Upgrade Recycling of Cast Iron Scrap Chips towards β-FeSi(2) Thermoelectric Materials

The upgrade recycling of cast-iron scrap chips towards β-FeSi(2) thermoelectric materials is proposed as an eco-friendly and cost-effective production process. By using scrap waste from the machining process of cast-iron components, the material cost to fabricate β-FeSi(2) is reduced and the industrial waste is recycled. In this study, β-FeSi(2) specimens obtained from cast iron scrap chips were prepared both in the undoped form and doped with Al and Co elements. The maximum figure of merit (ZT) indicated a thermoelectric performance of approximately 70% in p-type samples and nearly 90% in n-type samples compared to β-FeSi(2) prepared from pure Fe and other published studies. The use of cast iron scrap chips to produce β-FeSi(2) shows promise as an eco-friendly and cost-effective production process for thermoelectric materials.