Decarbonizing Mobility via Circular Manufacturing, Green Machining, and Life-Cycle Strategies

Mobility decarbonization is often discussed in terms of reducing operational emissions through electrification, alternative fuels, and modal shifts. However, a growing share of climate impact now lies in upstream and downstream stages, including raw material extraction, critical mineral sourcing, component manufacturing, machining, maintenance, logistics, and end-of-life treatment. Energy-intensive production of metals, polymers, composites, and batteries significantly contributes to greenhouse gas emissions, waste generation, and resource depletion. Conventional machining and finishing processes can further increase coolant toxicity, energy demand, and occupational risks. Circular economy strategies and sustainable manufacturing approaches are therefore becoming essential for achieving truly low-carbon, resource-efficient mobility systems. This Topic explicitly embraces circular economy principles, including closing material loops, regenerative design, and waste-as-resource approaches, to minimize environmental impacts across the entire mobility value chain.This Research Topic aims to address the need for integrated approaches that reduce the life-cycle carbon footprint of mobility by combining circular manufacturing, green machining, and life-cycle strategies. While major progress has been made in vehicle electrification and clean energy transitions, evidence remains fragmented across manufacturing engineering, industrial ecology, life-cycle assessment (LCA), and mobility studies. Stronger interdisciplinary research is needed to quantify embedded carbon, identify trade-offs, and develop scalable solutions for industry and policymakers.Recent advances such as minimum quantity lubrication (MQL), near-dry machining, eco-lubrication, additive manufacturing, remanufacturing systems, and digital production technologies. These offer promising pathways for reducing emissions and improving resource efficiency. This Topic seeks to bridge these fields by promoting practical and scientifically rigorous contributions that support climate-resilient and circular mobility transitions, particularly in emerging economies where industrial growth and mobility demand are rapidly increasing.We invite original contributions that advance both scientific understanding and practical implementation of low-carbon mobility through sustainable manufacturing and circular economy approaches. Specific themes include:· Life-cycle assessment (LCA), carbon accounting, and material flow analysis of mobility systems· Circular design strategies for vehicles, batteries, and transport infrastructure· Green machining practices, including minimum quantity lubrication (MQL), near-dry machining, and eco-lubrication· Energy-efficient manufacturing and industrial process optimization· Remanufacturing, repair, refurbishment, and reverse logistics· Recycling and recovery of critical materials, metals, polymers, composites, and battery components· Sustainable battery manufacturing and end-of-life battery management· Recycled, renewable, and biobased materials for mobility applications· Additive manufacturing, digital twins, and localized low-carbon production systems· Supply chain decarbonization and industrial symbiosis· Policy, governance, and implementation frameworks for circular mobility transitions· Regional and case-based studies, especially from emerging and resource-constrained economiesSubmissions should provide rigorous, interdisciplinary insights that support sustainable industrial transformation and contribute to SDGs 7, 9, 11, 12, and 13. Topic editors: MILON SELVAM DENNISON, Kaveendran Balasubramaniam, Bhuvanesh Kumar M Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/79067/decarbonizing-mobility-via-circular-manufacturing-green-machining-and-life-cycle-strategies