Recovery Solutions Research Articles

An Innovative Tubular Thermoelectric Generator (TTEG) for Enhanced Waste Heat Recovery in Industrial and Automotive Applications

In response to the growing need for efficient energy conversion technologies, this paper introduces an innovative Tubular Thermoelectric Generator (TTEG), specifically designed for the high-efficiency conversion of waste heat into electrical energy. Unlike conventional flat-plate thermoelectric generators (FTEGs), the TTEG incorporates full-ring thermoelectric elements within a tubular layout, offering a novel approach to thermal energy recovery from fluid-based systems. This design significantly enhances the heat transfer capabilities, thereby improving the efficiency of energy conversion. Moreover, it is optimally tailored for integration into any cylindrical pipe to recapture and repurpose waste heat. Comprehensive simulations and analyses form the core of this study, where the performance of the TTEG is rigorously compared with traditional FTEGs. Under identical conditions of heat exposure, volume, and properties of thermoelectric materials, the TTEG demonstrates a 62.5% increase in output power compared to the TGM1-127-1.0-0.8 thermoelectric module (FTEG). These comparisons highlight the advantages of the tubular design in terms of energy conversion efficiency and practical applicability in various scenarios. The findings reveal that the TTEG not only outperforms its flat-plate counterparts but also presents a scalable and adaptable solution for waste heat recovery in a wide range of industrial and automotive applications. This research contributes to the field of energy science and technology by presenting a detailed experimental setup, complete with reproducible procedures and results. It opens new pathways for the development of more sustainable and efficient energy conversion systems, aligning with the goal of harnessing renewable and sustainable energy sources. The potential applications of this technology in enhancing energy efficiency and reducing environmental impact are vast, making it a significant step forward in the quest for clean and sustainable energy solutions.

Sustainable production and applications of metal-organic frameworks.

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have become a hot spot in the area of functional materials and have undergone rapid development in a wide range of fields in the 21st century. However, the scalable application of MOFs is still constrained by high production cost at the front end. Additionally, systematic discussion of the reuse of spent MOFs is lacking. Encouragingly, an increasing number of studies have been focusing on the low-cost production and recycling of MOF-based materials, providing feasible solutions for resource recovery and reduction. To stimulate future enthusiasm and interest in realizing the blue economy of MOFs, ranging from front-end production to terminal disposal, we have presented and summarized the state-of-the-art progress in the sustainable synthesis, separation, and reuse of MOFs. Based on the existing challenges, we also propose fit-for-purpose future directions in the MOF field to move toward blue economy.

Towards Semantically-Consistent Deformable 2D-3D Registration for 3D Craniofacial Structure Estimation from A Single-View Lateral Cephalometric Radiograph.

The deep neural networks combined with the statistical shape model have enabled efficient deformable 2D-3D registration and recovery of 3D anatomical structures from a single radiograph. However, the recovered volumetric image tends to lack the volumetric fidelity of fine-grained anatomical structures and explicit consideration of cross-dimensional semantic correspondence. In this paper, we introduce a simple but effective solution for semantically-consistent deformable 2D-3D registration and detailed volumetric image recovery by inferring a voxel-wise registration field between the cone-beam computed tomography and a single lateral cephalometric radiograph (LC). The key idea is to refine the initial statistical model-based registration field with craniofacial structural details and semantic consistency from the LC. Specifically, our framework employs a self-supervised scheme to learn a voxel-level refiner of registration fields to provide fine-grained craniofacial structural details and volumetric fidelity. We also present a weakly supervised semantic consistency measure for semantic correspondence, relieving the requirements of volumetric image collections and annotations. Experiments showcase that our method achieves deformable 2D-3D registration with performance gains over state-of-the-art registration and radiograph-based volumetric reconstruction methods. The source code is available at https://github.com/Jyk-122/SC-DREG.

Green palladium and platinum recovery by microwave-assisted aluminum chloride solution

A green and sustainable method using microwave-assisted aluminum chloride solution for selective recovery of palladium and platinum from spent catalysts.

