“Instead of just giving directions on how to do a Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) that will be very complicated without basic knowledge, we wanted to give people a tool that is familiar and easy to use.“
~ Hannah Minten, fifth-year Ph.D. candidate at the Institute of Technical Thermodynamics at RWTH Aachen University, whose dissertation project, the ESTIMATe tool, provides an easy way for non-experts to perform LCAs
Hannah holds both a M.Sc. (Energy Engineering) and a B.Sc. (Mechanical Engineering) from RWTH Aachen University. Her LCA research focuses on supporting the transition toward a low-carbon chemical industry. Specifically, her goal is to enhance non-expert accessibility of LCA methods for practitioners from the chemical industry.
She is also pleased to announce that she recently obtained her fishing license. Now she can officially fish, because “in Germany, of course, you need a permit for everything.”
Can you describe what you do in a very simple way?
I am a university research associate. While I am pursuing different topics, my work is mostly focused on figuring out how green chemicals affect the environment. Historically, we’ve mainly looked at chemicals made from fossil resources, but with climate change worsening, we need to curb emissions from fossil sources and use different feedstocks for chemicals. One solution is to capture carbon dioxide from the air, and use the captured carbon as a feedstock for chemicals. In my work, I use LCAs to verify that these novel processes decrease our impact on the environment.
How did you get involved in this research? What drew you to it?
When studying abroad in Montreal, I took a course on tools for sustainable development for engineers and I learned about LCAs. I really liked that topic, so I stuck with it. I like the fact that as an LCA practitioner, I learn a lot about many different processes, and oftentimes directly from experts themselves. I’m very curious, so I really enjoy the variety I see in my work.
Continue reading about Hannah