Overall, the complexity of design and process algorithms will dictate the connections (or the lack thereof) among specific QSD inputs and the system inventory, the latter of which directly influences system sustainability and the types of insight that can be generated. Consequently, the objectives of a QSD study can also inform the selection of algorithms. For example, when the objective is to evaluate a technology's site-suitability (e.g., sanitation-based resource recovery systems; natural gas production; 93 bioenergy with carbon capture and storage, BECCS ), it will be essential to use a model which incorporates geo-spatial data and corresponding contextual parameters, but complex algorithms with many technological parameters may not be necessary. Alternatively, when the objective is to identify and elucidate the sustainability drivers for research prioritization (e.g., electrode specific capacitance and contact resistance in capacitive deionization technologies; 95 CO2 capture ratio in BECCS technologies ), mechanistic algorithms can provide more pertinent insight. ) and data availability. The example system centers on the biological conversion of a substrate (S) to a product (P). For technologies with a higher TRL/MRL and more robust experimental data sets, algorithms that are more mechanism-driven can be developed to more explicitly represent underlying interactions within the system and elucidate hidden connections between QSD inputs and system sustainability. However, the availability of data should not dictate the choice of algorithms, as mechanism-driven models, which often have higher levels of complexity, can also require more computational resources and may introduce additional sources of uncertainty that are not relevant to the objectives of a QSD study. The illustration of algorithm complexity, system interactions, and computational intensity (bottom of the figure) for each type of the algorithms are solely for comparative purposes. In practical applications, they depend on multiple factors (e.g., the actual mechanisms) and could deviate from the typical ranges shown here.