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This paper reviews sustainable manufacturing practices by integrating environmental, economic, and social dimensions of sustainability, emphasizing that environmental aspects are most frequently addressed (53.8%), followed by economic (34.6%) and social (11.5%) dimensions. Key findings identify crucial practices for sustainability across materials, products, processes, and supply chains, particularly sustainable materials derived from natural, renewable, or waste sources. An analysis of 17,694 articles highlights trends and gaps, linking practices to life cycle stages and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), notably SDG#9 and SDG#12. A proposed framework emphasizes continuous environmental performance improvement through quantitative analysis using the Life Cycle Engineering (LCE) framework, enhancing competitiveness and reducing environmental impact. The LCE framework case study demonstrates how waste materials, like plastic bottles, can be repurposed as raw materials, illustrating its value, especially for small and medium-sized enterprises, and highlighting the importance of integrating sustainability from the ideation stage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The industrial sector is the primary source of carbon emissions in China. In pursuit of meeting its carbon reduction targets, China aims to promote resource consumption sustainability, reduce energy consumption, and achieve carbon neutrality within its processing industries. An effective strategy to promote energy savings and carbon reduction throughout the life cycle of materials is by applying life cycle engineering technology. This strategy aims to attain an optimal solution for material performance, resource consumption, and environmental impact. In this study, five types of technologies were considered: raw material replacement, process reengineering, fuel replacement, energy recycling and reutilization, and material recycling and reutilization. The meaning, methodology, and development status of life cycle engineering technology abroad and domestically are discussed in detail. A multidimensional analysis of ecological design was conducted from the perspectives of resource and energy consumption, carbon emissions, product performance, and recycling of secondary resources in a manufacturing process. This coupled with an integrated method to analyze carbon emissions in the entire life cycle of a material process industry was applied to the nonferrous industry, as an example. The results provide effective ideas and solutions for achieving low or zero carbon emission production in the Chinese industry as recycled aluminum and primary aluminum based on advanced technologies had reduced resource consumption and emissions as compared to primary aluminum production.

According to the European energy consumption reports, the highest energy/fuel consumption in the residential sector is due to space heating, followed by water heating. Generally, the product used to warm water in residential buildings is a boiler system where a heat exchanger is the core of the system. The paper provides a Life Cycle Assessment analysis of a traditional heat exchanger used in domestic boilers with the aim to identify critical aspects and environmental hotspots for the development of a novel concept of the heat exchanger. The methodology used to collect eco-design guidelines from the Life Cycle Assessment analysis is proposed within the paper. Several eco-design actions were put into practice to reduce the environmental issues in each phase of the life cycle from the materials used, the manufacturing processes as well as the product geometry to increase energy efficiency during the use. Concerning the materials and manufacturing phase, a novel design based on a different material (e.g., stainless steel) was developed to replace a mix of materials (i.e., copper and aluminum alloy). Concerning the use phase, the overall product efficiency was increased allowing important savings in terms of gas/energy consumption, by the adoption of a novel design (e.g., spiral pipe). The new heat exchanger design shows better environmental performance in each Life Cycle Assessment indicator, saving more than 40% in CO2 emissions (Global Warming Potential) in the whole product life cycle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Advanced manufacturing research for sustainable battery life cycles is of utmost importance to reach net zero carbon emissions (European Commission, 2023a) as well as several of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs), for example: 30% reduction of CO2 emission, 10 million job opportunities and access to electricity for 600 million people (World Economic Forum, 2019). This editorial paper highlights international motivations for pursuing more sustainable manufacturing practices and discusses key research topics in battery manufacturing. Batteries will be central to our sustainable future as generation and storage become key components to on-demand energy supply. Four underlying themes are identified to address industrial needs in this field: 1. Digitalizing and automating production capabilities: data-driven solutions for production quality, smart maintenance, automation, and human factors, 2. Human-centric production: extended reality for operator support and skills development, 3. Circular battery life cycles: circular battery systems supported by service-based and other novel business models, 4. Future topics for battery value chains: increased industrial resilience and transparency with digital product passports, and next-generation battery chemistries. Challenges and opportunities along these themes are highlighted for transforming battery value chains through circularity and more sustainable production, with a particular emphasis on lithium-ion batteries (LIB). The paper concludes with directions for further research to advance a circular and sustainable battery value chain through utilizing the full potential of digitalization realising a cleaner, more energy-efficient society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reviews sustainable manufacturing practices by integrating environmental, economic, and social dimensions of sustainability, emphasizing that environmental aspects are most frequently addressed (53.8%), followed by economic (34.6%) and social (11.5%) dimensions. Key findings identify crucial practices for sustainability across materials, products, processes, and supply chains, particularly sustainable materials derived from natural, renewable, or waste sources. An analysis of 17,694 articles highlights trends and gaps, linking practices to life cycle stages and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), notably SDG#9 and SDG#12. A proposed framework emphasizes continuous environmental performance improvement through quantitative analysis using the Life Cycle Engineering (LCE) framework, enhancing competitiveness and reducing environmental impact. The LCE framework case study demonstrates how waste materials, like plastic bottles, can be repurposed as raw materials, illustrating its value, especially for small and medium-sized enterprises, and highlighting the importance of integrating sustainability from the ideation stage.

