Project START: From WASTE to HIGH-TECH
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The document outlines a project focused on developing sustainable energy harvesting systems from mine waste, specifically targeting the production of tellurium-free thermoelectric devices for waste heat recovery. The initiative aims to create an innovation ecosystem in the EU to utilize abundant tetrahedrite resources, replacing rare and expensive tellurium-based materials. With a project duration of 48 months, it calls for creating economically viable solutions to enhance energy efficiency and reduce CO2 emissions in line with EU sustainability goals.
![GREEN ENERGY HARVESTING
Green energy harvesting aims to supply electricity to electric or electronic systems from an energy source present in
the environment [e.g., thermal energy (thermoelectricity)] without grid connection or utilization of batteries.
Around two-thirds of the primary
energy produced worldwide is lost as
waste heat
Almost all manufacturing processes
and machines generate heat, the so
called “waste heat”](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/starteulatam-convention-2022-221120113753-3c0ebffc/85/Project-START-From-WASTE-to-HIGH-TECH-5-320.jpg)
Project START: From WASTE to HIGH-TECH
- 1. Project START: From WASTE to HIGH-TECH Daniel de Oliveira (Ph.D.) www.START-HEproject.com
- 2. START SUSTAINABLE ENERGY HARVESTING SYSTEMS BASED ON INNOVATIVE MINE WASTE RECYCLING Horizon Europe Programme Pillar II – Global Challenges and European Industrial Competitiveness Cluster 4 Digital, Industry and Space Destination Increased Autonomy in Key Strategic Value Chains for Resilient Industry Call HORIZON-CL4-2021-RESILIENCE-01 A digitised, resource-efficient and resilient industry 2021 Topic HORIZON-CL4-2021-RESILIENCE-01-07 Building innovative value chains from raw materials to sustainable products Innovation Action Challenge: to develop innovative and sustainable technology and business solutions for new high value added and sustainable products with enhanced functional properties based on the EU produced raw materials. Focus: on raw materials necessary for the renewable energy ecosystems.
- 3. Main objective Build an innovation ecosystem in the EU related to the development of sustainable and economically viable tellurium-free thermoelectric (*TE) waste heat harvesting systems How to achieve By producing advanced sulphide p-type thermoelements that incorporates discarded waste secondary sulphides, mainly tetrahedrite to replace the current commercial tellurium-based p- type thermoelements (expensive and rare element, which is predominantly sourced in China). (*) thermoelectric device creates voltage when there is a different temperature on each side • Duration 48 months (1/6/2022 – 31/5/2022) • Total eligible costs 9 194 441.25 € • Maximum grant amount 7 667 878.00 €
- 4. START Concept Transform mining waste into waste heat recovery materials
- 5. GREEN ENERGY HARVESTING Green energy harvesting aims to supply electricity to electric or electronic systems from an energy source present in the environment [e.g., thermal energy (thermoelectricity)] without grid connection or utilization of batteries. Around two-thirds of the primary energy produced worldwide is lost as waste heat Almost all manufacturing processes and machines generate heat, the so called “waste heat”
- 6. GREEN ENERGY HARVESTING Shares of waste heat recover potential in the EU Industry by member state. (R. Agathokleous, et al., Energy Procedia 161 (2019) 489–496) The waste heat recovery potential in EU has been estimated to be 300 – 350 TWh/year This amount of recoverable heat has the potentiality to avoid tens of millions of tons of CO2 emissions The possibility of using a thermoelectric (TE) device to capture and to directly convert the waste heat into electric power is a very attractive and valuable approach to improve the overall energy efficiency.
