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Privacy is the capacity to keep some things private despite their social repercussions. It relates to a person’s capacity to control the amount, time, and circumstances under which they disclose sensitive personal information, such as a person’s physiology, psychology, or intelligence. In the age of data exploitation, privacy has become even more crucial. Our privacy is now more threatened than it was 20 years ago, outside of science and technology, due to the way data and technology highly used. Both the kinds and amounts of information about us and the methods for tracking and identifying us have grown a lot in recent years. It is a known security concern that human and machine systems face privacy threats. There are various disagreements over privacy and security; every person and group has a unique perspective on how the two are related. Even though 79% of the study’s results showed that legal or compliance issues were more important, 53% of the survey team thought that privacy and security were two separate things. Data security and privacy are interconnected, despite their distinctions. Data security and data privacy are linked with each other; both are necessary for the other to exist. Data may be physically kept anywhere, on our computers or in the cloud, but only humans have authority over it. Machine learning has been used to solve the problem for our easy solution. We are linked to our data. Protect against attackers by protecting data, which also protects privacy. Attackers commonly utilize both mechanical systems and social engineering techniques to enter a target network. The vulnerability of this form of attack rests not only in the technology but also in the human users, making it extremely difficult to fight against. The best option to secure privacy is to combine humans and machines in the form of a Human Firewall and a Machine Firewall. A cryptographic route like Tor is a superior choice for discouraging attackers from trying to access our system and protecting the privacy of our data There is a case study of privacy and security issues in this thesis. The problems and different kinds of attacks on people and machines will then be briefly talked about. We will explain how Human Firewalls and machine learning on the Tor network protect our privacy from attacks such as social engineering and attacks on mechanical systems. As a real-world test, we will use genomic data to try out a privacy attack called the Membership Inference Attack (MIA). We’ll show Machine Firewall as a way to protect ourselves, and then we’ll use Differential Privacy (DP), which has already been done. We applied the method of Lasso and convolutional neural networks (CNN), which are both popular machine learning models, as the target models. Our findings demonstrate a logarithmic link between the desired model accuracy and the privacy budget.
This study investigates the impact of global payroll outsourcing on organizational efficiency and cost reduction based on the analysis of diverse implications stemming from thirty one (31) survey results. The findings reveal multifaceted challenges and benefitsassociated with outsourcing global payroll processing.
The research also unveils the most benefits of global payroll outsourcing. Notably, there's a consensus on the reduction in time-to-process payroll, cost per payroll processed, and improved payroll accuracy rate. Outsourcing streamlines processes, enhances operational efficiency, and contributes to faster, more accurate financial reporting.
Despite these benefits and challenges, statistical analysis reveals weak correlations between outsourcing global payroll and cost reduction or improved efficiency in various parameters, indicating a lack of a significant relationship. Consequently, the results, suggest no substantial correlation between global payroll outsourcing and enhanced efficiency or cost reduction based on this study's data.
Decarbonisation Strategies in Energy Systems Modelling: APV and e-tractors as Flexibility Assets
(2023)
This work presents an analysis of the impact of introducing Agrophotovoltaic technologies and electric tractors into Germany’s energy system. Agrophotovoltaics involves installing photovoltaic systems in agricultural areas, allowing for dual usage of the land for both energy generation and food production. Electric tractors, which are agricultural machinery powered by electric motors, can also function as energy storage units, providing flexibility to the grid. The analysis includes a sensitivity study to understand how the availability of agricultural land influences Agrophotovoltaic investments, followed by the examination of various scenarios that involve converting diesel tractors to electric tractors. These scenarios are based on the current CO2 emission reduction targets set by the German Government, aiming for a 65% reduction below 1990 levels by 2030 and achieving zero emissions by 2045. The results indicate that approximately 3% of available agricultural land is necessary to establish a viable energy mix in Germany. Furthermore, the expansion of electric tractors tends to reduce the overall system costs and enhances the energy-cost-efficiency of Agrophotovoltaic investments.
In the past ten years, applications of artificial neural networks have changed dramatically. outperforming earlier predictions in domains like robotics, computer vision, natural language processing, healthcare, and finance. Future research and advancements in CNN architectures, Algorithms and applications are expected to revolutionize various industries and daily life further. Our task is to find current products that resemble the given product image and description. Deep learning-based automatic product identification is a multi-step process that starts with data collection and continues with model training, deployment, and continuous improvement. The caliber and variety of the dataset, the design selected, and ongoing testing and improvement all affect the model's effectiveness. We achieved 81.47% training accuracy and 72.43% validation accuracy for our combined text and image classification model. Additionally, we have discussed the outcomes from the other dataset and numerous methods for creating an appropriate model.
