The commitment to limit global warming to a maximum of two degrees Celsius requires a significant reduction in industrial greenhouse gas emissions. Energy-intensive industries are responsible for a significant share of these greenhouse gas emissions. Therefore, several projects have been initiated to minimize greenhouse gas emissions in the production of basic materials, e.g. in the steel, chemical or cement industry.
Currently, the production of basic materials is dominated by the use of conventional carbon-based fuels and reducing agents. In the future, these conventional processes are to be replaced by novel alternatives for low-CO2 production. In addition to the potential for reducing direct greenhouse gas emissions from on-site production processes, there are also changes in the emissions of the upstream stages of the value chains of products. Other environmental indicators are also influenced. This must be quantified as part of a comprehensive assessment of environmental impacts.
As part of a bachelor's, master's or diploma thesis, a life cycle assessment (LCA) is to be carried out for relevant production processes of a selected basic material (e.g. steel, cement, methanol, ammonia). To do this, the technical processes and interrelationships should be identified and modeled on the basis of the literature. With the help of life cycle assessment methods, current and future process routes are to be evaluated with regard to various sustainability indicators. Knowledge of life cycle assessment is an advantage for working on the topic. Basic programming knowledge (e.g. Python) is also required.
If you are interested, please contact Yannik Graupner.