The main challenge to face in the development of energy-related products is represented by the adoption of effective design for sustainability strategies that encompasses the adoption of engineering design tools, knowledge collection, and reuse/sharing in technical departments. This present paper proposes an engineering design for sustainability methodology that assists engineers in developing energy-related products in compliance with ecodesign standards. The methodology uses virtual prototyping tools to assess energy consumption in compliance with energy labeling directives and analyze different use scenarios. The results obtained by numerical simulations (e.g., Finite Element Method—FEM, Computational Fluid Dynamics—CFD) are used to create specific design eco-knowledge in the field of energy-related products. Numerical results are linked with design configurations to understand the benefits introduced by engineering design choices. This knowledge is stored in a structured database with the aim of being reused when a new product is developed or improved/upgraded. The case study of an induction hob, belonging to the household appliance product family, is investigated to understand the potential and drawbacks of the presented approach in a real application. The results show that potential energy and environmental performance benefits are achieved (e.g., reduction of energy losses, achievement of A+ energy class, and overall life cycle environmental impact reduction). Additionally, a new set of ecodesign guidelines are defined for this product family and employed in developing new compliant products belonging to the same family. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recovery and re-utilization of materials are regarded as key strategies for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the built environment. Within those end-of-use scenarios, recycling is one of the widely used tactics, demonstrated by established infrastructure and developed supply chain networks in many geographic locations. While recycling is an increasingly common practice in the built environment, accurately defining recycling quality in order to compare technologies and material types remains methodologically contested. This is mainly due to the vast spectrum of scenarios that typically fall under the term ‘recycling’. Remanufacturing, downcycling, upcycling, and even direct reuse are all referred to as types of recycling in non-scientific circles, depending on the sector they occur in. The main challenge in assessing the material recovery quality of those solutions is that they exist on a continuum without clear divisions. Within that context, this article presents and compares four methods for assessing recyclability. The featured methods measure recycling potential from different perspectives: economic dimensions of the recycling industry; patterns of resource depletion; the energy cost of recycling; and the carbon intensity of recovery processes. The scientific foundations of the four methods are presented and a range of widely used construction materials are tested. The performance of materials is then compared across the four assessment methods to note observations and gain insights. Some of the materials are found to consistently outperform others, whereas some materials perform well on one method while performing poorly on others. This comparative study is followed by a discussion that looks at the limitations of each approach and reasons, or lack thereof, for the adoption of one method over the others in industry and academia. Lastly, the article looks at future research trajectories and examines the path ahead for recycling in the construction industry.