As the population grows, so does the amount of biowaste. As demand for energy grows, biogas is a promising solution to the problem. Lignocellulosic materials are challenged of slow degradability due to the presence of polymers such as cellulose, lignin and hemicellulose. There are several pretreatment methods available to enhance the degradability of such materials, including enzymatic pretreatment. In this pretreatment, there are few parameters that can influence the results, the most important being the enzyme to solid ratio and the solid to liquid ratio. During this project, experiments were conducted to determine the optimal conditions for those two factors. It was discovered that a solid to liquid ratio of 31 g of buffer per 1 gram of organic dry matter produced the highest reducing sugar release in flasks when combined with 34 mg of protein per 1 gram of organic dry mass. Additionally, another experiment was carried out to investigate the impact of enzymatic pretreatment on biogas production using artificial biowaste as a substrate. Artificial biowaste produced 577,9 NL/kg oDM, while enzymatically pretreated biowaste produced 639,3 NL/kg oDM. This resulted in a 10,6% rise in cumulative biogas production compared to its use without enzymatic pretreatment. By the conclusion of the investigation, specific cumulative dry methane yields of 364,7 NL/kg oDM and 426,3 NL/kg oDM were obtained from artificial biowaste without and with enzymatic pretreatment, respectively. This resulted in a methane production boost of 16,9%. Additionally in case of the reactors with enzymatically pretreated substrate kinetic constant was lower more than double, where maximum volume of biogas increased, comparing to the reactors without enzymatic pretreatment.
In dieser Arbeit werden Untersuchungen an einem neuartigen Sensorkonzept zur Erfassung von Winkelbeschleunigungen durchgeführt. Ziel dieser Arbeit war es, die Möglichkeit, eine Miniaturisierung des Prototyps zu untersuchen. Hierfür wurde eine analytische und experimentelle Untersuchung durchgeführt. Für die analytische Betrachtung erfolgte eine Fehlerfortpflanzung nach Gauß, welche die Fertigungstoleranzen, Dimensionsfehler des Accelerometers, Rauschen und Messabweichungen von Accelerometer und Gyroskop berücksichtigt. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass bei Verwendung der hochwertigen Inertial Measurment Units (IMUs) eine theoretische Verkleinerung bis auf 21mm eine höhere Genauigkeit bietet als die numerischen Differentiationen der Winkelgeschwindigkeit.
Für die Verifizierung unter realen Bedingungen wurden verschiedene Prüfkonzepte verglichen.
Dabei erwies sich ein Pendelprüfstand als vielversprechender Ansatz. Durch die Verwendung von Kugellagern kann ein breites Spektrum an Winkelbeschleunigungen abgebildet werden. Die kontinuierliche Erfassung reflektierender Marker auf der Pendelstange ermöglicht die Ermittlung der Winkel, die als Grundlage für ein Modell dienen, wodurch sich reale Winkelbeschleunigungen mit den Messdaten des Sensors vergleichen lassen. Dabei stellt die Modellierung der Verlustterme eine zukünftige Herausforderung dar.
Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass eine Miniaturisierung des Sensorprototyps möglich ist und das der Pendelprüfstand eine Methode zur Verifizierung darstellt. Dies trägt dazu bei, die Anwendungsmöglichkeiten des Sensorkonzepts in der Praxis zu erweitern.
Im Rahmen dieser Arbeit wurde das elektrisch / elektronische System des Hocheffizienzfahrzeugs „Schluckspecht 6“ hinsichtlich seiner Übersichtlichkeit und Modularität optimiert. Essenziell war die Vernetzung der durch verschiedene Projektgruppen erstellten Teilsysteme mittels des neu integrierten CAN-Bus. Im Zuge der Überarbeitung des E/E-Systems wurde auch ein neuer Gesamtfahrzeugschaltplan angefertigt.
Im Rahmen der Optimierung des E-Antriebsstrangs wurde eine neue Motorsteuerung entwickelt, die aufgrund des verbauten Vierquadrantenstellers neben einem zuverlässigen Antrieb des Schluckspecht 6 zukünftig auch die Steuerung und Regelung von Lastmaschinen in – für den Schluckspecht 6 neu entwickelten – Testständen erlaubt. Für die Messdatenerfassung, während Test- und Rennläufen sowie in den Testständen, wurden diverse Messsysteme realisiert. Dazu gehören die Messung des Motorstroms, der Zwischenkreisspannung und der Motordrehzahl. Basierend auf der Motorstrommessung und Zwischenkreisspannungsmessung wurde eine Stromregelung implementiert, um die Bedienfreundlichkeit und Effizienz des S6 im Rennbetrieb zu erhöhen.
