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ENGI4597: Environmental Engineering 4

Please ensure you check the module availability box for each module outline, as not all modules will run in each academic year. Each module description relates to the year indicated in the module availability box, and this may change from year to year, due to, for example: changing staff expertise, disciplinary developments, the requirements of external bodies and partners, and student feedback. Current modules are subject to change in light of the ongoing disruption caused by Covid-19.

Type Tied
Level 4
Credits 10
Availability Available in 2024/2025
Module Cap None.
Location Durham
Department Engineering

Prerequisites

  • None

Corequisites

  • None

Excluded Combinations of Modules

  • None

Aims

  • This module is designed solely for students studying Department of Engineering degree programmes.
  • This module will give students the knowledge and skills appropriate for a career in environmental engineering, environmental management or further graduate study.

Content

  • Environmental economics.
  • Environmental law and policy.
  • Contaminant transport.
  • Water pollution
  • Wastewater treatment
  • Water treatment
  • Air quality control
  • Geological storage of CO2
  • Environmental impact assessment
  • Uncertainty analysis.

Learning Outcomes

Subject-specific Knowledge:

  • Understand the economic difficulties associated with sustainable development
  • Understand the need to translate ecosystem services like carbon storage and water storage into cost benefit models
  • Understand the strengths and limitations of law and policy with respect to environmental protection
  • Develop simple mathematical models to describe reactive transport of contaminants in the environment
  • Size and design key aspects of wastewater and potable water treatment plants
  • Understand a range of air quality control issues
  • Estimate the CO2 storage capacity of a geological formation
  • Prepare an environmental impact assessment
  • Propagate parametric uncertainty through environmental models.

Subject-specific Skills:

  • Will have acquired intellectual and practical skills in order to apply environmental management principles and methodologies to the solution of familiar and unfamiliar problems.
  • International and local perspective
  • Cultural awareness
  • Commercial awareness
  • Environmental awareness
  • Earth's natural resources
  • Environmental monitoring and management
  • The role of the professional in society.

Key Skills:

  • Prepare, process, interpret and present data using appropriate qualitative and quantitative methods
  • Solve numerical problems using computer or non-computer techniques
  • Critical analysis
  • Research capability
  • Engage with the professional world
  • Practical competency
  • Independent learning
  • Numeracy, IT and information skills
  • Opportunity identification.

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

  • The module content is delivered in lectures and is reinforced by problem sheets, MATLAB programs and worked examples, equipping students with the required problem solving capability.
  • Students are able to make use of staff 'Tutorial Hours' to discuss any aspect of the module with teaching staff on a one-to-one basis. These are sign up sessions available for up to one hour per week per lecture course.
  • A single examination covers all of the lecture material. Written timed examinations are appropriate because of the wide range of analytical, in-depth material covered in this module and allow students to demonstrate the ability to solve environmental engineering problems independently.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

ActivityNumberFrequencyDurationTotalMonitored
Lectures10Typically 1 per week2 hours20 
Tutorial hoursAs requiredWeekly sign-up sessionsUp to 1 Hour10 
Preparation and Reading70 
Total100 

Summative Assessment

Component: Examination Component Weighting: 100%
ElementLength / DurationElement WeightingResit Opportunity
Written Examination2 hours100No

Formative Assessment

N/A

More information

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