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2019/2020

Waste Management

Code: 42408 ECTS Credits: 6
Degree Type Year Semester
4313784 Interdisciplinary Studies in Environmental, Economic and Social Sustainability OT 0 1

Contact

Name:
Teresa Gea Leiva
Email:
Teresa.Gea@uab.cat

Use of Languages

Principal working language:
english (eng)

Teachers

Cristina Sendra Sala

Prerequisites

  No specific knowledge required.

Objectives and Contextualisation

Provide the knowledge needed to manage waste as a resource, energy saving and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions (GHG).

Competences

  • Analyse, summarise, organise and plan projects related to the environmental improvement of product, processes and services.
  • Communicate and justify conclusions clearly and unambiguously to both specialised and non-specialised audiences.
  • Solve problems in new or little-known situations within broader (or multidisciplinary) contexts related to the field of study.
  • Work in an international, multidisciplinary context.

Learning Outcomes

  1. Choose and propose the most sustainable waste management system under current legislation and the objectives of international policies.
  2. Communicate and justify conclusions clearly and unambiguously to both specialised and non-specialised audiences.
  3. Estimate greenhouse gas emissions attributable to waste.
  4. Estimate the main environmental impacts of waste management systems, whether urban, industrial or agricultural.
  5. Quantify the chances of reducing environmental impacts and GHG on the basis of new technologies, methodologies and waste management systems.
  6. Solve problems in new or little-known situations within broader (or multidisciplinary) contexts related to the field of study.
  7. Work in an international, multidisciplinary context.

Content

Block 1 Unit operations for the use of waste as raw materials and emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG).
• Reduction. Collection. Transport. Compaction. Valoration. Sorting.
• Recyclable materials: plastic, glass, paper and cardboard, cans, batteries and accumulators.          Organic matter. Other recyclable materials.
• Recycling plants. Eco-parks and Recovery areas.
• Landfills and estimation of their emissions.

 

Block 2 Indicators.
• GHG quantification methodologies for the waste sector (IPCC, LCA ...)
• Waste classification. Definition of a management plan.
• Emissions generated and/or reduced due to waste management that affects other sectors: transport, industry, energy. CO2 credits
• Saving energy and material recycling and recovery of materials and energy.
• Software modeling and measurement: LCA study,  CO2 equivalent calculator, Landgem ....

 

Block 3 Sustainable management of urban, agricultural and industrial waste

• Applying Industrial Ecology tools (industrial symbiosis, flows exchanging, MFA, LCA Exegetic Analysis, Ecodesign, carbon footprint, ....) for designing innovative and sustainable system for waste management.

Methodology

Lectures/oral expositions

Classroom practices

Seminars

Preparation of reports

Autonomous activity

Reading reports/papers of interest

Activities

Title Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Type: Directed      
Lectures 36 1.44
Type: Supervised      
Seminars/Oral Expositions 15 0.6
Visit to industrial plants 10 0.4
Type: Autonomous      
Preparation of reports 25 1
Reading of reports/papers 20 0.8
Self-study 30 1.2

Assessment

This module will be evaluated continuously.

50% of the grade will be obtained by answering questionnaires and solving other evaluable activities throughout class hours.

The remaining 50% will be obtained through group work and oral presentation in class.

Assessment Activities

Title Weighting Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Delivered reports and oral presentations 50 % 8 0.32 1, 4, 6, 2, 7
Questionnaires, problem solving, and other evaluable tests 50 % 6 0.24 1, 4, 3, 5, 6

Bibliography

  • Materiales del campus virtual de la UAB. (intranet UAB, campus virtual)
  • Handbook Zero Waste, ZERO WASTE PROJECT (1G-MED08-533). http://icta.uab.cat/ecotech/zero_waste/Handbook/Final_Handbook.pdf
  • MECOSIND. (intranet UAB, campus virtual)
  • Cara Brower; Rachel Mallory; Zachary Ohlman. 2005. Experimental Eco>Design. Suiza. Editorial Rotovision. ISBN 2-88046-817
  • Han Brezet, Carolien Van Hemel.  1997. Ecodesign. A promising approach to sustainable production and consumption. United Nations Publications, Paris Henrik Wenzel; Michael Hauschild; Leo Alting.1997. Environmental Assessment of Products (vol.1). Methodology, tools and case studies in product development. Chapman & Hall
  • Bilitewski, B., Härdtle, G., Marek, K., Weissbach, A., Boeddicker, H. Waste management. 1997. Springer (Germany).
  • Lund, H. F., Manual McGraw-Hill de reciclaje. McGraw-Hill/Interamericana de España. 1996. (Madrid).
  • Landreth, R. E., Rebers, P. A. Municipal Solid Wastes. Problems and Solutions.CRC Press, Inc., 1997. (USA)
  • Solid waste processing and resource recovery. Handbook of environmental engineering. Vol 2. Lawrence K. Wang i Norman C. Pereira. Clifton (1980).
  • Perry’s Chemical engineer’s handkook. (section 26-31).
  • Roger Tim Haug. Compost engineering. Principles and practice. Technomic Publishing C.Inc. 1980. (Lancaster).
  • Tchobanoglous, G., Theisen, H., Vigil, S. Gestión integral de residuos sólidos. McGraw-Hill. Madrid (1994).
  • ISO 14040 Environmental management – Life cycle assessment - Principles and framework - 1998
  • ISO 14041: Environmental management – Life cycle assessment – Goal and scope definition and life cycle inventory analysis – 1998
  • ISO 14042: Environmental management – Life cycle assessment – Life cycle impact assessment – 2000
  • ISO 14043: Environmental management – Life cycle assessment – Life cycle interpretation – 2000
  • ISO 14048. Environmental Management—life cycle assessment—data documentation format; 2001.
  • The Eco-indicator 99. A damage oriented method for Life Cycle Impact Assessment Methodology Report, PRé Consultants, Amersfoort - The Netherlands, 2000
  • SimaPro 4.0 Database – PRé Consultants B.V. , Amersfoort (The Netherlands)

WEBs

CARBON FOOTPRINT TOOL OF WASTE MANAGEMENT IN EUROPE

http://co2zw.eu.sostenipra.cat/

Sustainable Design de la  University of Surrey. www.cfsd.org.uk

Compra verdewww.uab.cat/compraverda

O2 www.o2.org

Center for Design de la RMIT University (Austràlia)

www.cfd.rmit.edu.au

Centre de Recursos Barcelona Sostenible

www.bcn.es/agenda21/crbs/

Agence de l’Environnement et de la Maitrise de l’Energie francesa. Productos reciclados

www.produits-recycles.com/

The EcoDesing Fundation (Sidney, Austràlia)

www.edf.edu.au/

Guia de ecodiseño UNEP

design.ntnu.no/fag/ecodesign/theory/theory_frames.htm

Grupo sostenibilidad y prevención ambiental. SOSTENIPRA

www.sostenipra.cat