Dr.-Ing. Walther Zeug
Postdoc Researcher
+4934160254771
Research Group System Analysis of the BioEconomy (SABE)
Helmholtz-Center for Environmental Research - UFZ
Permoserstr. 15
04318 Leipzig I Deutschland
ORCID: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3170-6984
Researchgate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Walther_Zeug
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/walther-zeug-b96827316/
Mastodon: @WaltherZeug@fediscience.org
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/waltherzeug.bsky.social
GitHub: https://github.com/WaltherZeug
Research focuses
Integrative, inter- and transdisciplinary sustainability research, sustainability analysis / assessment, life cycle assessments, bioeconomy, political economy, sociology, environmental economics, macro- and microeconomics, Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), renewable energy systems, bioeconomy, environmental engineering
Methods & Models
Holistic and Integrated Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment (HILCSA)
Professional activities
| since 07/2024 | Postdoc researcher at the Helmholtz-centre for environmental research (UFZ), Department of Bioenergy, Research unit Environment and society |
| since 10/2022 | Lecturer for Life Cycle Analyses and Sustainability Assessment of Bioeconomy, Professorship Bioenergy Systems, Faculty of Economics University of Leipzig |
| 02/2018 - 06/2024 |
PhD canidate & researcher at the Helmholtz-centre for environmental research (UFZ), Department of Bioenergy, Research unit Environment and society "A Holistic Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment for Bioeconomy Regions - Linking Regional Assessments, Stakeholders and Global Goals" |
| 07/2014 – 12/2017 | Student researcher at the Helmholtz-centre for environmental research (UFZ), Department of Bioenergy, Research unit Environment and society |
| 11/2012 – 06/2014 | Student researcher at the Deutschen Biomasse Forschungszentrum gGmbH (DBFZ), Department of Bioenergy |
Research projects
| 07/2024 - 12/2028 | BegleitDiP – Accompanying research on the digitalization of plant-based value chains for the development of a participatory and learning sustainability monitoring |
| 04/2024 - 12/2028 | LeFOS - Obtaining levans and fructo-oligosaccharides of the levan type from residues from sugar beet processing |
| 01/2022 - 01/2024 | KEK Monitoring − Status monitoring of the climate and energy concept of the state of Saxony-Anhalt |
| 01/2022 - 12/2024 | Consolidating Systemic Monitoring and Modelling of the Bioeconomy (SYMOBIO 2.0) |
| 03/2021 - 01/2024 | Monitoring system bioeconomy - further development of the "monitoring system bioeconomy" with special consideration of aspects of preventive environmental protection |
| since 02/2018 |
Doctoral thesis at the Helmholtz-centre for environmental research (UFZ), Department of Bioenergy, Research unit Environment and society "A Holistic Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment for Bioeconomy Regions - Linking Regional Assessments, Stakeholders and Global Goals" |
| 07/2017 - 07/2021 |
SYMOBIO – „Systemic Monitoring and Modelling of the Bioeconomy“, UFZ Method development of a holistic sustainability assessment, accompanying a stakeholder conference |
| 09/2017 | M.Eng. - „Ecological, economic and social sustainability assessment of bio-based regional value networks“, HTWK Leipzig |
| 07/2014 – 06/2017 |
Bioeconomy cluster – Accompanying Research, Working Group "Sustainability Assessment of the Bioeconomy", UFZ Method development of a social sustainability assessment, statistical data processing and collection |
| 03/2017 |
Project work - "Post Growth and Degrowth", HTWK Leipzig A critical, economic analysis of various approaches to theories of growth in the (neo) classical economy, post-growth movement and political economy full text (PDF, german) |
| 09/2016 |
Project work - "The Green Paradox - A Paradox of Capitalism", HTWK Leipzig Analysis and discussion of the Green Paradox according to H.W. Sinn as a phenomenon of environmental economics, environmental policy and resource economics |
| 09/2015 | B.Eng. - „Development and application of an SLCA evaluation method for the evaluation of social and socio-economic effects of products and value chains“, HTWK Leipzig |
| 08/2013 – 02/2014 |
Project work - "Micro CHP", DBFZ Leipzig Analysis of a micro CHP under technical and economic aspects |
| 11/2012 – 06/2014 |
Milestones 2030 - "Elements and milestones for the development of a viable sustainable bioenergy strategy", DBFZ Leipzig Technology analysis, evaluation and data research |
Lecturing, Talks & Media Contributions
Lecturing
Lecturer for Life Cycle Analyses and Sustainability Assessment of Bioeconomy, Professorship Bioenergy Systems, Faculty of Economics University of Leipzig
"Defining and measuring social, ecological and economic sustainability in LCA and LCSA", in Material Flow Managment, WS 21/22, Professorship Bioenergysystems, Faculty of economics and management sciences of the University of Leipzig
Talks and Workshops
"System Change not Climate Change? The System Capitalism and the Socio-Ecological Crisis", on request"Criticism of Individualized Consumption Criticism - Is There a Right Consumption in the Wrong System?", on request
"The new climate movement - actors, forms and content, Socio-ecological transformation or last generation?", on request
Media Contributions
Future Histories Podcast (2024): S03E14 - Walther Zeug zu Material- und Energieflussanalyse und sozio-metabolischer Planung (only in German)
Zeug, W., Mast, L. (2024) Der ideologische Fußabdruck des Kapitalismus - Die Krise gesellschaftlicher Naturverhältnisse, individualisierter Konsumkritik und unpolitischer politischer Bildung, PHASE2, Nr. 61 (only in German)
Publications
Index:
You could use our publication index for further requests.
