With current production and recycling processes still being energy-intensive, it is clear that methods must be improved in terms of sustainability and economic viability. Researchers at UCLM, ENGIE-LAB, LPRC, TEC, SINTEF, VITO and KUL have been exploring electrochemistry to synthesise, recycle and upcycle catalysts, leveraging renewable energy sources (RES).
Like any other cutting-edge technological innovation, the possibility of replacing conventional energy sources with locally sourced renewables is challenged by the technical assessment. Although the results are pending, several individual technologies have already provided input with regards to the energy requirements, allowing researchers at UCLM to design various scenarios based on the experimental results.
Mitigating the intermittence of RES to ensure a green electrochemical toolbox
Recycling and synthesis of catalysts are energy intensive processes. So, how do the researchers mitigate the intermittence of RES? Researchers at UCLM have been contemplating the integration of a redox flow battery to store energy. Thus, the performance of a vanadium redox flow battery stack has been evaluated coupled with different real solar profiles of different seasons of the year. So far, they have been running simulations using the configuration of the electro-leaching (ELX) process developed by TEC and the gas-diffusion electrocrystallisation (GDEx) process developed by VITO. Intermediary results show the feasibility of integrating RES to fulfill the necessities reclaimed by these two technologies. Future work will assess the RES requested for upscaled processes and for the other technologies investigated within FIREFLY. Additionally, researchers will also study the battery performance based on wind profiles.
Electrical design and flexibility potential
A team of researchers at ENGIE-LAB has been analysing various alternatives for the electrical design as well as their flexibility potential. Use cases of multi-energy systems presented by the representatives of ENGIE-LAB indicate potential to bring significant savings to the operating costs. However, due to scarce process information for individual technologies developed in FIREFLY, researchers proposed simulating these flexible scenarios with historical market data for several EU countries – more precisely five scenarios for Belgian electricity day-ahead of 2022, Spain, France. Future developments include modelling the energy demand flexibility for an upscaled process and simulating different scenarios to estimate potential cost savings by activating different flexibility sources [industrial process, storage, local RES].