Sensmet secures €1.5M to scale real-time metals monitoring for Europe’s raw materials supply

Finnish developer of continuous metals monitoring technology, Sensmet, has received a €1.5m investment from EIT RawMaterials to help secure the supply of critical and strategically important raw materials. Sensmet's breakthrough technology, Micro-Discharge Optical Emission Spectroscopy (µDOES), enables online multi-metal analysis of aqueous samples. 

Critically important applications include the continuous monitoring of lithium and other battery metals during production processes and battery metal recycling.

By delivering laboratory-grade results in real time, Sensmet helps improve process efficiency, increase metal recovery, ensure consistent product quality, and protect the environment. 

Sensmet’s technology is deployed in numerous applications within raw material value chains – including wastewater treatment, battery recycling, lithium production and fertiliser manufacture. 

The company will use the funds to scale up and deploy its µDOES online metal analysers to strengthen Europe’s raw materials resilience and competitiveness.

 “Our highly innovative technology provides process managers with continuous measurements for key metals within liquid process streams,” explains Sensmet CEO, Dr Toni Laurila.

“This enables them, for example, to extract critically important metals much more efficiently than would have been previously possible when relying on laboratory analysis.”

EIT RawMaterials’ mission is to secure a sustainable, independent supply of materials for Europe. EIT RawMaterials is a Knowledge and Innovation Community cofunded by the European Commission and one of Europe’s most active innovation ecosystems in the raw materials sector. The organisation supports technologies and industrial solutions that strengthen Europe’s security of supply for critical raw materials such as lithium, cobalt, nickel, and rare earth elements (REEs), which are essential for batteries, renewable energy systems, and advanced manufacturing.

“Our business aligns perfectly with the goals of EIT RawMaterials,” adds Toni Laurila, “so we are honoured to receive this investment, and excited to see how we can use it to scale the µDOES platform and accelerate growth.”