Environmental Engineering MSc

• Professor Frederic Coulon

The module introduces the extent and consequences of pollution in the environment, identifies and evaluates technologies for prevention and remediation and exposes you to using decision support tool and modelling to deal with pollution prevention and remediation.

This module is 10 credits.

 

• Environmental pollution and prevention technology,
• Contaminated land issues and market size,
• Soil and groundwater remediation technologies,
• Sustainable remediation practices,
• Monitoring and modelling contaminants,
• Hazard appraisal and risk assessment,
• Decision support tools.

On successful completion of this module you should be able to:

• Define and discuss the key issues related to environmental pollution prevention and remediation,
• Critically appraise the range of remediation technologies for soil and groundwater,
• Appraise the key indicators for sustainable remediation approach,
• Select and evaluate accepted decision tools to assess remediation performance and end-points.

• Dr Gill Drew

Health, safety and environment risk are all key considerations when working in the renewable energy and other industrial sectors.  These four topics are also broad and cover many aspects.  The module is therefore designed to provide you with the competencies to assess and evaluate the relevant international standards as well as the legislation and regulatory requirements. It also introduces you to tools such as Geographical Information Systems and environmental risk assessment to determine the most appropriate sites for renewable energy installations.  You will have a strong focus on the use of case studies to provide examples of how standards and legislation are implemented in practice.

• Introduction to the International Standards, including the ISO 14000 family and ISO 45001
• Environmental legislation and voluntary standards.
• Environmental risk assessment and geographical information systems
• Human reliability analysis and accident causation: Major accident sequences, risk assessment and perception and control of risk human reliability assessment tools. 
• Review of major energy accidents: such as the Oroville Dam collapse, Piper Alpha disaster and the Deepwater Horizon incident
 

  On successful completion of this module you should be able to:

• Critique the ISO standards relevant to occupational health, safety and the environment, within the context of renewable energy.
• Differentiate between voluntary requirements and legal or regulatory requirements for health and safety, and the environment
• Evaluate the likely environmental impacts resulting from renewable energy, using tools such as environmental risk assessment and Geographical Information Systems
• Design or critique health and safety policies for renewable energy installations 

• Professor Ronald Corstanje

An introduction to the full suite of environmental models and modelling methods that are currently used to describe and predict environmental processes and outcomes. The objective of this module is to give an overview of the different types of models currently being used to describe environmental processes and how they are being applied in practice. The module will offer you the opportunity to strengthen your analytical abilities with a specific mathematical emphasis, including programming and modelling, which are key skills to launch future careers in science, engineering and technology. In addition, throughout various interactive learning events, your social skills will be intensively trained.

• Introduction to the wide range of applications of numerical models in environmental sciences. Lectures will cover examples of models applied in climate, soil, water, natural ecosystems and atmosphere and others.
• Overview of the types of models applied; mechanistic, semi-empirical and empirical models. Why these different forms exist, their strengths and weaknesses. How they are applied?
• Introduction to systems analysis. Overview of the basic concepts and how this relates to model design.
• Introduction to numerical solutions and empirical solutions to model parameterisation and calibration.
• Identifying what makes models powerful. Predictions, Scenario and Sensitivity testing.
• Recognising limits and uncertainties; validating the model. Recognising the importance of good data.
• Practical applications of environmental models. How this is done, in what programming language?

On successful completion of this module you should be able to:

• Dr Andrea Momblanch

This module aims to introduce you to the real world environmental solutions that are being developed and in use already, to enable them to enter a number of sectors with up to date knowledge of current approaches. The module will provide you with an overview of the international climate and environmental policy landscape in which countries, sectors and industries are operating, and the scale of action required in order to fulfil current policy goals. You will work on case studies of sustainable solutions (e.g. in aviation, agriculture, transport, waste, etc) and evaluate the potential in these solutions to contribute to global climate or other environmental goals.

• Environmental Policy – national and international, including climate, water, air, biodiversity, the Paris Agreement and Sustainable Development Goals. How to assess potential solutions towards achievement of policy goals,
• Series of lectures with relevant experts to focus on sustainable environmental solutions in a range of sectors, for example: nature based solutions for water and climate; agriculture and food; transport; supply chains; energy systems; sustainable technology entrepreneurship; plastic; biodiversity; LivingLab,
• Individual reports on sustainable climate solutions for a sector or sub-sector, based on appropriate metrics for the policy goal(s), including consideration of co-benefits and trade-offs with other environmental goals.

On successful completion of this module you should be able to:

• Critically analyse environmental solutions based on appropriate metrics and tools in the context of policy goals,
• Evaluate data and evidence on potential solutions to environmental challenges with colleagues to apply diverse expertise to a real world challenge,
• Critically appraise and synthesise various sources of information in written and verbal form to create coherent arguments that provide effective solutions to global environmental challenges from technical, political, and social perspectives.

