CME8414: Advanced Design Project in Sustainable Chemical Engineering
- Offered for Year: 2025/26
- Module Leader(s): Dr Anjali Jayakumar
- Owning School: School of Engineering
- Teaching Location: Newcastle City Campus
Semesters
Your programme is made up of credits, the total differs on programme to programme.
| Semester 1 Credit Value: | 20 |
| ECTS Credits: | 10.0 |
Aims
The aim of this module is to develop sustainable processes, systems, and products within the realm of chemical engineering. The aim of the course is to blend theory and design in sustainable chemical engineering to equip students with skills to make informed decisions on sustainable design for industrial sectors.
Outline Of Syllabus
Students will work in groups to assess and improve sustainability of relevant industrial sectors. The study is based on sustainability concepts and frameworks learned throughout their degree program. They will apply and test their knowledge of concepts such as life cycle thinking and analysis, cost-benefit analysis, and foot printing.
Learning Outcomes
Intended Knowledge Outcomes
At the end of the module, students should be able to:
- Make engineering design choices based on their critical evaluation and deep comprehension of sustainability frameworks such as life cycle analysis, cost-benefit analysis, foot printing (water, energy, and carbon), and environmental management systems.
- Evaluate and suggest design improvements of current state-of-the art technologies for decarbonization across various chemical engineering sectors (e.g. chemical, water, material, transport, and energy)
- Apply a critical understanding of circularity in process design to reduce waste, enhance energy and resource efficiencies
- To assess, compare and appraise the environmental impact, efficiency, and feasibility of different technological solutions.
Intended Skill Outcomes
At the end of the course, students should be able to:
- Apply sustainability frameworks and principles to effectively evaluate and design sustainable processes and systems within the chemical engineering domain. This includes the capability to critically analyse and synthesize information from various sources to identify viable decarbonization strategies. (M1, M2)
- Apply various foot printing techniques to assess and quantify environmental impacts across the entire life cycle of the designed systems or processes (M2, M3, M7)
- Work collaboratively in groups and manage projects efficiently, allowing them to evaluate and analyse cutting-edge and advanced technologies such as renewable energy integration, smart manufacturing, carbon capture, and bioprocess engineering and relevant sustainability standards, policies and legislation in their sustainable design to achieve sustainable outcomes. (M4, M5)
- Integrate theory and practice for sustainable design and gain decision making skills for the selection and implementation of sustainable technologies with due consideration to any applicable health and safety, diversity, inclusion, cultural, societal, environmental and commercial matters, including codes of practice and industry standards (M5)
Teaching Methods
Teaching Activities
| Category | Activity | Number | Length | Student Hours | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Lecture | 5 | 2:00 | 10:00 | Lectures (core materials and design brief will be covered here) |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Drop-in/surgery | 5 | 2:00 | 10:00 | Online lectures and/or tutorial sessions |
| Structured Guided Learning | Structured research and reading activities | 1 | 20:00 | 20:00 | Literature review and data collection of relevant sectors |
| Guided Independent Study | Assessment preparation and completion | 1 | 50:00 | 50:00 | Preparation and completion of design project report |
| Guided Independent Study | Independent study | 1 | 75:00 | 75:00 |
To undertake the design project |
| Structured Guided Learning | Structured research and reading activities | 1 | 10:00 | 10:00 |
Online resources to support learning on canvas including a formative assessment |
| Guided Independent Study | Assessment preparation and completion | 1 | 25:00 | 25:00 |
Preparation and completion of group work oral presentation |
| Total | 200:00 |
Teaching Rationale And Relationship
The lectures and online sessions (including group activities and discussions) will provide students with the opportunity to discuss theoretical concepts with lecturers and their peers to consolidate their understanding.
At Masters level, the focus is on guided independent study and group-supported learning. Online guided learning material is delivered to students via Canvas.
Information literacy, interpersonal communication, planning and organisation, numeracy and written communication will be practiced throughout, and assessed in the group and individual summative assessments.
Assessment Methods
The format of resits will be determined by the Board of Examiners.
Formative Assessment
| Component | Semester | When Set | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Computer assessment 1 | 2 | M | Informal quizzes online and opportunities for students to get feedback in classroom activities |
Other Assessment
| Component | Semester | When Set | Percentage | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Design/Creative project 1 | 2 | M | 70 | Assessment of group design report (some individual sections) that considers development and sustainable design |
| Oral Presentation 1 | 2 | M | 30 | Assessment of group work via oral presentation in groups (no more than 30 minutes) |
Assessment Rationale And Relationship
In the group presentation, students will be assessed for their critical analysis and comparison of various technologies available to decarbonise a specific sector. Feedback will be provided for this group exercise and will form the basis of their sustainable design project. They will identify and critically analyse the various operations within the sector responsible for large emissions and design solutions to optimise cost and environmental impacts.
The design project report will build on their group presentation and examine student skills to solve problems they identify holistically and sustainably within a chemical engineering sector. They will be assessed for proposing a rigorous and balanced design using sustainable frameworks and principles. They will be assessed for the rigour, detail, and depth in their study of economic-environmental footprint optimisation, socio-economic-geopolitical impacts/factors affecting design and implementation. They will also be assessed for how they have considered and incorporated relevant legislation and policies to make sure their design complies with local and global sustainability standards. The students’ ability to conduct a thorough literature review on the relevant sector and technology will also be assessed.
There will be informal quizzes online and opportunities for students to get feedback in classroom activities through formative assessment.
Timetable
- Timetable Website: www.ncl.ac.uk/timetable/