Horizon Europe has awarded a four-year grant of the size of more than €7 million under the Resilient Value Chains 2024 initiative for the REPTiS project (Responsible Extraction and Processing of Titanium and other Primary Raw Materials for Sourcing EU Industrial Value Chains and Strategic Sectors). The project participants include Ukraine’s Velta LLC, the Velta RD Titan Research and Development Center, and 11 leading European companies and research institutes.
Europe currently faces significant challenges in the titanium market, including the need for a secure and sustainable supply chain and the development of low-carbon production technologies with further implementation. The REPTiS project aims to address these issues by demonstrating innovative solutions for extracting and processing critical titanium raw materials across the entire value chain. This includes mining ilmenite ore at Ukraine’s Byrzulivske deposit, producing low-carbon titanium powder via the innovative Ukrainian-developed Velta Ti Process, and manufacturing final products using advanced technologies like 3D printing and Metal Injection Molding.
“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,” said Andriy Brodsky, CEO of Velta.
Velta’s consortium is represented by leading European companies and research institutes specializing in titanium raw materials, powder technologies, and their applications across various industries. The collaborative research will focus on several key areas:
- Energy Efficiency and Environmental Impact: testing new approaches to reduce energy consumption and environmental impact during titanium raw material production at Velta’s mining facilities in Ukraine.
- Advanced Titanium Powder Production: demonstrating cutting-edge titanium powder production technologies at the Velta RD Titan research center, including waste recycling and powder spheroidization through the Velta Ti Process.
- Final Product Manufacturing: producing a range of final products, such as aircraft components, medical implants, and watch casings, from Ukrainian titanium powder, followed by testing.
Additionally, a comprehensive Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) will be conducted, from raw material extraction to the production of final products. This will showcase the environmental efficiency of the improvements implemented under the REPTiS project, particularly the Ukrainian-developed Velta Ti Process, compared to conventional titanium extraction and production methods.
Disclaimer: the European Union funds this project. The opinions and views expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the position of the European Union or the European Health and Digital Executive Agency. The European Union or the European Health and Digital Executive Agency are not responsible for any use that may be made of the information contained therein.