NEO-CYCLE M18 Consortium Meeting was held at Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC), Barcelona, on February 5-6, 2026. This milestone marked the conclusion of Reporting Period 1, reviewing progress achieved during the project´s first 18 months. It also represented a critical transition point: moving from lab-scale validation to process upscaling and official EU reporting. 

From a strategic role, IDENER.AI participated as Project Coordinator leading WP1, guiding the consortium towards the upcoming first Periodic Review with the European Commission. Our main responsibilities included tracking the overall project progress, aligning all partners on reporting requirements, and establishing a clear roadmap for forthcoming deliverables and review meetings. Moreover, we emphasised the importance of providing strategic justifications for any technical derivations from the Grant Agreement. Eventually, a one month deadline was decided for the first draft of the periodic report.

On the other hand, from a technical point of view, IDENER.AI, as WP7 leader, presented the latest advancements in mathematical modelling of metal extraction processes, including modelling of a fluid flow reactor for Solid-State Chlorination and application of Poisson-Nernst-Planck equations for the electrochemical route. Successfully, we developed basic engineering and flow diagrams for pilot scale.

The Consortium agreed to concentrate all detailed engineering and pilot plant demonstration efforts on the Solid-State Chlorination process, given the basic engineering for both extraction routes has already been completed. A key priority for IDENER in the coming months will be identifying a suitable site to host the TRL6 upscaling trials, a step made necessary by the specific operational demands of rotatory kiln systems and gas handling infrastructure.

As to upcoming phases, continuous data sharing across the consortium was identified as essential. IDENER´s process models and engineering designs will be systematically updated to reflect the latest optimised laboratory results and downstream separation layouts provided by technical partners, ensuring full alignment between research outputs and industrial-scale development. IDENER.AI would like to thank Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC) for hosting the meeting and all consortium partners for their active engagement and valuable contributions throughout the two days.