EHAWEDRY

Energy harvesting via wetting/drying cycles with nanoporous electrodes

EHAWEDRY mission is to develop a revolutionary device for converting waste heat into electricity. Unlike traditional methods that rely on mechanical components such as pressurized chambers, expanders, compressors, and turbines, this technology utilizes electrochemical capacitors. The technology will couple charging/discharging cycles of electrochemical super-capacitors with the drying/wetting of their nanoporous electrodes, exploiting the proportionality of the capacitor capacity to its electrode/electrolyte contact area.This novel approach aims to address and overcome the feasibility limitations associated with current thermoelectric devices.

The annual energy consumption is estimated to around 420 Million of TJ generating huge amount of heat. Most of this heat, in particular at low-medium temperature, is dissipated to the environment without being recovered. The main limitation and barrier is that the current solutions are not economically feasible; solid state thermoelectric devices are the only technologies available to recover low grade heat, however, not yet cost-effective due to the large amounts of rare and expensive materials used and their very low energy conversion efficiencies. Key objectives of EHAWEDRY’s technology are: – Utilization of Abundant, Low-Cost Materials: By using materials that are readily available and inexpensive, the technology ensures cost-effective production and scalability. – Reduction of Conversion Process Costs: The innovative use of electrochemical capacitors, instead of complex mechanical systems, significantly lowers the costs associated with the energy conversion process. This makes the technology more economically viable. – Enhanced Design Flexibility: The absence of mechanical components allows for a more flexible and adaptable design. This flexibility means the technology can be tailored to a wide range of applications and easily integrated into various systems. Through this innovative approach, which allows a more feasible waste heat recovery, EHAWEDRY, will broadens the range of potential applications, enhancing the market scalability of thermoelectric devices.

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