Center of Excellence SOURCES

Kalle Kirsimäe
Professor of Geology and Mineralogy at the University of Tartu and Member of the Estonian Academy of Sciences
Mineral Resources Research Group

The goal of the research group is to map potential raw materials found in Estonia's industrial and mining waste, including critical resources needed for the adoption of green technologies.

The waste from the energy industry contains a wealth of valuable raw materials, and their utilization helps reduce the pressure to establish new mines. The group brings together various competencies: geology, mining and inorganic chemistry, to develop suitable technologies for the extraction and use of identified secondary resources while minimizing the generation of new waste.
Special attention is being given to finding new uses for the hundreds of millions of tons of ash waste deposited near Estonia's oil shale power plants. For example, in collaboration with scientists from the chemistry and biotechnology institute at TTÜ, technology is being developed to produce alternative binders from the deposited oil shale ash waste.

Andres Trikkel
Professor of Physical Chemistry at Tallinn University of Technology
Inorganic Technologies Research Group

The research group is developing high-tech solutions for valorizing the waste from Estonia's energy industry and technologies for utilizing local strategic mineral resources (SMRs).

The working group is investigating the waste streams accumulated over decades and currently being generated in Estonia (oil shale ash, wood and biomass ash, mixed ashes) and their recycling possibilities. The strategic focus is on valorizing and reusing Estonia's largest waste volumes, oil shale ash, and tailings. Considering the needs of the construction sector oriented towards sustainability, technologies are being developed to produce construction materials with the required technical properties from industrial and mining waste.
The second work direction involves the production of calcium carbonate, required in the paper, paint, and plastic industries, from calcium oxide found in oil shale ash and the materials or material flows left after extracting calcium from the ash. The third direction focuses on environmentally considerate (waste-free, CO2-neutral, and low-toxicity) processing technologies to expand the extraction of SMRs (such as rare earth elements).

External partner: Geological Survey​

The Geological Survey of Estonia (GSE) is a state agency operating in the administrative area of the Ministry of Climate. The main tasks of GSE are to represent the country in carrying out general geological research and geological surveys, preserving and ensuring the availability of geological information, advising government agencies and informing the public about topics on the earth's crust. The Geological Survey of Estonia plays an important role in the implementation of the European Green Agreement, primarily in the field of research, mining, industry and trade of critical raw materials and related innovation. Constantly developing technology entails constantly changing data, increasing data volumes, the changing of data processing formats as well as methods of implementation. A large number of the staff of GSE has an educational background from either the University of Tartu or TalTech, and combines knowledge of both geology and chemistry, ensuring high-level interdisciplinary knowledge of mineral resources and their processing, both in theoretical and practical aspects.

Lauri Vares
Associate Professor of Organic Chemistry at the University of Tartu
Sustainable Polymers Research Group

The goal of the research group is to develop innovative low environmental impact polymers and plastics using waste from the forestry and wood industry as raw materials.

Wood biomass, which has so far been primarily used for heating, can be valorized into compounds that can be used in the chemical industry and for the production of high-tech polymers. The innovative solutions would replace the current materials produced from fossil fuels, be more environmentally friendly, and recyclable at the end of their life cycle.
The activities of the research group, which follow the principles of green chemistry, also involve environmental scientists who assess the safety and environmental impact of the new technologies.

Maksim Ošeka
Assistant Professor at the Institute of Chemistry and Biotechnology, Tallinn University of Technology
Synthetic Flow Chemistry Research Group

The group's scientific research focuses on developing technologies based on the principles of green chemistry to support the development of new circular economy solutions.

Scientists are working on technologies where chemical reactions are influenced by light and electric charges, using "trace-free and green reagents" instead of solvents produced from fossil fuels. To increase the efficiency of the process, experiments are conducted in a continuous flow system.
Energy-efficient and green reactions occur under mild conditions, yet provide access to new reaction pathways, enabling the creation of valuable compounds from recyclable raw materials for the pharmaceutical, food, and construction materials industries. Once laboratory tests have confirmed the sustainability and efficiency of the solution, work will continue on scaling the technologies and creating industrial applications.
 

Sergei Preis
Professor at the Department of Materials and Environmental Technology, Tallinn University of Technology
Environmental Technology Research Group

The mission of the group is to promote waste recycling in society and provide economical water purification solutions.

Any activity inevitably generates some form of waste, and every production process results in by-products in addition to the desired product, even in recycling. Scientists are now investigating the possibilities of recycling such waste: whether it can be used as secondary raw materials for the production of chemicals or fuel cells and hydrogen.
Moreover, the goal of the circular economy is to use resources such as water and air more efficiently and sustainably. The group is developing environmentally friendly technologies to remove residues of cleaning agents, dyes, pharmaceuticals, and other substances from water caused by human activity and to recycle purified water in production. The waste from water purification can, in turn, be used for fertilizer production.

Ivar Kruusenberg
Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of Chemical and Biological Physics
Energy Technologies Research Group

The goal of the research group is to bring technologies developed in the chemistry lab into practical use.

The research group focuses on alternative energy carriers and the development of energy storage devices. To this end, they are investigating the possibilities of scaling up technologies for capturing carbon dioxide and separating it into carbon and oxygen. High-tech carbon-based nanomaterials are being developed for use in fuel cells and batteries. Another focus of the research group is the issue of recycling lithium-ion batteries. Since current technologies for handling used batteries are inefficient, more comprehensive recycling solutions are being developed to recycle as much material from the batteries as possible.

Tarmo Kalvet
Adjunct Professor at the Department of Business Administration, School of Business and Governance, Tallinn University of Technology
Field of Sustainable Value Chain Management

The working group studies developments in international markets and supply and value chains, taking into account the geopolitical and economic changes of recent years. They analyze international raw material and waste trade.

The task of the working group is to find ways to improve the export capacity and strengthen the position of Estonian companies. With the help of data scientists, detailed data on international trade is used in innovative ways, supported by machine learning. Estonia, along with other Baltic Sea and European Union countries, depends on a few suppliers for several critical raw materials. Therefore, the group explores opportunities for diversifying supply chains.

Wolfgang Dieter Gerstlberger
Associate Professor with Tenure at the Department of Business Administration, School of Business and Governance, Tallinn University of Technology
Field of Sustainable Value Chain Management

The working group analyzes the challenges faced by Estonian companies in implementing circular economy practices and technologies.

The task of the working group is to assess the potential of the circular economy in Estonia—how to bring more companies onto the circular economy path and what opportunities, challenges, and problems are associated with it. The group investigates circular economy business models, their enablers and barriers, and analyzes the economic feasibility of new circular economy technologies.
 

TBA