Technical products are complex systems that affect the environment through the use of energy and raw materials as well as through the generation of emissions. Solutions towards achieving a sustainable development demand a life cycle-oriented approach. The aim is to minimize costs and optimize revenues as well as minimize risks and environmental impacts throughout the entire product life cycle (from cradle idea to gate).
The Life Cycle Engineering department is focused in the evaluation of the sustainability implications of products and process on a life cycle perspective. In this regard, we aim at developing computational tools that enable a comprehensive quantification and analysis of potential sustainability issues brought by the emergence of new technologies and its attached technology change.
By applying system analysis methodologies such as Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Life Cycle Costing (LCC) along with modern computational and analytical approaches such as visual analytics, the LCE department aims at efficiently disclosing insights from large and complex product systems to support relevant stakeholders such as manufacturers, policy makers and consumers during decision making processes.
| Acronym | Title |
|---|---|
| CircularLIB | Integration of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and physical models for resource-minimal cycling of Li-ion batteries |
| CUBES Circle | Closed urban modular energy- and resource-efficient agricultural systems |
| GIGABAT | Sustainable and digitalized GIGAfactory for BATtery production with made-in-Europe machinery |
| SIMTEGRAL | Integrated multi-scale system simulation and sustainability assessment of primary and circular raw material supply chains for lithium-ion batteries |
| SUMAFly | Sustainability Modelling and Analysis of Future Aircraft Systems |
| SUSTRAB | Sustainable and transparent battery materials value chains for a circular battery economy |
| TranSensus LCA | Towards a European-wide harmonised transport-specific LCA approach |