Research team
The Biodiversity Nexus: transformative change for sustainability (BIONEXT).
Abstract
BIONEXT will develop knowledge, tools, and guidance for mainstreaming biodiversity into policy making and provide concrete options on how to initiate, accelerate and upscale biodiversity relevant transformative change in society. It will deliver an innovative Nexus Modelling Framework that will integrate scenarios and pathways in a co-production process with stakeholders, while modelling interlinkages between biodiversity, water, food, energy, transport, climate, and health, and enabling simulation of the impacts of indirect and direct drivers on biodiversity. Through its database of transformative change cases, BIONEXT will involve policy- and decisionmakers and allows them to explore the concept of just transformative change. Plausible futures and desirable, nature-positive visions for Europe and multiple just transition pathways will be co-created in workshops and focus groups taking place in various cities around Europe. With the involvement of diverse stakeholders, the BIONEXT Pathways App will be delivered as a novel decision support tool that allows users to explore transformational building blocks, for formulating policies and implementation pathways for the biodiversity nexus. The results will contribute to science brokerage, capacity building and networking to IPBES, EU policymakers, and civil society.Researcher(s)
- Promoter: Keune Hans
- Co-promoter: Springael Johan
- Co-promoter: Van geertruyden Jean-Pierre
Research team(s)
Project type(s)
- Research Project
Introducing the concept of responsive and reliable delivery lead times in the strategic design of batch production plants for the chemical industry.
Abstract
Over the years, design models for production plants were mainly based on optimising capital and operational costs. Nowadays, responsive delivery lead times and reliable delivery are state-of-theart and equally important strategic management objectives. The aim of this project is to incorporate the supply chain performance attributes "responsiveness" and "reliability" into the mathematical optimisation models for strategic design of chemical batch production plants. At strategic level, the design of such batch plants defines the configuration (number and size of batch equipment), the size of the production batches for the different products and the production planning policy to be used. Depending on the production environment (Make-To-Order or Make-To-Stock), mode of operation (cyclic or non-cyclic) and design options (parallel equipment, dedicated and temporary storage tanks, or parallel production lines), different models will be defined. Small design problems will be optimised with exact mathematical programming techniques. For real size problems, efficient metaheuristics will be developped. Finally, the outcome of the different models will be used to align the appropriateness of strategic choices in plant design with specific business circumstances.Researcher(s)
- Promoter: Cornelissens Trijntje
- Co-promoter: Springael Johan
Research team(s)
Project type(s)
- Research Project
Optimisation of batch plant design: mathematical models and algorithms for strategic decision support
Abstract
This research project focuses on the impact of supply chain strategy on the design of multi-product chemical batch plants. Strategic design covers equipment choice, number and size, combined with tactical guidelines for the operational planning . Although highly interwoven, past research barely integrates plant design with supply chain strategies. The aim of this research is to develop mathematical models and a heuristic solution methods for this multi-objective optimization problem and to translate the results into comprehensive decision support guidelines for industry.Researcher(s)
- Promoter: Cornelissens Trijntje
- Co-promoter: Springael Johan
- Fellow: Verbiest Floor
Research team(s)
Project type(s)
- Research Project
Optimisation of batch plant design: mathematical models and algorithms for tactical decision support.
Abstract
This research project focuses on the impact of supply chain strategy on the tactical design of multiproduct chemical batch plants. Tactical design covers plant configuration as well as equipment choice, number, size, as layout of the pipeline network. Although highly interwoven, past research barely integrates plant design and supply chain or production strategies. The aim of this research is to gradually develop a mathematical model and a heuristic solution method for this multi-objective plant design optimisation problem and to translate the results into comprehensive industrial decision support guidelines.Researcher(s)
- Promoter: Cornelissens Trijntje
- Co-promoter: Springael Johan
- Fellow: Verbiest Floor
Research team(s)
Project type(s)
- Research Project
Safe vehicle routing of dangerous goods through integration of multi-objective optimization and multi-criteria decision making
Abstract
Currently, no usable methods exist to solve dangerous goods vehicle routing problems while taking into account both economical and safety criteria. This research therefore aims at two innovations: (1) the development of a novel method for multi-objective optimization, that integrates a multi-criteria method into a multi-objective metaheuristic, and (2) the application of this method to one or more real-life vehicle routing problems.Researcher(s)
- Promoter: Sörensen Kenneth
- Co-promoter: Springael Johan
Research team(s)
Project type(s)
- Research Project