Coming This Winter: The METALLICO Podcast

This winter, we will finish producing the METALLICO podcast  series. Produced by METALLICO partner Asistencias Técnicas Clave (ATClave), the podcast presents the project’s purpose and methods in clear, accessible language. It targets a broad audience, with a special focus on civil society.

The podcast’s goal is simple: to show why Europe needs responsible, circular approaches to critical raw materials, and how METALLICO is making that happen. Across six episodes, we explore self-sufficiency, circular economy practices, process transparency, and collaboration along the value chain. The tone is direct and evidence-based: we explain what we do, the trade-offs it involves, and the benefits and limits of each step.

The storyline mirrors the project itself. At its centre is a narrator—a science teacher from a historic mining town in Andalucía, Spain—who encounters the project at a public forum and decides to investigate. On her journey, she meets people from different backgrounds, asks practical questions, and links expert detail to everyday concerns. Interview-based episodes expand the story, bringing in voices from every step of the chain. Together, these formats keep the pace lively while maintaining technical accuracy.

Interviewees include project coordinators, systems modellers, life-cycle assessment practitioners, business model specialists, engineers, chemists, site operators, and end-users. They explain how materials are characterised and concentrated, how (bio/hydro) metallurgical routes are validated, how digital tools guide decisions, and how market and sustainability criteria are weighed. We keep jargon to a minimum, using plain English to make complex topics clear. We also reflect briefly on the main recovery routes—COOL+ (lithium), TAILCO/PURGES (cobalt via membrane concentration and selective recovery, including sulphuric-acid reuse), COMAN (bioleaching of secondary resources to extract target metals), and CONI (selective cobalt–nickel–copper recovery).

The arc follows a simple “why” and “how.” We open with a public mining forum, setting the scene and clarifying the project’s mission and values. We move into modelling, engineering, LCA, and business planning to show how decisions are made. We hear from mining territories about community life, environmental issues, and site realities. We open the lab to demystify processes and pilots. We connect outputs to applications, especially for the energy transition. Finally, we bring all threads together to imagine what responsible, circular mining could mean for Europe. Five episodes are already recorded; only the final one remains. The full series will be ready for release this winter.

Each episode runs about 45 minutes, with a concise summary, key takeaways, and a clear call to action. Transcripts will be available in English, with translations to follow, so audiences can read, search, and reference the content. Episodes will be published on major platforms to maximise reach.

By opening our work to scrutiny—clearly and consistently—the METALLICO podcast aims to build trust, inform debate, and strengthen social understanding of circular mining. We want to make the path from waste to value visible, concrete, and credible—so that Europe’s future in critical raw materials is not only sustainable, but shared.