• Dr Zaheer Nasar

• Dr Vinod Kumar

The Biofuels and Biorefining module focuses on bioproduction of fuels and chemicals as a sustainable, environmentally friendly and low cost route This bioproduction can contribute to decreased greenhouse gas emissions, by replacing petrochemical route and also fulfil the global goals on the use of renewable energy. 

The aim of the module is to provide students with advanced knowledge of the sources of biomass available for production of a range of high value chemicals and technologies used for conversion of the biomass. The module covers characteristics of biomass as potential feedstock, bioproduction of fuel and chemicals, types of biorefineries, conversion processes and existing technologies. In addition, an introduction to the Biorefining concept will be provided. 

Raw materials for production of bio-based chemicals, characterization and assessment; 

• Biofuel feedstocks and characteristics: starch- and sugar- based biomass, oleaginous-based biomass, lignocellulosic biomass, glycerol and algae,
• Sugar, Fatty acid, and Syngas platforms technologies.

First generation biorefinery 

• Bioethanol production
• Biobutanol production

Biodiesel production

• Biodiesel production technologies: biochemical, and catalytic and non-catalytic chemical processes,
• Biodiesel production: biochemical aspects,
• Biodiesel production: chemistry and thermodynamic aspects. 

Lignocellulosic biorefinery

• Bioethanol production,
• Bioproduction of succinic acid,
• Bioproduction of 2,3-Butanediol,
• Bioproduction of Lactic acid.

Algal Biorefineries

• Technologies for microalgal biomass production,
• Algal biofuels conversion technologies,

Food waste biorefineries

• Manufacturing Platform Chemicals from food wastes.

Glycerol-based Biorefineries

• Bioproduction of 1,-3-Propanediol,
• Bioproduction of 3-Hydroxypropionic acid.

AD-based biorefineries

• Biofuel production by AD,
• Possible feedstocks and challenges.

Biorefining

• Classification of Biorefineries,
• Economic, social and environmental impacts of biorefining.

Commercial biorefineries.

On successful completion of this module you should be able to:

• State and assess the range of biomass resources/biowastes/agro-industrial wastes available for biofuels and biochemicals production,
• Critically evaluate a range of technologies and biorefineries available for biofuels and biochemicals production from biomass and analyse the potential for future reduction in costs through technological development,
• Explain the main theoretical concepts and practical implementation associated with bioproducts engineering systems,
• Identify the high-value products that can be obtained from biomass feedstock,
• Construct simple biorefining schemes and critically evaluate the potential of biorefining processes.

• Professor Frederic Coulon

The aim of this module is to provide specialist understanding of the major processes used for municipal waste management and their role within an integrated – circular - waste management system. In particular the module will focus on the bottom three points of the waste hierarchy: recycle, recover and dispose.

This module is 10 credits.

• Integrated waste management: appraisal of national and international legislation and policy,
• Circular economy in the waste context,
• Waste properties and characterisation. Mechanical biological treatment, pre-treatment, biodegradable wastes, coupled technologies, technology performance and managing environmental impacts,
• Landfill: biochemistry, leachate and gas production,
• Biowaste technologies: composting, AD and other biorefinery processes,
• Thermal treatment: incineration, gasification, pyrolysis, combined heat and power, waste to energy, solid recovered fuel.

On successful completion of this module you should be able to:

• Appraise the role of waste treatment technologies under the circular management agenda - drivers, selection, pre-requisites requirements, waste types treated,
• Apply the concepts and principles of the biological processes for treating organic waste to the waste degradation context and evaluate and calculate energy potential,
• Explain why landfill gas (LFG) is treated and how to control, collect and treat the gas. Appraise the parameters contributing to LFG production and composition, the risks and production controls and calculate their potential impact,
• Critically assess specific waste/feedstock treatment processes involved into a circular economy (e.g. MBT, AD, biorefinery),
• Apply the concept and principle of waste management into a circular economy.

• Dr Lynda Deeks

Natural landscapes and built environments can be engineered to optimise the goods and services delivered to society, including provision of natural resources and the regulation of water and carbon. Technologies that prevent and/or reverse land degradation can be devised and implemented to ensure sustainable use of finite land resources. Environmental engineers and land managers need sound understanding of the environmental properties that determine land capability for any given desired end use, as well as the interrelationships between soil, water, vegetation and built structures. This understanding is grounded in basic soil physics, hydrology, hydraulics, geotechnics and agronomy. With this background, appropriate interventions such as soil erosion control and slope stabilisation can be designed and implemented to improve inherent land quality. The required skills set also informs the management of environmental projects involving land forming, reclamation, restoration and protection, which require selection, design, engineering and maintenance of appropriate structures.

This module is 10 credits.

Site Assessment: Concept of land capability and land quality:

• Criteria used for assessing land capability and its classification - USDA scheme, Canadian Land Inventory, urban land capability scheme.