Green hydrogen is increasingly regarded as a pivotal solution in achieving "net zero by 2050" in carbon neutrality across various sectors and industries. Ambitious decarbonisation roadmaps largely depend on the successful deployment of electrolysis technologies. Among these, Proton Exchange Membrane Electrolysis (PEMEL) stands out for its efficiency, compact design, and adaptability to intermittent renewable power sources. PEMEL is gradually being commercialised, and considerable uncertainty remains regarding its future environmental performance at a plant level. Therefore, future PEMEL cells should be life cycle engineered with a focus on improving materials efficiency by investigating enhanced electrochemical catalysts, membranes, and electrodes for an improved membrane electrode assembly (MEA). In this study, we simulate a 10MW PEMEL plant, identify key operational parameters and evaluate future MEA development scenarios to assess their impact on energy consumption, material utilisation, and system durability. Our findings shed light on the potential trade-offs between energy and material efficiency, providing valuable insights to mitigate environmental hotspots. By focusing on these trade-offs, this work contributes significantly to the ongoing efforts to improve the environmental and operational performance of PEMEL plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Growing global affluence and the need to reduce the related environmental impacts lead to an increased use of high-tech products. From a life cycle perspective, environmental impacts are increasingly being shifted from the use stage towards the material production stage. The currently used Kaya identity enables a structured analysis of environmental impacts along a product life cycle and distinguishes between primary and secondary materials used. However, the origin of the impacts of material supply are presented in a very aggregated way as an average of all materials used which hinders a targeted engineering of material production processes. In this paper, we identify general technical variables with a high influence on environmental impacts and material quantity of primary and secondary material production for Lithium-ion batteries. The findings are used to extend the Kaya identity by technical variables such as process efficiencies, material specific recovery rates and material qualities for both primary and secondary material production. Further, we will guide the user to quantify the variables to promote further usage in industry. We present the extended Kaya identity exemplary for a current and future primary lithium production and a mechanical-hydrometallurgical recycling of spent Lithium-ion batteries. The results demonstrate the importance of considering process individual technical variables to assess the overall environmental impacts of a product system and to enable a target driven engineering of environmental hotspots. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Today's product development is challenged with redesigning products into more sustainable variants while maintaining economic and technical feasibility. Among the ways to address this, lightweight design offers numerous opportunities to increase the product's resource efficiency while reducing emissions and emerging life cycle costs. However, this requires advanced analysis concepts to be applied in the early phase of development to efficiently allocate engineering capacities and to subsequently exploit environmental sustainability potentials in the best possible way. Therefore, the present work contrasts two lightweight design methods: the 'extended target weighing approach' (ETWA) and the 'functional life cycle energy analysis' (FLCEA). Based on the use case of the generation development of a semi-mobile handling system, their respective strengths, and weaknesses for a sustainable life cycle engineering are highlighted. While the widely known ETWA focuses on three coupled impact categories (mass, costs, and CO2 emissions), the novel FLCEA method only addresses the mass-related energy consumptions, albeit more detailed across three life cycle stages. As a result of it, the application effort can be decreased, while on the one hand the meaningfulness for the environmental sustainability effects of design changes remains unaltered and, on the other hand, the derivation of recommendations for action is facilitated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Laws to mitigate the impacts of the industries and responsible consumption trends have been pushing manufacturers to integrate sustainability in their business models. In this context, circular economy and sustainable manufacturing have become key interests for manufacturers, and thus should be included in higher education curricula for industrial engineering students. However, tools and sources for these new subjects are scarce. Such multidisciplinary topics require practical innovative teaching approaches with suitable evaluation approaches. Such a proposal is presented in this paper to define a set of pedagogical specifications for both hard and soft skills required to design sustainable and circular proposals for urban factories. First, the students are required to define the scope of impact mitigation through the interpretation of life cycle assessment (LCA) results for a case study. Then, a roleplay has been developed with the objective of improving sustainability using sustainable manufacturing practices and circular economy strategies. The design phase is supported by a package of databases and instructions, alongside tools and templates for expected deliverables including LCA and sustainable business model canvas. To enable innovation and design thinking, feedbacks have been given to students on a regular basis with the aim to improve outcomes prior to the final deliverable. Evaluation has been conducted through an oral presentation in front of academic and specialized external experts, followed by a discussion and a deliberation. This proposal has been tested in a class of 40 industrial engineering students during a semester for a course dedicated to urban factories. All groups have successfully achieved the specifications of the course, and have demonstrated additional soft skills such