Hazardous waste management

Code

CHEE3039

School

Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineeri

Level

3

Credits

10

Semesters

Spring China

Summary

The objective of this module is to provide the scientific and engineering principles of hazardous waste management. The contents include basic concepts and terminology, the properties and behaviour of hazardous waste, current management practices, design of processes and technology systems for treatment and disposal, and risk assessment and remediation technologies.

Target Students

Students registered in the Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering only. Available to JYA/Erasmus students.

Classes

• One 1-hour seminar each week for 12 weeks
• One 2-hour lecture each week for 12 weeks

The module will comprise of a series of lectures, tutorials and student individual and group exercises. Candidates will be required to research and report on a selected topic in Environmental Engineering. They will also be required to give an oral presentation of their findings.

Assessment

• 30% Assignment
• 70% Exam 1 (2-hour): 2 Hours Exam

Assessed by end of spring semester

Educational Aims

Learning Outcomes

    
A2.6.3    Understand the principles of risk assessment and of safety management, and be able to apply techniques for the assessment and abatement of process and product hazards.
 As evidenced by the module group project and assessed during the final exam

A2.6.6    Have knowledge of the local legislative framework and how it is applied to the management of safety, health and environment in practice and in the workplace, from the perspectives of all involved, including operators, designers, contractors, researchers, visitors and the public.
 As evidenced by the module group project and assessed during the final exam

A2.6.8 Have some understanding of the limits of available technology and of the potential of new and emerging technology.
New and emerging technologies for hazardous waste management are discussed in case studies and applied in the coursework. Assessed in the coursework where a treatment process is selected and justified relative to alternatives based on safety, environmental risk, cost-effectiveness, and overall sustainability

A2.7.6 Be able to apply principles of sustainability, economics and ethics to novel and complex situations with conflicting requirements. Demonstrated by the ability to discuss alternative treatment options for different hazardous wastes considering sustainability, costs, and ethics. The students apply their understanding of design and environmental risk to identify the cause of catastrophic failure of waste storage and disposal systems and reflect on best practice and alternative approaches. Assessed in the coursework where a treatment process is selected and justified relative to alternatives based on safety, environmental risk, cost-effectiveness, and overall sustainability.

A3.2.13 Have a broad knowledge and critical awareness of developments at the forefront of chemical engineering 
Demonstrated by the awareness of the range of chemical and physicochemical processes that could be used to treat hazardous waste, understanding the principles of operation of carbon adsorption reactors, modelling adsorption using Freundlich isotherms, using isotherm data to determine carbon use in batch reactors and adsorption breakthrough curves to design adsorption reactors. Assessed as a part of a compulsory in class test that requires the students to perform calculations on adsorption.

A4.1.2    Encourage the application of chemical engineering principles to problems of current and future industrial relevance including sustainable development, progress towards a more circular economy, safety, and environmental issues.
 As evidenced by the module group project and assessed during the final exam

A4.2.4 Be able to take a systems approach to design appreciating: complexity; interaction; integration
 As evidenced by the module group project and assessed during the final exam

A4.2.5 Be able to evaluate the effectiveness of their design, including its immediate and life cycle environmental impacts. 
Demonstrated by the ability to effectively design a treatment solution for a hazardous waste. Assessed in the coursework where a treatment process is selected and justified relative to alternatives based on safety, environmental risk, cost-effectiveness, and overall sustainability.

Conveners

• Yong Sun