Olivier Bahn part of an IEDDEC research project on metals and the circular economy
January 12, 2017
Full Professor Olivier Bahn, Director of the Department of Decision Sciences, is part of a research project on metals and the circular economy, funded by the Quebec government.
The Ministère de l’Énergie et des Ressources naturelles will be providing $900,000 in funding over three years to support the project by the Institut de l’environnement, du développement durable et de l’économie circulaire (IEDDEC). The Institute for the environment, sustainable development and the circular economy brings together researchers in all disciplines from Polytechnique Montréal, HEC Montréal and the Université de Montréal.
The goal of the project is to evaluate the circular potential of three metals in Quebec and to describe the environmental impacts of Quebec’s mining industry, in particular greenhouse gas emissions, by employing the life-cycle assessment technique. The three metals chosen for the research are copper, iron and lithium.
Olivier Bahn will be responsible for the techno-economic analysis of the circularity strategies to be employed in the research project. “This step is aimed at identifying optimal strategies in techno-economic terms, from a long-term perspective,” explains Professor Bahn. “We will be using an economic optimization model for this purpose, allowing us to consider many scenarios corresponding to various environmental policies.”
The circular economy is a system of production, exchange and consumption intended to optimize the use of resources at all stages in the life cycle of a good or service, using a circular approach, while reducing its environmental footprint and contributing to the well-being of individuals and communities.
“We are delighted to be participating in the very first circular economy project of this size in Canada, aimed at shaping a promising mining and metallurgical industry. By focusing on economic, environmental and social progress, our objective is to make the most of the strategic metals circulating in Quebec. The government funding to support this project will allow us to lay the foundations of a sustainable wealth-creation model,” says Daniel Normandin, Executive Director of the EDDEC Institute.