SYLLABUS

 

CE 491D/598B – Industrial Ecology and Sustainable Engineering

 

Fall Semester, 2006

 

 

General Information

Time and location:

4:00-5:15 pm MW in Dane Smith Hall, Room 233

 

 

Instructor:

Dr. Kerry J. Howe, P.E.

 

Office:  112 Tapy

 

Office phone:  277-2702

 

Home phone:  821-9787

 

Email address:  howe@unm.edu

 

Office hours:  I am in my office or the environmental engineering laboratory down the hall frequently.  Stop by anytime my door is open, or call or email to make an appointment.  If my door is closed, I’m gone or busy.

 

 

Textbook:

Pollution Prevention:  Fundamentals and Practice

by Paul L. Bishop

 

 

Course Objectives

This course is an introduction to industrial ecology, sustainable engineering, and the principles of pollution prevention.  Industrial ecology is a new conceptual framework for understanding the interactions between industrial processes and the environment.  This new framework serves to identify and then implement strategies to reduce the environmental impacts of products and processes associated with industrial systems, with an ultimate goal of sustainable development.  In addition, this course will emphasize skills expected of all engineering students:  critical thinking skills, problems solving skills, and technical writing skills.

 

The topics covered are:

1.   Introduction:  what is industrial ecology and pollution prevention?

2.   Properties and fates of environmental contaminants

3.   Industrial activity and the environment

4.   Strategies for improving manufacturing operations

5.   Life-cycle assessment

6.   Pollution prevention planning and economics

7.   Design for the environment: green chemistry

8.   Design for the environment: disassembly

9.   Pinch analysis

10. Fugitive emissions

 

Upon completion of this course, you should understand the complexity of interactions between industrial processes and the environment and be able to apply quantitative strategies and techniques for evaluating the environmental impact of a product or process.

 

 

Grading

Homework/class participation

25%

 

Semester project

35%

 

Midterm #1

10%

 

Midterm #2

10%

 

Final exam

20%

(Monday, December 11, 5:30 – 7:30 pm)

 

 

Course Website

Course materials, including the syllabus, handouts, and supplementary material will be posted on a course website.  You can access the website by going to the URL https://vista.unm.edu/ and entering your UNM Net ID and password.

 

 

Academic Integrity

The University expects all students to maintain the highest level of integrity.  Cheating or plagiarism will not be tolerated.  University policies regarding academic integrity are available in the UNM Student Handbook (Pathfinder) and online at http://www.unm.edu/~sac/policies.html.

 

 

Homework Policy

The homework is intended to help you learn the material.  All students should make an effort to solve every problem on their own and should not work together in groups, splitting the homework problems between the students.  If you have put forth a sincere effort but cannot solve a problem on your own, it is acceptable for another student to teach you how to solve the problem, but it is not acceptable for you to just use another student’s paper as a guide.

 

All homework must be done in pencil using the standard format for the Civil Engineering department.  A spreadsheet should be used where appropriate.  When a spreadsheet is used, the homework assignment must include the spreadsheet input and output, and must include a section or separate sheet showing the equation for each column or row in the spreadsheet.  All graphs drawn by hand must be done with a straight edge on graph paper and be properly scaled and labeled.  A word processor should be used for all writing assignments.  All homework must be neat and legible or it will not be graded.

 

Homework must be turned in on time, with no exceptions.  No credit will be given for any homework once a solution has been distributed or discussed in class.

 

 

Semester project

A significant component of the grade for this class is completion of a semester project.  The project will consist of evaluation of a product or process, or comparison of 2 products, using the techniques learned in the class.  The project will have several deliverables over the course of the semester (submission of topic, outline with list of references and data sources, final report).  The project will include both a oral presentation and a written report.  Students may work individually or in groups of two.  Additional details about the expectations for the semester project will be provided later in the semester.

 

 

FIELD TRIP

We hope to take a field trip to a local industrial facility about midway through the semester.  The purpose of this trip will be to identify sources of emissions and environmental impacts, and examine possibilities for pollution prevention measures within the context of a single industrial application.  The location and time will be arranged after the semester begins.

 

 

Exam policy

The exams will be closed book and closed notes.  Five minutes before the end of an exam, the time remaining will be announced.  You should be prepared to submit your exam paper at the end of that time.  At the end of the exam period, the instructor or proctor will leave the room with all submitted exam material.  No exam material of any kind will be accepted by the instructor or proctor after leaving the exam room.  Medical illness or other exceptional circumstances will be the only excuse for missing an exam, and you will be expected to provide definitive evidence of the circumstances or illness.  You must inform the instructor in advance if you must miss an exam, unless there are compelling reasons why you cannot do so.  If you miss an exam for a medical reason or other exceptional circumstance, either a make-up exam will be given or the other exams will be weighted heavier, at the instructor’s discretion.  If you miss an exam for other reasons, you will be assigned a grade of zero.