Course syllabus for Applied industrial ecology

Course syllabus adopted 2022-02-15 by Head of Programme (or corresponding).

Overview

  • Swedish nameTillämpad industriell ekologi
  • CodeENM021
  • Credits7.5 Credits
  • OwnerMPTSE
  • Education cycleSecond-cycle
  • Main field of studyEnergy and Environmental Systems and Technology, Mechanical Engineering, Civil and Environmental Engineering
  • DepartmentSPACE, EARTH AND ENVIRONMENT
  • GradingTH - Pass with distinction (5), Pass with credit (4), Pass (3), Fail

Course round 1

  • Teaching language English
  • Application code 28111
  • Block schedule
  • Open for exchange studentsYes

Credit distribution

0107 Project 4.5 c
Grading: UG		 4.5 c
0207 Examination 3 c
Grading: TH		 3 c
  • 29 Maj 2023 pm J
  • 07 Okt 2022 am J
  • 15 Aug 2023 pm J

In programmes

Examiner

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Eligibility

General entry requirements for Master's level (second cycle)
Applicants enrolled in a programme at Chalmers where the course is included in the study programme are exempted from fulfilling the requirements above.

Specific entry requirements

English 6 (or by other approved means with the equivalent proficiency level)
Applicants enrolled in a programme at Chalmers where the course is included in the study programme are exempted from fulfilling the requirements above.

Course specific prerequisites

The courses FFR160 Sustainable development and FFR166 Science of environmental change or equivalent. It is recommended but not necessary to have taken the course VMI010 Environmental systems analysis.

Aim

The aim of the course is that students should gain knowledge and skills about some analytical tools and methods applied in Industrial Ecology to support them to assess critical aspects of sustainability, focus on environmental impacts and resource constraints, and to suggest measures towards sustainable development. The focus is on technical systems and life cycles of resources and products.

Learning outcomes (after completion of the course the student should be able to)

  • describe the field of industrial ecology, including its history and current use; 
  • explain, identify, and assess critical aspects of the sustainability of materials and technologies;  
  • describe the industrial metabolism for a set of materials from a sustainability perspective; 
  • make and use simple models of materials and technologies to assess and deal with complex phenomena, issues and situations even with limited information; 
  • describe and explain the characteristics (e.g. purpose, intended users, system boundaries, dimensions) of different approaches to sustainability assessment in industrial ecology including their strengths and limitations;  
  • be able to use material flow analysis (MFA) and technology assessment (TA) along with sustainability indicators and scenario analysis to conduct sustainability assessments, including ethical implications; 
  • explain how methodological choices and assumptions influence sustainability assessments in industrial ecology, including MFAs and TAs;  
  • clearly and unambiguously present (orally) conclusions, and the knowledge and rationale underpinning these. 

Content

The course includes:

  • the field of Industrial Ecology;
  • a set of analytical tools and methods applied in Industrial Ecology that apply a systems perspective to analyse and suggest measures for societal and industrial activities and their impact on nature: material flow analysis, indicators, technology assessment, and scenarios;
  • ethics analysis;
  • the results from the project about the industrial metabolism of a set of materials from a sustainability perspective;
  • the results of the project about the technology assessments of a set of technologies (products) from a sustainability perspective.

Organisation

The course includes: lectures, workshops, projects, and a written examination. The projects are performed in groups and presented orally.

Literature

Literature will be available at the web page of the course during the course.

Examination including compulsory elements

The requirements for passed course are:

  • passed workshops and projects (4.5 hec);
  • passed written examination (3 hec).

The course examiner may assess individual students in other ways than what is stated above if there are special reasons for doing so, for example if a student has a decision from Chalmers on educational support due to disability.