as teamwork, time management, and effective presentation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over two-thirds of the life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions of a disposable PLA beverage cup are attributed to the production of the granules. Hence, an effective material recycling in the end-of-life (EoL) phase is vital to preserve the embodied energy and emissions from PLA production. According to the current state of technology, this poses a process engineering challenge, as direct shredding leads to elongated, not particularly free-flowing flakes, making further processing significantly more difficult. To address this, a tempering step can be introduced, which loosens the molecular structure and induces an isotropic behavior in the PLA, resulting in free-flowing granules after shredding (Ginter, 2019). These granules can be efficiently processed into re-compounds, similar to new PLA material. Based on these findings, this paper presents a methodological reverse engineering approach to examine the manufacturing phase, in order to identify changes and characteristics and hence potentials for further improvement within EoL treatment. From these findings, approaches are derived which can be integrated into the process chain to improve circularity and reduce life-cycle gaps. The applicability of the methodological approach and its contribution to greater sustainability will be demonstrated using the example of PLA beverage cups, including the application of the life-cycle gap analysis (Dieterle & Ginter 2022). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Life cycle engineering (LCE) was introduced in the early 1990s with a focus on eco-efficiency, hence designing products to reduce the environmental impact over their life cycle while maintaining or increasing the value created. In the meantime, the world has seen the emergence of a climate crisis and a biodiversity crisis despite significant eco-efficiency improvements of individual products and services over the years, highlighting the gap between bottom-up LCE activities and top-down sustainability concepts such as planetary boundaries and net-zero targets for climate change. This paper presents a structured LCE approach for practitioners, supporting life cycle engineering of product life cycles with an absolute sustainability perspective towards achieving net-zero targets. An industrial case is provided to demonstrate the applicability of the methodology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recovery and re-utilization of materials are regarded as key strategies for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the built environment. Within those end-of-use scenarios, recycling is one of the widely used tactics, demonstrated by established infrastructure and developed supply chain networks in many geographic locations. While recycling is an increasingly common practice in the built environment, accurately defining recycling quality in order to compare technologies and material types remains methodologically contested. This is mainly due to the vast spectrum of scenarios that typically fall under the term 'recycling'. Remanufacturing, downcycling, upcycling, and even direct reuse are all referred to as types of recycling in non-scientific circles, depending on the sector they occur in. The main challenge in assessing the material recovery quality of those solutions is that they exist on a continuum without clear divisions. Within that context, this article presents and compares four methods for assessing recyclability. The featured methods measure recycling potential from different perspectives: economic dimensions of the recycling industry; patterns of resource depletion; the energy cost of recycling; and the carbon intensity of recovery processes. The scientific foundations of the four methods are presented and a range of widely used construction materials are tested. The performance of materials is then compared across the four assessment methods to note observations and gain insights. Some of the materials are found to consistently outperform others, whereas some materials perform well on one method while performing poorly on others. This comparative study is followed by a discussion that looks at the limitations of each approach and reasons, or lack thereof, for the adoption of one method over the others in industry and academia. Lastly, the article looks at future research trajectories and examines the path ahead for recycling in the construction industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Life Cycle Engineering has been demonstrated as a viable approach for space mission design. • The life cycle sustainability impacts of SmallSats have been benchmarked for the first time. • Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis is a useful technique for identifying significant hotspots. • Improvements measures are more successful with increased levels of participant interaction. The application of Life Cycle Engineering (LCE) within the concurrent engineering process presents a viable method for assessing environmental, social and economic impacts of space missions. Despite this, the novelty of the concept within space mission design has meant that the approach has not yet been widely implemented. This paper successfully demonstrates this technique for the first time and presents LCE results of three SmallSat missions designed at the University of Strathclyde using the concurrent engineering approach. The Strathclyde Space Systems Database (SSSD) was deployed to calculate the total life cycle impacts of each mission, including the identification of common design hotspots. A novel technique called Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) was also trialled, whereby several impact categories were converted into single scores as a test case to reduce the learning curve for engineers. Overall, the LCE results indicate that the manufacturing & production of the launcher dominate the majority of impact categories. Other common hotspots were found to relate to the use of germanium as a substrate as well as the launch event. As an additional observation, in terms of the behavioural aspects, it was clear that study participants were more open to the concept of LCE with each