Research fields of the research unit

Directed by Professor Marc Degrez, CREA-SURF is an academic multidisciplinary team, devoted to industrial ecology, with projects on ecodesign, waste minimisation, solid and liquid waste treatment, as well as life cycle analysis (LCA). As a part of the 4MAT Department of the “Université Libre de Bruxelles” (ULB), it uses conventional experimental tools of chemistry, electrochemistry and materials science.

Specialist in electrochemical engineering, Prof. Marc Degrez progressively oriented his works towards surface treatments. Due to his numerous relations with Belgian and foreign SME’s dealing with environmental concerns, CREA-SURF research has also been oriented towards cleaner technologies, based on improving existing processes to minimise waste, internal recycling and concentrated waste valorising techniques.

Furthermore, having noticed that industry ecology could help companies to become more competitive in improving their environmental performance and their strategic planning, the team also decided to develop projects in this field, through the use of ecoindicators (such as life-cycle analysis or mass balance).