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Balancing Energy and Material Efficiency in Green Hydrogen Production via Water Electrolysis

Green hydrogen is increasingly regarded as a pivotal solution in achieving “net zero by 2050” in carbon neutrality across various sectors and industries. Ambitious decarbonisation roadmaps largely depend on the successful deployment of electrolysis technologies. Among these, Proton Exchange Membrane Electrolysis (PEMEL) stands out for its efficiency, compact design, and adaptability to intermittent renewable power sources. PEMEL is gradually being commercialised, and considerable uncertainty remains regarding its future environmental performance at a plant level. Therefore, future PEMEL cells should be life cycle engineered with a focus on improving materials efficiency by investigating enhanced electrochemical catalysts, membranes, and electrodes for an improved membrane electrode assembly (MEA). In this study, we simulate a 10MW PEMEL plant, identify key operational parameters and evaluate future MEA development scenarios to assess their impact on energy consumption, material utilisation, and system durability. Our findings shed light on the potential trade-offs between energy and material efficiency, providing valuable insights to mitigate environmental hotspots. By focusing on these trade-offs, this work contributes significantly to the ongoing efforts to improve the environmental and operational performance of PEMEL plants.

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Model-based Systems Engineering for Sustainable Factory Design

In the fiercely competitive landscape of modern manufacturing, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are navigating an intricate web of challenges and opportunities. This environment demands constant adaptation and innovation to remain relevant and profitable while upholding sustainable practices. Nowadays, Model-based Systems Engineering (MBSE) capabilities have evolved to a state where collaboration, handling complexity, and integrating sustainability into design processes are streamlined. By leveraging digital models to holistically represent and analyze complex systems, MBSE empowers designers to systematically incorporate sustainability issues and make informed decisions. This research elucidates the application of MBSE in fulfilling stakeholders' needs, tracing integrated functional requirements, and finding solution alternatives for accelerating the movement toward sustainable factories. In this regard, the Cameo System Modeler is utilized for sustainable factory design decomposition. To facilitate factories' sustainability assessment, the first level of functional requirements is defined based on axiomatic design theory and sustainability metrics which are highlighted in the European Sustainability Report Standard (ESRS). To present the application of Cameo, the Austrian Post sustainability report is analyzed based on assumed sustainability targets. Results show how MBSE can help stakeholders, managers, and designers have a big picture of a sustainable factory in one place and provide a resilient decision-making environment.

Open Access
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Challenges and missing links to assess absolute environmental sustainability

The results of the most prevalent environmental lifecycle assessments represent the relative impact on the environment caused by the object being assessed. Hereby, the object is compared to its alternatives (to derive: Which is the better solution?) rather than to the carrying capacities of nature (to determine: Is it ultimately sustainable or not?). This poses a problem for implementing and assessing the progress towards sustainable development. In connection to this, prior research has started categorizing the constitutive research on lifecycle-based absolute environmental sustainability assessments.This paper adds to these efforts and provides a new point of view by categorizing the absolute environmental sustainability assessment approaches within the driver-pressure-state-impact-response framework. Hereby, we focus on the absolute environmental sustainability assessment approaches of (1.) the precedent methods of absolute pressures, and (2.) the state-of-the-art approaches of the impacts on nature. Their common challenges and limitations are discussed, along with a theoretical example. From there, we conclude the proposal of incorporating the absolute environmental sustainability pressure methods into the current discussion on lifecycle-based absolute environmental sustainability assessment approaches. Ultimately, we conclude that further research is required to connect the approaches to the level of application.

Open Access
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