Material resources efficiency in engineering

The module "Material resources efficiency in engineering" is aimed at all students in the master's degree programs in mechanical engineering and industrial engineering and management. The module aims to sensitize students to the relevance of (raw-) material supply and use in a global context. Based on this, methods and tools are presented to evaluate material efficiency in the industrial value streams in a life cycle oriented way. Furthermore, students will learn about different strategies and related challenges to improve the use of materials in products and services under different target parameters.

Lecture Contents

Basics:

• Sustainability, Material-Energy Nexus, Global CO2 emissions through materials and the 5 most important engineering materials, IPAT identity
• Kaya identity, climate protection goals
• Material flow analyses (MFA), Sankey diagram, mitigation options
• Sustainability method according to Ashby (with case study)
• Waste heat utilisation as a mitigation option
• Recycling of resources as a mitigation option
• Lightweight construction as mitigation option
• Material substitution as a mitigation option
• Production process optimization as a mitigation option
• Consumer behaviour change as a mitigation option
• Critical resources: basic concepts, conflict minerals, sustainable supply chains

Stud.IP

All further information and materials can be found in the learning management system Stud.IP. For an introduction to Stud.IP, please contact the Stud.IP support team.

Module Manual

Only the information in the module manual applies. In addition, only the information in the examination regulations of the respective course of study is legally binding.