Hybrid Ventilation Systems for Reduced Lifetime Emissions in Cold Climates

Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems are notable sources of emissions in buildings. In cold climates, mechanical ventilation systems are characterized by significant initial embodied emissions but benefit from reduced operational emissions related to heating energy. On the other hand, natural ventilation systems have the advantage of lower initial embodied emissions but will use more heating energy, in cold climates, for the same atmospheric quality, due to the general lack of efficient heat recovery solutions. Hybrid ventilation systems are hybrids of these, using a combination of driving forces. This study utilized a life cycle assessment (LCA) to compare lifetime emissions of hybrid and mechanical ventilation systems in a Nordic climate. Findings suggest that hybrid ventilation systems can yield lower lifetime emissions, provided upfront emissions are reduced without significantly increasing energy consumption. Reduction potential in upfront emissions is more substantial in open landscape offices than classrooms due to higher person density in classrooms necessitating more fresh air, limiting reductions that can be achieved without thermal discomfort during the winter season. Our study shows the feasibility of reducing the carbon footprint of ventilation systems by employing hybrid climatization strategies.

Tracking the formation potential of vivianite within the treatment train of full-scale wastewater treatment plants

Phosphorus recovery is a vital element for the circular economy. Wastewater, especially sewage sludge, shows great potential for recovering phosphate in the form of vivianite. This work focuses on studying the iron, phosphorus, and sulfur interactions at full-scale wastewater treatment plants (Viikinmäki, Finland and Seine Aval, France) with the goal of identifying unit processes with a potential for vivianite formation. Concentrations of iron(III) and iron(II), phosphorus, and sulfur were used to evaluate the reduction of iron and the formation potential of vivianite. Mössbauer spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis were used to confirm the presence of vivianite in various locations on sludge lines. The results show that the vivianite formation potential increases as the molar Fe:P ratio increases, the anaerobic sludge retention time increases, and the sulfate concentration decreases. The digester is a prominent location for vivianite recovery, but not the only one. This work gives valuable insights into the dynamic interrelations of iron, phosphorus, and sulfur in full-scale conditions. These results will support the understanding of vivianite formation and pave the way for an alternative solution for vivianite recovery for example in plants that do not have an anaerobic digester.

Battery Electrode-Based Lithium Recovery from Geothermal Brines

Driven by the electrification of transport sector the demand of lithium for battery application is increasing exponentially. The major sources for lithium are continental brines and hard minerals where the production comes along with consumptive water requirements and energy intensive processing and extraction. Therefore, it is of tremendous importance to consider alternative, non-conventional, sources and to develop more efficient and environmentally benign Li extraction methods. Geothermal brines can have significant Li concentrations (150–240 mgLi+ L−1)[1] and could represent an attractive sustainable lithium source. Implementing electrochemical methods for lithium extraction offers further advantages of high Li-selectivity, minimal waste production and low water consumption.[2] Here, we present a dual-ion battery type setup for the selective electrochemical Li-adsorption and desorption from geothermal brines. The chloride concentration in brines is a thousand times higher than that of Li+, hence, both species can be captured at opposite electrode sides. In the dual-ion setup presented in this work, Li+ are stored in a Li-selective LiFePO4(LFP) battery electrode and Cl− are stored using bismuth oxychloride (BiOCl) as counter electrode that has shown excellent Cl− storage capabilities and chemical stability in chloride-ion batteries and desalination batteries.[3] In the second step, both ions are released in a recovery solution to yield a Li-rich solution that could be further processed into battery-grade lithium hydroxide or carbonate. The stability of LFP in aqueous solutions and high Li -selectivity makes it a favored candidate for the electrochemical recovery of Li from natural solutions, where a diverse mixture of cations and anion is present.[4] Therefore, we examined the stability of the electrodes in brine solutions by XRD, indicating good reversibility and no intercalation of competitor ions. In addition, the Li-selectivity in extraction/recovery experiments was analyzed by ICP-OES and influences of different process parameters (e.g. current density, pH, temperature) were investigated. The results demonstrate that the LFP/BiOCl dual-ion battery setup is a feasible and promising low cost method for environmentally friendly Li extraction from geothermal brines.

