Limit analysis is a very powerful tool to find accurate solutions of several geotechnical stability problems. This analysis is based on the theory of the plasticity and it provides two limiting solutions within lower and upper bounds. With the advancement of the finite elements and different robust optimization techniques, the numerical limit analysis approach in association with finite elements is becoming quite popular to assess the stability of various complicated structures. The present thesis deals with the formulations and the implementation of the finite element limit analysis to obtain the solutions of different geotechnical axisymmetric stability problems. The objectives of the present thesis are twofold: (a) developing limit analysis formulations in conjunction with linear and nonlinear optimizations for solving axisymmetric stability problems related with soil and rock mechanics, and then (b) implementing these axisymmetric formulations for solving various important axisymmetric stability problems in geomechanics. Three noded linear triangular elements have been used throughout the thesis. In order to solve the different problems, the associated computer programs have been written in MATLAB. With reference to the first objective of the thesis, the existing finite element lower bound axisymmetric formulation with linear programming has been presented. A new technique has also been proposed for solving an axisymmetric geomechanics stability problem by employing an upper bound limit analysis in combination with finite elements and linear programming. The method is based on the application of the von-Karman hypothesis to fix the constraints associated with the magnitude of the circumferential stress (), and finally the method involves only the nodal velocities as the basic unknown variables. The required computational effort becomes only marginally greater than that needed for an equivalent plane strain problem. The proposed methodology has been found to be computationally quite efficient. A new lower bound axisymmetric limit analysis formulation, by using two dimensional finite elements, the three dimensional Mohr-Coulomb (MC) yield criterion, and nonlinear optimization has also been presented for solving different axisymmetric stability problems in geomechanics. The nonlinear optimization was carried out by employing an interior point method based on the logarithmic barrier function. The yield surface was smoothened (i) by removing the tip singularity at the apex of the pyramid in the meridian plane, and (ii) by eliminating the stress discontinuities at the corners of the yield hexagon in the plane. No inherent assumption concerning with the hoop stress needs to be made in this formulation. The Drucker-Prager (DP) yield criterion was also used for computing the lower bound axisymmetric collapse load. The advantage of using the DP yield criterion is that it does not exhibit any singularity in the plane. A new proposal has also been given to simulate the DP yield cone with the MC hexagonal yield pyramid. The generalized Hoek-Brown (HB) yield criterion has also been used. This criterion has been smoothened both in the meridian and  planes and a new formulation is prescribed for obtaining the lower bound axisymmetric problems in rock media in combination with finite elements and nonlinear optimization. With reference to the second objective, a few important axisymmetric stability problems in soil mechanics associated with footings and excavations have been solved in the present thesis. In all these problems, except that of a flat circular footing lying over either homogeneous soil or rock media, it is assumed that the medium is governed by the MC failure criterion and it follows an associated flow rule. For determining the collapse loads for a circular footing over homogenous soil and rock media, the problem has been solved with the usage of Drucker-Prager, Mohr-Coulomb and Hoek-Brown criteria. The bearing capacity of a circular footing lying over fully cohesive strata, with an inclusion of a sand layer is evaluated. The effects of the thickness and internal friction angle of the sand layer () on the bearing capacity have been examined for different combinations of cu/(b) and q; where (i) cu defines the undrained shear strength, (ii)  is the unit weight of sand, (iii) b corresponds to the footing radius, and (iv) q is the surcharge pressure. The results