Course 2024-2025 a.y.

Area 1 covers the fundamentals of materials science and engineering, essential for establishing a common language and a solid understanding of the properties and characteristics of materials. Topics to be discussed in this first part of the course include:

· Materials classification under different criteria: composition, properties and uses.

· Historical evolution of materials, materials dependence, and resource consumption.

· Production and processing of primary materials groups: metals, ceramics, polymers, composites, fibres, and textiles.

· Eco-properties of materials and eco-audit

· Selection criteria of materials for product design.

Area 2 focuses on understanding the material's lifecycle and its part in circularity. The key topics are summarised here:

· Renewable and non-renewable materials stocks; primary and secondary sources; biological and technological materials cycles.

· The materials life cycle.

· End-of-Life of materials: recycling processes of materials, downgrading and upgrading of properties—industrial symbiosis.

Area 3 focuses on developing qualitative and quantitative metrics for evaluating sustainability and circularity.

· Circularity criteria in materials manufacturing: recycled content and recyclability; handprint versus footprint; material efficiency, product longevity, scarcity. Re-use, repurpose, and energy recovery.

· Circularity and sustainability assessment of materials: material flow analysis and life cycle thinking; life cycle sustainability assessment and circularity assessment of materials. Circular economy indicators and LCA.

4. Intended Learning Outcomes (ILO)

- Grasp the fundamentals of materials science and technology, along with the basics of technical language.

- Grasp the opportunities presented by new technologies and industrial processes in the materials sector.

- Identify the key aspects of circular business models and ecosystems within the industrial materials sectors.

- Assess the key technological advances in processes and materials that facilitate and support circular business, production, and consumption models.

- Identify the key technologies that enable minimal waste and promote reuse to generate additional value.

- Identify threats and opportunities presented by the circular economy in the specific field of materials production.

- Outline processes that combine the production, reuse, or recycling of products while minimising material and resource loss.

- Design supply chains that incorporate symbiotic industries and interact constructively to promote a circular economy within the industrial materials sectors.

- To operate the Granta Edupack software effectively in the model project.

• Lectures
• Guest speaker's talks (in class or in distance)
• Individual works / Assignments
• Collaborative Works / Assignments
• Interaction/Gamification

• Face-to-face theoretical lectures will cover fundamental topics and concepts, while practical sessions will focus on numerical exercises. In the latter, dedicated software (Granta EduPack) will be utilised to design and select materials for specific products.
• Case studies could be incorporated into interactive class activities to link theoretical concepts with real-world scenarios. Students may be asked to review assigned materials before in-class sessions to participate in active discussions.
• Regular wrap-up sessions facilitated by interactive software (Wooclap).
• We may invite guest speakers from the industrial sector to offer firsthand insights into the main challenges they face when dealing with circularity and sustainability.

• Attendance is warmly recommended to achieve the learning outcomes and to foster class interaction and participation.

• Students are expected to read the assigned material whenever supplied before class and to participate actively in the discussion. This aims to test the student’s ability to interact and think critically, applying the concepts presented throughout the course.

• Class participation makes up 5% of the final grade.

• To assess the ability to analyse products within the circular economy framework, several model projects will be initiated, involving students in groups throughout the course. Each group’s project will be discussed and evaluated in a mid-term session. The submission of the final presentation document (e.g., PowerPoint) is required before the in-class discussion.

• The project counts for 15% of the final grade.

• To assess the understanding of theoretical concepts related to materials science, new technologies, circularity, and sustainability evaluation, students will sit for a written exam at the end of the course on the official exam dates.

• The written examination makes up 80% of the final grade.

• Students who do not attend will meet the course requirements through a written and oral exam.
• The written exam, scheduled on the official test dates at the end of the course, will assess understanding of theoretical concepts related to materials science, new technologies, circularity, and sustainability assessment.
• The oral examination will assess the candidate's interactive skills and serve as a replacement for the group assignment.

- Course Slides.

- Collection of articles.

- Class handouts and material distributed.

- Personal class notes.

- Other material will be assigned at course inception.

All articles and slides supplied to attending students will also be available online for non-attending students.

- Course Slides.

- Collection of articles.

All articles and slides supplied to attending students will also be available online for non-attending students.

Reference textbooks available in the Politecnico library:

Ashby, Michael F.. Materials and the Environment: Eco-Informed Material Choice, third edition, Elsevier Science & Technology, 2021.

Ashby, Michael F.. Materials and Sustainable Development, second edition, Elsevier Science & Technology, 2023.