2025 (2)
- Hauser, E., Müller-Langer, F., del Carmen Granford-Ruiz, D., Pfennig, M., Zink, C., Zeug, W., Scholz, A. (2025):
Schaffung von Grundlagen einer nachhaltigen Produktion von grünem Wasserstoff und dessen Folgeprodukte in ausgewählten Exportländern
In: Reuter, A., Mackensen, R. (Hrsg.)
Die Energiewende mit Forschung beschleunigen. Beiträge zur FVEE-Jahrestagung 2024, Berlin, 08-09 October 2024
FVEE-Themen 2024
ForschungsVerbund Erneuerbare Energien (FVEE), Berlin, 30 - 35 10.5442/t2024 - Zeug, W., Mirutko, A., Uppal, A., Bezama, A. (2025):
Nachhaltigkeit von Bioökonomie in Sachsen-Anhalt: Fallstudien zu Baustoffen, Ernährung und Bioraffinerien
Helmholtz-Zentrum für Umweltforschung - UFZ, Leipzig, 55 pp.
2024 (7)
- Beck-O'Brien, M., Bringezu, S., Banse, M., Barrelet, J., Bezama, A., Bösch, M., Brüning, S., Bührlen, B., Cabezas, A., Cyffka, K.-F., Dzene, I., Gordillo Vera, F., Helander, H., Henke, J., Hennenberg, K., Hinz, R., Iost, S., Jordan, M., Kilian, D., Köppen, S., Kynast, E., Lutz, C., Pereira, S., Pfeiffer, M., Phuntsho, , Pozo Inofuentes, P., Reiss, T., Reuschel, S., Richter, S., Schaldach, R., Scheffler, M., Schomberg, A., Schüngel, A., Schweinle, J., Thrän, D., Wang, M., Weimar, H., Wiegmann, K., Wijesingha, J., Wilske, B., Wydra, S., Zeug, W., Zinke, C. (2024):
Monitoring the German Bioeconomy - Summary
Center for Environmental Systems Research (CESR), Universität Kassel, Kassel, 21 pp. 10.17170/kobra-2024111510677 - Beck-O'Brien, M., Bringezu, S., Banse, M., Barrelet, J., Bezama, A., Bösch, M., Brüning, S., Bührlen, B., Cabezas, A., Cyffka, K.-F., Dzene, I., Gordillo Vera, F., Helander, H., Henke, J., Hennenberg, K., Hinz, R., Iost, S., Jordan, M., Kilian, D., Köppen, S., Kynast, E., Lutz, C., Pereira, S., Pfeiffer, M., Phuntsho, , Pozo Inofuentes, P., Reiss, T., Reuschel, S., Richter, S., Schaldach, R., Scheffler, M., Schomberg, A., Schüngel, A., Schweinle, J., Thrän, D., Wang, M., Weimar, H., Wiegmann, K., Wijesingha, J., Wilske, B., Wydra, S., Zeug, W., Zinke, C. (2024):
Monitoring der deutschen Bioökonomie - Zusammenfassung
