GreenTRIBOS

Project Information

GreenTRIBOS

Grant agreement ID: 860246

DOI

10.3030/860246

Project closed

EC signature date 9 August 2019

Start date 1 January 2020

End date 31 December 2023

Funded under

• EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

Total cost

€ 3 188 498,04

EU contribution

€ 3 188 498,04

Coordinated by

UNIVERZA V LJUBLJANI
Slovenia

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - GreenTRIBOS (GreenTRIBOS)

Reporting period: 2022-01-01 to 2023-12-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

The world is warming and the weather is becoming increasingly unstable and extreme, and whether we like it or not, the overwhelming scientific consensus is that mankind’s use of fossil fuels is a key component in this climate change. Friction, wear and lubrication are major players in the consumption of energy, and so reducing friction and wear and using green lubrication is the most direct route to reducing energy consumption and pollution and so contributing to a better environment for us all. GreenTRIBOS takes up this very important challenge by developing innovative, but sustainable and green, technologies to decrease both friction and wear and improve lubrication. The 12 early-stage researchers (ESRs) for three years worked in three science-based work packages to develop integrative green concepts, their functional mechanisms, and lifecycle analyses to verify the sustainability, as well as quantifying the tribological performance to reduce energy consumption, resource depletion and polluting emissions. In the overarching integrative work package, the ESRs assimilated these results into a coherent set of generic, green-tribology concepts and design rules – that will be made freely available to all – with a measurable impact on sustainability over the whole lifecycle of the system. All 12 ESRs used complementary techniques, tools, models and approaches supported by their supervisors, research groups and non-academic mentors throughout their individual PhD-specific ESR project plans. By training the ESRs in scientific, technical and transferrable skills, they became the next generation of high-potential scientists and engineers to instigate the step change that is required for a sustainable engineering future to serve the needs of a sustainable 21st century Europe.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

12 Early Stage Researchers (ESRs) were trained to PhD level with the multidisciplinary skills and industrial knowledge to position Europe as a world leader in green-tribology research and innovation. The GreenTRIBOS project was launched in January 2020 (month 1) and the consortium followed the Grant Agreement plan, delivered the required deliverables and checked the milestones. All ESRs were all successfully enrolled in the PhD programme in the academic year 2020/21.

All ESRs attended the 1st NWE (in Leeds) and kick-off meeting in month 10, where they were given various tasks and responsibilities to fulfil in the 2nd NWE (in Ljubljana), which took place in month 14. Both events were organised via online communication tools to comply with Covid-19 restrictions and rules. The 3rd NWE was split into 2 parts. The first was held in month 21 via the Zoom application and included the ESRs PhD thesis proposals and a detailed SOTA review, finalising their study commitments at the end of the first year of study. The second part of the NWE took place in month 22 in Coimbra, Portugal, where the ESRs and the project participants had the opportunity to meet face-to-face for the first time and had a significant impact on the training of the ESRs. The 4th NWE took place in Kiruna and Lulea in month 28 and was dedicated to monitoring the ESRs' scientific progress and training (academic and transferable skills). 5th and 6th NWE were organised in collaboration with industrial partners, namely TOTAL Energies (in Lyon and Solaize, month 34) and SANDVIK (in Stockholm, month 39). The last 7th NWE took place in month 45 in Leeds and was dedicated to dissemination and outreach by organizing 1st International Open-call GreenTribology conference and Panel and Round-table Media discussion.

The ESRs participated in various training activities, such as joint academic trainings and joint transferable skills courses offered at the NWEs, as well as personalised activities in scientific trainings according to each ESR`s CDP. They also prepared several mini-projects within WP2, WP3 and WP4 about SOTA, reference and potential, tribological performance, surface characterisation, mechanisms and LCA analysis.

The consortium replanned the secondments and reported formally including justifications to the project officer. Most ESRs will continue their research work in 2024, remaining employed by the current beneficiaries and having a well-defined plan for the defence of their PhD thesis in 2024.

Main results of the project are shown in the attached images and can be summarized as follows:
7 NWEs were organized (2 virtual - in Leeds and Ljubljana due to Covid-19 epidemy and 5 in-person in Coimbra, in Lulea, in Lyon, in Stockholm and in Leeds).
2 Industrial days were organized in collaboration with companies TOTAL Energies and Sandvik to promote achivements of GreenTRIBOS project to industry.
1st Open-call Green Tribology conference & Round table discussion was organized to promote ESRs research achievements and GreenTRIBOS project to scientific community.
Scientific, Hands-on tranings & Transferable skills were given to ESRs.
ESRs' scientific progress was regularly monitored & discussed.
Green and sustainable tribology was promoted to the wider public throug outreach activities like European Researchers Night.
Results of the project were disseminated on the major scientific conferences.
The GreenTRIBOS reference book with fully generic green design concepts to minimise energy consumption, resource use and environmental emissions and pollution was created.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

Green tribology has been enthusiastically adopted by many in industry and academia, with high-impact, high-visibility studies being published in research journals like Nature and Science. However, what we need now is a shift away from a focused, case-study approach, towards a broader, European-based, vision of green-technology innovation based on a doctoral training programme designed to produce a dozen, newly qualified researchers who can develop novel, green-tribology concepts and spread this mind-set to encompass all forms of green-engineering design. The 4 Beneficiaries and many of the Partners in GreenTRIBOS are proven innovators in the field of green tribology. Working from different perspectives – materials and coatings, lubricants and tribochemistry, nanotechnology, interfaces, modelling and design – in three previous EU projects we clearly demonstrated that breakthrough green concepts are possible. We will use these existing materials, taking account their limitations, and provide them with green, synergistic contact designs, based on lightweight polymers and metals, durable hard metals and surface coatings, water, cellulose fibres, recyclable thermoplasts, energy-efficient carbon-based materials as well as high-shear-strength and low-viscosity lubricants. In this way, GreenTRIBOS will take advantage of its own pre-existing knowledge and go beyond the state of the art based on the following 5 new concepts:
(1) By considering the full impact of the engineering lifecycle. It is vital for any green solution to also consider the manufacturing costs and resources used, the maintenance, the pollution and the total energy that is consumed. A component is only truly green if it is green from the cradle to the grave.
(2) By providing real green-tribology solutions with synergistic designs and new functionality.
(3) By introducing the idea of green tribology to a wider sector of European industry.
(4) By taking a quantitative-assessment approach to real green impact.
(5) By introducing generic green-tribology mechanisms to European sustainable engineering.

Social activities

Scientific, Hands-on trainings & Transferable skills

Network Wide Events

Promotion to wider public

ESRs progress presentations & discussions

1st Open-call Green Tribology Conference & Round table discussion

Industrial Days

Dissemination & Exploitation