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DRPS : Course Catalogue : School of Geosciences : Postgraduate Courses (School of GeoSciences)

Postgraduate Course: Waste Reduction and Recycling (PGGE11012)

Course Outline
SchoolSchool of Geosciences CollegeCollege of Science and Engineering
Credit level (Normal year taken)SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) AvailabilityAvailable to all students
SCQF Credits20 ECTS Credits10
SummaryWaste policy has altered drastically over the last couple of years and as such this is very much a growing field of excellence. The course will explore this new policy framework, current operational practices, energy efficiency and economics of technologies for industrial, commercial and urban waste minimisation. Management practices such as incineration, composting and anaerobic digestion, mechanical biological treatment and re-use options such as charities will be discussed in terms of appropriateness in relation to location, economics and policy related principles and drivers such as the Waste Hierarchy. Lecture material and tutorials will be supported by verbal communication of self-study findings together with industrial visits to observe waste treatment practices on-site.
Course description EXAMPLE TIMETABLE
Wk Topics
1 Course description, assessments, course essays and poster.
Waste Overview. History of waste. Silent Spring, blueprint for survival, limits to growth.
Our common future, Montreal protocol. Rio Summit, Kyoto, S Africa, Montreal 2005.
Waste strategy areas, waste hierarchy, waste philosophy, producer responsibility, targets for LAs,
economic instruments to minimise waste, Scotland's zero waste policy.
Handout of waste legislation to date.
Breakout sessions on various waste issues.
Falkirk City Council waste strategy. Talk and discussion.


2 Visit to Baldovie Incinerator, Dundee, and Visit to Composting/AD plant (Cumbernauld)*
3 Waste collection. Integrated waste treatment. Household waste & Commercial waste.
Analysis of domestic waste. Assessment of valuable components.
Description of systems. Alternative systems. The Iona/London test.
Waste separation to aid recovery of materials. Also to minimise landfill.
Strategies depending on treatment process. Dirty MRFs. Clean MRFs.
Separation techniques and plant. Use of incineration, pyrolysis, gasification, anaerobic
digestion, composting to recoup some value from low value wastes.
4 Treatment of wastes: 1) Composting and MBT
Green waste composting. Composting of meat excluded and meat included catering wastes.
Composting plants and processes. Home composting versus central composting. PAS 100
compost standards.
Treatment of wastes 2) Reprocessing of recyclates
MBT systems. Low quality composts. MBT as short term or long term waste treatment system.
Materials suitable for recovery. Relative tonnages for Scotland or UK. Location of processors.
Potential recovery percentages. Realistic recovery. Examples of recovery - Plastics, glass,
Newspaper, aggregate. Carbon footprint of recycling.
5 Treatment of wastes 3) Incineration 1
Incineration 2
6 Assessment 1- Assessment under exam conditions- half of course- 14-15:00 hrs
Anaerobic Digestion
Municipal waste treatment systems in other countries
7 Minimising waste by design. Recycling in nature. Waste minimisation in companies.
Cradle to grave/cradle life cycle analysis. LCA of treatment and recycling systems. Waste Audits to
conform to EMS/ISO14 001. The "China syndrome" or how global economics conflict with
environmental best practice. Re-fillable bottles, reusable trays in supermarkets,
bulk packaging, use of compostable packaging to reduce need for wasteful recycling.
Dealing with hazardous wastes.
Waste treatment group exercises.
Students are given a series of scenarios and have to provide solutions to deal with waste.
8 Visit to Baldovie Incinerator, Dundee; Visit to Composting/AD plant (Cumbernauld)
9 Financial aspects of waste collection, treatment and reprocessing
Capital costs and operating costs of treatment plant. Comparison of alternative treatment
systems. Systems must be financially as well as environmentally sustainable. Price signals to
private companies.
Commercial waste sector and commercial waste.
Structure of commercial waste industry. How commercial companies, compared to LAs, view waste.
Involvement of commercial companies with LAs.
Tutorial to summarise the course
This will include questions from JC, DR, and BP parts of course to ensure students have a
grasp of the main issues in what is a complex subject.
Assessment 3 -Submit project report and poster summary via E-mail (jennifer.carfrae@sac.ac.uk)
before 14:00 hrs Monday 14 March
10 Assessment 2- Assessment under exam conditions- second half of course- 14-15:00 hrs
Job opportunities for environmental students. Kate Fitzpatrick, Jacobs Consultancy Company / SAC
Programme, followed by discussion of course components and structure.
11 Student Poster Presentation display
Students will look at posters, and peer mark them for award of prize for best three. This will be
followed by a glass of wine, filling in of course feedback sheets and chat.
* = Class is split in half for visits, with second visit on 28 February
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations Other requirements None
Information for Visiting Students
Pre-requisitesNone
Course Delivery Information
Academic year 2014/15, Available to all students (SV1) Quota:  34
Course Start Semester 2
Timetable Timetable
Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) Total Hours: 200 ( Lecture Hours 33, Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4, Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours 163 )
Assessment (Further Info) Written Exam 0 %, Coursework 100 %, Practical Exam 0 %
Additional Information (Assessment) 2 IN-CLASS CLOSED BOOK ASSESSMENTS - SHORT ANSWER AND MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS 50% (25% EACH)
1 REPORT ON CURRENT WASTE MANAGEMENT ISSUE 40%
POSTER PRESENTATION 10%
Feedback Not entered
No Exam Information
Learning Outcomes
1. Gain understanding of engineering concepts and principles behind a number of waste treatment practices and the integration of these in industrial practices.
2. The building of student's knowledge and understanding of waste reduction, recycling, industrial incineration and recovery by means of lectures, site visits and project work.
3. Develop report writing and presentation skills through individual research activity and evaluation of literature.
4. Develop critical thinking and the ability to evaluate the feasibility of waste management options.
Reading List
Key reading items:
Hansen J A (1996). Management of urban biodegradable wastes. Pub James & James (Science Publishers), Ltd, London. ISBN 1-873936 58 8 (SAC Craibstone Library).
Manser A G R, Keeling A A (1996). Practical handbook of processing and recycling on municipal waste. Pub CRC Lewis London, ISBN 1-56670-164.3 £61.00 (SAC Craibstone Library).
O'Riordan, T, (2000) Environmental Science for Environmental Management. Prentice Hall. ISBN 0582 356334. Chapter 18. (Restricted to library)
Middleton, N, 2003. The Global Casino: An introduction to environmental issues. Arnold. ISBN 0340 809493 (Restricted to library)
SEPA (1999). National Waste Strategy for Scotland. December 1999. (Free) (Restricted to library)
SEPA (2003). National waste plan
Williams, P T, (1998). Waste Treatment and Disposal. John Wiley & Sons. Chichester. ISBN. 0-471-98166-4 (Restricted to library). SAC Edinburgh Library
Williams, P T, (2005). Waste Treatment and Disposal. Second Edition. John Wiley & Sons. Chichester. (Restricted to library)
Additional Information
Course URL http://www.drps.ed.ac.uk/05-06/course.php?code=P00693
Graduate Attributes and Skills Not entered
KeywordsWaste Reduction - Capital Costs, Collection and Separation of Waste, Incineration, Life Cycle Analys
Contacts
Course organiserDr Jennifer Carfrae
Tel: 0131 535 4060
Email: jennifer.carfrae@sac.ac.uk
Course secretaryMrs Elspeth Martin
Tel: 0131 535 4198
Email: Elspeth.Martin@sruc.ac.uk
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