Center for Environmental Systems Research (CESR), Universität Kassel, Kassel, 21 S. 10.17170/kobra-2024111510678 - Beck-O'Brien, M., Bringezu, S., Banse, M., Barrelet, J., Bezama, A., Bösch, M., Brüning, S., Bührlen, B., Cabezas, A., Cyffka, K.-F., Dzene, I., Gordillo Vera, F., Helander, H., Henke, J., Hennenberg, K., Hinz, R., Iost, S., Jordan, M., Kilian, D., Köppen, S., Kynast, E., Lutz, C., Pereira, S., Pfeiffer, M., Phuntsho, , Pozo Inofuentes, P., Reiss, T., Reuschel, S., Richter, S., Schaldach, R., Scheffler, M., Schomberg, A., Schüngel, A., Schweinle, J., Thrän, D., Wang, M., Weimar, H., Wiegmann, K., Wijesingha, J., Wilske, B., Wydra, S., Zeug, W., Zinke, C. (2024):
Monitoring the German Bioeconomy: Status, performance, trends and implications for sustainable development
Center for Environmental Systems Research (CESR), Universität Kassel, Kassel, 193 pp. 10.17170/kobra-2024111510679 - Gan Yupanqui, K.R., Zeug, W., Thrän, D., Bezama, A. (2024):
A regionalized social life cycle assessment of a prospective value chain of second-generation biofuel production
J. Clean Prod. 472 , art. 143370 10.1016/j.jclepro.2024.143370 - Heyer, J., Zeug, W. (2024):
Ökobilanz und kybernetische Wirtschaftsplanung: Demokratisch geplante Wirtschaft zur Befriedigung gesellschaftlicher Bedürfnisse in planetaren Grenzen
Prokla-Zeitschrift für kritische Sozialwissenschaft 54 (215), 267 - 286 10.32387/prokla.v54i215.2116 - Zeug, W. (2024):
A holistic life cycle sustainability assessment for bioeconomy regions – Linking regional assessments, stakeholders and global goals
Dissertation, Universität Leipzig, Wirtschaftswissenschaftliche Fakultät
PhD Dissertation 2/2024
Helmholtz-Zentrum für Umweltforschung - UFZ, Leipzig, 272 pp. - Zeug, W., Bezama, A., Thrän, D. (2024):
Holistic and integrated life cycle sustainability assessment: Background, methods and results from two case studies
6th Doctoral Colloquium Bioenergy: 18th/19th September, 2023, University of Applied Sciences and Arts, Hildesheim/Holzminden/Göttingen
DBFZ Tagungsreader 28
DBFZ Deutsches Biomasseforschungszentrum gemeinnützige GmbH, Leipzig, p. 22 - 23 10.48480/dvmt-q267
2023 (3)
- Büttner, L., Darbi, M., Haase, A., Jax, K., Lepenies, R., Priess, J., Zeug, W. (2023):
Science under pressure: how research is being challenged by the 2030 Agenda
Sustain. Sci. 18 (3), 1569 - 1574 10.1007/s11625-023-01293-5 - Zeug, W., Bezama, A., Thrän, D. (2023):
Life cycle sustainability assessment for sustainable bioeconomy, societal-ecological transformation and beyond
In: Hesser, F., Kral, I., Obersteiner, G., Hörtenhuber, S., Kühmaier, M., Zeller, V., Schebek, L. (eds.)
