Repositório do LNEG
Repositório Científico do Laboratório Nacional de Energia e Geologia
Entradas recentes
Mineralogical and Geochemical Characterization of Geological Materials
Publication . Silva, Teresa; de Oliveira, Daniel Pipa Soares; Veiga, João Pedro
ABSTRACT: The following Special Issue compiles original research on the mineralogical, geochemical, and microstructural characterisation of natural and anthropogenic materials. Topics span the weathering and long-term durability of sedimentary rocks, copper mineralisation processes, and archaeometric provenance studies to advanced analytical methods for mortar characterisation, heavy mineral analysis, and polymetallic ore exploration. Contributions highlight innovations in neutron imaging, SEM-based fast elemental mapping, quantitative XRD, and adsorption studies on clay minerals. Emphasis is placed on the scientific understanding of mineral transformations, the sustainable use of geological resources, heritage conservation, and the recycling potential of mining waste. By combining traditional petrography with emerging machine learning and supervised classification approaches, the papers demonstrate how mineralogical research is becoming increasingly interdisciplinary, supporting geology, archaeology, environmental sciences, and resource management. This reprint provides a valuable reference for researchers across Earth and material sciences.
Use of mining wastes for high-tech thermoelectric applications : The case of START project in Iberian Pyrite Belt [Resumo]
Publication . Morais, Igor; de Oliveira, Daniel Pipa Soares; Silva, Teresa; Albardeiro, Luís; Salgueiro, Rute; Neves, Filipe
ABSTRACT: Europe aims to become the first climate neutral continent by 2050, which means rapidly implementing a green transition to which the European Union (EU) is strongly committed through the European Green Deal. This green transition leverages unprecedented pressure on the intensive use of mineral resources. In this context the START project “Sustainable Energy Harvesting Systems Based on Innovative Mine Waste Recycling” emerged with the objective to use mining waste as a source of raw materials for the development of advanced energy conversion devices. Thermoelectric materials (TE) are functional materials that can directly convert thermal energy into electricity.
AfricaMaVal : Mineral Potential Mapping Study of European Critical Raw Materials (ECRM) of Africa [Resumo]
Publication . Fullgraf, Thomas; Marques Prazeres, Cátia; Gonçalves, Pedro; Callec, Yannick; Fortes, Carla; Represas, Patricia; Vella, Alex; Guillaneau, Jean-Claude; de Oliveira, Daniel Pipa Soares
ABSTRACT: The AfricaMaVal project, a 3.5-year initiative coordinated by the French Geological Survey (BRGM), fosters sustainable EU–Africa partnerships in the critical raw materials (CRM) sector. With 18 partners from 11 countries, it promotes responsible mineral sourcing for European industries while supporting Africa’s sustainable development. Work Package 1 (WP1), “Supply Potential,” led by the Portuguese Geological Survey (LNEG), assesses and maps African supply potential for European Critical Raw Materials (ECRM) through a harmonized, INSPIRE-compliant database. BRGM has developed machine learning (ML) algorithms for mineral resource assessment over the past 20 years, applied at scale since 2022. Within WP1, prospectivity maps for selected ECRMs were generated in ten countries, drawing on BRGM datasets, including 1:10M geological
and structural maps and over 55,000 mineral occurrences.
Renewable Energy Production in the Mediterranean: Exploring the Potential for Offshore Wind Development
Publication . Simões, Teresa; Tsami, Maria; Nieto, Felix; Huvaj, Nejan
ABSTRACT: This study presents an overview of the current state of the Maritime Spatial Planning among the Mediterranean countries, explores the previous studies on evaluating the offshore wind potential of the Mediterranean region along with the criteria for suitable site selection. Based on a review of the current state of offshore renewable energy, the potential locations offshore wind will be explored for the Mediterranean coastline case study area. The research concludes with a set of critical considerations related to the need for proper synergies establishment among different stakeholders and for cultivating social acceptance and community engagement. The analysis aims to support decision-makers evaluating the potential of the Mediterranean coastal area in supporting the energy transition goal.
Satellite-based offshore wind data close to the coast: comparison with onshore meteorological mast records and microscale CFD simulations
Publication . Álvarez, Antonio J.; Snæbjörnsson, Jónas Þór; Couto, António; Simões, Teresa; Poozesh, Poorya; Félix, Nieto
ABSTRACT: Satellite observation of environmental phenomena is becoming increasingly accurate, complementing pre-existing measurement techniques. In this work, the offshore wind field recorded by Sentinel-1 on February 6th, 2021, close to the Southwestern Iceland coast is compared with the anemometric measurements provided by a relatively dense network of weather stations in the Reykjanes peninsula and microscale CFD simulations that use the Hvassahraun weather station data to approximate wind velocity and direction in offshore locations. The three methodologies show a good agreement in the 10-minute velocity magnitudes for the set of considered offshore locations, while the 10-minute mean wind direction shows certain scattering, although with a consistent prevalence of Eastern wind directions, in agreement with the anemometric data. The results show obvious complementarities among the three approaches, suggesting further studies to improve accuracy, especially for capturing local effects impacting wind magnitude and directionality.