Computerized tomography analysis of potential geochemical reactions of carbonate rocks during underground hydrogen storage

The research on Hydrogen (H2) gas has attracted considerable attention as a clean energy source to achieve net-zero carbon emissions. Underground Hydrogen Storage (UHS) in carbonate reservoirs is a suitable solution for safe storage and efficient recovery of hydrogen during the cycling process. However, the potential geochemical reactions between hydrogen and carbonate minerals can influence the storage potential and rock characteristics. Despite the current devotion to evaluating H2-rock interactions, there is a lack of knowledge on the reactivity of carbonate rocks to hydrogen and the potential implications on pore properties. In this work, carbonate rocks were subjected to hydrogen treatment at 75 °C and 1400 psi for 150 days, and a comprehensive Computerized Tomography (μ-CT) scan analysis was performed. The results confirm the occurrence of geochemical reactions of dolomite and calcite with H2, however, the extent of mineral alteration is minimal, and the dissolution/precipitation rates are nearly balanced. Subsequently, insignificant changes in porosity (not exceeding 2 %) and grain expansion are observed. However, we observed unexpected development of fractures within 75–150 days of treatment in the calcite sample, which we believe is related to the de-pressurizing of the samples after 75 days of treatment, and not because of hydrogen reactions. The obtained results demonstrate the high stability of carbonate rocks during short hydrogen storage cycles and imply that the reaction of the carbonate minerals with H2 is very weak within the conditions investigated in this research. This work supports the utilization of carbonate reservoirs for UHS and can be a suitable experimental framework to assist in evaluating the hydrogen reactivity to carbonate reservoirs.

Influence of hydrodynamic shear stress on activated algae granulation process for wastewater treatment

In this study, activated algae granule was formed by cultivating a mixed culture of the microalga Chlorella vulgaris and activated sludge in batch photobioreactors (PBRs). Without aeration, the granulation process was investigated through four different agitation speeds of 80, 120, 160, 200 rpm (shear stress of 0.04, 0.15, 0.35, 0.69 Pa). Hydrodynamic shear stress created by agitation affected the activated algae granulation through microeddies. The largest granule was achieved in the PBR with agitation speed of 200 rpm (R200) with shear stress of 0.69 Pa (size of 339 µm). In the other hand, lower shear stress in R160 (shear stress of 0.35 Pa) gave optimal results in terms of wastewater treatment efficiency and granule formation time (165 days of operation). Shear stress below 0.15 Pa (120 rpm) showed no granule formation during 220 days operation. While shear stress from 0.04–0.15 Pa could guarantee mass transfer for the entire co-culture without aeration, shear stress from 0.15–0.69 Pa was a suitable range for the granulation process of activated algae. This study reveals that activated algae granule formation through agitation mechanism is a promissing solution for wastewater treatment and microalgae biomass recovery to substantially increase the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix.

Aluminum chloride enhances the production of short-chain fatty acids from waste activated sludge: Insights to performance, mechanism, and implications

Waste activated sludge (WAS), the major by-products during wastewater treatment, is hugely produced, which poses great environment and operation pressures. This work investigated feasibility, mechanism, and implications of aluminum chloride for carbon recovery enhancement from WAS. Results showed that aluminum chloride enhanced short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) production potential, and the enhancement potentials were dosage dependent. The optimal dosage was 10 mg Al/g total suspended solids (TSS), with the maximum SCFAs production potential of 140 mg chemical oxygen demand/g volatile suspended solids, which was 52.2 % higher compared to that of control. Meanwhile, the compositions of SCFAs were regulated, suggesting that the recovered SCFAs were potential carbon source. Mechanism analysis showed that aluminum chloride increased the release of polysaccharides and proteins by 23.6 % and 71.7 %, respectively, compared to that in control, as well as the removal of extracellular polymeric substances to 27.5 % and the contribution of intracellular release to 38.0 %. This situation facilitated the solubilization of WAS and improved the biochemical degradability of organic matters. In addition, aluminum chloride promoted hydrolysis and acidification stages through affecting the activities of hydrolase, enriching acid-producing microorganisms, and inhibiting the activities of methanogens. This work provided some novel solutions for sludge treatment and carbon recovery, driving wastewater treatment plants to achieve carbon-neutral operation.

