Decoupling the industrial production of commodities, like building materials or mining products, from fossil fuels is a crucial step towards a climate-neutral society. To achieve this, the fuel and temperature demand of industrial processes has to be assessed and quantified. Based on this, the implementation of potential renewable energy sources, such as concentrated solar thermal energy (CSTE), can be determined. Crucial parameters are on one side the emissions of the process and on the other side the cost. 

The vision of the DLR Institute for Future Fuels is to develop technological solutions that enable the cost-effective production of fuels, hydrogen, or even commodities in the sunbelt of the earth on an industrial scale. At the institute, we use our unique infrastructure in which concentrated solar energy covers the heat demand of high-temperature processes.

The focus of your master thesis will be an assessment of high temperature industrial processes, like melting or calcination, to identify their potential for solarization. You will start with a review of industrial processes operated above 600 °C, typically required for metals and minerals. Afterwards, the location of such plants will be matched with high solar irradiation, which is required to reach these temperatures. A detailed look at the processes will show their cost-composition and emission-composition (with an LCA database), revealing those with the highest potential for an economic and renewable operation. Lastly, the CSTE-option will be compared with other renewable solutions, such as PV, Wind and Hydrogen-based operation. Parameters for comparison will be such as cost, emission and land requirement.