ENV 785b (Tentative) () (Tentative) / 2023-2024

Material Flow Analysis for the Circular Economy

Credits: 3 Spring 2024: Time and location TBA

Material Flow Analysis is a tool routinely used by many scientists to monitor the consumption of national resources. In this course, students will become proficient in material flow analysis (MFA) and material stock analysis (MSA) and explore how MFA data are used to monitor material efficiency. Specifically, the course is designed to offer ample opportunities to practice with dynamic MFA—a branch of MFA that deals with multi-year data—to quantify resource consumption, estimate waste generation, and measure the circularity of a system. Classes alternate between frontal lectures and practical sessions. During the practical sessions, students will learn how to implement MFA and MSA analyses in Microsoft Excel and Python. The overarching theme of circularity issues provides the opportunity to reflect on various physical aspects of the economy and the extent to which circular economy initiatives can succeed.