| CODE | IES5014 | ||||||||||||
| TITLE | Industrial Ecology | ||||||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 05 - Postgraduate Modular Diploma or Degree Course | ||||||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 7 | ||||||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 6 | ||||||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Institute of Earth Systems | ||||||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | Industrial ecology, the “science of sustainability,” seeks to encourage the development of a sustainable industrial society. This study-unit introduces and examines this relatively new field of inquiry and practice. We address various practical topics which are associated with industrial ecology, including Life Cycle Assessment, Design for Environment, and Environmentally Conscious Manufacturing. Study-unit Aims: This study-unit aims to enable students to: - Learn how to describe problems and challenges in sustainability and industrial society using concepts related to materials and energy flows; - Understand how the concept of ecology can represent both natural and technological systems; - Critically evaluate both current and proposed technological approaches to the production and delivery of goods and services in an industrial society with respect to their environmental impacts; - Propose alternative approaches to technological activity which more nearly close the cycle of materials and energy than is typical at present. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: • Explain the complex relationships between Technology, Industry and the Environment; • Explain, understand, and carry out Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs); • Explain the role of Design for Environment (DFE) in the reduction of LCAs to implementation; • Explain the role of Environmentally Conscious Manufacturing (ECM) in the pursuit of a sustainable industrial society; • Identify and evaluation potentially sustainable technologies; • Distinguish between linear and cyclic industrial ecosystems; • Analyze the life cycle of products and services in order to identify their critical points of environmental impact; • Propose and analyze alternative industrial/economic structures to increase cyclic behavior and minimize waste. 2. Skills: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: • Conduct a Life Cycle Assessment of products and services; • Identify opportunities for the use of technology to reduce the environmental impact per unit GDP/quality of life. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: Supplementary reading: Hawkin, P., (1993). The Ecology of Commerce. US: Harper Business. Hawken, P., Lovins, L. H., & Lovins A. B. (1999). Natural Capitalism.. UK: Little, Brown and Company. Madu, C. N. (2001). Handbook of Environmentally Conscious Manufacturing. NY, US: Kluwer Academic Publishers, 2001. Graedel, T. E., & Allenby, B. R. (2003). Industrial Ecology. US: Prentice Hall. Graedel, T. E., & Allenby, B. R. (2010). Industrial Ecology and Sustainable Engineering. US: Prentice Hall. School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, Series1997-present. Journal of Industrial Ecology., Yale University: Wiley-Blackwell. |
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| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture and Project | ||||||||||||
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| LECTURER/S | Robert Ghirlando Paul Refalo Hao Zhang |
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2025/6. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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