Proactive Hoarding, Precautionary Buying, and Postdisaster Retail Market Recovery

Disasters affect consumers and retailers selling necessities in the market both physically and psychologically. Motivated by various real world scenarios of meteorological disasters such as tropical cyclones, hurricanes, and typhoons caused by global warming, we explore in this article the retail market recovery challenge via studying disaster-induced retailers’ proactive hoarding and consumers’ precautionary buying behaviors under psychological and behavioral uncertainties. We employ real-practice-based empirical data and build game-theoretic model to conduct the analysis. Both the survival-related psychological and behavioral factors and induced precautionary buying behaviors are considered. Our results reveal that a low-degree proactive hoarding by retailers is beneficial to not only alleviating the retail price volatility during a disaster but also increasing retailer's expected profits, thus increasing the net benefit of society (in terms of the cost of demand recovery and the retailers’ expected profit). By contrast, a high-degree hoarding by retailers cannot ensure gaining superior performance for retail recovery. We further investigate the potential of government intervention via managing and controlling the degree of price stickiness to help facilitate postdisaster retail market recovery, and reveal that such a measure may not be a “cure-all.” Instead, a win–win solution for retail market recovery must also rely on the “self-regulation of a society”.

BUSINESS MODEL INNOVATION OF HOTELS IN VIETNAM DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

The tourism sector encountered significant difficulties in sustaining operations amidst the global economic downturn caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Initial observations within the hospitality industry suggest that redesigning the business models could be a key solution for recovery. However, there is a scarcity of empirical studies on this topic, particularly in the hotel industry. To address both practical and theoretical gaps, the authors conducted a study on business model innovation of hotels in Hanoi during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study involved 300 participants with diverse genders and roles working in high ranking lodging units, aiming to evaluate how hotel firms transformed their business models from the perspective of industry professionals. The results indicated that factors such as the business environment, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and a culture of innovation positively influenced the degree of business model innovation among hotel firms. Furthermore, a higher level of business model innovation was found to have positive effects not only in the short term but also on overall business performance.

GLDA and ion exchangers: Unlocking sustainable solutions for recovery of rare earth elements

GLDA (tetrasodium salt of N,N-bis(carboxymethyl)-L-glutamic acid) was proposed as a complexing agent for rare earth elements. The formed complexes Ln(III)-GLDA were subjected to adsorption using twelve commercial ion exchangers of different types. Ion exchangers were characterized by describing their physicochemical properties using sieve analysis, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The stability constants of the Ln(III)-GLDA complexes in the binary systems at different Ln(III):GLDA molar ratios were determined by the potentiometric method. The effects of different process parameters (Ln(III):GLDA molar ratio, initial solution pH, phase contact time, initial solution concentrations, and temperature) on the adsorption of La(III), Nd(III), and Ho(III) ions in the presence of GLDA were investigated by the static method in the single-component systems.Kinetic, equilibrium, and thermodynamic parameters were calculated. The highest adsorption capacities were obtained for the Purolite S957 ion exchanger (139.57 mg/g for the La(III)-GLDA complexes, 152.72 mg/g for the Nd(III)-GLDA complexes, and 151.29 mg/g for the Ho(III)-GLDA complexes), Lewatit Monoplus SP112 ion exchanger (155.49 mg/g for the La(III)-GLDA complexes, 150.23 mg/g for the Nd(III)-GLDA complexes, and 132.77 mg/g for the Ho(III)-GLDA complexes). The desorption process was performed to regenerate the ion exchangers by applying hydrochloric and nitric(V) acids at concentrations of 0.5, 1, and 2 M. In addition, for La(III)-GLDA complexes, experiments were performed in the column systems.

Sustainable in situ ammonia recovery from municipal solid waste leachate in a single-stream microbial desalination cell

Municipal solid waste (MSW) leachate is one of the most hazardous waste streams leading to great potential risk to environment, and a renewable resource with high concentrations of organic contaminant and ammonia. High energy consumption and chemical input are still the challenges for ammonia recovery from MSW leachate. Here, a single-stream microbial desalination cell (SMDC) was successfully developed for simultaneous energy extraction from organic contaminant and in-situ energy utilization for ammonia recovery. 70% of the organic contaminant from the actual MSW leachate was removed, and 24.9% of the total ammonia was recovered as high-purity (NH4)2SO4. The additional desalination chamber introduced into the SMDC can potentially enhance the NH4+ migration that was determined by the NH4+ concentration gradient and electric field. More than 30% of the total nitrogen was lost, as revealed by nitrogen mass balance analysis, probably resulting from the anodic denitrification process driven by denitrifying microorganisms, e.g., Thauera, which thrived in the anode chamber. Concomitantly, the chemical input for ammonia stripping can be reduced by up to 68% due to the relatively low buffer capacity of the catholyte and the OH− production from the cathode reaction. This SMDC can be an effective and environmentally sustainable solution for MSW leachate treatment and resource recovery.