new concurrent engineering session, evidenced by increasing levels of interaction amongst study participants. These findings are intended to provide industrial stakeholders with a preliminary benchmark relating to the general sustainability footprint of SmallSats, whilst demonstrating the viability of integrating LCE within the concurrent engineering process of space missions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lightweight design is a common approach to reduce energy demand in the use stage of vehicles. The production of lightweight materials is usually associated with an increase in energy demand, so the environmental impacts of lightweight structures need to be assessed holistically using a life cycle assessment. To estimate the life cycle environmental impacts of a product in its developmental stage, for example, by life cycle engineering, future changes in relevant influencing factors must be considered. Prospective life cycle assessment provides methods for integrating future scenarios into life cycle assessment studies. However, approaches for integrating prospective life cycle assessment into product development are limited. The objective of this work is to provide the methodological foundation for integrating future scenarios of relevant influencing factors in the development of lightweight structures. The applicability of the novel methodology is demonstrated by a case study of a structural component in a steel, aluminium, and hybrid design. The results show that appropriate decarbonisation measures can reduce the life cycle greenhouse gas emissions by up to 95 percent until 2050. We also found that shifts in the environmentally optimal design are possible in future scenarios. Therefore, the methodology and data provided contribute to improved decision-making in product development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In light of the increasing complexity and dynamic of the market environment, there is a need to consider future requirements during the development of upcoming product generations. This applies in particular to modular product architectures as their elements are used in several products and over a longer period. To overcome this challenge and to develop more sustainable products, upgrading can be a solution. Based on identified options for action, this paper proposes an approach to determine changing product properties based on the Model of PGE – Product Generation Engineering. Depending on the potential of the individual characteristics of a product property in its future environment, the properties can be classified as static or dynamic time-dependent for later upgrade planning. The approach was applied in a case study and a research project. Its applicability and usability could be demonstrated. Results from the application of the approach can be used in development projects to define upgrade packages for the upcoming product generation or to optimize the modularization of future products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Allocation methodological choices in Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a relevant issue for the Circular Bioeconomy context. The recent Product Environmental Footprint Guide from the European Commission includes the Circular Footprint Formula (CFF) as a new way to deal with energy recovery/recycling processes. This paper investigated CFF vs. other different LCA allocation methods in Brazilian briquette production. A cradle-to-gate LCA study was conducted considering 1 MJ of energy from recovered and dedicated Eucalyptus briquette production. Global Warming Potential (GWP) and Cumulative Energy Demand (CED) were selected as the impact categories to evaluate the allocation methods choice that influences the potential impacts. LCA results were compared regarding four allocation methods. Eucalyptus wood as a biomass supply scenario achieved impact results up to 4.3 kg CO2-eq. for GWP and 0.0272 MJ-eq. for CED. The recovery wood scenario presented LCA burdens reduction by up to 206% for GWP, however a 492% increase in the CED results. CFF provided the lowest results for both impact categories. However, the CFF method still doesn't address particular aspects of circular bioenergy systems. Biomass and bioenergy LCA require further adjustments focusing on biochemical flows in the CFF calculation procedure to lead the development of innovative circular business models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrogen fuel cells have increasingly gained relevance for electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft due to their potential to overcome the main challenges related to batteries. Previous studies have investigated their feasibility for urban air mobility; however, a robust assessment of their environmental implications is still lacking. To fill this gap, this study follows a model-based life cycle engineering approach to quantify the environmental impacts of a fuel cell system designed for three ranges. The production burdens distributed along the lifetime are demonstrated, showing that, for the best case scenario, 70g CO 2 -eq. per passenger-kilometer is achieved. Under the premise of green hydrogen production, the stack is the main contributor to the environmental impacts. This changes for non-renewable hydrogen production pathways, where hydrogen has the highest impact contributions. Better environmental performance results from short design ranges; however, systems designed for longer ranges will likely increase attractiveness in the future. • Life cycle engineering-based models introduced for the field of aviation. • Environmental burdens of H 2 fuel cell power source (FCPS) for Urban Air Mobility. • The FCPS is elaborately sized for design ranges by thermodynamic modeling. • Superior environmental performance of FCPS designed for shorter ranges eVTOLs. • Future development scenarios improve the feasibility of FCPS for longer ranges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Packaging is regarded as a major contributor to the environmental impact of products and supply chains. This is largely infused by the role of packaging in the use and post-use stages of a life cycle, which leads to packaging being regarded as superfluous or excessive. Simultaneously, within