(481d) Multi-Scale Life Cycle Optimization for Sustainable Engineering

Public interest in carbon and water footprints, ecosystem degradation and resource depletion, are just some of the environmental issues that drive the process industries to exercise greater responsibility for the environment in the design and operations of their manufacturing systems. Systems analysis and computational optimization methods from a life cycle perspective play an important role in the quest for sustainability. This talk will review some recent advances in the area of life cycle optimization for sustainability analytics. The focuses are on transformative modeling, theoretical and computational results that bridge the knowledge gaps between state-of-the-art life cycle assessment methods and emerging life cycle optimization tools. We will specifically discuss issues related to multi-scale system boundary selection, consequential perspective of the analysis, and potential presence of multiple non-cooperative decision makers in life cycle optimization for sustainable engineering problems. Applications of these general computational frameworks will be illustrated by case studies on bioenergy/biofuels, shale gas, and chemical manufacturing systems. We will conclude with a brief review of multi-scale applications of life cycle optimization methods from materials to the global scales.