MEng Chemical Engineering

The unit will provide an introduction to sustainable development, covering a wide range of sustainability issues in different industrial sectors (such as energy, food and chemicals). Students will consider various technologies and will learn about different methods of assessing sustainability, including how to make decisions using complex data. Among others, the methods will include life cycle thinking and its practical application in Life Cycle Assessment and Carbon Footprinting. Strategies for corporate sustainability will also be considered alongside the application of those strategies. Finally, students will explore ethics in an engineering context.

ILO 1. Explain the concept of sustainable development and its relevance to different engineering-related industrial supply chains.

ILO 2. Evaluate the sustainability of different products and processes.

ILO 3. Calculate carbon footprints and other life cycle environmental impacts.

ILO 4. Design more sustainable processes.

ILO 5. Argue evidence-based positions in ethically complex situations.

Lectures provide fundamental aspects supporting the critical learning of the module and will be delivered as pre-recorded asynchronous short videos via our virtual learning environment.

Synchronous sessions will support the lecture material with Q&A and problem-solving sessions where you can apply the new concepts. Surgery hours are also available for drop-in support.

Students are expected to expand the concepts presented in the session and online by additional reading (suggested in the Online Reading List) in order to consolidate their learning process and further stimulate their interest to the module.

Study budget:

• Core Learning Material (e.g. recorded lectures, problem solving sessions): 24 hours
• Self-Guided Work (e.g. continuous assessment, extra problems, reading): 44 hours
• Exam Style Assessment Revision and Preparation: 32 hours

Please note that the exam style assessments weighting may be split over midterm and end of semester exams. 

Feedback on problems and examples, feedback on coursework and exams, and model answers will also be provided through the virtual learning environment. A discussion board provides an opportunity to discuss topics related to the material presented in the module.

Reading lists are accessible through the Blackboard system linked to the library catalogue.