Course syllabus for Perspectives on chemical engineering

• describe chemical and chemical engineering industry and its specific preconditions and challenges, including social, economic and environmental aspects
• use mass balances to estimate the size of mass flows in different flow and reaction systems
• describe what is meant by life cycle perspective, biorefineries and industrial symbiosis, including the ideas behind these concepts and the challenges that come with them, including social, economic and environmental aspects
• describe the challenges involved in changing chemical and chemical engineering industry, including social, economic and environmental aspects
• describe the challenges involved in changing your own or other people's behaviour
• perform a simple sustainability evaluation of a change in chemical or chemical engineering industry
• discuss appropriate presentation technology for different contexts

• Introduction to chemical engineering. What is chemical engineering? What are the common unit operations and how do they function? What industry is dependent on chemiucal engineering in Sweden and in the world and what are the specific preconditions and challenges for this industry?
• Sustainable development as a context to chemical industry. What do we mean by sustainable development? How does industry work with sustainable development? How can we assess if a change leads to something more sustainable?
• Relevant concepts. What is a biorefinery and what ideas and goals lie behind this concept? What is industrial symbiosis and what ideas and goals lie behind this concept? What is a life cycle perspective and what ideas and goals lie behind this concept?
• The mass balance tool. What basic principles for mass flows is it built on? Why and in which situations are mass balances used? How do you perform simple mass balances in different contexts?
• Group project on chemical engineering. In the project, there is a focus on a assessment of what a sustainability transition in industry would imply in terms of consequences for economy, environment, health and society and the obstacles that may exist for realizing such change and how they can be overcome. A simple sustainability evaluation is done (with a starting point in an environmental impact assessment). Includes report writing, peer review of the report of another group and oral presentation. Students get to reflect on their presentation technique.
• Individual project on the role of the consumer/citizen. In the project, the focus is on identifying needs of change in everyday activities and investigating the consequences and challenges involved in a practical change in the own life during one week, e.g. related to diet, energy use, water use, purchases, transports. After this activity has been carried out, a short report is handed in and used in a seminar in which students discuss and compare their experiences.

Lectures, individual assignments, exercises and projects

Different texts, e.g. dedicated texts, reports and papers

• Individual assignments for relevant concepts (life cycle perspective, biorefineries, industrial symbiosis), mass balances and presentation technique
• Project on chemical engineering is examined by participation in the project, critical review and approved performance in oral presentation and written report
• The individual project is examined by e.g. carrying out of the project, handing in of the report and participation in the seminar
• Written examination