Die Visualisierung von Programmabläufen ist ein zentraler Aspekt für Programmieranfänger, um das Verständnis von Codeabläufen zu erleichtern und den Einstieg in der Softwareentwicklung zu unterstützen. In dieser Masterthesis wird ein speziell auf die Bedürfnisse von Einsteigern zugeschnittenes generisches Framework vorgestellt, wobei der Fokus auf einer einfachen, verständlichen aber auch korrekten Darstellung der Programmausführung liegt. Das Framework integriert das Debugger Adapter Protocol, um den Debugger unterschiedlicher Sprachen ansprechen und verwenden zu können.
In dieser Arbeit werden zunächst die Anforderungen für das generische Framework diskutiert. Anschließend werden bestehende Ansätze zur Visualisierung von Programmabläufen ausführlich untersucht und analysiert. Die Implementierung des Frameworks wird daraufhin detailliert beschrieben, wobei besonderer Wert auf die Erweiterbarkeit unterschiedlicher Sprachen gelegt wird.
Um die Eignung des Frameworks zu evaluieren, werden mehrere Aufgaben aus dem ersten Modul mit der jeweiligen Programmiersprache des Studiengangs Angewandte Informatik der Hochschule Offenburg betrachtet. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass das Framework mit den Aufgaben umgehen und diese korrekt und verständlich darstellen kann.
Die vorliegende Masterthesis analysiert die Anwendungsbereiche und Einsatzmöglichkeiten von ChatGPT im Social-Media-Marketing sowie die Vorteile, aber auch die möglichen Herausforderungen, die sich aus dem Einsatz von ChatGPT in diesem Bereich ergeben. In einer Ära, in der Künstliche Intelligenz, kurz KI, zunehmend die Marketinglandschaft prägt, wird die Integration von ChatGPT in Social-Media-Strategien immer bedeutsamer. Der Fokus liegt dabei auf der Identifizierung von vielfältigen Einsatzmöglichkeiten von ChatGPT in folgenden potenziellen Bereichen: Content Marketing, Kundenkommunikation, Influencer Marketing und Community Management.
Die Zielsetzung besteht darin, die Auswirkungen und Potenziale von ChatGPT auf die Effizienz, Relevanz und Qualität von Social-Media-Marketing zu bewerten. Die Forschungsmethodik basiert auf einer umfassenden Literaturrecherche und Experteninterviews, um Erkenntnisse über Best Practices und Herausforderungen beim Einsatz von ChatGPT zu gewinnen.
Die Ergebnisse dieser Arbeit bieten wertvolle Einblicke für Marketingexperten und Unternehmen, die die Integration von ChatGPT in ihre Social-Media-Strategien in Betracht ziehen. Diese Kurzfassung liefert einen Überblick über die wichtigsten Aspekte dieser Forschung und die erzielten Erkenntnisse, die die Zukunft des Social-Media-Marketing maßgeblich beeinflussen können. Die Erkenntnisse aus der Literaturrecherche, der Auswertung der Experteninterviews sowie die Gegenüberstellung der Ergebnisse dieser beiden Forschungsmethoden zeigen, dass der Einsatz von ChatGPT im Kontext von Social-Media-Marketing vor allem bei der Arbeit mit textlichen Inhalten sinnvoll, effizient und ressourcensparend sein kann, z.B. bei der Ideengenerierung, Korrektur, Übersetzung, Zusammenfassung oder der Erstellung erster Textvorlagen. In allen anderen Bereichen fungiert ChatGPT vor allem als Rat- und Ideengeber sowie als Informationsquelle, deren Wahrheitsgehalt jedoch stets überprüft werden sollte.
Aufgrund der Dynamik und der stetigen Weiterentwicklung des Feldes der KI sollte in Zukunft weitere Forschung in diesem Bereich betrieben werden.
