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LCM 2013 in Gothenborg
6th International Conference on Life Cycle Management in Gothenborg with ifu Hamburg
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Research projects
Since 1992 we have been participating as a partner in numerous research projects at the national and European level.
We bring to the table our experience in the fields of software development, material flow management, modeling and simulation.
Below is a selection of research projects in which ifu Hamburg GmbH has participated.
CliCCC - Climate & Carbon Calculator for Companies
Sponsor: Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)
Cooperation: Pforzheim University of Applied Sciences, Dept. of Environmental Economics (INEC) and Chamber of Commerce Southern Upper Rhine, Freiburg
Objective: The aim of the CLICCC project was to develop a web-based greenhouse gas emissions calculator specifically for SMEs so they can determine their environmental performance. It is modular and scalable, which means an individual design can be tailored to the needs of any user group and it will integrate seamlessly. The calculator allows fast and reliable emissions estimates of high scientific quality over a large breadth of relevance at the enterprise level. It also considers direct and indirect emissions from intermediate consumption and depreciation. This is done based on generic data for environmental and national economic numbers.
Try the CLICCC calculator for yourself! (currently available in German only) You can register for a test account.
"Will we run out of oil soon?" "When Gasoline becomes a Luxury!" These and similar statements leverage the discussion and research on new concepts of transportation, especially electric mobility or to keep it short e-mobility. It is generally believed that vehicles driven by electricity are much more sustainable and eco-friendly than conventional cars. Leading automobile manufacturers already rely on hybrid engines and work on the further development of complete e-mobility concepts.
Associated with this increased significance is the necessity for assessing the environmental impact of electric vehicles on a profound basis. That not only refers to the use phase but as well to production, disposal and its connected questions on recycling. The project "eLCAr", supported by the European Commission, refers to exactely these challanges. It aims to developing guidelines for the Life Cycle Assessment of electric vehicles. The IFU Hamburg GmbH supports the project with its long-term experience in LCA and its software solutions.
For further information please visit the Website of the eLCAr project.
EnHiPro
Sponsor: Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)
Based on the lack of considering ecological aspects and of decision support for SME the project EnHiPro focuses on the analysis and evaluation of measures for increasing energy and auxiliary efficiency of SME's production systems. The procedure developed within the EnHiPro project and the associated methods/tools enable manufacturing SME to identify organizational and technical measures and its contribution to an increased efficiency.
Under the auspices of the IWF of the Technical University of Braunschweig, ifu Hamburg GmbH collaborates with other software partners on concepts and their prototypical implementation by selected industry partners. The focus is on continuous visualization and evaluation of measures to increase the use efficiency of energy, material inputs and material flow information in production planning and existing ERP environments.
The so-called "Effizienz-Generator" was developed within the project. This webbased tool offers approaches and measures to increase the operational efficiency.
Go to website (in German)
InReff
Sponsor: Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)
Cooperation: To enable a perfect linking between theory and practice the cooperation consists of scientific and industrial partners: the companies H.C. Starck GmbH Goslar, Sachtleben Chemie GmbH Duisburg and IFU Hamburg GmbH on the corporate side and the Institute for Industrial Ecology of Pforzheim University with the Institute for Chemical and Thermal Process Engineering at the University of Braunschweig as scientific partners.
Objective: The joint project InReff ("Integrated Resource Efficiency Analysis for Reducing Climate Impacts in the Chemical Industry") started in April 2012 and will run for three years. Within the project, a planning tool will be developed and exemplary applied to enable practical and comprehensive view on climate protection by resource efficiency. Thus, this leads to an integrated analysis of material and energy efficiency combined with the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions caused by the production process in the chemial industry.
ENBEKO
Sponsor: Deutsche Umweltstiftung Umwelt, Osnabrück
Objective: The aim of the ENBEKO project is to develop methods and tools that allow industrial plants to evaluate their energy efficiency, identify areas of potential and assist the development of solutions. Our additional goal is to review the measures implemented and to quantify the savings. To achieve this, constantly changing parameters such as temperature, output and product types must be taken into account.
Sustainability Impact Assessment of chemical syntheses in stages of development
Sponsor: German Environmental Foundation (DBU), Osnabrück
Cooperation: University of Applied Sciences Emden/Leer, Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) Zürich
Objective: Goal of the project is the evaluation of the sustainability of chemical syntheses in their various stages of development. The aim is to develop procedures that compare chemical and biotechnological processes with each other. In cooperation with the University of Applied Sciences Emden/Leer and the ETH Zürich the IFU Hamburg develops a software solution that enables both chemists and engineers to assess the environmental impact incl. cost considerations in the chemical process. The solution will be part of teh Umberto product family.
KOMSA
Sponsor: Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)
Cooperation: Pforzheim University of Applied Sciences, Leuphana University of Lüneburg, CIBA Specialty Chemicals and Hanomag Lohnhärterei
Objective: The project dealt with combining optimization methods and material flow analysis for improved material use.
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With extensive practical experience of successful collaborations, we are the perfect partner to have by your side.