have been presented in the form of a ratio () of the bearing capacities with an insertion of the sand layer to that for a footing lying directly over clayey strata. It is noted that an introduction of a layer of medium dense to dense sand over soft clay improves considerably the bearing capacity of the foundation. The improvement in the bearing capacity increases continuously (i) with decreases in cu/(b), and (ii) increases in  and q/(b). The bearing capacity factors, Nc, Nq and N, for a conical footing are obtained in a bound form for a wide range of the values of cone apex angle () and with  = 0, 0.5 and . The bearing capacity factors for a perfectly rough ( = conical footing generally increase with a decrease in . On contrary for  = 0, the factors Nc and Nq reduce gradually with a decrease in . For  = 0, the factor N for  ≥ 35o becomes minimum for  approximately equal to 90o. For  = 0, the factor N for  ≤ 30o, like in the case of  = , generally reduces with an increase in . It has also been intended to compute the bearing capacity factors Nc, Nq and N, for smooth and rough ring footing for different combinations of ri/ro and ; where ri and ro refer to inner and outer radii of the ring, respectively. It is observed that for a smooth footing, with a given value of ro, the magnitude of the collapse load decreases continuously with an increase in ri. On the other hand, for a rough base, for a given value of ro, hardly any reduction occurs in the magnitude of collapse load up to ri/ro ≈ 0.2, whereas beyond this ri/ro, the magnitude of the collapse load, similar to that of a smooth footing, decreases continuously with an increase in ri/ro. An attempt has also been made to determine the ultimate bearing capacity of a circular footing, placed over a soil mass which is reinforced with horizontal layers of circular reinforcement sheets. For performing the analysis, three different soil media have been separately considered, namely, (i) fully granular, (ii) cohesive frictional, and (iii) fully cohesive with an additional provision to account for an increase of cohesion with depth. The reinforcement sheets are assumed to be structurally strong to resist axial tension but without having any resistance to bending; such an approximation usually holds good for geogrid sheets. The shear failure between the reinforcement sheet and adjoining soil mass has been considered. The increase in the magnitudes of the bearing capacity factors (Nc and N) with an inclusion of the reinforcement has been computed in terms of the efficiency factors c and . The critical positions and corresponding optimum diameter of the reinforcement sheets, for achieving the maximum bearing capacity, have also been established. The increase in the bearing capacity with an employment of the reinforcement increases continuously with an increase in . The improvement in the bearing capacity becomes quite extensive for two layers of the reinforcements as compared to the single layer of the reinforcement. The stability of an unsupported vertical cylindrical excavation has been assessed. For the purpose of design, stability numbers (Sn) have been generated for both (i) cohesive frictional soils, and (ii) pure cohesive soils with an additional provision to account for linearly increasing cohesion with depth by using a non-dimensional factor m. The variation of Sn with H/b has been established for different values of m and ; where H and b refer to height and radius of the cylindrical excavation. A number of useful observations have been drawn about the variation of the stability number and nodal velocity patterns with changes in H/b,  and m. In the last, by using the smoothened generalized HB yield criterion, the ultimate bearing capacity of a circular footing placed over a rock mass is evaluated in a non-dimensional form for different values of GSI, mi, ci/(b) and q/ci. For validating the results, computations were exclusively performed for a strip footing as well. For the various problems selected in the present thesis, the failure and nodal velocity patterns have been examined. The results obtained from the analysis have been thoroughly compared with that reported from literature. It is expected that the various design charts presented here will be useful for the practicing engineers. The formulations given in the thesis can also be further used for solving various axisymmetric stability problems in geomechanics.

