
From CO₂ emissions, steel slag and electronic or battery waste to plastic or demolition waste: industrial waste streams are often dismissed as cost burdens. At VITO, we see them as an opportunity.
Our cutting-edge R&D turns waste streams, residues, and emissions into valuable resources for your business. Whether you're looking to recover Critical Raw Materials, develop low-carbon building materials or meet regulatory pressures like the EU Green Deal or ETS legislation, we offer the expertise, tools and technology to make it happen.
VITO is your trusted science-to-technology partner in unlocking the full potential of residual streams, waste, and both secondary and primary raw materials. Rely on VITO for breakthrough innovation and for driving process and technology development.
We partner with industrial innovators across various sectors such as construction, (petro)chemical, cement, steel, mining and recycling, offering a range of services to give you the competitive edge.
Our cutting-edge testing infrastructure ensures your innovative (construction) materials meet structural and environmental standards — ready for the market.
VITO developed the innovative Characterise-to-Sort (CtS) technology to identify valuable materials hidden in complex waste streams, enabling more efficient recycling without time-consuming chemical analyses. CtS works like an airport scanner, using cameras, 3D laser scanning, and X-rays combined with AI to create digital profiles of individual particles, identifying their material type, shape, and mass. This allows companies to quickly assess the composition, size, and value of their waste and optimizes sorting and recycling processes.
Building on this expertise, VITO partnered with Sortbat to launch Xbat.ai, a joint venture focused on smart battery sorting technology. This collaboration applies advanced sorting insights to the growing battery recycling sector, facilitating effective sorting, separation and recovery of valuable battery materials.
VITO’s LignoValue Pilot Plant is Europe’s first facility to produce bio-aromatics from lignin on an industrially relevant scale, valorizing organic waste like wood, straw, and other lignin-rich biomass. It transforms lignin, a natural polymer found in plant cell walls and a by-product of industries such as pulp and paper, into valuable chemical building blocks that can replace fossil-based aromatics used widely in coatings, plastics, and resins. The pilot plant operates continuously, producing over 100kg of bio-aromatics daily, with adjustable process conditions to tailor products for different applications.
Besides valorizing lignin-containing biomass, the LignoValue platform is also being explored for the chemical recycling of plastics, aiming to develop sustainable chemical processes that close the materials loop and reduce reliance fossil-based resources. VITO supports companies with this infrastructure to accelerate the transition toward sustainable chemistry and circular economy solutions.
VITO’s cement and concrete lab offers unique, state-of-the-art testing capabilities for sustainable concrete mixes. It provides comprehensive analyses of strength, durability, workability, and the effects of mineral activation on hydration and carbonation. The lab’s versatility and advanced equipment allow detailed study of alternative raw materials and recycled minerals, supporting circular construction. This specialized infrastructure helps companies innovate greener concrete solutions without compromising quality.
VITO played a key role in the ACROBAT project, developing innovative, eco-friendly methods to recycle lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries, which are becoming increasingly common but challenging to recycle economically. VITO focused on recovering high-purity cathode and anode materials and turning spent cathode material into new usable LFP material. The project also successfully recycled battery electrolyte components—a unique achievement. ACROBAT’s approach integrates advanced physical separation and hydrothermal processes to restore and reuse critical battery materials, supporting the growing market demand and Europe’s sustainability goals.
At VITO, we believe that together we can help the world thrive for at least 1,000 more years. We support companies, governments, and everyone involved in the quest for a new balance between people, nature, and the economy. As a science-to-technology partner, we are ready to support you with expert advice, practical technological innovations, or AI solutions for any sustainability challenge.
With our multidisciplinary expertise across more than 40 teams and unique lab, data, and testing infrastructure, we accelerate innovations towards a future where a circular economy, smart climate solutions, and a healthy living environment become a reality. Our mission is brought to life through the efforts of 1,300 inspired ‘visioneers’ and an extensive network of partners. Together, we translate science into innovative technologies and solutions that are effective, even in today's complex reality. This is how we ensure that tomorrow's world remains a great place for everyone.