GEAR: Sustainable Material Technologies (SuMaT). (IOF3020)

The European Green Deal is a response to climate and environmental-related challenges. It is a new growth strategy that aims to transform the EU into a fair and prosperous society, with a modern, resource-efficient and competitive economy where there are no net emissions of greenhouse gases in 2050 and where economic growth is decoupled from resource use. Designing sustainable material technologies to replace traditional primary materials is a necessity to realize this ambition. With this project on Sustainable Material Technologies (SuMaT) we want to contribute to that ambition. Materials are at the basis of all imaginable technological products in our society. Engineering materials can be categorized in various ways: according to their nature (metals, polymers, ceramics, composites, …), to their properties, to their applications. The choice of the best material for a dedicated solution is not straightforward, and often several options are open. In the context of the Green Deal policy, we need to rethink our strategies for material selection and design. The design of a material has an impact on its full lifetime: from resources and production technique, transformation of material into device, functioning in the device, over recycling or second use and end of life. Next to that, there is also a strong economic drive for a fast ‘road to market’ for renewable materials. Faster material development not only makes the process cheaper but getting first to the market offers market leadership economics. The challenges imposed to materials by the societal changes are huge. Think of some examples: sanitary challenges requiring easy to clean or anti-viral surfaces, e-mobility requiring light vehicles and more efficient batteries, global warming requiring alternatives for classical cement and alternative base materials, e.g. bio-based.. The virtual design tool, based on advanced characterization and predictive multi-scale modelling, that we develop and bring to industry is key in generating this transition..

Keywords:sustainability, metals, polymers & coating, non-traditional cements, renewable resources, recycing, additive manufacturing, characterization, predictive modelling, virtual design

Disciplines:Air pollution and control

Project type:Collaboration project