Course syllabus for Products and processes in a sustainable society

The course syllabus contains changes
See changes

Course syllabus adopted 2019-02-19 by Head of Programme (or corresponding).

Overview

  • Swedish nameProdukter och processer i ett hållbart samhälle
  • CodeKBT201
  • Credits7.5 Credits
  • OwnerTKKMT
  • Education cycleFirst-cycle
  • Main field of studyEnergy and Environmental Systems and Technology
  • ThemeEnvironment 7.5 c
  • DepartmentCHEMISTRY AND CHEMICAL ENGINEERING
  • GradingTH - Pass with distinction (5), Pass with credit (4), Pass (3), Fail

Course round 1

  • Teaching language Swedish
  • Application code 53130
  • Maximum participants60
  • Block schedule
  • Open for exchange studentsNo
  • Only students with the course round in the programme overview.

Credit distribution

0116 Project 3 c
Grading: UG		 3 c
0216 Examination 4.5 c
Grading: TH		 4.5 c
  • 17 Mar 2021 am J
  • 10 Jun 2021 pm J
  • 24 Aug 2021 pm J

In programmes

Examiner

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Eligibility

General entry requirements for bachelor's level (first 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

The same as for the programme that owns the course.
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

Chemistry, chemical engineering and environmental inorganic chemistry.

Aim

The aim of the course is to provide tools for dealing with the chain function - product - process from a sustainable perspective and has a focus on the design of engineering solutions, guided by economic, social and environmental considerations. The starting point of the course is the chemical substances that are present in products and their respective production chains; the spread of these substances and the effect they have on the surrounding environment during the life cycle of the products they constitute.

Fundamental principles of "Green Chemistry" and "Green Engineering" for modelling and optimizing processes, life cycle analysis and environmental risk analysis compose important elements of the course. An important part is producing relevant process data for life cycle evaluation, which unites all the components of the course.

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

On completion of this course, the student should be able to:

  1. Understand the principles behind Green Chemistry and Green Engineering and be able to apply them in the development of a process. The student should be able to use these principles as the basis for evaluating product alternatives and methods of synthesis and process design.
  2. Critically examine and evaluate processes with respect to the functionality of the product, sustainability aspects of both the product and the process and influence on the environment. 
  3. Use methods of calculating process efficiency (material, energy) as well as be able to use methods for economic evaluation. This involves the ability to use programmes for estimating process data.
  4. Give an account for different biorefinery concept and how these differs with regards to raw material, process and product; furthermore the student should be able to discuss how these differences affects separate sustainability aspects.
  5. Perform a simple life cycle assessment (LCA) including allocation.
  6. Choose suitable energy conversion chains for calculations of energy flows in LCA-studies.
  7. Give a general account for the main economic instruments that are used to affect industry's choice of energy sources and process steps.

Content

There has been a shift in recent years in the main focus of environmental problems. Previously, discussions concentrated mainly on emissions related to production processes, especially in the chemical industry, whereas a life cycle perspective is used nowadays. Although global concerns, such as climate changes, often take a central position, regional and local issues are nevertheless of great importance. The field of chemistry has tackled environmental problems in different ways. One is the use of Green Chemistry, which employs methods of minimizing both the consumption of raw materials and the formation of toxic by-products, and embraces principles of synthesis as well as technical solutions. The course focuses on the way in which chemical products and processes affect the environment from a life cycle perspective.

Syllabus:

  • Raw materials: Renewable vs. non-renewable
  • Fundamental principles of Green Chemistry and Green Engineering
  • Basic knowledge of how chemicals affect the environment and environmental risk analysis
  • Choice of product/functionality/sustainability aspects
  • Evaluation of different synthesis methods
  • Process efficiency (materials, energy and finances) and its effect on the environment
  • Process calculation programmes for estimating process data
  • Basic life cycle analysis and simple applications, with some in-depth study in the field of energy.

Organisation

Lectures, exercises and a project/assignment.

Literature

Product & Process Design Principles: Synthesis, Analysis & Evaluation, 3rd Ed., International Student Edition, W. D. Seider, J.D. Seader, D. R. Lewin & S. Widagdo, Wiley, 2009

Livscykelanalys - en metod för miljöbedömning av produkter och tjänster, C.J. Rydh, M. Lindahl & J. Tingström, Studentlitteratur, 2002

Introductory Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics (2nd Edition), J.R. Elliott & C. T. Lira, Prentice-Hall, 2012

Supplementary material

Examination including compulsory elements

A written examination and a compulsory assignment/project.

The course syllabus contains changes

  • Changes to course rounds:
    • 2020-09-25: Examinator Examinator changed from Tuve Mattsson (k01matu) to Per-Anders Carlsson (perc) by Viceprefekt
      [Course round 1]