The Recycling of Waste Heat
Through the Application
of Nanofluidic Channels:
Advances in the Conversion of
Thermal to Electrical Energy
TRANSLATE is a €3.4 million EU-funded research project that aims to develop a new nanofluidic platform technology to effectively convert waste heat to electricity.
This technology has the potential to improve the energy efficiency of many devices and systems, and provide a radically new zero-emission power source.
Watch our video series below to learn more about TRANSLATE
The problem of waste heat and TRANSLATE's solution
The TRANSLATE Device: How Does It Work?
TRANSLATE's Ionic Thermocell
Tackling climate change requires a radical shift in how we produce and consume energy, away from fossil fuel burning and towards clean, renewable sources of energy. Yet every day, it’s estimated that 70% of all the energy produced from sources such as power generators, factories, and homes is lost in the form of heat, which evaporates away into the atmosphere.
This wasted heat is one of the largest sources of clean and inexpensive energies available, and yet it is currently untapped.
TRANSLATE is a multidisciplinary collaboration between partners across Europe including University College Cork (Ireland), Technische Universität Darmstadt (Germany), University of Latvia (Latvia), Cidete Ingenieros Sociedad limitada (Tenerife, Spain) and UCC Academy (Ireland).
The consortium has expertise across a range of disciplines including nanofluidics, materials science, electrochemistry and energy storage.
Our Latest News
Powering the Future: A Q&A with Rupa Ranjani Palanisamy on Green Energy, Resilience, and Supercapatteries
Rupa Ranjani Palanisamy, PhD researcher in the EU-funded TRANSLATE project, is pioneering dual-function electrodes that can both convert and store energy. In this interview, she shares her journey from India to Ireland, the challenges she’s faced in the lab, her drive for sustainable materials, and her vision for a battery-powered future that’s greener, faster, and ethically grounded.
Innovation in Waste Heat Recovery: Prof. Steffen Hardt’s Story in TRANSLATE
Discover how Professor Steffen Hardt and the TRANSLATE team are advancing waste heat recovery through groundbreaking nanoscale fluid dynamics. Featured on Deepsync, this story highlights the challenges, breakthroughs, and cross-border collaboration driving cleaner, more efficient energy solutions.
Nanowood: A Simple Approach to a Complex Nanomaterial
The UCC TRANSLATE team has developed nanowood, a natural nanofluidic membrane created by removing lignin from wood using household bleach. This simple yet effective process produces well-aligned nanochannels that exhibit key nanofluidic properties, such as ion-selective transport. Nanowood offers a sustainable, low-cost platform for studying nanofluidics, making nanoscale research more accessible. Its potential applications range from energy harvesting to filtration and sensing.
