Low-carbon technology

In this unit, you’ll explore sustainable engineering practices and greener alternatives designed to minimise greenhouse gas emissions. The focus is on low-impact technologies that support the decarbonisation of carbon-heavy sectors like manufacturing, heavy industry, transport, construction, agriculture, and waste management. You’ll examine a range of low-carbon solutions - from advanced materials and additive manufacturing to green manufacturing methods and smart digital tools - and learn how to choose the right option for different applications. Key principles like green chemistry, bioconversion, and circular design will give you a solid foundation for understanding how low-carbon technologies work in practice. You’ll also build skills to reduce energy waste and transform traditional industrial processes into cleaner, low-carbon systems. The unit wraps up with an introduction to carbon capture and storage as a technique that complements the use of low-carbon technologies.

Problem-based learning - This unit includes problem-based learning approaches, where students engage in research, integrate theory and practice and apply knowledge and skills to develop viable solutions in response to a problem or set of problems.

Active learning - This unit engages students in actively applying their knowledge, skills and attributes in interactive, collaborative and reflective activities.

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.