Product decarbonization and life cycle analysis
Summary
This course will address the need to decarbonize engineered products and to reduce their environmental and societal impacts. Life cycle analysis (LCA) will be used as a tool to quantify the impacts of engineered products and to aid design of lower impact alternatives.
Content
- Sustainability through an engineering lens
- Towards a NetZero and NetPositive economy
- Industrial decarbonization
- Circular economy and mass flows
- Hard to abate and critical materials
- Life cycle analysis using a software tool
- Individual LCA assignment
- Monetary flows, cost and financial modelling, ethics
- Group project including LCA
- Stakeholder engagement and quantified sustainability / decarbonization initiatives
Keywords
Sustainability
Engineered products
Life cycle analysis
Materials
Cost modelling
Decarbonization
Case studies
Learning Prerequisites
Important concepts to start the course
- Principles of mechanical design, Principles of materials, CAD
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the course, the student must be able to:
- Critique key sustainability concepts
- Analyze environmental and societal impacts
- Model impacts using LCA tools
- Assess / Evaluate the impacts of engineered products
- Elaborate the environmental, societal, and human health impacts of products across their life cycle
- Produce quantified sustainability and decarbonization initiatives
Transversal skills
- Use both general and domain specific IT resources and tools
- Demonstrate the capacity for critical thinking
- Communicate effectively, being understood, including across different languages and cultures.
- Give feedback (critique) in an appropriate fashion.
- Take account of the social and human dimensions of the engineering profession.
- Take responsibility for environmental impacts of her/ his actions and decisions.
- Make an oral presentation.
- Write a scientific or technical report.
Teaching methods
Ex cathedra and invited speakers
Sessions with exercises or work on project
Individual LCA study
Group project
Expected student activities
Attendance at lectures
Individual LCA assignment
Group case study of an engineered product including written report and oral presentation
Assessment methods
10% individual LCA assignment
50% group project written report
20% group project oral presentation
20% open book exam (no internet) during semester
Dans les plans d'études
- Forme de l'examen: Pendant le semestre (session d'été)
- Matière examinée: Product decarbonization and life cycle analysis
- Cours: 2 Heure(s) hebdo x 14 semaines
- Exercices: 1 Heure(s) hebdo x 14 semaines
- Projet: 1 Heure(s) hebdo x 14 semaines
- Type: obligatoire