Undergraduate Course: Environmental Issues in Chemical Engineering 3 (CHEE09012)
Course Outline
| School | School of Engineering |
College | College of Science and Engineering |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 9 (Year 3 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 10 |
ECTS Credits | 5 |
| Summary | In this course, students cover contemporary environmental concerns as they impinge on the practising engineer, the legal and regulatory background to engineering activity and the procedures to be followed in seeking a license from the environmental protection agencies for the operation of processes involving prescribed substances. Generation, propagation and the fate of pollutants discharged to the air, to water and to the ground are discussed along with means of mitigating emissions by elimination, substitution and pre-discharge treatment. |
| Course description |
The course covers the following:
- the national (UK and EU) and international environmental legislative framework
- the importance of public perception and of basic science in informing regulations and engineering practice, and the interplay between all these.
- basic scientific mechanisms and facts that underpin some of the major environmental issues of our age, as well as what impact if any the process industries may have on these issues and how this impact can be addressed. A point is made that public perception may or may not be based on science and facts, and how important it is for the engineer to be mindful of it in his or her practice.
- deducing from existing regulations, environmental standards, Best Available Techniques and local state of the environment the required operating performance of chemical plant
- selecting plant and processes in the light of targets limiting the emissions of acid and greenhouse gases
- estimating dispersal of gaseous emissions in vents and plumes
- Interpreting terms used in the regulation of aqueous emissions, translating these into limits on discharge rates. Calculate the effect of BOD discharge into waterways and select waste disposal treatments appropriate to effluents and body of water where the discharge is taking place
- performing basic material balances around biological treatment plants of waste water effluents, as would be required in any permit application; and preliminary selection and sizing of water treatment plants.
- appreciating the hazards of landfill disposal and know the basic requirements for safe landfill design and management
- selecting waste minimisation and recycling strategies as alternatives to, or mitigation of, discharge, dumping and incineration of waste.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
| Not being delivered |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Describe the national and international environmental legislative framework, and understand how regulations, standards, BATs and the local state of the environment together determine the required operating performance of a chemical plant; know how to select unit operations and processes that comply with these requirements, e.g. for preventing and controlling acid gas and greenhouse gas emissions, or for water treatment.
- Understand the basic scientific mechanisms and facts that underpin some of the major environmental issues of our age, as well as what impact if any the process industries may have on these issues and how this impact can be addressed. Appreciate how public perception may or may not be based on science and facts, and the importance of minding it.
- Appreciate the importance of sound ethical values when dealing with environmental issues in the practice of process engineering.
- Perform basic material balances around chemical plants, as well as estimates of dispersal and impact of pollutants in air and in water, including the evaluation of toxic dosages and the effect of BOD discharges. Use these techniques to specify preliminary design parameters of chemical plants that ensure compliance with regulations or environmental standards.
- Select waste minimisation and recycling strategies as alternatives to, or mitigation of, discharge, dumping and incineration of waste, and appreciate the hazards of landfill disposal and know the basic requirements for safe landfill design and management.
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Not entered |
| Keywords | Chemical Engineering |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Dimitri Mignard
Tel:
Email: D.Mignard@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Mrs Lynn Hughieson
Tel: (0131 6)50 5687
Email: Lynn.Hughieson@ed.ac.uk |
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