Study of impact of change in market economics of Biosimilars due to SPC waiver on EU 469/2009
(2023)
This research was conducted to understand and investigate the impact of SPC waiver EU 933/2019 made as an amendment to EU 469/2019. The research was conducted for analysis and extraction of the data to compile the exact number of biological products impacted with the SPC waiver. The highest sale top-5 products were identified according to the expert’s opinion. The sales revenue opportunity valuable to the top-5 products in the top-5 non-EU markets for early exports is investigated. Additionally, a survey was conducted to assess the readiness of the industry for these changes. The information from this study will be very useful to students of the biopharmaceutical market research and to the stakeholders from the biopharmaceutical industry.
Linux and Linux-based operating systems have been gaining more popularity among the general users and among developers. Many big enterprises and large companies are using Linux for servers that host their websites, some even require their developers to have knowledge about Linux OS. Even in embedded systems one can find many Linux-based OS that run them. With its increasing popularity, one can deduce the need to secure such a system that many personnel rely on, be it to protect the data that it stores or to protect the integrity of the system itself, or even to protect the availability of the services it offers. Many researchers and Linux enthusiasts have been coming up with various ways to secure Linux OS, however new vulnerabilities and new bugs are always found, by malicious attackers, with every update or change, which calls for the need of more ways to secure these systems.
This Thesis explores the possibility and feasibility of another way to secure Linux OS, specifically securing the terminal of such OS, by altering the commands of the terminal, getting in the way of attackers that have gained terminal access and delaying, giving more time for the response teams and for forensics to stop the attack, minimize the damage, restore operations, and to identify collect and store evidence of the cyber-attack. This research will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of various security measures and compare and contrast with the method suggested in this research.
This research is significant because it paints a better picture of what the state of the art of Linux and Linux-based operating systems security looks like, and it addresses the concerns of security enthusiasts, while exploring new uncharted area of security that have been looked at as a not so significant part of protecting the OSes out of concern of the various limitations and problems it entails. This research will address these concerns while exploring few ways to solve them, as well as addressing the ideal areas and situations in which the proposed method can be used, and when would such method be more of a burden than help if used.
Der Bedarf an fortschrittlichen Bildungstechnologien wächst: Learning Experience Plattformen (LXP) erlangen angesichts der rasanten technologischen Entwicklungen und der daraus resultierenden Veränderungen des Lernverhaltens immer größere Relevanz. Diese Masterarbeit befasst sich mit der Konzeption und Konfiguration eines User-Interfaces für eine Learning Experience Plattform, speziell für die Moodle-Plattform der Hochschule Offenburg. Rahmengebend ist das KompiLe-Projekt, das durch das Bund-Länder- Programm Künstliche Intelligenz in der Hochschulbildung gefördert wird.
Als zentrales Ergebnis wurde ein spezifisches User-Interface für eine Learning Experience Plattform entworfen. Hierbei lag der Fokus insbesondere auf den Bereichen Dashboard, Meine Kurse und einen exemplarischen Kurs, die die wesentlichen Eigenschaften einer LXP repräsentieren sollten.
In einer Umfrage äußerten 55 Studierende und Lehrende ihre Vorstellungen und Präferenzen hinsichtlich der Elemente für das User-Interface. Unter Berücksichtigung dieser Erkenntnisse, kombiniert mit vorherigen Recherchen und einem Prototyp, wurde die finale Konfiguration entwickelt.
Im Vergleich zum vorherigen Design, das lediglich eine Zeitleiste zeigte, bietet das aktualisierte Dashboard erweiterte Möglichkeiten: Eine integrierte Kursübersicht ermöglicht es den Lernenden, direkt vom Dashboard aus auf Kurse zuzugreifen. Nutzer*innen haben die Möglichkeit, in der Kursübersicht zu filtern und durch die Auswahl von Favoriten ihre bevorzugten Kurse zu markieren. In einer Umfrage befürworteten fast 90% diese Funktion. Es wurde ein Interessen-Tag auf dem Dashboard hinzugefügt, der später zu dem Profil verlinken soll. Das Dashboard und die Kursseite wurden durch die Einführung einer linken Spalte aufgewertet, was zu einer erhöhten Symmetrie führte. Zudem wurden auf der Kursseite die ersten personalisierten Elemente wie Top bewertete Aktivitäten und Am häufigsten abgeschlossene Objekte hinzugefügt. Gamification- Elemente erfreuten sich großer Beliebtheit mit einer Zustimmung von 80%. Das Einbinden eines neuen modernen Gamification-Elements in Moodle erschien im Vergleich zu bereits verwendeten Elementen recht aufwändig und deshalb wurde sich zunächst dagegen entschieden. Im Kontext des sozialen Austauschs und der Interaktion war es auffällig, dass die Mehrheit der Studierenden es vorzog, ihre Online-Präsenz zu verbergen und das Moodle-Forum gegenüber anderen Interaktionsmöglichkeiten bevorzugte. Weniger signifikante Veränderungen fanden im Bereich Meine Kurse statt.
