Dynamic MFA Modelling on Individual Building Level: Exploring Secondary Material Supply in the City of Hamburg

This research delves into the challenging task of exploring secondary materials supply from existing building stocks, crucial for sustainable resource management in the face of climate change. Focused on Hamburg, Germany, the study employs a unique combination of GIS-based bottom-up building stock analysis and dynamic Material Flow Analysis ...

Comparative Social Life Cycle Assessment between Battery Electric Vehicles and Internal Combustion Engine Vehicles

Battery electric vehicles (BEV) as opposed to internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEV) are seen as a viable solution for reducing transportation related environmental impacts. There are however advantages and disadvantages to both alternatives. Environmental life cycle assessments (LCA) are used to quantify the environmental lifecycle impact...

Life Cycle Assessment of steel off-gas fermentation in the context of alternative PET sourcing routes for textiles

The global production of textiles carries a significant share in global greenhouse gas emissions, with a demand projected to grow. Especially for scope 3 emissions, materials play a significant role, with polyethylene terephthalate (PET) as a dominating fibre material with unique properties. Virgin PET based on fossil oil as the conventional...

Towards an environmentally sound metric to evaluate post-consumer plastic packaging waste recycling: Towards an environmentally sound metric to evaluate post-consumer plastic packaging waste recycling

In the recent years, the circular economy (CE) has emerged as an alternative to current linear economic models with prospects of achieving the decoupling of environmental impacts from economic growth. To this end, CE models focus on the permanence of products, materials, and value in the economy, eliminating as much waste as possible. In waste...

Green roofs and climate resilience in The Hague: Spatial, financial & stakeholder analyses

Due to climate change, cities are expected to become subject to increasingly intense heat waves and precipitation. This calls for them to become more resilient towards such fluctuations. Green infrastructure is increasingly acknowledged as a means to enhance climate resilience, but cities – especially city centres – often lack the necessary...

Impact of land use on functional plant diversity: A new assessment method demonstrated in Germany

Assessing the human impacts on biodiversity is important for conserving biodiversity. Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a tool to assess the impact product service systems have on the environment. To critically asses the human impact of land use on biodiversity in LCA, characterisation factors (CF) are needed to translate area and type of land use...

Phosphorus recycling in the Dutch communal wastewater chain: Barriers to growth

The goal of this research is to identify barriers that hinder the development of phosphorus (P)<br/>recycling by the communal water chain. Insights into these barriers can lead to a better<br/>understanding of the situation and can lead to possible solutions to overcome the obstacles. The research shows that P recycling is a complex field with...

Re-oil Coast: An algae-based oil production and recreation coastal development

Mapping stocks and flows of neodymium: An assessment of neodymium production and consumption in the Netherlands in 2010 and 2030

The Master's programme Industrial Ecology is jointly organised by Leiden University and Delft University of Technology. Neodymium applications, especially the neodymium-iron-boron (NdFeB) permanent magnet, have substantially enabled continuous miniaturization in the electronics sector and have become increasingly vital to electric mobility and...

Circular economy in the City of the Loops: Modelling an urban utopia aware of resources scarcity

The master thesis treats the possibilities of applying circular economy principles into specific conditions of post-soviet city: Nowa Huta. The city faces complex problems of negative demographics, loss of heavy industry and socio-economic regress. The project proposes several strategies that focuses on dealing with problems internally, without...

A Visual Life Cycle Analysis - for architects and policymakers

The impact of urbanizing 400 million people in China in 20 years - a comparative analysis of common structural materials with bamboo as a promising alternative for (semi) high-rise developments. Transport, End of Life scenarios and Lifespan are essential factors in a Life Cycle Analysis (LCA). The Building Energy Use itself is becoming less...

Hypercraft

This Master Thesis as presented to the chair of Explore Lab 14 of the TU Delft, deals with the issue of perspective. The problem that architecture is all too often drawn out of a singular perspective and even opposes different modes of perception, is an issue which influences the role of the architect. This problem, generated at the hand of...

Innovativeness of Innovation: A study on the effects of social institutions on innovation practices in the Westland horticulture sector

The Master's programme Industrial Ecology is jointly organised by Leiden University and Delft University of Technology. The horticulture sector in the Netherlands is facing economic difficulties, which have become more severe since the crisis of 2008. The innovation strategies the growers select to stimulate their organizations, are identified...