Project duration: 1 January 2020 – 31 December 2022

Objective

Currently no adequate metrics exists that allows to measure the circularity of products, including the unavoidable losses due to thermodynamic laws. We propose the integration and further upscaling development of 3 commercial software packages: CES Selector,HSC Chemistry and openLCA i.e.1+1+1=111. In addition TripleLink combines 3 organizations for relevant roadtesting and 3 researchers. TripleLink delivers integrated software solutions and relevant indicators.

The solution (technology)

Currently no adequate metrics exists that allows to measure the circularity of products, including the unavoidable losses due to thermodynamic laws. Therefore, the TripleLink project proposes the integration and further development of three globally leading commercial software packages: CES Selector (Granta), HSC Chemistry (Outotec) and openLCA (GreenDelta). This project brings the software developers together with three organizations with industrial road-testing case studies and three researchers with world-leading relevant knowledge and ideas on concepts, methods and technologies. Different customers, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) etc. working on materials selection, metals processing and sustainability assessment will benefit from the innovation.
The project has quadruple benefits: (1) Industries from the raw materials value chain are provided with an integrated assessment from the materials composition via the processes simulation to sustainability indicators (including environmental footprints and criticality) to optimize the ‘circularity performance’ of products. (2) three commercial software providers obtain innovative new functionalities to address new markets and service models, (3) the EIT Raw Materials community benefits by recommendations for a general approach in technology assessment as well as a raw materials basis to advise policy on circularity issues, and (4) at the end of the project a Product Circularity Performance Calculation System is available as a way to measure progress towards a circular economy from a product perspective.
The first year is dedicated to method development, scoping and data screening (to reach TRL6), the second year aims at integrating methodology and data via a digital bridge into software packages and linking software together (TRL 6+). At the end of the project, the objective is to reach TRL 7 that refers to “system prototype demonstration in operational environment”, which will deliver an integrating digital platform. The target is to deliver an operational software platform data bridge that integrates openLCA and HSC Chemistry with input data from CES Selector, road-tested in order to be ready to launch them on the market. The goals is thus to deliver the commercial data bridge that combines the commercial software packages. The commercialization will start at the end of the project at an international trade fair.

Partnership

  • ERAMET, France
  • Eramet Norway, Norway
  • Granta Design Limited, United Kingdom
  • GreenDelta GmbH, Germany
  • Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf e.V. (HZDR), Germany
  • Institut Polytechnique de Bordeaux, France
  • Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research, Netherlands
  • Outotec Finland Oy, Finland
  • University of Waterloo, Canada
  • Université de Bordeaux (Lead Partner), France