Project module Sustainable Operations: Evaluating and optimizing solutions for hard-to-electrify applications in transportation and industry
Project module Sustainable Operations
Evaluating and optimizing solutions for hard-to-electrify applications in transportation and industry
WiSe 2025/26
Content and aim of the project module
As several governments world-wide aim to achieve net zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the coming decades, all sectors, in particular transportation and industry, must transform their operations. For sustainable operations to become reality, it is imperative that we identify potential solutions, analyze challenges, and evaluate trajectories towards climate neutrality. Although recent progress has been made in utilization of renewable alternatives and reduction of specific GHG emissions, the total GHG emissions are still increasing due to growing energy and material demand.
Some sub-sectors of transportation and industry are particularly hard to electrify, which presents significant challenges to their viable defossilization. For maritime and air transportation, battery-based propulsion concepts are not easily applicable because of range requirements as well as space and weight limitations. For mining operations in remote areas, connection to electricity grids is often infeasible or too expensive. For refineries and chemical parks, providing heat demand from renewable electricity is an unsolved problem. And refinery products and platform chemicals from which today’s chemicals, plastics and pharmaceuticals are produced overwhelmingly depend on fossil carbon, while alternative sources are so far only available at insufficient quantities or much higher cost.
In the project module, students will work in groups to analyze these challenges of technology and supply chain transformation in selected transportation and industry sectors. Specific measures for the individual sectors will be selected, analyzed and evaluated. This requires an in-depth literature review, data acquisition and modeling of
- the current state-of-the-art in transportation and industry,
- emerging technological innovations,
- political and legal frameworks,
- roadmaps as well as media developments.
Against this background, the students will:
- understand the challenges of the specified sectors,
- investigate the complex interdependencies within supply chains at local, national and global scales,
- identify gaps, challenges and opportunities affecting the adoption of renewable-based technologies,
- choose from a set of given focus topics or formulate specific research questions (e.g. potential, progress, efficiency, scalability and integration of renewables into existing fossil-based sectors),
- apply in-depth analysis and/or modelling methodologies to review technological innovations, political and legal requirements, roadmaps and media developments,
- derive stakeholder-oriented recommendations based on their research findings.
Among others, the following methodologies could be used by the students:
- Data Analysis: Utilize qualitative and quantitative data analysis tools to synthesize findings from literature, case studies, and interviews, identifying innovative solutions for hard-to-defossilize applications in transportation and industry.
- Material Flow Analysis: Quantify the flows and stocks of raw materials, intermediates and products within different systems to provide insights into resource usage, environmental impacts, and sustainability aspects.
- Sustainability Assessment: Evaluate potential hydrogen solutions based on sustainability criteria, including environmental, economic, and social aspects.
- Risk Assessment and Criticality Assessment: Assess political, economic, natural hazard and other risks for raw materials or supply chains to compare alternative technologies or supply systems
- Techno-Economic Analysis: Assess the technological and economic feasibility of different hydrogen production, storage, and transport methods.
- Supply Chain Optimization: Design optimal structures of hydrogen supply chain networks.
Link: https://online.rwth-aachen.de/RWTHonline/pl/ui/$ctx/wbLv.wbShowLVDetail?pStpSpNr=540476
Participants and Requirements
- Participants : Master BWL (CDS, SC, ORM), Master WiWi (CDS, SC, ORM, GM), Master Wirt.-Ing (CDS, SC, ORM)
- Max. Number of participants : 20
- Teaching language : English
- Is previous knowledge required? None
- [Specializations: ORM, Sustainability and Corporations]
Organizational Information
- 10 CP
- Winter term
Contacts
Dr. Jörn Meyer; Mohammad Zardoshti