes being processed and require adjustments to ensure efficiency.

In battery recycling, this involves adapting equipment, mastering extraction and purification processes, and maintaining the quality of the recovered metals. Resource consumption, facility safety, and operational reliability are also key challenges.

The demonstrator thus makes it possible to test the technology under real-world operating conditions and prepare for its industrial deployment.

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Béthune: A New Milestone in Our Industrial Development

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With the construction of our industrial demonstration plant in Béthune, on the former Bridgestone site, Mecaware is continuing to scale up its hydrometallurgical technology. This facility is designed to process larger quantities of material while meeting performance requirements and addressing the constraints of industrial operations.

Located in the heart of the Electric Valley, the site also benefits from its proximity to key players in the battery industry, strengthening our presence within this industrial ecosystem.

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Through this demonstration project, Mecaware is pursuing its goal of developing a high-performance industrial solution for recycling strategic metals and contributing to the circularity of batteries in Europe.

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