Mitigating the impact of controller failures on QoS robustness for software-defined wide area networks

Emerging cloud services and applications pose different Quality of Service (QoS) requirements for the network, where Software-Defined Wide Area Networks (SD-WANs) play a crucial role in QoS provisioning by introducing network programmability into network flows to enable dynamic flow routing and ensure low data transmission latency for these applications. However, controller failures may happen in SD-WANs, and all programmable flows that the failed controller previously controlled will become offline and lose the network programmability, resulting in the degradation of QoS. Existing control recovery solutions propose to remap offline switches/flows to available active controllers but cannot promise good recovery performance due to the following two problems: (1) the recovery performance suffers from either coarse-grained remapping granularity or introducing extra processing delays, and (2) QoS robustness cannot be guaranteed in the design of recovery solution. To this end, we propose Predator, a QoS-aware network programmability recovery scheme that utilizes the P4 Runtime enabled by existing P4 switches to achieve fine-grained per-flow remapping without introducing extra delays. Specifically, our proposed Predator categorizes flows based on their QoS requirements and smartly recovers offline flows based on their priorities to guarantee the QoS robustness for high-priority flows. Simulation results under real-world topology demonstrate that our proposed Predator can improve the recovered network programmability of high-priority flows by up to 505.5%, and substantially reduce the communication overhead of high-priority flows, compared with baselines.

Comparison of Terrestrial Water Storage Changes in the Tibetan Plateau and Its Surroundings Derived from Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) Solutions of Different Processing Centers

The GRACE twin satellite gravity mission from 2002 to 2017 has considerably improved investigations on global and regional hydrological changes. However, there are different GRACE solutions and products available which may yield different results for certain regions despite applying the same postprocessing and time span. This is especially the case for the Tibetan Plateau (TP) with its special hydrological conditions represented by localized but strong signals that can overlap or merge with signals inside the plateau, which can falsify the determination of terrestrial water storage (TWS) changes in the TP area. To investigate the effect of GRACE solution selection on inverted TWS changes, we analyze quantitatively the secular and monthly changes for 14 glacier areas and 10 water basins in and around the TP area that have been calculated from 16 different available GRACE solutions. Our analysis provides expectable results. While trend results from different spherical harmonic (SH) GRACE solutions match well, there are significant differences to and between mascon GRACE solutions. This is related to the different processing concepts of mascon solutions and their forced handling in our comparisons. SH solution time series match each other when mass changes are strong with a large amplitude and regular periodicity. However, for regions where small TWS changes are associated with small amplitudes, trends, and/or unstable signal periods, SH solutions can also yield different results. Such behavior is known from a time series analysis. Interestingly though, we find that the COST-G and ITSG SH GRACE solutions are closest to the average of all solutions. Therefore, these solutions appear to be preferable for TWS investigations in regions with highly variable hydrological conditions, such as in the Tibetan Plateau and its surroundings. This also indicates that combined solutions such as COST-G provide a promising pathway for an improved TWS analysis, which should be further elaborated.

Selective membrane capacitive deionization for superior lithium recovery

To meet the huge demand of global lithium resources, it is urgent and challenging to develop a new efficient technology for lithium recovery from salt-lake brines. Here, we report a selective membrane capacitive deionization (sMCDI) system for the lithium recovery. Benefit from δ-MnO2-x@CNTs with efficient intercalated pseudo-capacitance and porous carbon with a specific area of 2989.2 m2 g−1, a high lithium recovery capacity of 43.0 mg g−1 is achieved in LiCl solution at 1.2 V, and the corresponding lithium recovery rate is 5.17 mg g−1 min−1. A modified Nafion® 212 membrane with thin LiMn2O4 coating is for the selective Li+ recovery. A much higher Li+/Mg2+ selectivity of sMCDI cell can be accomplished for dehydration by increasing the concentration of Li+ and Mg2+ in feed solution. When the concentration of Li and Mg in feed solution increases to 2420 and 26,487 mg L−1 (the Mg/Li mass ratio = 10.9), the Li+ and Mg2+ recovery capacity can reach 121.3 and 204.6 mg g−1, respectively, and the Mg/Li mass ratio decreases to 2.33 in recovery solution. These investigations expand the selection range of the available CDI electrode candidates, and offer the prospect of the sMCDI technology for the efficient lithium recovery from brines.

