The cradle to gate life-cycle assessment of thermoelectric materials: A comparison of inorganic, organic and hybrid types

Roadmap on energy harvesting materials

“…Due to the presence of heavy metals and rare-earth elements in the constituent materials, attention has been paid to their toxicity, with less work focusing on their supply-chain environmental profile. However, Soleimani et al conducted a comparative lifecycle impacts of inorganic, organic and hybrid thermoelectric materials at their production stage, across multiple environmental indicators namely resource consumption, emission, waste, primary energy demand, and global warming potential [534]. The authors concluded that the inorganic type yielded significantly higher environmental impacts in comparison to the other two due to the energy-intensive nature of their manufacturing processes.…”

Roadmap on energy harvesting materials

“…Due to the presence of heavy metals and rare-earth elements in the constituent materials, attention has been paid to their toxicity, with less work focusing on their supply-chain environmental profile. However, Soleimani et al conducted a comparative lifecycle impacts of inorganic, organic and hybrid thermoelectric materials at their production stage, across multiple environmental indicators namely resource consumption, emission, waste, primary energy demand, and global warming potential [534]. The authors concluded that the inorganic type yielded significantly higher environmental impacts in comparison to the other two due to the energy-intensive nature of their manufacturing processes.…”

Assessment of greenhouse gas emissions and environmental impacts in the manufacturing process of thermoelectric coolers: A life-cycle impact perspective

“…In this study, a bismuth-telluride module (Kelk Ltd.) [ 21 ] was selected and analyzed. According to Soleimani et al [ 15 ], Bi 2 Te 3 modules generate the least negative environmental impact among inorganic thermoelectric materials. Bi 2 Te 3 modules have reached commercially viable levels of performance and are one of the most widely used thermoelectric materials available today.…”

2026 roadmap toward sustainable thermoelectrics

“…The inclusion of quantitative data within each process description enables the analysis and visualization of relationships among flow quantities, material properties, impact indicators, and technical process parameters. Soleimani et al employed the LCA tool GaBi v4.4 to evaluate inorganic, organic, and hybrid TE materials [31]. Their analysis revealed that inorganic materials generally exhibited significantly greater environmental impacts compared to the other two types.…”

Roadmap on energy harvesting materials

“…Due to the presence of heavy metals and rare-earth elements in the constituent materials, attention has been paid to their toxicity, with less work focusing on their supply-chain environmental profile. However, Soleimani et al conducted a comparative lifecycle impacts of inorganic, organic and hybrid thermoelectric materials at their production stage, across multiple environmental indicators namely resource consumption, emission, waste, primary energy demand, and global warming potential [534]. The authors concluded that the inorganic type yielded significantly higher environmental impacts in comparison to the other two due to the energy-intensive nature of their manufacturing processes.…”

Assessment of greenhouse gas emissions and environmental impacts in the manufacturing process of thermoelectric coolers: A life-cycle impact perspective

“…In this study, a bismuth-telluride module (Kelk Ltd.) [ 21 ] was selected and analyzed. According to Soleimani et al [ 15 ], Bi 2 Te 3 modules generate the least negative environmental impact among inorganic thermoelectric materials. Bi 2 Te 3 modules have reached commercially viable levels of performance and are one of the most widely used thermoelectric materials available today.…”

2026 roadmap toward sustainable thermoelectrics

“…The inclusion of quantitative data within each process description enables the analysis and visualization of relationships among flow quantities, material properties, impact indicators, and technical process parameters. Soleimani et al employed the LCA tool GaBi v4.4 to evaluate inorganic, organic, and hybrid TE materials [31]. Their analysis revealed that inorganic materials generally exhibited significantly greater environmental impacts compared to the other two types.…”

Roadmap on energy harvesting materials

“…Due to the presence of heavy metals and rare-earth elements in the constituent materials, attention has been paid to their toxicity, with less work focusing on their supply-chain environmental profile. However, Soleimani et al conducted a comparative lifecycle impacts of inorganic, organic and hybrid thermoelectric materials at their production stage, across multiple environmental indicators namely resource consumption, emission, waste, primary energy demand, and global warming potential [534]. The authors concluded that the inorganic type yielded significantly higher environmental impacts in comparison to the other two due to the energy-intensive nature of their manufacturing processes.…”

Assessment of greenhouse gas emissions and environmental impacts in the manufacturing process of thermoelectric coolers: A life-cycle impact perspective

“…In this study, a bismuth-telluride module (Kelk Ltd.) [ 21 ] was selected and analyzed. According to Soleimani et al [ 15 ], Bi 2 Te 3 modules generate the least negative environmental impact among inorganic thermoelectric materials. Bi 2 Te 3 modules have reached commercially viable levels of performance and are one of the most widely used thermoelectric materials available today.…”

2026 roadmap toward sustainable thermoelectrics

“…The inclusion of quantitative data within each process description enables the analysis and visualization of relationships among flow quantities, material properties, impact indicators, and technical process parameters. Soleimani et al employed the LCA tool GaBi v4.4 to evaluate inorganic, organic, and hybrid TE materials [31]. Their analysis revealed that inorganic materials generally exhibited significantly greater environmental impacts compared to the other two types.…”