the current (product-packaging) development landscape, an erosion of the connotation of 'sustainable development' is discerned, combatting the inherent complexities of product-packaging development. In addition, there is a mismatch between sustainability desires (the strategic level) and materializations of it (the operational level) in industry, and a lack of academic or legislative solutions to this. These issues lead to product-packaging development processes in which sustainability-related considerations are subordinate to other decision-making criteria, and which therefore yield suboptimal solutions. The main contribution of this article is the proposition of a reference model as an instrument aiming at streamlining the integration of sustainability-related considerations in decision-making in product-packaging development. This model aims for the tenable integration of such considerations by recognizing the complexity of sustainable development and multiple levels of sustainability. With this, the reference model simultaneously aims to address key characteristics of packaging development cycles in daily practice and the intertwinement of life cycles of product and packaging in the design and engineering domain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To contribute to the mitigation of climate change, a significant number of businesses from a wide range of sectors increasingly commit to science-based carbon reduction targets. However, to integrate their ambition into strategic and operational business processes, companies often merely rely on historically determined emission data. These data provide limited support in forecasting the company's future product emissions within the framework of corporate carbon controlling. This implies for example that windfall gains from regulatory and individual decarbonization efforts in coupled sectors can only be forecasted to a limited extent. Yet, for a more reliable basis for decision making, not only proactive product planning but also scenario pathways on how coupled business sectors will progress must be incorporated. Especially for companies with complex, globalized supply chains highly dependent on raw materials, this leads to a more dependable analysis of the carbon hot-spots to be tackled. Therefore, based on an analysis of current corporate carbon management practices, a framework is elaborated to expand corporate carbon controlling to coupled sectors and their decarbonization pathways. This includes a method to integrate decarbonization forecasts of coupled sectors within a company's product planning activities. This method is illustrated with an exemplary case study, in which the product related emissions of a fictive automotive manufacturer are forecasted between 2020 and 2050 using product portfolio projections and coupled sector decarbonization. The latter leads to an overall company's carbon emissions reduction in 2050 by about 77% in comparison to the prediction neglecting external sustainability aspirations and thus emphasizes the importance of capturing these effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The resource-intensive automotive industry offers great potential to avoid waste through new circular business models. However, these new business models require technical innovations that enable the rapid dismantling of add-on parts. In this paper, we design new mechanical interfaces that enable fast and non-destructive dismantling while still fulfilling all technical requirements and develop a general model for the evaluation of disassembly capability. For this purpose, the current dismantling options of add-on parts are first examined and evaluated concerning defined KPIs using the example of the front bumper. Based on the analysis, the requirements as well as various solution principles for the new interface concept can be derived. The necessity of removing neighboring components is identified as the main challenge for rapid dismantling. Two different concepts for the interfaces were developed by inserting an intermediate level as a connecting part between the front bumper and the front module. We prove that by redesigning and reconstructing the interfaces the number of process steps required to remove the front bumper could be reduced by roughly 60% compared to current interface solutions. The developed methodology should be applied to other components of a vehicle to create a greater positive environmental, economic and societal impact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For the last few years, cases of applying artificial intelligence (AI) to engineering activities towards sustainability have been reported. Life Cycle Engineering (LCE) provides a potential to systematically reach higher and productivity levels, owing to its holistic perspective and consideration of economic and environmental targets. To address the current gap to more systematic deployment of AI with LCE (AI-LCE) we have performed a systematic literature review emphasizing the three aspects:(1) the most prevalent AI techniques, (2) the current AI-improved LCE subfields and (3) the subfields with highly enhanced by AI. A specific set of inclusion and exclusion criteria were used to identify and select academic papers from several fields, i.e. production, logistics, marketing and supply chain and after the selection process described in the paper we ended up with 42 scientific papers. The study and analysis show that there are many AI-LCE papers addressing Sustainable Development Goals mainly addressing: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure; Sustainable Cities and Communities; and Responsible Consumption and Production. Overall, the papers give a picture of diverse AI techniques used in LCE. Production design and Maintenance and Repair are the top explored LCE subfields whereas logistics and Procurement are the least explored subareas. Research in AI-LCE is concentrated in a few dominating countries and especially countries with a strong research funding and focus on Industry 4.0; Germany is standing out with numbers of publications. The in-depth analysis of selected and relevant scientific papers are helpful in getting a more correct picture of the area which enables a more systematic approach to AI-LCE in the future.