Orientadores: Narcizo Marques de Souza Neto, Flávio Cesar Guimarães Gandra / Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Física Gleb Wataghin / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-27T10:57:14Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Veiga_LarissaSayuriIshibe_D.pdf: 10330689 bytes, checksum: 72bdd1a8fad1f82f880bb2c86fcd6a9e (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015 / Resumo: Este trabalho teve como objetivo a investigação de diversos mecanismos físicos provenientes das estruturas eletrônicas, magnéticas e cristalinas de sistemas ternários de terras raras e metais de transição 3d-5d através do uso das técnicas de espectroscopia de absorção de raios X e difração de raios X sob altas pressões. Dentre os fenômenos físicos estudados em função da compressão da rede cristalina induzida pela aplicação da pressão estão o magnetismo proveniente dos orbitais 4f e 5d nos sistemas ternários RERh4B4 (com RE = Dy e Er), os efeitos do campo elétrico cristalino e as interações de troca magnéticas nas perovskitas duplas 3d-5d (AFeOsO6, com A = Ca e Sr) e o acoplamento spin-órbita nos metais de transição 5d. As propriedades eletrônicas e magnéticas dos orbitais 4f e 5d das terras raras nos compostos da família RERh4B4 (RE = Dy e Er) foram investigadas através de experimentos de XANES e XMCD sob altas pressões na borda L3 do Dy e Er . Os sinais magnéticos das contribuições quadrupolar (2p3/2-> 4f) e dipolar (2p3/2->5d) presentes nos espectros de XMCD, em ambos os compostos, diminuem progressivamente em função da pressão. Este comportamento foi explicado em termos das interações de troca magnéticas entre os íons de terras raras, que são enfraquecidas pelas alterações locais da estrutura atômica induzidas pela compressão da rede cristalina. Já no sistema de perovskitas duplas, foi demonstrado que a compressão da estrutura Sr2FeOsO6, com um arranjo cristalino ordenado dos íons de Fe (3d) e Os (5d), permite o controle contínuo e reversível da coercividade e magnetização de saturação. Este efeito foi explicado em termos do aumento do campo elétrico cristalino em função da pressão, que altera as interações de troca magnéticas Fe-O-Os e transforma o material com magnetização remanente e coercividade praticamente nulas a pressão ambiente em outro com uma coercividade robusta (~0.5 T) e magnetização de saturação expressiva a pressões acima de ~10 GPa. Por fim, a última parte desta tese de doutorado foi dedicada ao uso da seletividade química e orbital da técnica de XANES na investigação do acoplamento spin-órbita nos elementos Pt (Pt0, 5d9) e Hf (Hf0, 5d2) sob altas pressões. Ao contrário do observado para a Pt, o cálculo do branching ratio a partir dos espectros de absorção nas bordas L2,3 do Hf revelaram que o acoplamento spin-órbita aumenta monotonicamente em função da pressão aplicada. Esse comportamento foi relacionado às propriedades supercondutoras e estruturais presentes nesse elemento sob altas pressões / Abstract: The scientific goal of this work has been the investigation of several physical mechanisms derived from the electronic, magnetic and structural properties of ternary rare earth and transition metal systems by means of X-ray absorption spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction techniques in a diamond anvil cell. Among the physical properties studied as a function of lattice compression induced by applied pressure are the magnetism of the 4f and 5d orbitals in tetragonal rare earth rhodium borides RERh4B4 (with RE = Dy e Er), the crystal electric field effects and magnetic exchange interactions in 3d-5d double perovskite systems (A2FeOsO6, with A = Ca e Sr) and the spin-orbit coupling in 5d transition metals. The electronic and magnetic properties of the rare earth 4f and 5d orbitals in the RERh4B4 (RE = Dy e Er) systems were investigated through high pressure XANES and XMCD experiments at Dy and Er L3 edges. For both compounds, the magnetic signals of the quadrupole (2p3/2->4f) and dipole (2p3/2->5d) contributions to the XMCD spectra progressively decrease as a function of pressure. This behavior was explained in terms of the magnetic exchange interactions between the rare earth ions, which are weakened by changes in the local atomic structure induced by compression of the crystal lattice. In the double perovskite system, it has been shown that compression of Sr2FeOsO6 structure with an ordered crystalline arrangement of iron (3d) and osmium (5d) transition metal ions, allows for continuous and reversible control of magnetic coercivity and saturation magnetization. This effect was explained in terms of enhanced crystal electric fields under high pressure, which alter the Fe-O-Os magnetic