De elektronische studiegids voor het academiejaar 2025 - 2026 is onder voorbehoud.





Sustainable materials and energy (4677)

  
Coordinating lecturer :Prof. dr. Dries VANDAMME 
  
Co-lecturer :Prof. dr. An HARDY 
 Prof. dr. ir. Koen VANDEWAL 
 Prof. dr. Louis PITET 
 Prof. dr. Robert MALINA 
  
Member of the teaching team :dr. Alessandro MARTULLI 
 dr. Bernhard SIEGMUND 


Language of instruction : English


Credits: 4,0
  
Period: quarter 2 (4sp)
  
2nd Chance Exam1: Yes
  
Final grade2: Numerical
 
Sequentiality
 
   No sequentiality

Prerequisites

The prerequisites that the student needs to have before choosing this course are:

  • basic knowledge organic chemistry and polymer chemistry

  • basic knowledge thermodynamics and chemical kinetics

  • basic knowledge electrochemistry

  • basis knowledge electronics

  • basis knowledge solid state physics

The student has some experience with presentation and communication skills (basic level)



Content

The course 'Sustainable materials and energy' has the following learning objectives:

  • the student is able to get insight into energy as a general concept and its relationship with atom efficiency in the context of sustainable materials and energy
  • the student is able to understand how green and circular chemistry (based on 12 principles of green chemistry and 10 principles of circular chemistry) can contribute to novel developments in sustainable materials, devices, and energy conversion and storage processes
  • the student is able to use standard methodology to evaluate the life cycle and sustainability of a material or energy process and is able to compare and interpret those results on a system level
  • the student has the knowledge of methodologies to incorporate "end-of-life" concepts to be applied in sustainable materials

Module 1: introduction sustainability

  • a general introduction starting from energy as a physical concept, energy conversion and energy requirement and supply in the context of the global sustainablility challenge and the circularity of materials
  • sustainability as concept, sustainable development goals (SDG’s), 3P and genest 3P model, donut economy, definition of wicked problems
  • 12 principles of green chemistry and 10 principles of circular economy and their applications
  • system thinking and stakeholder analysis

Module 2: life cycle analysis (LCA)

  • introduction LCA, with emphasis on different LCA methodologies and conditions
  • the role of LCA in evaluation of sustainable materials and energy

Module 3: case studies and debate

  • overview of energy technologies and renewable materials with emphasis on sustainability challenge

    • state of the art

    • emerging developments

  • seminar series with the link to the 12 principles of green chemistry and 10 principles of circular economy

    • 2 expert seminars

    • debate based on stakeholder analysis (mini-essay)



Organisational and teaching methods
Organisational methods  
Case session  
Lecture  
Response lecture  
Small group session  
Teaching methods  
Discussion/debate  
Exercises  
Seminar  


Evaluation

Period 2    Credits 4,00

Evaluation method
Written evaluaton during teaching periode30 %
Transfer of partial marks within the academic year
Conditions transfer of partial marks within the academic yearThe student obtains at least 10/20.
Oral evaluation during teaching period10 %
Transfer of partial marks within the academic year
Debat
Written exam60 %
Transfer of partial marks within the academic year
Conditions transfer of partial marks within the academic yearThe student obtains at least 10/20.
Closed-book
Evaluation conditions (participation and/or pass)
Conditions The student is required to be present and to have actively contributed to the debate as evaluation is linked to this.The student is required to submit the mini-essay.
Consequences If the student is unjustifiedly absent during the debate or did not submit the mini-essay because of an unjustified reason, he/she will receive an 'N' for the entire course as a final result ('N' = evaluation not fully completed: unjustified absence for one or more components of the evaluation).
Additional information For students with exam contract, the debate in the teaching period will be replaced by an alternative, individual assignment in the exam period and the mini-essay during the teaching period will be replaced by submitting a mini-essay during the exam period.

Second examination period

Evaluation second examination opportunity different from first examination opprt
No
Explanation (English)The mini-essay and written exam can be retaken. The debate cannot be retaken.
 

Compulsory course material
 

All slides, readers, papers and other supporting materials will be provided on Blackboard.

 

Recommended reading
 

Titel: Environmental Physics: Sustainable Energy and Climate Change
Auteur: Egbert Boeker, Rienk Van Grondelle
Editie: 3
Uitgever: Wiley
ISBN: 9780470666753
Extra info: /

Titel: Fundamentals of Materials for Energy and Environmental Sustainability
Auteur: David S. Ginley & David Cahen
Editie: /
Uitgever: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 9781107000230 
Extra info: /

 

Mandatory software
 

Simapro software will be used in LCA worksession (available in PC rooms)



Learning outcomes
Master of Materiomics
  •  EC 
  • EC 2. The graduate of the Master of Materiomics programme can combine chemical and physical principles enabling the discovery of new material concepts based on an interdisciplinary approach.

     
  •  DC 
  • DC2.3 The student is able to devise and examine a new materials concept, taking into account sustainability aspects.

     
  •  DC 
  • DC2.5 The student has knowledge of physical concepts and methods. [learning pathway interdisciplinarity - identification: the student knows which phenomena are studied in the various disciplines and which methods and theories are used]

     
  •  DC 
  • DC2.6 The student is able to relate chemical and physical concepts and methods to each other to understand materials. [learning pathway interdisciplinarity - coordination: the student is able to make connections between different perspectives]

  •  EC 
  • EC 4. The graduate of the Master of Materiomics programme is able to autonomously consult, summarise and critically interpret international scientific literature, reference it correctly and use it to explore and identify new domains relevant to the field.

     
  •  DC 
  • DC4.3 The student is able to critically interpret, evaluate, compare, and/or summarize relevant scientific literature related to materials-related problems or research questions.

  •  EC 
  • EC 6. The graduate of the Master of Materiomics programme is able to communicate in both written and spoken form and to take a well-argued position in a scientific discussion, going from a general to a specialist level, adapted to the target audience.

     
  •  DC 
  • DC6.2 The student is able to adapt to the purpose and target audience of the communication, i.e., can empathize with the target audience and make appropriate choices regarding language use and format.

  •  EC 
  • EC 8. The graduate of the Master of Materiomics programme is able to act with integrity and independently judge ethical and societal implications of scientific developments in one’s domain with particular attention to sustainability.

     
  •  DC 
  • DC8.1 The student is able to explain the basic principles of sustainability.

 

  EC = learning outcomes      DC = partial outcomes      BC = evaluation criteria  
Offered inTolerance3
1st year Master of Materiomics J
Exchange Programme Chemistry J



1   Education, Examination and Legal Position Regulations art.12.2, section 2.
2   Education, Examination and Legal Position Regulations art.15.1, section 3.
3   Education, Examination and Legal Position Regulations art.16.9, section 2.