Emilia SUOMALAINEN
Curriculum Vitae
Emilia Suomalainen graduated from the Helsinki University of Technology (Finland) in 2006 with a degree of Master of Science in Technology in applied mathematics and environment. After having worked as a consultant in business intelligence, she began her doctoral studies in the field of industrial ecology in 2008. Ms Suomalainen also works as a consultant and project manager at Ecologie Industrielle Conseil in Paris. She joined IPTEH and the Industrial Ecology Group headed by Prof. Suren Erkman as a collaborator in January 2010.
Research Interests
The doctoral thesis of Ms Suomalainen focuses on systemic sustainability and sustainable resource use. One of her case studies concentrates on life support systems used in space (ALiSSE II project financed by the European Space Agency); these systems can be used as a kind of “laboratory of sustainability”. The following case studies (financed by the canton of Geneva) focus on the dynamic modelling of the metabolism of chosen resources in Geneva and on the issues of resource depletion.
Key Words
industrial ecology, sustainability, systemic approach, systemic sustainability, resource use, resource depletion, Hubbert peak, life support systems, modelling
Doctoral thesis
Preliminary Title: Sustainable Resource Use: Dynamic Material Flow Analysis in the Canton of Geneva and Sustainability of Space Life Support Systems
Thesis Director: Prof. Suren Erkman
Thesis started in June 2008.
Concepts and Objectives
The goal of the thesis project is to analyze the sustainability of industrial systems with respect to their resource use. The central research question of the work is: What are the characteristics of sustainable or unsustainable resource use over a given time period?
Means and Methods
Definition of the concept of “sustainable resource use” is attempted by applying a practical modelling approach to several case studies:
- First case study: modelling and comparison of the resource use of two life support systems used in space, ARES (a chemico-technical system) and BIORAT (a biological system). Execution of a material flow analysis on the two competing systems and creation of a static simulation model.
- Regional case studies: dynamic modelling of copper, phosphorus and wood metabolism in the canton of Geneva, the goal being to analyse the sustainability of the use of the resources. Modelling the current situation, creation of dynamic models and different scenarios for possible future evolutions, validation of the models, analysis of scenarios and their effects on the sustainability of resource use in the canton, creation of guidelines in order to reach a sustainable state.
Key Words
material flow analysis, modelling, simulation, dynamic modelling, system dynamics, stock-flow models, life support systems, sustainability, resource use, resource depletion, metabolism, copper, phosphorus, wood, canton of Geneva