exchange interactions and transform the material with an otherwise mute response to magnetic fields into one with a strong coercivity (~0.5 T) and substantial saturation magnetization at pressures above ~10 GPa. Finally, the last part of this thesis is dedicated to the use of chemical and orbital selectivity of XANES technique as a tool to investigate the spin-orbit coupling in Pt (Pt0, 5d9) and Hf (Hf0, 5d2) elements under high pressures. Unlike observed for Pt, the calculated branching ratio determined from the integrated intensities of the Hf L2,3 white lines shows that the spin-orbit coupling increases monotonically as a function of applied pressure. This behavior was related to the superconducting and structural properties displayed by this element at high pressures / Doutorado / Física / Doutora em Ciências

The construction sector accounts for about one fifth of Sweden's greenhouse gas emissions. It is also the sector that produces the second most waste in Sweden. Today there is an increased need for housing in Sweden, at the same time as the construction sector must reduce its greenhouse gas emissions. Usually when renovating a building, construction products are disposed despite having a remaining service of life. The purpose of this study is to investigate how the reuse of construction products can be increased in the construction sector. And to find out how companies in Växjö work with reusing construction products. The work was based on the project Kv. Stommen, the project was about a new preschool in Vikaholm, Växjö. In the project the buyer had requested that some construction products should be reused. The purpose of the study was addressed by using interview methodology and partaking in focus group discussion with Godahåll during their meeting. According to the results there are seven challenges that must be overcome before the reuse of construction products in the construction sector can increase. The representatives from the companies in Växjö, who were interviewed had a positive attitude towards reuse of construction products. One conclusion is that there is an interest in the construction sector to use reused construction products and that it will increase in the future. Another conclusion is that by using reused construction products, the construction sector´s waste volumes can be reduced and contribute to a circular construction.

Memoria para optar al título de Geógrafo / La presente investigación tiene por objetivo elaborar una Propuesta de Gestión Integral para el Manejo de Residuos Sólidos Domiciliarios (RSD) para la comuna de Macul. Ella se fundamentó en la implementación de una estrategia de gestión enfocada en la sustentabilidad de este tipo de residuos en una comuna intermedia de la Región Metropolitana de Santiago. Es así que se definen lineamientos de gestión integral presentando una zonificación de gestión jerarquizada de los residuos, aplicando criterios urbanos, ambientales, culturales e institucionales-normativos. En este último punto se prestó especial atención a la Ley 20.920/2016 Ley de Marco parar la Gestión de Residuos, la Responsabilidad Extendida del Productor y Fomento al Reciclaje. Se concluye que el primer esfuerzo para el manejo sustentable de los RSD debe estar enfocado, necesariamente, en el ámbito cultural y en la construcción de un concepto de residuos, basado en su valor intrínseco, dejando de entenderse como algo “descartable” e “inservible” para transformarse en un recurso, lo que debe ser legitimado por la población. Finalmente se generan recomendaciones y un Plan de Acción para dar viabilidad a la propuesta. / The cardinal aim of this following investigation, is to create a built-in proposal of paperwork, for the management of Solid House Wastes (SHW) for the Macul county. It is based on the development of a strategy focused on sustainability of this kind of waste in an average county of the metropolitan area of Santiago. Therefore, some built-in proposals are defined showing a zone of hierarchy management of the mentioned wastes, using an urban, environmental, cultural and ruled institutions criteria. In this last point, there was special attention to the law 20.920/2016. Law of frame work for the management of wastes, the due responsibility of the producer and encourage of recycling. It is believed that, the first effort for the management of solid house wastes, must be focused, necessarily, on the cultural environment and in the creation of a concept of waste, based in its inner value, leaving the concepts of “disposable” and “useless” behind, to be transformed into a resource, which must be legitimated by the people. Finally, there are recommendations and an action plan to validate the proposal.

