THERMOHARV

With energy efficiency now a global priority, the building of the future must be designed with sustainable development and recycling in mind.

To reduce energy consumption throughout the entire lifecycle, from the design phase to end-of-life management, it is essential to explore a range of strategies. These strategies encompass the implementation of thermal insulation, the integration of renewable energy sources in new constructions, and the recovery of energy from waste heat. 

THERMOHARV will promote the establishment of strong cross-border expertise in the recovery of thermal energy through the use of thermoplastic materials that convert heat into electricity. This initiative will aid in the advancement of future building designs. 

The consortium members have already developed considerable expertise in thermoelectricity and pyroelectricity, which will play a crucial role in this energy recovery initiative.

Centexbel will utilize its industrial network to conduct a survey of the building sector applications that are most conducive to heat recovery. The survey will ascertain which demonstrators will be developed as part of the project.

Centexbel will leverage its expertise in a range of fields. We have developed a method for incorporating printed electronics into a variety of materials, including coatings, textile materials, composites, and in-mold electronics. The method is based on a transfer process whereby electronic components can be printed on coatings applied to a temporary transfer paper. The aforementioned papers, TPU-coated substrates and release films will be made available to partners for the purpose of depositing thermoelectric and pyroelectric polymers. Centexbel has previously demonstrated its expertise in the transfer of electronics onto a variety of end materials in both past and current projects.

Furthermore, Centexbel will contribute to the final prototypes through the application of lamination techniques. The creation of thermal transfers is also a possibility, with the option of using a composite press to consolidate the electronics in the final prototypes. The development of recycling protocols will be a key consideration. Three distinct potential recycling techniques will be evaluated: solvation (dissolution), solvolysis (chemical breakdown to the original building blocks) and thermomechanical (re-melting, the most cost-effective technique) recycling processes.

The THERMOHARV project brings together the expertise of UMONS (project leader), Centexbel, IMT Lille Douai, the University of Lille, and CD2E in research and development efforts focused on the creation of systems that harness thermal gradients and fluctuations within buildings. The objective of these systems is to convert thermal energy into usable electrical power, utilizing either thermoelectric or pyroelectric methods, specifically for low-power electronic devices.

The selection of materials will be guided by an eco-responsible approach, taking into account the constraints of the construction and the principles of the circular economy, with a view to recycling these materials. In collaboration with associated partners (POM & GREENWIN), the partners will maintain, disseminate and transfer expertise on innovative applications of materials through competitiveness clusters, SMEs and universities. 

THERMOHARV is therefore based on the association of various cross-border experts in order to address the full range of issues related to thermoelectric and pyroelectric materials, with a particular focus on composites based on polyurethane thermoplastics, their implementation, and structural and thermoelectric characterization.