Yesterday, Eesti Energia signed a cooperation agreement with two PhD students of TalTech, Dmitri Tsõvarev and Ragnar Kauril, who will help the energy producer move in a new direction. This is the first industrial doctorate for the company, the outcome of which is thus linked to strategic goals.
Tsõvarev will focus on allowing Eesti Energia to abandon oil shale as a raw material. Eesti Energia plans to replace oil shale with other raw materials by 2030. For example, old tyres and plastic can be used as raw materials. In the chemical industry, CO2 can also be a raw material.
‘My aim is to create new pathways for scientific discovery, helping to shape sustainable solutions to complex challenges. I want to bring scientific discoveries to practical applications so that they could create new value,’ said Tsõvarev.
Among other things, this means that Eesti Energia will become a chemical company based on the circular economy.
Tsõvarev’s supervisor is Allan Niidu, Professor of Applied Chemistry at the Virumaa College of Tallinn University of Technology and member of the Supervisory Board of Eesti Energia.
Kauril will be exploring how oil shale ash and waste rock can be refined into new products. Eesti Energia uses all of the waste rock that is produced, but using the oil shale ash is a challenge. This means that the state-owned company is looking for answers to questions such as whether oil shale ash can be used to make asphalt mixes more durable.
In addition, Eesti Energia also has a plan for reducing the use of materials by increasing the share of recycling. The ash can be used to make plastic pellets. This plastic can be used by food manufacturers, the consumer sends the packaging for recycling, and from there, it goes back to Eesti Energia.
Kauril is supervised by Rutt Hints, Head of the Division of Mineral Resources and Applied Geology at the Department of Geology of TalTech.