Es seguro que hoy en día las personas tienen en su clóset una prenda jean, pues es un elemento básico para armar un outfit y, se considera una prenda versátil que combina con cualquier otro tipo de prenda y se puede utilizar para diferentes estilos y ocasiones. No obstante, es posible que no se es muy consciente de la huella ambiental que estas prendas dejan al momento de ser fabricadas. Según diversas fuentes, como Infobae (2019) y la Organización de las Naciones Unidas (ONU) (2019), se necesitan 2,900 litros de agua para elaborar una camiseta jean y 7,500 para un pantalón jean. A partir de esta problemática, sumado al ritmo de compra en la industria del fast fashion, la cual genera un impacto negativo en el medio ambiente, ya que, según el Diario La Sexta (2019), en los últimos 15 años, la industria textil genera el 8% de las emisiones de gases de efecto invernadero, nació el presente proyecto de investigación. Jeans 360 Perú consiste en ofrecer una solución innovadora al mercado peruano, en la cual se interiorice un nuevo concepto sobre el ciclo de vida de las prendas jeans, es decir, una forma de alargar la vida útil de los mismos. Este proyecto se ha desarrollado con aplicación a la realidad peruana, específicamente a la población ubicada en la ciudad de Lima Metropolitana. Asimismo, el modelo de negocio del proyecto se sustenta en reducir el impacto ambiental de la industria de la moda, basándose en el concepto de economía circular, el cual está enfocado en el cuidado y protección del medio ambiente a través de la reducción de desechos y el aprovechamiento de los recursos. Este proyecto ofrece una plataforma digital web y redes sociales para la comercialización de prendas jeans de segunda mano de diversas marcas, con modelos originales de fábrica y prendas jeans acondicionadas a un diseño acorde a las últimas tendencias internacionales de la moda denim. Adicional a ello, teniendo en cuenta la situación actual del mercado de prendas de segunda mano en el Perú, se aplicarán diferentes estrategias de ingreso al mercado con una propuesta transparente con respecto a los protocolos de sanidad y bioseguridad. / It is certain that nowadays people have a jean garment in their closet, as it is a basic element to put together an outfit and, it is considered a versatile garment that combines with any other type of garment and can be used for different styles and occasions. However, it is possible that you are not very aware of the environmental footprint that these garments leave when they are manufactured. According to various sources, such as Infobae (2019) and the United Nations (UN) (2019), 2,900 liters of water are needed to make a jean shirt and 7,500 for a jean pants. From this problem, added to the rate of purchase in the fast fashion industry, which generates a negative impact on the environment, since, according to La Sexta newspaper (2019), in the last 15 years, the textile industry generates 8% of greenhouse gas emissions, this research project was born. Jeans 360 Peru consists of offering an innovative solution to the Peruvian market, in which a new concept is internalized about the life cycle of jeans garments, that is, a way to extend their useful life. This project has been developed with application to the Peruvian reality, specifically to the population located in the city of Metropolitan Lima. Likewise, the business model of the project is based on reducing the environmental impact of the fashion industry, based on the concept of circular economy, which is focused on the care and protection of the environment through the reduction of waste and the use of resources. This project offers a digital web platform and social networks for the commercialization of second-hand jeans garments from various brands, with original factory models and jeans garments conditioned to a design according to the latest international trends in denim fashion. In addition to this, considering the current situation of the second-hand garment market in Peru, different strategies for entering the market will be applied with a transparent proposal with respect to health and biosafety protocols. / Trabajo de investigación

Abstract  Purpose:  The purpose of the research was to define Product-Service-System (PSS) and Product-as-a- Service (PaaS), identify the challenges and match mitigations with them when closing the supply chain from a B2C retailer’s perspective. The following three research questions were defined:  RQ1: How are Product-Service-System and Product-as-a-Service defined and related to the environmental sustainability context?  RQ2: What are the challenges that B2C-retailers with a Product-as-a-Service model encounter in regard to closing their supply chain loop?  RQ3: How can the closed loop supply chain related challenges that B2C-retailers encounter be mitigated to unfold the environmentally sustainable potential of PaaS business models?  Methodology: A systematic literature review was used for defining PaaS and PSS with an environmentally sustainable focus. The second part of the research is based on a qualitative research method with the use of an interview study setup where 2 industry experts and 4 PaaS companies from the fashion, furniture, mobility and whitegoods industries were interviewed. The empirical data was collected using six semi-structured interviews over zoom.  