Master's thesis: Life Cycle Assessment of microwave graphitization process for battery applications

Do you care for our future? Do you think that sustainability must be a foundation of today’s digital society? Do you have an interest in printed electronics and sustainability? Do you enjoy working in a dynamic team?

We are looking for a Master of Science student for a Master Thesis project in RISE.

About GreenWave 2

GreenWave 2 is a collaborative innovation project aimed at developing a sustainable European value chain for graphite production based on forest-derived biomass. The project focuses on converting lignin, a by-product from the pulp and paper industry, into battery-grade graphite through an energy-efficient microwave graphitization process. By coating lignin onto silicon carbide (SiC) substrates and applying rapid microwave heating, the project seeks to significantly reduce the energy consumption and carbon footprint associated with conventional graphite production. As graphite is a critical raw material for lithium-ion batteries and is currently sourced largely from fossil-based or non-European supply chains, GreenWave 2 contributes to increased resource security, industrial resilience, and climate neutrality. The project also evaluates the performance of the produced graphite in battery applications while assessing techno-economic feasibility and environmental sustainability, supporting the development of a competitive and sustainable graphite industry within Europe.

Background

Welcome to RISE Emerging Technologies in Norrköping. In close collaboration with your home university, we can offer you diploma work in our exciting R&D environment. During the project work you will be a part of our team at RISE and will be supported by supervisors both from RISE and your home university throughout the project. Most of the practical laboratory work will be carried out in our facility Printed Electronics Arena in Norrköping.

Project research topic

Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) is becoming an integral component of product development in the electronics industry. Consumers want to know the environmental impacts of the electronic products they purchase, ranging from their carbon footprint and energy efficiency to end-of-life considerations and recyclability. Sustainability of electronic products is also high on the agenda of policy makers who want to guarantee a safe, sustainable and secure future for their constituents.

This thesis project will focus on developing a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) model for a novel microwave-based graphitization process that converts lignin, a renewable by-product from the forest industry, into battery-grade graphite. The work will include mapping material and energy flows, collecting process data from laboratory and pilot-scale experiments, and evaluating the environmental impacts of the technology. The developed model will be used to identify key environmental hotspots and compare the sustainability performance of bio-based graphite production with conventional fossil-based and mined graphite supply chains.

Project activities

This diploma work comprises of:

• Understanding the basics of the role of graphite and hard carbon in batteries

• Understanding synthetic graphite production (both generic and project specific)

• Defining the scope of the LCA study

• Making a list of the environmental inputs and outputs of processes with the help of a researcher from RISE and creating a comprehensive LCA model in the LCA software SimaPro

• Performing LCA calculations

• Interpretation of the LCA results

• Presenting the environmental finding to internal and possibly external audiences and potential for optimisation

Student profile

You have an interest in environmental sustainability, material production processes, electronics and/or science. You should be MSc student in the fields of environment, physics, materials or chemistry science, or related subject.

You need to be enthusiastic, curious, and keen to develop your skills, enjoy working in a dynamic international team and with good communication skills. Excellent language skills in spoken and written (scientific and technical) Swedish and English is a strong plus.

Location and start date

RISE Emerging Technologies located in Norrköping, Södragrytsgatan 4.

Master thesis start in September 2026.

Supervisory team at RISE

Main supervisor: Jesper Edberg

Co-supervisor: Tatjana Karpenja

Interested? Send in your application (CV and motivation letter) no later than August 14th.