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Elias Sebastian Azzi

Profile picture of Elias Sebastian Azzi

About me

PhD Project

Biochar is some kind of charcoal that you will not use for barbeque. Biochar used in agriculture (or other non-oxidative applications) is supposed to sequester carbon dioxide – removing it from the atmosphere – and provide other benefits along the chain.

My research looks at the impacts of biochars produced from various feedstocks and for various applications. In particular, we (i) study direct and indirect effects of producing biochar on the Swedish energy systems and (ii) model the behaviour of biochar when used in agriculture.

Will biochar contribute to meet our climate and environmental targets, while also building farmer resilience? We hope to provide elements of answers to that question through three case studies in Sweden, at different scales. The assessment tools are mainly material-flow analysis (MFA) and life-cycle assessment (LCA). More info here

Research field

Besides the biochar project, I have an interest in urban flows of materials and energy, waste-(resource) management, circular economy, urban and rural farming, climate and energy policies. I approach these fields through the lens of industrial ecology.

Mother is an accountant, she counts money. In industrial ecology, we count materials and energy circulating in our economy, and sometime money as well. We count to answer socioenvironmental questions like: how circular is our society? Or how is my consumption here affecting the rest of the world?

Other

Even though my current research is set in Sweden, I have roots overseas and a particular interest in the political-environmental crisis-crime of waste management in Lebanon, as well as the metamorphosis of Paris.

I hold degree in sciences for environmental challenges from Ecole polytechnique (France) and a degree in Civil engineering and urban management from KTH (Sweden).

Do not hesitate to get in touch!

<<< ClimateChangeDisclosure >>>

Climate change is a profound systemic issue that our global society is facing. Solving it requires actions at all levels:  individual change, citizen activism and professional work.

Work - paid by society, for society:
[research] directly related to climate change mitigation - sustainability of biochar technologies that might be deployed at large scale by the end of our lifetime
[teaching] assisting in various courses about waste, sustainable development, energy/climate/environment; supervising students in their thesis work, preparing them for dealing with climate change issues.

Activism - as a citizen of this planet, because institutional change needs a little push, and great opportunity to take knowledge outside of academia:
[Climate Collage - Sverige] With colleagues, launching a Climate Collage group in Sweden, an open-source card game to teach the science of climate, via collaborative learning.
[Zero Waste Stockholm] Waste awareness, an entry point for sustainability awareness and change.
[Husby Gård] Supporting social integration through arts and handcrafts.
[Waste Management Coalition, Lebanon] Prior involvement in the political-waste crisis.

Individual behavior change - leading by example? #levsomnilär
[transport] [aviation] quota: 1 intercontinental flight per year; last flight: Sweden-Lebanon (2018-03), lifetime flights: ca 70 flights, 100 000 km [train] journeys replacing continental flights, since 2018: 5 trips (private & professional), 20 000 km [commuting] public transportation only in urban area, no car ownership, biking skills: to improve!
[housing] Flat size 25 m2, Heating: district heating. Electricity: ca 1200 kWh/y
[diet] 99% meat/fish free; 80% dairy/egg free; organic/local/self-produced/packaging-free as much as feasible #WholeFoodPlantBased; awareness on "colonial goods" [historically, coffee, tea, cocoa, sugar]: coffee-free (and not tired!!)...
[digital] aiming for quota internet consumption; currently, below 10 Gb/month; no-streaming in HD, seldom educational/leisure streaming in SD.

[farming] managing 100 m2 of vegetable garden; aiming for more (1 hectare)

To me, the question is not whether we will reach or not our climate targets, rather how. Do we aim for a world with increasing or reducing social inequalities? (see IPPC Special Report 1.5 for details on synergies and trade-offs between mitigation pathways and development goals) #sobriety #equality

Dated: 2020-02-08 ; Annual update planned.

<<< /ClimateChangeDisclosure >>>


Courses

Waste Management (AL2130), teacher | Course web