Course Overview

One of the greatest challenges modern societies face is finding ways to increase economic growth while minimizing resource consumption and environmental degradation. The highly inefficient use of natural resources, from their extraction to final disposal, is already damaging the planet because most of the extracted resources end up as waste. This class will introduce the main aspects concerning integrated waste management including current waste treatment technologies, strategies, policies and modeling of waste management systems.

Learning Achievement

One of the greatest challenges modern societies face is finding ways to increase economic growth while minimizing resource consumption and environmental degradation. The highly inefficient use of natural resources, from their extraction to final disposal, is already damaging the planet because most of the extracted resources end up as waste. This class will introduce the main aspects concerning integrated waste management including current waste treatment technologies, strategies, policies and modeling of waste management systems.

Competence

Course prerequisites

Grading Philosophy

The evaluation will be based on the weekly reports and final report performance.

Course schedule

Introduction to integrated waste management: the combination of regulations, technologies and policy systems to achieve specific waste management objectives.
Municipal solid waste generation: influencing factors, waste characteristics
The importance of waste characterization: environmental awareness, economic potential, strategies development.
Types of waste sampling: simple random, systematic, stratified, clu
Factors affecting waste collection design and costs: fixed and variable
Types of waste collection: kerbside and bring systems
Material Recovery Facilities: single stream, dual stream
Waste treatment: material recycling
Containers and Packaging Recycling Law
Types of plastic recycling: mechanical, feedstock, energy recovery
Home Appliances Recycling Law: TV, air conditioner, refrigerator, washing machine
End of Life Vehicles Recycling
Waste treatment: thermal and organic recovery
thermal: incineration, refuse derived fuel
organic: composting and biogasification
final disposal: landfilling
Integrated waste management systems: Brief introduction to Life Cycle Assessment: goal and scope definition, inventory analysis, impact assessment
Life Cycle Costs: Calculation of all the costs incurred during the life cycle of the waste management serv
Collection costs: direct management by local governments versus consignment. Collection costs for combustibles, recyclables and final disposal wastes. Examples
Treatment costs: capital and operation costs for incineration, biogasification, composting, recyclables and final disposal
Exercises on the application of life cycle costs to different waste management strategies: from direct landfill, to recycling of inorganic and organic wastes, energy recovery options and integrated systems.
Final Report

Course type

Lectures

Online Course Requirement

Instructor

Yabar Helmut Friedrich

Other information

Site for Inquiry

Link to the syllabus provided by the university