Cold Climate Challenges: Analysis of Heat Recovery Efficiency in Ventilation Systems

As building energy consumption gains ever-increasing attention worldwide, the focus on addressing it through the examination and optimization of efficient heat recovery solutions continues to intensify. With well-insulated and airtight buildings, the proportion of heating needs attributed to ventilation is growing, leading to the widespread integration and optimization of heat recovery solutions in mechanical ventilation systems. Heat recovery in ventilation is a highly efficient strategy for reducing heat losses and conserving energy. This study involves the investigation of a ventilation unit installed in an apartment situated in Riga, Latvia, as a practical examination of heat recovery system efficiency within the Latvian climate conditions, representing a cold climate region. The objective of this study was to examine the heat recovery efficiency of the ventilation system in the Latvian climate with variable outdoor and exhaust air parameters, given that the dry heat recovery efficiency is different from the actual heat recovery efficiency. The ventilation unit was equipped with a plate heat exchanger at an airflow rate of 105 m3/h. To evaluate heat recovery efficiency, extensive measurements of air temperature and relative humidity were conducted. The collected data was analyzed, employing statistical regression analysis to ensure measurement reliability and assess correlations. The findings indicated a strong correlation between variables such as heat content, moisture content, and sensible air parameters. It was observed that the actual heat recovery efficiency was 6% higher than the calculated dry efficiency, emphasizing the importance of considering real-world conditions in heat recovery assessments. Additionally, regression analysis demonstrated a positive linear correlation with a coefficient of 0.77, highlighting the dependency between actual measurements and the theoretical model. These quantitative outcomes provide essential insights for optimizing heat recovery systems and enhancing energy-efficient ventilation practices, especially in cold climate environments. Moreover, this study highlights the strong correlation between variables such as heat content, moisture content, and sensible air parameters. Findings offer essential insights for optimizing heat recovery systems and enhancing energy-efficient ventilation practices, especially in cold climate environments.

Germination Strategy of Chenopodium acuminatum Willd. under Fluctuating Salinity Habitats

Germination events of plants often occur after rainfall in saline environments where the soil salinity is diluted, viz recovery germination. Previous germination studies have rarely considered the duration of exposure to salt stress, and none of them have investigated recovery germination under low-salt concentration, other than in distilled water. The main objective of this study was to investigate the effects of salinity, exposure duration and low-salt recovery solutions on seed germination of the weed Chenopodium acuminatum to get a clear insight about the germination strategy exhibited by this species in a saline habitat. Seeds were initially exposed to 0–400 mM NaCl for 10, 20 and 30 d. The subsequent recovery experiment was conducted differently. For those initially treated with 100 and 200 mM NaCl, the recovery solution was distilled water, while for those initially treated with 300 and 400 mM NaCl, the recovery solution was distilled water, at 50 and 100 mM NaCl. Results showed that the recovery germination percentage and rate significantly decreased when the exposure duration extended. Seeds could subsequently recover to germinate at high percentages at recovery salt solution concentrations for a short duration, but the recovery percentages and rates in high salinity, combined with high exposure duration and relatively high recovery salt concentrations, were remarkably lower. More than 30% of the ungerminated seeds were viable after the recovery experiment. We suggest that Ch. acuminatum exhibits a ‘cautious’ strategy of germination to avoid injury from long-term salt stress and ensure survival for the subsequent continuation of its population under unfavorable saline conditions.

Field-based recovery technique for improved adaptive finite element analysis of photonic devices

A new adaptive finite element (FE) technique is proposed to enhance the accuracy of the solution of wave propagation in integrated photonic devices. The suggested recovery technique improves significantly the finite element convergence rate compared to refinement techniques. The method refines the elements based on the field distribution. This recovery technique estimates the error at each element by comparing the linear FE solution and the recovery solution using least-squares method. The numerical aspects and accuracy of the method are investigated using the light propagation in both one-dimensional and two-dimensional photonic devices.