Findings:  Both PSS and PaaS are focused on providing the product with a service. The biggest difference between PSS and PaaS is that the former is seen as a paradigm shift with regards to linear models whereas the latter is seen as a practical business model to transform a linear system. Based on the intended use, PSS and PaaS are both not inherently more sustainable than linear business models. The standardised definition was further used and integrated for the development of the framework which displays the challenges and mitigations of different levels for an environmentally sustainable PaaS model. The final framework displays 25 challenges. To those challenges, 24 mitigations could be connected. Furthermore, there were 16 challenges that had not been cross validated and a total of 19 challenges that could not be matched with any mitigation. Those unmatched challenges show the need for further research in this area.  Contributions/value:  The contribution that this thesis brings to existing literature is threefold. First, PSS and PaaS are defined and related to environmental sustainability, solving the fragmentation that was caused in prior research. Secondly, the challenges found widen the scope of existing knowledge about PSS and PaaS in a CLSC. Thirdly, mitigation horizons were elaborated on in this research, giving practical handlebars to managers for overcoming challenges in the B2C PaaS field and theoretical insights for matching challenges and mitigations. Additionally, this thesis points out possibilities for future research, with which we hope to motivate other researchers to shed light on under-researched areas.  Keywords:  Product-as-a-Service (PaaS) - Product-Service-System (PSS) - Servitization - B2C Retailer - Circular Economy - Circular Business Model - Environmental Sustainability - Challenges - Mitigations - Closed Loop Supply Chain

Circular economy (CE) is today gaining a lot of attention, which means to improve resource efficiency through reusing, recycling, and reducing (3R). Increased CE is one step towards improved sustainable development. The aim in this study is to explain how circular economy can pursue sustainable development, by business model innovation. A qualitative study including a market analysis has been performed with 28 semi structured interviews. The context studied was the Swedish stone material industry (SSMI) through NCC and its division Industry, as case company. The participants were employees selected from the case company, competitors, customers, ordering parties, and independent actors.    The study highlights both barriers and opportunities for improving 3R’s on the SSMI. Strict regulations are seen as a strong obstacle whereas reduced climate impact is a great possibility. To contribute successfully to circular economy, a shift towards circular business models (CBM) is needed. Such strategical transformation can be accomplished through business model innovation, which this study shows difficult. A CBM is presented to the case company with for instance customer co-creation and developing new partnerships included. Shaping take-back services are also recommended to be implemented in the CBM. A conclusion is that business models and strategy interrelate, and both concepts are affected by regulations. This imply both positive and negative consequences of the market development, concerning circular economy. Lastly, a conclusion is that the triple bottom line mindset must be improved in the industry to pursue sustainable development. / Cirkulär ekonomi (CE) får idag mycket uppmärksamhet, och det innefattar ökande resurseffektivitet genom återanvändning, återvinning och reducering (3R). Ökning av CE är ett steg i ökad hållbar utveckling. Syftet med denna studie är att förklara hur cirkulär ekonomi kan främja hållbar utveckling, genom affärsmodellsinnovation. En kvalitativ studie har utförts genom en marknadsanalys med 28 semistrukturerade intervjuer. Det studerade sammanhanget var den svenska stenmaterialindustrin (SSMI) och fallföretaget har varit NCC och deras avdelning Industry. Deltagarna var utvalda anställda från fallföretaget, konkurrenter, kunder, beställare och oberoende aktörer.  Studien belyser både hinder och möjligheter för att öka de 3R’n på SSMI. Strikta regler visar sig vara ett starkt hinder medan reducerad klimatpåverkan är en stor möjlighet. För att framgångsrikt bidra till cirkulär ekonomi behövs ett skifte mot en cirkulär affärsmodell (CBM). Sådan strategisk förändring kan åstadkommas genom affärsmodellsinnovation vilket i denna studie har visats sig vara svårt. En CBM presenters till fallföretaget innehållande bland annat samskapande med kund och utveckling av nya partnerskap. Utformande av återtagstjänster är också rekommenderat för implementation i CBM. En slutsats är att affärsmodeller och strategi interagerar och båda koncepten påverkas av regleringar. Det kan medföra både positiva och negativa konsekvenser på marknadsutveckling beträffande cirkulär ekonomi. Slutligen så är en slutsats också att triple bottom line mindset måste förbättras i branschen för att främja hållbar utveckling.