Shorter product life cycles and high product variance nowadays require efficient engineering of products and production systems. Hereby a further challenge is that costs over the entire life cycle of the product and production system are defined early in the process. Existing approaches in literature and practice such as simultaneous engineering and design for manufacturing incorporate aspects of production into product engineering. However, these approaches leave potential for increasing efficiency unused because knowledge from past generations of products, production systems, and business models is not stored and reused in a formalized way and future generations are not considered in the respective current engineering process. This article proposes an approach for integrated product and production engineering across generations and life cycles of products and production systems. This includes the consideration of related business models to successfully establish the products on the market as well as the anticipation of future product and production system characteristics. The presented approach can reduce both development and manufacturing costs as well as time to market and opens the vast technological potential for product design to achieve additional customer benefits. Three case studies elaborate on aspects of the proposed approach and present its benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The automotive industry has been developed over the years to build lighter and more efficient vehicles; however, the manufacturing processes still have an important environmental impact starting from the acquisition of the raw material until the end of its useful life. In this sense, life cycle engineering contributes to solve the environmental issues produced by the traditional manufacturing industry by considering a process that evaluates the technical aspects of the product but also weights the importance of the environmental impact. However, since there are some alternatives that can be considered as suitable for their technical, environmental, or cost qualities, the multicriteria decision methods used as an engineering tool have been useful to balance all the needed criteria in order to make the best selection. In this sense, this research provided an analysis of five materials that could be used in a rack and pinion system and were submitted to a process of life cycle analysis to consider the environmental parameters as part of the criteria to be assessed by the multicriteria decision methods such as entropy, the Technique of Order Preference Similarity method, the complex proportional assessment method, and the multicriteria optimization and compromise solution, leading to the selection of the best material to be considered for a rack and pinion system. In this sense, the process allowed us to conclude that some materials that are useful can be evaluated by multicriteria decision methods regarding the life cycle analysis, contributing to the application of these methods to make a more environmentally responsible material selection for automotive parts. Furthermore, among all the materials, the best suited for the rack and pinion system was the AISI 4340, which was validated by finite elements simulation, showing that the selection was optimal with a maximum stress of 216.14 MPa, a maximum deformation of 0.0081 mm, and a minimum safety factor of 3.56. In this sense, the simulation validated the selection made before, guaranteeing that the methods used are feasible for automotive applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Factories are complex systems, which are characterized by interlinked and overlapping life cycles of the constituent factory elements. Within this context, the heterogeneity of these life cycles results in life cycle complexity and corresponding conflicts and trade-offs that need to be addressed in decision situations during the planning and operation of factory systems. Also with respect to the transformation need towards environmental sustainability, there is a need for methods and tools for life cycle oriented factory planning and operation. This paper systematically reviews existing life cycle concepts of factory systems as well as frameworks, models and methods for the evaluation and engineering of factory life cycles. In order to respond to the above challenges, a general understanding about the factory life cycle, e.g. life cycle stages, related activities and interdependencies, is developed and action areas of life cycle engineering are discussed that could supplement factory planning. Following that, the paper presents an integrated, model-based evaluation and engineering framework of factory life cycles.

