Ph.D. position: Life cycle assessment and techno-economic analysis for green hydrogen

Ph.D. position: Life cycle assessment and techno-economic analysis for green hydrogen

The Energy and Process Systems Engineering (EPSE) Group at ETH Zürich is looking for a doctoral student working on the life-cycle assessment and techno-economic analysis of green hydrogen production and utilization. The position is part of an EU project, which connects key actors in Europe, and focuses on developing a novel process to produce green hydrogen from water, biomass, and solar energy.

The research of the EPSE group at ETH Zürich, headed by Prof. Dr André Bardow, focuses on sustainability in energy and chemical process systems. We develop methods to advance sustainable energy and chemical process systems from the molecular to the scale of the system. In our work, we combine computer-aided molecular and process design to optimize molecules and processes simultaneously. To holistically evaluate the environmental impacts of chemicals and energy systems, we develop predictive methods for Life-Cycle Assessment. Our technological focus currently lies in Power-to-X & sector coupling, sustainable carbon feedstock, and carbon capture, utilization & storage.

To achieve climate change goals, the production and utilization of green hydrogen play an essential role in reducing our dependency on fossil resources. Widely discussed sustainable sources for green hydrogen production are water and solar energy. However, current technologies like photovoltaic-based electrolysis or photocatalytic water splitting have low efficiencies and difficulties in scaling up for industrial production. Thus, this project aims to develop a novel, sustainable solar-driven process for producing green hydrogen from water and biomass.  

For this purpose, the novel production process is developed and assessed environmentally and economically to gain green hydrogen as an alternative feedstock for the chemical industry and as an alternative energy carrier for sector-coupled energy systems. An essential task in this project is the life-cycle assessment (LCA) and techno-economic analysis (TEA) of the novel green hydrogen production pathway to quantify its effect on the environment and its economic competitiveness. The environmental impacts and economics are compared to state-of-the-art hydrogen production pathways. The optimal integration of green hydrogen in the future chemical industry and sector-coupled energy systems is investigated via mathematical optimization.

You will set up and perform a life cycle assessment and techno-economic analysis to determine the environmental and economic potential of the novel solar-based green hydrogen production process. The LCA and TEA study will give you a deep understanding of green hydrogen production and utilization. Developing an overall LCA and TEA model will enable identifying environmental and economic hotspots and thus open opportunities for developing and improving the green hydrogen production process. You will learn how to optimize the integration of novel hydrogen production processes in the future chemical industry and sector-coupled energy systems. You will use these new opportunities to increase your knowledge of the environmental and economic benefits of hydrogen production and utilization. Collaboration with the project partners will be a crucial success factor of the work. 

We offer you a full-time position for the duration of your doctoral studies, starting upon agreement with the earliest starting of 1 September 2022. You will work in an interdisciplinary team of researchers with in-depth experience in process design, energy system optimization, and life-cycle assessment. As an integral partof your work, you will publish your results in peer-reviewed journals and present them at international conferences.

ETH Zurich is a family-friendly employer with excellent working conditions. You can look forward to an exciting working environment, cultural diversity and attractive offers and benefits.

We are looking for a proactive and motivated individual who meets the requirements for a doctoral program at ETH Zurich and has a Master's or diploma degree in chemical engineering, mechanical engineering, process engineering, or energy science & technology and related fields from a recognized University. Ideally, you already have experience in life-cycle assessment, techno-economic analysis, and programming. You are highly motivated to learn and apply modern simulation and optimization techniques and work in a dynamic environment with other doctoral students and postdocs. The ability to work independently and excellent communication skills in English (both written and spoken) complete your profile.

ETH Zurich is one of the world’s leading universities specialising in
science and technology. We are renowned for our excellent education,
cutting-edge fundamental research and direct transfer of new knowledge
into society. Over 30,000 people from more than 120 countries find our
university to be a place that promotes independent thinking and an
environment that inspires excellence. Located in the heart of Europe,
yet forging connections all over the world, we work together to
develop solutions for the global challenges of today and tomorrow.

We look forward to receiving your online application with the following documents by June 1st 2022:

• Curriculum Vitae, max. 2 pages 
• Motivational Letter, max. 2 pages  
• Transcript of records 
• Contact details of 2 referees 

Please note that we exclusively accept applications submitted through our online application portal. We will not consider applications sent via email or postal services. We will get in touch with you after 2-3 weeks following the submission deadline. 

For further information about the Energy and Process Systems Engineering (EPSE) Group, please visit our website, www.epse.ethz.ch . Questions regarding the position should be directed to Prof. Dr André Bardow, [email protected] , or Dr Johannes Schilling, [email protected] .