In recent years, the demand for reliable power, driven by sensitive electronic equipment, has surged. Even minor deviations from the nominal supply can lead to malfunctions or failure. Despite technological advancements, power quality issues persist due to various factors like short circuits, overloads, voltage fluctuations, unbalanced loads, and non-linear loads.
This thesis extensively explores power quality anomalies in industrial and commercial sectors, using power system data as the primary analytical resource. It addresses the critical need for power supply reliability in today's evolving power grid industry, affected by non-linear loads, renewable energy integration, and electric vehicles. This field of study is paramount for ensuring power supply reliability and stability in the evolving power grid industry.
The core of this thesis involves a comprehensive investigation of power quality, with a focus on frequency, power, and harmonics in voltage and current signals. The research employs Python programming for advanced data analysis, utilizing techniques such as advanced Fast Fourier Transformation (FFT) analysis. The primary objective is to provide valuable insights aimed at elevating power supply quality and enhancing reliability in both industrial and commercial environments.
The cellulase-producing Trichoderma reesei strain RL-P37 exhibits significant potential, yielding 7.3 g/L of cellulase in 241 hours. Microscopic investigations reveal a link between spore formation and enzyme production, suggesting the need for research into the intricate relationship between enzyme production, stress responses, and the nutritional prerequisites of fungi. Comparatively, the use of sodium hydroxide (NaOH) treatment, as opposed to water treatment, results in the reduction of micronutrient content and carbon source extraction as filtrate. Despite these challenges, research by He et al. (2021) highlights NaOH's efficiency in cellulose extraction from plant-based sources. Using NaOH pretreatment can be proven as effective by designing a proper cultivation method. The selection of inducers for enzyme induction gains importance, with soluble inducers, as emphasized by Zhang et al. (2022), exhibiting superior effectiveness. Hence, adopting soluble inducers in designing cultivation methods for improved enzyme production in shaking flasks is recommended. Enzymatic treatment of bio-waste, as outlined by Hu et al. (2021), shows promise in augmenting essential component content by breaking down plant cell walls and intercellular compartments. However, the feasibility of using an artificial bio-waste medium for cultivating Trichoderma reesei is questioned. Investigating the impact of micronutrient levels, particularly the inhibitory role of zinc, on fungal growth becomes essential. These findings underscore the necessity for ongoing research and optimization in cellulase production, emphasizing both strain productivity and cultivation methodologies.
This research presents a comprehensive exploration of hydroponic systems and their practical applications, with a focus on innovative solutions for managing environmental and analytical sensors in hydroponic setups. Hydroponic systems, which enable soilless cultivation, have gained increasing importance in modern agriculture due to their resource-efficient and high-yield nature.
The study delves into the development and deployment of the SensVert system, an adaptable solution tailored for hydroponic environments. SensVert offers adaptability and accessibility to farmers across various agricultural domains, addressing contemporary challenges in supervising and managing environmental and analytical sensors within hydroponic setups. Leveraging LoRa technology for seamless wireless data transmission, SensVert empowers users with a feature-rich dashboard for real-time monitoring and control. The study showcases the practical implementation of SensVert through a single sensor node, seamlessly integrating temperature, humidity, pressure, light, and pH sensors. The system automates pH regulation, employing the Henderson-Hasselbalch equation, and precisely controls liquid dosing using a PID controller. At the core of SensVert lies an architecture comprising The Things Stack as the network server, Node-Red as the application server, and Grafana as the user interface. These components synergize within a local network hosted on a Raspberry Pi; effectively mitigating challenges associated with data packet transmission in areas with limited internet connectivity.
As part of ongoing research, this work also paves the way for future advancements. These include the establishment of a wireless sensor network (WSN) utilizing LoRa technology, enabling seamless over-the-air sensor node updates for maintenance or replacement scenarios. These enhancements promise to further elevate the system's reliability and functionality within hydroponic cultivation, fostering sustainable agricultural practices.