Progress in life cycle assessment 2021
Sustainable Production, Life Cycle Engineering and Management
Springer, Cham, p. 131 - 159 10.1007/978-3-031-29294-1_8 - Zeug, W., Gan Yupanqui, K.R., Bezama, A., Thrän, D. (2023):
Holistic and integrated life cycle sustainability assessment of prospective biomass to liquid production in Germany
J. Clean Prod. 418 , art. 138046 10.1016/j.jclepro.2023.138046
2022 (2)
- Mesa Estrada, L.S., Haase, M., Wulf, C., Baumann, M., Zeug, W., Ball, C., Bezama, A., Brand-Daniels, U., Buchgeister, J., Heck, R., Kopfmüller, J., Müller, T., Naegler, T., Oswald, M., Rudi, A., Siekmann, F. (2022):
MCDA for sustainability assessment – insights to Helmholtz Association activities
Helmholtz Working Group MCDA for Sustainability Assessment, 68 pp. 10.5281/zenodo.7273635 - Zeug, W., Bezama, A., Thrän, D. (2022):
Application of holistic and integrated LCSA: Case study on laminated veneer lumber production in Central Germany
Int. J. Life Cycle Assess. 27 (12), 1352 - 1375 10.1007/s11367-022-02098-x
2021 (2)
- Zeug, W., Bezama, A., Thrän, D. (2021):
A framework for implementing holistic and integrated life cycle sustainability assessment of regional bioeconomy
Int. J. Life Cycle Assess. 26 (10), 1998 - 2023 10.1007/s11367-021-01983-1 - Zeug, W., Kluson, F.R., Mittelstädt, N., Bezama, A., Thrän, D. (2021):
Results from a stakeholder survey on bioeconomy monitoring and perceptions on bioeconomy in Germany
UFZ Discussion Papers 8/2021
Helmholtz-Zentrum für Umweltforschung - UFZ, Leipzig, 29 pp. 10.13140/RG.2.2.35521.28000
2020 (4)
- Bringezu, S., Banse, M., Ahmann, L., Bezama, A., Billig, E., Bischof, R., Blanke, C., Brosowski, A., Brüning, S., Borchers, M., Budzinski, M., Cyffka, K.-F., Distelkamp, M., Egenolf, V., Flaute, M., Geng, N., Gieseking, L., Graß, R., Hennenberg, K., Hering, T., Iost, S., Jochem, D., Krause, T., Lutz, C., Machmüller, A., Mahro, B., Majer, S., Mantau, U., Meisel, K., Moesenfechtel, U., Noke, A., Raussen, T., Richter, F., Schaldach, R., Schweinle, J., Thrän, D., Uglik, M., Weimar, H., Wimmer, F., Wydra, S., Zeug, W. (2020):
Pilotbericht zum Monitoring der deutschen Bioökonomie
Center for Environmental Systems Research (CESR), Universität Kassel, Kassel, 115 S. 10.17170/kobra-202005131255 - Jarosch, L., Zeug, W., Bezama, A., Finkbeiner, M., Thrän, D. (2020):
A regional socio-economic life cycle assessment of a bioeconomy value chain
Sustainability 12 (3), art. 1259 10.3390/su12031259 - Zeug, W., Bezama, A., Thrän, D. (2020):
Towards a holistic and integrated life cycle sustainability assessment of the bioeconomy – Background on concepts, visions and measurements
UFZ Discussion Papers 7/2020
Helmholtz-Zentrum für Umweltforschung - UFZ, Leipzig, 35 pp. - Zeug, W., Uglik, M., Bezama, A., Meisel, K., Majer, S., Thrän, D. (2020):
Energetische und stoffliche Verwendung von Biomasse
In: Bringezu, S., et al. (Hrsg.)
Pilotbericht zum Monitoring der deutschen Bioökonomie
Center for Environmental Systems Research (CESR), Universität Kassel, Kassel, S. 56 - 63 10.17170/kobra-202005131255
2019 (1)
- Zeug, W., Bezama, A., Moesenfechtel, U., Jähkel, A., Thrän, D. (2019):
Stakeholders’ interests and perceptions of bioeconomy monitoring using a sustainable development goal framework
Sustainability 11 (6), art. 1511 10.3390/su11061511
2018 (2)
- Siebert, A., O'Keeffe, S., Bezama, A., Zeug, W., Thrän, D. (2018):
How not to compare apples and oranges: Generate context-specific performance reference points for a social life cycle assessment model
J. Clean Prod. 198 , 587 - 600 10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.06.298 - Zeug, W. (2018):
A holistic life cycle sustainability assessment approach for the bioeconomy
1. Deutsches Doktorandenkolloquium Bioenergie: 20./21. September 2018
DBFZ Deutsches Biomasseforschungszentrum gemeinnützige GmbH, Leipzig, 304 - 305
2015 (1)
- Ponitka, J., Arendt, O., Lenz, V., Daniel-Gromke, J., Stinner, W., Ortwein, A., Zeymer, M., Gröngröft, A., Müller-Langer, F., Klemm, M., Braun, J., Zeug, W., Thrän, D., O'Keeffe, S., Millinger, M. (2015):
Focus on : Bioenergie-Technologien
In: Thrän, D., Ponitka, J., Arendt, O. (eds.)
Fokusheft energetische Biomassenutzung
DBFZ Deutsches Biomasseforschungszentrum gemeinnützige GmbH, Leipzig, 95 pp.