Title: Theory and Applications of Optical Activity of Biomolecules Author: Monika Krupová Supervisor: prof. RNDr. Petr Bouř, DSc. Institutions: Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, Charles University, and Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic Abstract: This thesis describes how we used several chiroptical spectroscopic methods to study chiral molecules: vibrational circular dichroism (VCD), circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) and magnetic circular dichroism (MCD). VCD and induced lanthanide CPL were used to study the structure of amyloid protein fibrils. We found out that VCD is very sensitive to their structure and supramolecular chirality. It could be used to distinguish between various polymorphic fibrils. On the other hand, induced lanthanide CPL provided information on the local structure. VCD was also used to study the hydration polymorphism of nucleoside crystals. Due to the crystal packing, the VCD signal was strong and specific for different types of crystals. Finally, electronic structure of hydrated Ln3+ ions was studied by MCD. Molecular dynamics simulations together with crystal field theory (CFT) and multistate complete active space calculations with second order perturbation correction (MS-CASPT2) were used to interpret the spectra. CFT...

Electric motors are one of the biggest consumers of electricity in the world with a consumption of almost 45 % and it is predicted to increase. Since electric motors play an important role today and in the future, it is important that businesses take their responsibility to make them as sustainable as they can possibly be. Today’s product development models are often based on the idea that the customer buys the product and is responsible for the products use phase. This results in the manufacturer focusing on getting a competitive price for the customer by reducing the cost for manufacturing and delivery, which often is negative for the customer. The latter phases, use and end-of-life, are often the greatest contributors of costs and environmental impact. One way for businesses to take their responsibility is to have an environmental focus throughout their products life cycles, i.e., to apply a circular business model. This primarily means to focus on the main principles of circular economy: to reduce, reuse and recycle. ABB is a company in the electric motor and drive industry with ambitious commitments for 2030 which includes to have at least 80 % of their products and solutions covered by a circularity approach and achieve carbon neutrality across their own operations. This Master thesis studies the environmental impact of an ABB synchronous medium voltage motor and drive during their life cycle. This thesis also studies how a circular business model can affect the environmental impact the motor contribute with today. Assessing the environmental impact was done with a life cycle perspective in accordance to ISO 14044, using the world’s most used tool for these kinds of analyses, SimaPro. The results of the assessment showed that the total climate impact during the whole life cycle of the motor and drive is 4.38•106 kg CO2 eq. The use phase of the motor and drive was the biggest contributor, with almost 99 % of total climate impact. The electricity used in this phase and the long lifetime of these machines, in this case 20 years, contributes to the great impact. Important environmental impact categories identified from studying the motor and drive during their lifecycles are ionizing radiation, human toxicity (both non-cancer effects and cancer effects) and freshwater ecotoxicity. The results also showed that by only looking at the contribution of the components of the motor, the climate impact is 7.35•104 kg CO2 eq. A total of 43 % of the emissions comes from the stator and 30 % from the rotor. For the drive the total impact is in total 6.83•104 kg CO2 eq. The biggest contributor is the semiconductor, with 50 % of the total impact of the machine followed by the housing with 21 %. Answering research question two, regarding the circular business model, was done by interviewing key players at ABB and people with knowledge in the area as well by studying literature. Potential measures for a circular business model were for example increasing the efficiency of the motor, designing for refurbishment and recycling, partnerships and changing the motor application after use. Increased efficiency of the motor was identified as a very impactful measure since it can affect the use phase, which is the biggest contributor of climate impact. The identified measures impact the material and energy flows in different ways, most of them prevent extraction of new raw material. This study can be used for an indication of where the environmental hotspots are for a MV electric motor and drive. It can be concluded that a circular business model could bring benefits on material and energy flows such as reduced energy use in the use phase, decreased use of raw material in production and reduced use of fuel for transportation.

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