Manufacturing USA meets Industrial Ecology: The REMADE Institute

Barbara Reck

Yale University,

Dr. Reck studies the role of metals in society; where they are sourced from, how they are used, disposed of, and recycled, and the implications thereof on their future availability. By offering comprehensive quantitative and transparent information on metal use she seeks to inform strategic decision-making on resource utilization. Based on her early work on nickel and stainless steel, she developed a set of indicators measuring the recycling efficiency of metals at various life stages that has since been applied widely. Her detailed life cycle characterizations of metals at various spatial and temporal scales form the basis for ongoing work on supply and demand scenarios until 2050 as well as for criticality assessments. She is part of the group that has developed the comprehensive Yale methodology to assess the criticality of metals, which demonstrated its applicability by quantifying the criticality of 62 metals and metalloids at the global level and for the US. By offering quantitative and transparent information on all life cycle stages across different temporal and spatial scales she hopes to facilitate strategic decision-making on resource utilization.

Michael Thurston

Rochester Institute of Technology

Dr. Thurston is Technical Director at RIT's Center for Integrated Manufacturing Studies (CIMS).Specialties: Product Design, Health Monitoring, Sustainable Systems, Noise and Vibration Modeling Measurement and Reduction, Design for Remanufacturing.

Thomas Graedel

Yale University,

This presenter did not provide a biography.

Abstract

Barbara K. Reck1, T.E. Graedel1, Michael Thurston2, Nabil Nasr2 1 Yale University, 3Rochester Institute of Technology The extraction and processing of materials and their transformation into semi-finished and finished... [ view full abstract ]

Barbara K. Reck¹, T.E. Graedel¹, Michael Thurston², Nabil Nasr²

¹Yale University, ³Rochester Institute of Technology

The extraction and processing of materials and their transformation into semi-finished and finished goods is energy-intensive, making the US manufacturing sector responsible for about a quarter of total US energy use. Reuse, remanufacturing and recycling are strategies that allow taking advantage of this embodied energy and substantially lowering energy use in manufacturing.

As part of the Manufacturing USA initiative and in a unique effort to stimulate wider application of such practices, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has recently awarded a large grant to address these issues. The new Reducing Embodied-energy and Decreasing Emissions (REMADE) Institute will leverage up to $70 million in federal funding over five years, subject to appropriations, to be matched by $70 million in private cost-share commitments from over 100 partners, including ISIE members and industry partners.

The new REMADE Institute seeks at achieving a 50 percent improvement in overall energy efficiency by 2027, with a focus on metals, fibers, polymers, and electronic waste. The ISIE community has long studied approaches that help meet those goals, from material and energy efficiency measures in manufacturing to impact assessments through material flow and life cycle analyses. REMADE will also seek new ways for information collection, gathering, identification and sorting of end-of-life and waste materials; separating mixed materials; removal of trace contaminants and robust and cost-effective reprocessing and disposal methods. In this special session we will describe the scope, work plan, and the partners of the new REMADE Institute. We will illustrate how industrial ecology approaches help meet Institute’s goals, and how these goals and approaches are in line with a circular economy. Industry partners will share their motivation to join REMADE and their expectations for the project. The session will close with an open discussion giving participants the opportunity to provide feedback on Institute priorities, its roadmap, and how REMADE may inform progress elsewhere.

Authors

Barbara Reck (Yale University,)
Michael Thurston (Rochester Institute of Technology)
Thomas Graedel (Yale University,)
Nabil Nasr (Rochester Institute of Technology)

Topic Areas

• Management and technology for sustainable and resilient energy, water, food, materials, , • Circular economy

Session

TS-24 » Special session: "The Manufacturing USA initiative meets industrial ecology: The new REMADE Institute" (15:30 - Tuesday, 27th June, Room I)

Presentation Files

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