- 7. GREEN ENERGY HARVESTING Design and operation of a TE device. The heat flow creates an electric current (Seebeck effect). (BINE Themeninfo: Thermoelectrics: power from waste heat (I/2016).) • TE energy harvesting has a unique edge as a sustainable power supply in all scales and, by turning the waste heat energy released to the environment in to emissions-free electricity • it has become an increasingly important contributor to sustainable renewable energy ecosystems The TE device is a robust and highly reliable solid-state energy converter, made from several TE junctions electrically connected in series that consist of n- and p-type TE semiconductor materials (thermoelements), with unique features: • no moving parts • no maintenance • quiet operation • absence of production of environmental harmful waste Courtesy RGS Development B.V. (RGS), Netherlands Courtesy TEGnology ApS, Denmark Flexible ThermoElectric Generator Flex-TEG
- 8. D. Zabek, F. Morini Thermal Science and Engineering Progress 9 (2019) 235–247 zT as a function of temperature for state-of-the-art TE materials zT = EFFICIENCY
- 9. GREEN ENERGY HARVESTING Tetrahedrite-based materials have excellent properties for TE applications p-type semiconductor material behavior High Seebeck coefficient Extremely low thermal conductivity Is characterized by a body-centred cubic structure (space group I-43m) and its cell parameter is around 10.3Å. Its large unit cell contains 58 atoms on 5 distinct crystallographic sites. The low thermal conductivity is partially a consequence of the large primitive unit cell volume
- 10. Characteristics of commercially relevant TE materials and comparison with tetrahedrites Tetrahedrite (Cu12Sb4S13) is a copper antimony sulphosalt, and forms a complete solid solution with Tennantite in which the antimony (Sb) is replaced by arsenic (Cu12(Sb,As)4S13) Abandoned Barrigão copper mine in southern Portugal The Tetrahedrite-Tennantite mineral series is relatively abundant in some copper (Cu) mine tailings (are considered as “dirty concentrates” because antimony and arsenic are impurity elements in the copper concentrate – waste material) (A.V. Powell, J. Appl. Phys. 126, 100901 (2019).; H. Huang, et al., J. Alloys and Compounds 881 (2021) 160546) GREEN ENERGY HARVESTING
- 11. Tetrahedrite is very abundant and can be found all around the world • Global consumption estimates of tellurium by end user are: • solar, 40% • thermoelectric production, 30% (U.S. Geological Survey, 2020, Mineral commodity summaries 2020: U.S. Geological Survey, 200 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/Mcs2020) Telluride-based TE technology GREEN ENERGY HARVESTING Abundance and geographic concentration of production: • tellurium is a relatively scarce element, • terrestrial abundance of ca. 1 ppb, and, simultaneously, • Europe is heavily dependent on imports, • China accounts for more than 60% of its production
- 12. START relevance Secure, clean and affordable energy to fight energy poverty and encourage energy citizenship Reduction in the dependence on imported critical raw materials Sustainable use of mine tailings, converting discarded waste secondary sulphides into useful and valuable products Production of Te-free TE devices Recover waste heat losses from industrial processes, electronics, and convert them into electric power Diversification of the sources of renewable energy production systems – Green energy harvesting through TEs START project proposes a unique technological solution, based on the conversion of mining waste into materials for waste heat recovery, thus contributing to an efficient use of resources while promoting the use of green energy harvesting through thermoelectrics In line with: • European Green Deal • EU Action Plan on Critical Raw Materials • EU Action Plan on Circular Economy
- 13. BACK to BASICS Obtaining Raw Materials means, Mining and Quarrying Potential tetrahedrite supply sites: Barrigão Mine Neves Corvo Mine Nöckelberg Mine Mária Mine
- 14. Potential environmental impact at São Domingos mining district (Iberian Pyrite Belt, SW Iberian Peninsula): evidence from a chemical and mineralogical characterization AM Álvarez-Valero, R Pérez-López, J Matos, MA Capitán, JM Nieto, R. Sáez, J. Delgado, M. Caraballo, Environmental Geology 55 (8), 1797-1809
- 16. CHALLENGES
- 19. Separation of raw materials into final usable concentrates
- 20. 45 40 35 30 25 20 ~ ~ I (a.u.) SS SS SS SS T T T T H H+SS T T+SS SS SS H T T+SS F19/17 - white material T (02θ) Philips PW 1500 powder diffractometer (Bragg-Brentano geometry), equipped with a large-anode copper tube operating at 50 kV - 40 mA and a curved graphite crystal monochromator XRD pattern. Assigned phases in decreasing percentage: H, halite (NaCl); T, thenardite (Na2SO4); SS (sodium sulphate, form III) X-ray diffraction (XRD)
- 21. Thank you for your attention daniel.oliveira@lneg.pt Project Coordination: Filipe Neves, LNEG filipe.neves@lneg.pt