Dr Susana Leão

FlowPhotoChem PI Dr Susana Leão is based in the Sustainability Unit of Leitat Technological Center. Founded in 1906, Leitat is one of the reference entities at state and European level in technology management. It has a team of more than 500 professionals, experts in applied research, technical services and management of technological and innovation initiatives. Leitat provides social, industrial, economic and sustainable value, offering comprehensive solutions in multiple sectors and areas: development of new materials, eco-sustainable production, occupational health prevention systems, revaluation of waste and use of natural resources, interconnectivity and digitization of industry, green energy and maximization of energy efficiency. Leitat is recognized by the Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness and is one of the main entities participating in the Horizon2020 program of the European Union.

Susana kindly answered a series of questions posed by Danielle Nicholson at Pintail Limited.  Enjoy!

 

How and why did you first become interested in research in environmental assessment? 

I have always been fascinated by the natural processes occurring in the environment. When I went to college, I knew I wanted to study something related to environmental sciences, so I decided to study environmental engineering at UA (Portugal), where I learned principles to develop solutions to environmental problems. My interest in environmental impact assessment and research came when I had my first contact with LCA.

 

What are the biggest challenges to the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) field right now?

One of the biggest challenges is when LCA is applied to emerging technologies evolving from laboratory to industrial scale, as historically LCA has been designed for products already on the market.

Conducting an LCA of emerging technologies poses additional challenges compared to an LCA of existing technologies: lack of data, scaling up, sometimes a lack of incumbents to compare with, associated uncertainty and the market conditions in which the technology will be deployed. This leads me to think about the need for a harmonized prospective LCA framework.

 

Your role in FlowPhotoChem differs from the other research and development groups involved. Can you offer best practice suggestions to integrate the LCA work with the research of the other consortium partners?

I might suggest that when partners collect data for LCA, they think directly about these processes on an industrial scale. In the case of FlowPhotoChem, fortunately, we anticipated this, and the DRL- WP4 leader is dedicated to doing large-scale simulations and providing scale data for the LCA activity, which is a great advantage.

 

Talk us through your group's role in FlowPhotoChem. Are there any unforeseen obstacles to your group's work on the project? If so, please describe how they are being addressed.

Smooth communication is essential between partners, and this exists in FlowPhotoChem and, so far, I have not encountered any major obstacles. I hope it will continue to be so in the remaining two years of the project.

The Sustainability Group at LEITAT Technological Center

 

Please describe the Sustainability group and facilities at Leitat.

The sustainability group at Leitat consists of an interdisciplinary team dealing with quantification methodologies (LCA, LCC, Social-LCA, circularity assessment and development of circularity indicators), sustainable production (eco-design, energy efficiency, waste reduction, resource efficiency) and environmental strategies (circular business models, social innovation, environmental communication, ecolabeling, governance).

 

Which aspects of your work do you enjoy most?

Learning new things every day, all the innovative technologies/products that I analyze come from different fields (energy, flow chemistry, nanomaterials, etc.). So, it is a challenge for me to understand all the mechanisms and processes involved in each product system for a proper environmental assessment, but at the same time, it is enjoyable.

 

What is the best thing about working at Leitat and in Barcelona?

I highlight the autonomy, the freedom to propose new ideas and concepts, the flexibility, and the work environment both in my group and in general with the other departments of Leitat. Barcelona is one of my favourite cities to live 😊.

 

What do you find most exciting about the FPC project?

Seeing science in action for the creation of a sustainable chemical production system for a more sustainable world.

 

What do you like to do in your free time?

Listening to music, being in nature, hiking in the mountains, being with friends, watching movies/series, and reading. I love to travel and appreciate the little things in life.