Open Access Journals at Aalborg University
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Enhancing Critical Raw Material Usage through Battery Cell Extraction and Reuse
Get PDFThis paper proposes a circular economy business model for recycling and remanufacturing Bosch Gen 3 batteries to enhance sustainability and economic viability. The model integrates collection, robotic disassembly, and state-of-health-based categorisation to extract the most valuable, reusable cells and then tests a battery remanufacturing option to maximize profit and critical raw material recovery. Two collection methods are analysed: incentivized returns (Option 1) and battery waste sorting at recycling centres (Option 2). A Monte Carlo simulation evaluates profitability with several uncertainties, including logistics and deposit refunds. Option 1 is more likely to obtain higher-quality cells, but is less likely to be profitable due to the high costs associated with the incentive, while Option 2 is more cost-effective, but yields lower-quality cells. This study highlights opportunities to optimize incentives and recycling value, providing a scalable framework for sustainable battery end-of-life management
Exploring Consumer Behavior on Product Longevity as a Pathway to Product-Service System Adaptation
Get PDFThe growing environmental challenge of consumer electronic waste has become increasingly urgent and is projected to reach 82 million tons by 2030. This paper examines product-service systems (PSS) as a potential approach to minimize e-waste and extend overall product longevity and circularity. The relationships with electronic devices and perceptions of product longevity and ownership versus leasing were explored among 20 participants aged 21 to 65, all from Denmark. Insights gained provided a basis for identifying key technological (e.g., software obsolescence) and psychological (e.g., endowment effect, mistrust of leasing) barriers to PSS adoption. A six-step user-centric PSS model is proposed, advocating product-oriented services where consumers maintain ownership but receive company maintenance and repair. The Ownership PSS model underlines consumer trust via transparent pricing, flexible solutions, and alignment with EU right-to-repair policies. This research highlights the need for further quantitative assessment (e.g., life cycle analysis) and broader cultural sampling to strengthen adoption pathways in the electronics sector
Scenario-Based Framework for National Energy Storage Integration in Decarbonization Pathways
Get PDFThe integration of large-scale energy storage is pivotal for enabling re-liable, affordable, and decarbonized national power systems. This studyintroduces a scenario-based strategic planning framework to guide the de-ployment of storage under varying policy and technological futures. Fournational-scale scenarios are examined to explore how different planningapproaches affect emissions, cost, and grid stability. The results showthat strategic early investment in storage—as modeled in Scenario A—canlead to a 50% storage penetration rate by 2050, avoid 220 million metrictons of carbon dioxide emissions, and reduce the Levelized Cost of Energyfrom 112 to 76 USD per megawatt-hour. Scenario A also demonstrates themost cost-effective reliability enhancement, achieving a cost per avoidedblackout hour of 105,263 USD. In contrast, Scenario D, which assumespolicy inaction, results in only 20 gigawatts of installed storage capacityby 2050, an 18% reduction in renewable energy curtailment, and a per-sistently high Levelized Cost of Energy of 118 USD per megawatt-hour.These findings underscore the critical role of storage in supporting na-tional decarbonization and highlight the need for coordinated planning.The proposed framework serves as a practical decision-support tool foraligning storage investments with long-term energy and climate goals
Strategies Toward Energy Transition in Indonesia: An Assessment of Multi-Regional Biomass Supply for Coal Co-Firing Power Plants
Get PDFCoal remains the dominant source of electricity generation in Indonesia, accounting for around 55% of installed capacity. As a fossil fuel, coal contributes significantly to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, posing a challenge to Indonesia’s commitment to the Paris Agreement. Biomass co-firing in coal power plants offers a promising pathway to reduce GHG emissions. However, sustainable biomass supply is a major challenge due to Indonesia’s archipelagic geography, which causes regional disparities in power capacity, fuel types, and biomass potential. This study assesses the potential of multi-regional biomass supply in relation to emission reduction targets, using secondary data for provincial biomass waste inventories is assessed. The Low Emissions Analysis Platform (LEAP) model projects coal demand from 2025 to 2045 under two scenarios: business as usual (BAU) and biomass co-firing (BCF) with biomass shares of 5%, 10%, and 15%. Findings show that municipal and industrial waste alone cannot sustain long-term co-firing at the national level. Therefore, multi-regional supply-demand analysis is essential. Provinces such as Riau, North Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan, West Kalimantan, Papua, Bangka Belitung Islands, and Jambi are identified as surplus regions. A 15% biomass co-firing scenario could reduce emissions by 108 Mt of CO₂ by 2045 and lower emission intensity nationwide
Simpler Spatial Model for Hyperlocal Mapping of Urban Tree Canopy Cover
No full textKlimaforandringer skaber udfordringer og øgede risici i byer, hvilket nødvendiggør hurtig tilpasning uden at føre til stiafhængighed. Derfor rettes mere opmærksomhed mod naturbaserede tilgange, hvor bytræer har stort potentiale ved at levere klimaregulerende økosystemtjenester. Imidlertid er tilgængelige hyperlokale geodata og kort over urbant trækronedække (UTC) i øjeblikket utilstrækkelige, og lovende AI-baserede kortlægningsmetoder er ofte komplekse og kræver særlige kompetencer. Tilsammen udfordrer det særligt små byer, som ofte har færre ressourcer.
