ETE-25306 Basics of Urban Environmental Technology

Course

Credits 6.00

Language of instruction:

English

Assumed knowledge on:

ETE-22806 Principles of Urban Environmental Management

Continuation courses:

ETE-34306 Energy, Water and Waste Cycles in the Built Environment

Contents:

This course starts by introducing the qualitative and quantitative aspects of the flows of resources (energy, water, materials) in an urban system, emphasising their origin, transport, use, and return to the environment. Students learn to use tools like material flow analysis and mass balances for the analysis and redesign of urban flows.
The course then focuses on various technologies that have been developed to address the environmental sustainability of urban ecosystems.
The course combines lectures with tutorials, field visits and an individual assignment. In the lectures, the basic principles and sustainability features of different environmental technologies are introduced. Students are provided with material for independent study to help them understand and apply basic knowledge of physical, chemical and biological processes that is relevant to the understanding of urban environmental technologies. They will be guided through the material through question and answer sessions. The field visits allow students to experience various environmental technologies working in practice. In the individual assignment, the student will perform a technological assessment of potential solutions to a specific urban environmental problem through basic calculations of urban flows and their transformations, and a discussion of the results in consideration of sustainability targets.

Learning outcomes:

At the end of the course students will:
- recognize basic terminology and be able to perform basic calculations regarding the physical, chemical and biological processes relevant to the understanding of urban environmental technologies;
- understand the qualitative and quantitative aspects of resource flows (i.e. energy, water, materials) in an urban system;
- recognize and understand the operating principles, performance and sustainability implications of various environmental technologies available for the treatment and/or recovery of energy, water and materials in the urban environment.

Activities:

- Lectures: Quality and quantity of urban environmental flows, urban environmental technologies for water, waste and energy.
- Assignment: Individually, the student will perform a technological assessment of potential solutions to a specific urban environmental problem through basic calculations of urban flows and their transformations considering different technologies and the trade-offs in their sustainability outcome. Case studies will be related to the country of origin of the student considering different urban typologies and scales.
- Tutorial: In the tutorial students actively study, practise and apply basic knowledge of physical, chemical and biological processes relevant to the understanding of urban environmental technologies. The study material provided partly deals with specific problems and their solutions. Additional material will give the student the possibility to apply the skills being developed. The teacher will be available to guide students when needed through question and answer sessions.
- 3 Study visits: Municipal solid waste management facility, wastewater treatment plant, energy facility.

Examination:

Written examination (60%), tutorials (20%) and individual assignment (20%); it is not possible to pass without a passing mark for each of the elements.

Literature:

Course reader and tutorial material.