The rapidly growing deployment of lithium-ion batteries in electric vehicles is associated with a great waste of natural resource and environmental pollution caused by manufacturing and disposal. Repurposing the retired lithium-ion batteries can extend their useful life, creating environmental and economic benefits. However, the residual capacity of retired lithium-ion batteries is unknown and can be drastically different owing to various working history and calendar life. In this study, we used the incremental capacity (IC) curve to estimate the residual capacity of waste power batteries. First, through experimental means, the parameters of the battery and the IC charging curve are measured. Second, to achieve rapid capacity estimation, a battery capacity estimation method based on the adaptive genetic algorithm-back propagation neural network (AGA-BPNN) is proposed and compared with other classic machine learning methods. The proposed algorithm reduced the error of capacity estimation to 3%. Finally, through the analysis of the IC curve, a method for identifying aging mechanism of large-scale decommissioned batteries is obtained. This research provides effective support for the capacity-based classification of large-scale decommissioned power batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rapid growth of electric vehicle (EV) market promotes the mass production of lithium-ion batteries. However, the battery production is subjected to high cost and serious environmental issues. Effective and efficient end-of-use lithium-ion battery (LIB) management should be carried out to enhance sustainable development, following the principles of the triple bottom line and circular economy. From the life cycle perspective, battery refurbishing and material recovery are the two major end-of-use options to recover the value of spent batteries. The refurbishing of spent batteries can extend the battery useful life and make full use of battery remaining functional value. Material recycling can recover the battery materials for a new life cycle. However, there still exist many barriers that should be investigated to ensure the success of end-of-use battery recovery. The review covered the pathways to present a full view of end-of-use battery recovery, identified the key bottlenecks in different dimensions, and discussed the strategies for specific scenarios. Industrial practice and pilot projects associated with the two end-of-use options are summarized. In the end, analysis and research suggestions are provided to facilitate the establishment of a sustainable circular battery recovery system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The biologicalisation of manufacturing is increasingly seen as a promising strategy towards sustainable, value-added manufacturing. Numerous examples of manufacturing technologies have been developed in the last years based on biologicalisation principles. Moreover, diverse approaches have emerged guiding the development of technologies which might potentially support such strategies. While biologicalisation strategies in manufacturing might lead to an increased resources efficiency, these are and remain human-made activities which imply an inherent and complex interaction with the natural environment. This paper aims at introducing the field of environmental sustainability in the current discussion on the biologicalisation of manufacturing. The strategies and technologies being developed in this field need to be thoroughly analysed using systemic and life cycle thinking. In this paper, we argue that biologicalisation strategies might lead to an absolute contribution towards environmental sustainability. Additionally, the paper proposes a screening approach to guide the analysis of the effects of biologicalisation strategies to the environment and the development of further engineering strategies to put them on a more environmentally consistent track. We then apply a method developed to review some of the related technologies. Although some of the technologies might potentially lead to a significant contribution in terms of environmental sustainability, there is still a methodological gap to support the prioritization of efforts and the (life cycle) engineering and development of such strategies and technologies. We therefore call for a systemic consideration when analysing the opportunities and risks implied by such strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The metalworking industry produces a large amount of waste material by machining. In contrast to conventional machining, the waste material generated during a grinding process is not purely metallic, but consists of abrasives, water, lubricants and metal chips. This mixture is called grinding sludge. In terms of ecological and economical aspects, the recycling of these waste materials is very promising. By separating the individual components of the grinding sludge, the recycling potential of the individual components becomes visible. This study focuses on the recycling of the metallic part. For this purpose, various powder metallurgical processes were performed. The produced samples and their properties were then compared with samples made of conventional PM powder. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electric stand-up scooters become increasingly popular for both private and shared use. They are a mass product but need to be adapted to different use cases or the local conditions of different cities. However, the sustainability of electric scooters is a matter of public debate, especially because of their short lifetime. Studies show that the reliability of e-scooters is one of the main factors influencing their environmental impact during their life cycle. This paper addresses the research question of the potential advantages and disadvantages of a reliable electric scooter from the perspective of ecological sustainability. It shows how reliability characteristics, especially durability, can affect product sustainability of mass customized products like e-scooters. The paper uses life cycle assessment (LCA) as a methodology. It suggests approaches to include reliability characteristics into LCA and life cycle engineering. Using the three case studies of electric scooters as an example, it outlines the influence of innovation cycles and modular design of batteries, of component durability and scooter lifetime as well as different maintenance strategies on the environmental impact of e-scooter sharing. Altogether the paper discusses possible trade-off between the advantages and disadvantages of improved reliability on the life cycle performance of e-scooters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most surface finishing processes for metals are associated with a high energy demand and the use of chemicals with the potential impact on human- and eco-toxicity. However, surface finishing processes can lead to environmental and economic benefits in other life cycle phases by reducing friction, wear and corrosion. The application of life cycle engineering into surface engineering allows to understand these effects. This study provides a framework to assess environmental and economic effects of surface treatments on other life cycle phases. A case study illustrates the contribution of a surface finishing process for cutting inserts to the life cycle performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]