Dette studie demonstrerer for den mindre danske by, Randers, hvordan UTC-dække effektivt kan kortlægges ud fra danske geodata ved hjælp af simple GIS-teknikker som et simplere alternativ til AI-baserede modeller. Den udviklede model præsterer lovende med høj geospatial nøjagtighed og giver dermed værdifuld rumlig information og lokale UTC-baselines kommunikeret visuelt via kort.Climate change cause challenges and increased risks in cities, necessitating urgent adaptation without leading to path-dependency. Therefore, nature-based approaches are gaining attention where urban trees hold great potential by providing climate-regulating ecosystem services. However, available hyperlocal geodata and maps on urban tree canopy (UTC) cover are currently insufficient and promising AI-based mapping approaches are often complex and require special skills. Together, that pose challenges specifically for small cities that often hold fewer resources.
This study demonstrates for the smaller Danish city, Randers, how UTC cover effectively can be mapped from Danish geodata using simple GIS-techniques as a simpler alternative to AI-based models. The developed model shows promising performance with high geospatial accuracy, thus providing valuable spatial information and local UTC baselines communicated visually through maps
Somaesthetic Socio-Cultural Design for Disability: Rethinking Body Marginality
Get PDFAlthough design anthropology, disability studies, and somaesthetics share overlapping concerns, they have rarely been explicitly linked. Each brings distinct strengths—practicality, inclusivity, and theoretical depth—that merit integration. This paper explores how design historically caters to a standardised body, side-lining marginalised bodies as 'unfit'. By juxtaposing these three frameworks, we argue for a reimagined design ethos that advances social justice through deeper embodiment. Using non-European case studies, we highlight the aesthetic, functional, and political potential of inclusive design grounded in diverse bodily experiences.  
Artificial Intelligence (AI)-Aided Collaborative Design in Industrial Design Education for Final Year Projects (FYP): Improving Workflow and Innovation
Get PDFThe integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into design education is transforming collaborative learning and creative practice, particularly in Industrial Design. A theoretical framework was developed through the literature review to guide this study, which investigates how AI-assisted tools influence creativity, collaboration, and workflow efficiency in Final Year Projects (FYPs) among 38 Industrial Design students at a Malaysian university. Employing a mixed-methods design, two classes participated in a quasi-experimental comparison: one integrated AI tools throughout the design process, while the other used traditional methods. Students applied AI tools across five project phases: research (Notion AI, Elicit), ideation (DALL·E, MidJourney), design simulation (Fusion 360 AI, Rhino AI), reporting (ChatGPT, Grammarly), and prototyping (generative design tools). Quantitative data from project rubric scores and supervisor evaluations were complemented by qualitative insights from reflective journals and focus group discussions. Results showed that the AI-assisted class achieved higher creativity and design quality, supported by enhanced efficiency and faster iteration. However, students also reported challenges related to over-reliance on AI, ethical concerns about authorship, and reduced hands-on engagement. The study concludes that AI can serve as a valuable cognitive and creative partner in design education when integrated within a reflective and human-centered pedagogical framework that maintains critical thinking, originality, and ethical responsibility
Artificial Intelligence-Generated Vignettes as Triggers for Collaborative Reflection: Exploring Methodological Potentials in Higher Education
Get PDFGiven the ongoing digital transformation of professional practice, educators increasingly require tools that can scaffold collective reflection on ethically complex dilemmas. This study examines the methodological potential of generative AI (GenAI)–produced video vignettes as boundary objects for fostering collaborative reflection and professional judgment in pre-service education. In a qualitative case, pre-service social educators engaged in group discussions and written reflections around a GenAI-generated scenario designed for ethical ambiguity and professional recognizability. The analysis shows how the vignette’s multimodal features activated dialogic exchange, supported negotiation of perspectives, and enabled the emergence of shared professional reasoning. Framing the GenAI vignette as a methodological artifact, the study extends vignette-based pedagogy by specifying affordances that intensify collective sense-making. We argue that GenAI vignettes can effectively scaffold dialogical reflection and context-sensitive judgment in technology-mediated settings, positioning GenAI as a co-creator of reflective spaces that enrich practice-based learning and the development of professional judgment
Learning What’s in a Name with Graphical Models
Get PDF“The UK” is a country, but “The UK Department of Transport” is an organization within that country. In a named entity recognition (NER) task, where we want to label each word with a name tag (organization/person/location/other/not a name), how can a computer model know one from the other?
In this article, we’ll explore three model families that are remarkably successful at NER: Hidden Markov Models (HMMs), Maximum-Entropy Markov Models (MEMMs), and Conditional Random Fields (CRFs). We’ll use interactive visualizations to explain the graphical structure of each. Our overarching goal is to demonstrate how visualizations can be effective tools for communicating and clarifying complex, abstract concepts. The visualizations will allow us to compare and contrast between model families, and understand how each builds on and addresses key issues affecting its predecessors