Materials life cycle

This unit will cover different aspects related to an industrial material’s lifecycle, from its production to application in service, and culminating in its end-of-life. It will delve into fundamental sciences that govern interactions of materials with environments, and compare methods typically used to extend service lives of common industrial materials. Various methods used to process materials after their service, such as recycling, biodegradation, downcycling and landfill will be compared in the context of environmental/economic sustainability.