Sustainable process integration

This unit focuses on strategies for enhanced industrial ecology to drive sustainable resource use and minimise waste in process industries. Topics include heat integration, water integration and recycling of process streams to improve resource efficiency, reduce waste, and mitigate ecological impacts. You will examine waste generation and minimisation in reactors and separation processes, pollution mechanisms and effects, emissions management, and the roles of regulatory and economic drivers in cleaner production. These themes will be developed in lectures and be supported by student project work on selected industrial processes, applying ecological principles to sustainable process design.

Problem-based learning - The main learning approach is problem-based learning which requires you to be involved with the project and proactive learners. Learning in the unit is mainly through solving problem sheets and then extending this in open-ended mini design assignments which are undertaken as group projects. Often there is an optimisation approach to the problem where there are no right or wrong answers, and this often throws up interesting compromises that professional engineers encounter in their work.

Active learning - You are required to watch the pre-recorded videos for self-learning. Afterwards, you will be joining the weekly Zoom Q&A sessions to discuss with the unit coordinators and demonstrators.

The minimum total expected workload to achieve the learning outcomes for this unit is 144 hours per semester typically comprising a mixture of 3-6 hours of scheduled learning activities and 6-9 hours of independent study per week. Scheduled activities may include a combination of teacher-directed learning, peer-directed learning and online engagement. Independent study may include associated readings, assessment and preparation for scheduled activities.