The Organising Committee of Biosystems Engineering 2026 is proud to present a keynote speaker from Riga Technical University, tenured professor Francesco Romagnoli. His speech will be on Integrating Critical Raw Materials into Life Cycle Assessment of Electric Mobility: Sustainability, Supply-Chain Risk, and Resource Security Beyond Carbon Metrics.
Prof. Francesco Romagnoli is a tenured professor at the Riga Technical University, Institute of Energy Systems and Environment. Over the last 18 years, he has carried out research, teaching, and applied engineering activities at the interface of energy systems, bio-based technologies, environmental sustainability, and system resilience assessment. He holds a degree in Environmental Engineering from the Polytechnic University of Turin and a PhD from Riga Technical University.
He works with life-cycle–based and system-oriented approaches to support robust, evidence-based decision-making for sustainable development, including Life Cycle Costs and Social LCA. His research focuses on the integrated environmental assessment of bio-based, energy, and infrastructure systems, with particular emphasis on micro- and macroalgae-based systems, bioenergy pathways, and circular bioeconomy solutions.
A substantial part of his scientific work addresses the application of Life Cycle Assessment, system modelling, and multi-criteria analysis to evaluate climate impacts, energy efficiency, resource use, and system resilience. His peer-reviewed publications extensively explore the sustainability performance of bioenergy and biogas systems, including algae-based anaerobic digestion, as well as urban and regional energy systems and their response and recovery under extreme stress and climate-related risks.
Prof. Romagnoli has developed recognised expertise in the LCA of micro- and macro-algae bio-based value chains, with a strong focus on the valorisation of seaweeds and microalgae for biorefinery applications, biofuels, nutrient recovery, and CO₂ mitigation. His research integrates experimental data, ISO-compliant LCA modelling, and process simulation to optimise circularity, environmental performance, and techno-feasibility across emerging biomass-based systems, including novel microalgae cultivation technologies in the Baltic region.
Since 2020, he has led applied LCA and eco-design activities supporting Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) and Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) studies for industry and infrastructure projects. He has delivered numerous EPDs and industrial LCA studies, collaborating with major engineering companies to embed life cycle thinking into design, planning, and management processes.
He has served as a reviewer for several international peer-reviewed journals in the fields of sustainability, energy, and environmental assessment, and as Guest Editor for Energies. His interests include: Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), Life Cycle Costing (LCC), Social LCA, Eco-design, Circular Bioeconomy, Bioenergy and Biogas Systems, Micro- and Macroalgae Biorefineries, Anaerobic Digestion, System Dynamics Modelling, Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation, Sustainable Energy and Infrastructure Systems, Urban and Critical Infrastructure Resilience, and Nature-Based Solutions.
Integrating Critical Raw Materials into Life Cycle Assessment of Electric Mobility: Sustainability, Supply-Chain Risk, and Resource Security Beyond Carbon Metrics
The electrification of mobility is widely recognised as a cornerstone of climate mitigation strategies, yet its sustainability cannot be evaluated solely by carbon metrics. Electric vehicles and battery energy storage systems rely on a growing set of Critical Raw Materials (CRMs), i.e. including lithium, cobalt, nickel, manganese, and copper, that are essential for battery production but characterised by limited reserves, high environmental burdens, and strong geographical concentration. These features introduce new forms of environmental pressure and systemic supply-chain risk that are insufficiently captured by conventional Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) frameworks.
This keynote presents an advanced LCA approach that explicitly integrates critical raw material considerations into the sustainability assessment of electric mobility. Novel assessment indicators are introduced to complement existing impact categories: the Raw Material Extraction/Reserve Index (RERI), which quantifies long-term depletion pressure on global reserves, and a Gini-based supply-concentration index, which reflects the geopolitical and market vulnerability of CRM supply chains. These indicators are implemented within standard LCA software, enabling their direct application alongside established environmental footprint methods.
The relevance of this integrated framework is demonstrated through two case studies. The first compares battery electric and diesel vehicles on a cradle-to-grave basis, showing that while electric vehicles deliver substantial reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, they exhibit higher impacts related to critical material depletion and supply risk. The second case study assesses lithium-ion batteries with nickel-cobalt-manganese (NCM) chemistry across their full life cycle, including pyrometallurgical end-of-life recycling. Results identify battery manufacturing as the dominant hotspot for both environmental impacts and CRM-related risks, while recycling emerges as a key mitigation strategy by reducing primary resource extraction and enhancing supply security.
By embedding critical raw-material risks into life-cycle thinking, this research supports the transition to more resilient, circular, and resource-secure electric mobility systems, which are essential for a truly sustainable energy transition.