Viralität auf TikTok
(2023)
Die Social Media Plattform TikTok erfreut sich spätestens seit der Corona-Pandemie einer immer größer werdenden Gemeinschaft. Mittlerweile verfügt die App über mehr als 20 Millionen Nutzer:innen - alleine in Deutschland. Virale Videos sprießen förmlich aus dem Boden. Diese Masterarbeit beschäftig sich mit der Frage, welche Faktoren der Viralität zu Grunde liegen und ob man die Viralität maßgeblich beeinflussen kann. Dies erfolgt mittels theoretischer Grundlagen, einer quantitativen Nutzerumfrage und Experteninterivews mit erfolgreichen deutschen Creatorn. Abschließend werden Videos für TikTok konzipiert und analysiert.
AI-based Ground Penetrating Radar Signal Processing for Thickness Estimation of Subsurface Layers
(2023)
This thesis focuses on the estimation of subsurface layer thickness using Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) A-scan and B-scan data through the application of neural networks. The objective is to develop accurate models capable of estimating the thickness of up to two subsurface layers.
Two different approaches are explored for processing the A-scan data. In the first approach, A-scans are compressed using Principal Component Analysis (PCA), and a regression feedforward neural network is employed to estimate the layers’ thicknesses. The second approach utilizes a regression one-dimensional Convolutional Neural Network (1-D CNN) for the same purpose. Comparative analysis reveals that the second approach yields superior results in terms of accuracy.
Subsequently, the proposed 1-D CNN architecture is adapted and evaluated for Step Frequency Continuous Wave (SFCW) radar, expanding its applicability to this type of radar system. The effectiveness of the proposed network in estimating subsurface layer thickness for SFCW radar is demonstrated.
Furthermore, the thesis investigates the utilization of GPR B-scan images as input data for subsurface layer thickness estimation. A regression CNN is employed for this purpose, although the results achieved are not as promising as those obtained with the 1-D CNN using A-scan data. This disparity is attributed to the limited availability of B-scan data, as B-scan generation is a resource-intensive process.
Much of the research in the field of audio-based machine learning has focused on recreating human speech via feature extraction and imitation, known as deepfakes. The current state of affairs has prompted a look into other areas, such as the recognition of recording devices, and potentially speakers, by only analysing sound files. Segregation and feature extraction are at the core of this approach.
This research focuses on determining whether a recorded sound can reveal the recording device with which it was captured. Each specific microphone manufacturer and model, among other characteristics and imperfections, can have subtle but compounding effects on the results, whether it be differences in noise, or the recording tempo and sensitivity of the microphone while recording. By studying these slight perturbations, it was found to be possible to distinguish between microphones based on the sounds they recorded.
After the recording, pre-processing, and feature extraction phases we completed, the prepared data was fed into several different machine learning algorithms, with results ranging from 70% to 100% accuracy, showing Multi-Layer Perceptron and Logistic Regression to be the most effective for this type of task.
This was further extended to be able to tell the difference between two microphones of the same make and model. Achieving the identification of identical models of a microphone suggests that the small deviations in their manufacturing process are enough of a factor to uniquely distinguish them and potentially target individuals using them. This however does not take into account any form of compression applied to the sound files, as that may alter or degrade some or most of the distinguishing features that are necessary for this experiment.
Building on top of prior research in the area, such as by Das et al. in in which different acoustic features were explored and assessed on their ability to be used to uniquely fingerprint smartphones, more concrete results along with the methodology by which they were achieved are published in this project’s publicly accessible code repository.
Estimation and projecting total steel industry production costs from 2019 to 2030 for Germany
(2023)
This thesis analyses the total production cost of the German steel industry from 2019 to 2022, as well as a projection of the German steel industry's total production cost until 2030. The research separates the costs of steel production into their primary components, such as raw materials, energy, CO2 cost, capital expenses and operating expenses. The cost of steel production is determined separately for primary steelmaking with the blast furnace and basic oxygen furnace (BF-BOF) and secondary steelmaking with the electric arc furnace (EAF).
The analysis indicates that, following the COVID-19 disaster and the fuel crisis, the overall cost of producing steel in Germany has progressively risen over the previous few years, reaching its peak in the first half of 2022. In addition, there are considerable disparities between the production costs of primary and secondary steelmaking processes, with primary steelmaking generally being more expensive.
In this analysis, the total cost of production for the German steel industry in the year 2030 has been estimated by taking into account historical trends as well as other predictions that are currently available.
This thesis provides overall insights on the economics of the German steel sector. By giving thorough information on production costs and changes over time, this research can assist guide crucial future investment decisions in this essential industry. To ensure long-term success, our findings emphasize the significance of investing in more sustainable and ecologically friendly steel production processes.