Life Cycle Assessment of Thermoelectrics: Ecological Viability in Intermittent Waste Heat Scenarios
Date
2025-04-01
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
ACS Omega
Abstract
This study evaluates the ecological impacts of thermoelectrics (TEs) in stationary applications that periodically generate waste heat using life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology, a first of its kind. Six TE modules are analyzed for a periodic heat-emitting application: a natural gas-based power plant that meets only peak electricity demand. The analysis uses detailed inventories from an earlier study regarding the production and end-of-life stages of the TEs. The results show that while TEs are effective in conserving fossil fuels and lowering greenhouse gas emissions, they do not exhibit significant positive effects on other environmental impacts. These findings persist even when accounting for variations in TE conversion efficiency and lifetime and the implementation of a circular economy approach for recycling and repurposing TE modules. This suggests that the environmental suitability of TEs is predominantly influenced by the type of fossil energy source they replace, making current TEs unsuitable for stationary applications that periodically generate waste heat. The study also highlights the need for further research on the development of new, practical TEs that utilize nontoxic, abundant elements and are produced through less energy-intensive techniques.
Description
This article was originally published in ACS Omega. The version of record is available at: https://doi.org/10.1021/acsomega.4c08192.
Copyright © 2025 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society. This publication is licensed under CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
Keywords
elements, materials, power, power conversion efficiency, waste heat
Citation
Iyer, Rakesh Krishnamoorthy, Morteza Sabet, and Srikanth Pilla. “Life Cycle Assessment of Thermoelectrics: Ecological Viability in Intermittent Waste Heat Scenarios.” ACS Omega 10, no. 12 (April 1, 2025): 11828–35. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsomega.4c08192.