Abschlussarbeiten

Bavaria’s bioeconomy strategy aims to transition from fossil-based to bio-based economic practices. As part of this effort, a collaborative project has been launched to develop a scientifically grounded Bavarian Biomass Resource Strategy (BioReSt). The objective is to collect data on biomass flows in Bavaria and develop economically and ecologically viable approaches for their provision, utilization, and circular management. The Chair of Circular Economy focuses specifically on organic waste streams, employing methodologies such as material flow analysis (MFA), potential analysis, life cycle assessment (LCA), and strategy development.

Research Tasks

Building upon the prior work conducted within the project, the student will contribute to ongoing research efforts by:

· Conducting a literature search on higher-value circular economy production processes and innovative use cases.

· Conducting a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to evaluate environmental impacts.

· Performing a comparative analysis of current vs. future utilization pathways for biogenic waste (e.g., composting, energetic recovery, pyrolysis, gasification).

Requirements

· Background in environmental sciences, sustainability, industrial ecology, or a related field.

· Familiarity with Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Material Flow Analysis (MFA).

· Experience with LCA software (e.g., Brightway, Activity Browser) is an advantage.

· Student of Campus Straubing; TUM School of Life Sciences or Management.

Background
Life science research is essential for advancing our understanding of living organisms and their processes, ultimately improving health, advancing technology, and addressing environmental challenges. Yet, involved research activities consume significant resources and generate substantial waste. “Wet labs” are laboratories that are specifically designed for conducting experiments that involve handling of liquids, biological materials, chemical etc. Typically wet labs use much more energy and water than office spaces and the generated plastic waste is connected to a plethora of environmental impacts. One central consumable used daily are serological pipettes which transfer and measure exact volumes of different types of biological and chemical solutions. They are available in two configurations, as single-use plastic or reusable glass pipettes. Reusable serological glass pipettes are known for their chemical resistance but require energy-intensive cleaning processes such as autoclaving. In contrast, single-use serological plastic pipettes are valued for their convenience and reduced contamination risk.

Methods

• Compare the environmental impacts of both pipette types in a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)
• Key metrics include climate change impacts, water use, energy consumption, and waste generation, among others
• Perform an economic analysis to evaluate daily costs for the users

Requirements

• Ideally first experience with or background knowledge of the LCA method
• Quick wit
• Willingness to travel to both sites, Munich and Straubing, and to observe the pipette use in the wet labs
• Strong communication skills to collect data for the life cycle inventory (LCI)
• Structured way of working

Kontaktperson/Betreuer

Background

Single-use packaging in the food and beverage sector contributes significantly to environmental impacts, especially at large public events. Reusable packaging systems offer a promising alternative to reduce waste and greenhouse gas emissions. However, the environmental benefits of reusable systems depend on various factors such as return rates, cleaning logistics, and transport distances. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) can help to evaluate these factors and identify environmental trade-offs and optimization potentials.

Research Challenge

During the Christmas market in Konstanz, around 40 gastronomy partners offered food and beverages using a reusable packaging system over four weeks. The packaging system was operated by Vytal, a leading provider of packaging-as-a-service solutions. The goal of this master’s thesis is to conduct a comprehensive Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of the reusable system and explore opportunities to optimize the environmental impact through sensitivity analyses based on real usage data, including transport distances for washing logistics.

Your Tasks

• Conduct a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of the reusable packaging system used at the Christmas market in Konstanz
• Identify key environmental hotspots and levers for improvement
• Optional: Explore optimization scenarios using sensitivity analyses

Requirements

• Excellent student with a background in environmental sciences, engineering, sustainability management, or related disciplines
• Enrolled at TUM School of Life Sciences, TUM School of Management, or TUM Campus Straubing,
• Strong interest in sustainability, circular economy, and quantitative environmental assessments,
• Experience or coursework in LCA and/or environmental modeling (e.g. with OpenLCA or similar tools),
• Fluency in English (German is a plus due to stakeholder communication).

Kontaktperson/Betreuer