Designing an eco-innovation framework for emerging and socio-territorialised product-service systems: a case study on direct air capture

Direct air capture of CO₂ (DAC) is an emerging technology whose industrial deployment presents major challenges, including the processing of very large volumes of air, a substantial land footprint, significant resource consumption, and, consequently, local social acceptability. This doctoral project proposes an eco-innovation approach in which DAC is explored through the lens of product–service systems (PSS) embedded within a territorial ecosystem. Its objective is to support the early stages of research and innovation (R&I) so as to guide the design of DAC systems towards sustainable and socially acceptable development pathways, by integrating environmental and territorial impacts and stakeholder participation from the outset. The overarching research question is as follows: how can a methodological framework for territorial eco-innovation, dedicated to emerging DAC systems, be developed and operationalised in order to steer their design towards sustainable and socially acceptable trajectories?
The research will draw on the Design Research Methodology (DRM), implemented in four main phases. The initial clarification phase will establish the theoretical framework on the basis of an interdisciplinary literature review and an empirical survey of stakeholders. Descriptive Study I will focus on the analysis of design practices related to DAC, as well as on an ex ante territorial environmental assessment based on the territorial LCA methodology. The prescriptive study will consist in co-developing, together with stakeholders, a territorial eco-innovation framework. Finally, Descriptive Study II will make it possible to test and trial this framework in real-world or simulated contexts, thereby assessing its relevance and its potential for transferability.
The PhD will be undertaken within a multidisciplinary supervisory environment (ecodesign, process engineering, territorial systems engineering). The doctoral candidate will benefit from a rich ecosystem of industrial and institutional partners committed to energy and territorial transitions.

Keywords: Eco-innovation, Direct air capture, Life cycle assessment, Territory, Social acceptance

• Academic supervisor    Dr, HDR, Iban LIZARRALDE, ESTIA, ORCID : 0000-0002-8484-7991
• Doctoral School    ED209 SPI, Université de Bordeaux
• IFPEN supervisor    Dr Julien GARCIA, ORCID : 0000-0003-3249-9611
• PhD location    IFPEN, Rueil-Malmaison, France  
• Duration and start date    3 years, starting in the fourth quarter 2026 (Novembre 2)
• Employer    IFPEN
• Academic requirements    University Master degree in Mechanical Engineering, in Chemistry, or in Chemical / Process Engineering 
• Language requirements    English level B2 (CEFR), French level B2 (CEFR)
• Other requirements    Knowledge in LCA or in ecodesign

To apply, please send your cover letter and CV to the IFPEN supervisor indicated here below.