Topic "Ecodesign of processes and value chains"

This theme considers the development of sustainable processes and industries (from the first stages of design) based on material and energy balances of processes and their consequences on environmental impacts (Life Cycle Assessment). This theme aims to develop specific approaches and tools to perform economic, technological and environmental performance analyses of different processes and industries as well as the determination of the best trade-offs (e.g., maximizing production yield while minimizing environmental footprints) and the parameters/operations that have the most influence. The approach relies on process modeling and simulation at appropriate scales, LCA, multi-objective optimization, sensitivity analysis and decision support. This approach has been applied to water treatment (potabilization, wastewater), seawater desalination, membrane production, methanization, bioprocesses, among others.