Land forming, earth moving and landscape modification:

• Earth works design - Defra recommendations, Water retention - ponds.
• Machinery and equipment used (+ visit to Tarmac or similar).

Geotechnics: Slope stability:

• The stability of shallow and deep slope failures.
• Methods of slope stability calculations - Finite slope analysis etc.
• Slope engineering for slope stability - bunds and berms, bioengineering, biotechnical engineering.
• Surface erosion of slope forming materials:
  
  
• Soil erosion processes.
• Soil erosion consequences.
• Surface soil erosion control - terraces, check dams, agronomic techniques (bioengineering),

Vegetation as an engineering material (bioengineering and biotechnical engineering),

Geotextiles.

Top and sub soil management

• Vegetation establishment.
• Site maintenance.

On successful completion of this module you should be able to:

• Apply the concept of land capability to site assessment and carry out land capability classifications,
• Explain how to design earthworks and select appropriate land-forming machinery/equipment,
• Calculate the stability of slopes and design of simple support and stabilisation systems,
• Devise strategies for the long-term management of top soil and subsoil in land engineering projects.

• Dr Pablo Campo Moreno

Water of good quality is necessary for domestic, environmental, industrial, recreational and agricultural applications. As a result of the conditions prevailing in the catchment area, natural and anthropogenic constituents in water bodies will define potential uses according to established criteria. Hence, for those working in water science, a comprehensive understanding of regulations applicable to water quality is needed. This module provides an overview of Water Framework Directive and other relevant water quality regulations and policies that govern the management and assessment of surface waters. If quality is to be adequately monitored, it is also important to acquire knowledge about sampling and measurement of water parameters and interpretation of acquired data. It also provides background in ecological processes, aquatic communities, and survey design and data analysis to help those working in environmental water management to interpret water quality data in the context of the catchment characteristics and pressures.

The module aims to provide you with a deep understanding of the truly multidisciplinary nature of a real industrial project.  Using a relevant case study, the scientific and technical concepts learned during the previous modules will be brought together and used to execute the analysis of the case study.

• Work flow definition: setting up the single aspects to be considered, the logical order, and the interfaces.
• Design of an appropriate analysis toolkit specific to the case study
• Development of a management or maintenance framework for the case study
• Multi-criteria decision analysis [MDCA] applied to energy technologies to identify the best available technology. 
• Energy technologies and systems: understanding the development and scaling/design of the technologies by applying an understanding of the available resources in the assigned location;
• Public engagement strategies and the planning process involved in developing energy technologies.

On successful completion of this module a student should be able to:

• Critically evaluate available technological options, and select the most appropriate method for determining the most preferred technology for the specific case study.
• Demonstrate the ability to work as part of a group to achieve the stated requirements of the module brief.
• Organise the single-discipline activities in a logical workflow, and to define the interfaces between them, designing an overall multidisciplinary approach for the specific case study.

• Dr Stuart Wagland

This industry-focused module provides students with a critical understanding of the key challenges in operating energy from waste facilities.  The module consists of visits to modern waste management facilities which include talks from the managers at each site to cover the day-to-day management of such technologies.  Students also participate in a laboratory exercise to assess the composition and characteristics of waste materials resulting in a report which critically evaluates the fuel properties of the samples analysed.

• The policies driving and regulating thermal conversion (gasification and pyrolysis) and incineration technologies
• Managing anaerobic digestion residues and complying with environmental regulations
• Understanding how and why waste composition changes and the effects of these changes on the energy potential.  Explored further as part of a practical session covering waste and waste-derived fuel characterisation
• Facility management challenges including process and emissions monitoring, health and safety compliance, and maintenance routines
• Management of post-energy recovery residues (bottom ash, fly ash, digestate etc).

On successful completion of this study the student should be able to:

• Evaluate and discuss the key processes involved in recovering energy from wastes,
• Systematically evaluate the main operational challenges in operating thermal and biochemical energy from waste facilities,
• Critically assess the properties of waste materials and outline the most suitable means of recovering value from the waste stream, in terms of recycling and energy recovery processes.

• Dr Robert Simmons

The catchment is often the unit of landscape at which environmental planning, engineering and management takes place. Understanding the intra and inter-field hydrological and hydraulic processes and factors affecting these operating on hillsides and in channels is essential to ensure the delivery of ecosystem goods and services, including the provision, regulation and protection of natural resources such as water, land and soil. The aim of this module is through applying the source, pathway, receptor approach to improve understanding of the drivers of catchment hydrological processes with regard to water quantity and quality, and how these can be managed through engineering practices including drainage, irrigation and soil erosion control.

Principles of catchment hydrology and hydraulics

• Problems of catchment management,
• Water quantity,
• Prediction of peak runoff (Rational) and catchment yield including water flow in structures e.g., channels, porous media and prediction of irrigation demand,
• Water quality - sources of contamination / pollution, and consequences including surface erosion of slope forming materials; soil erosion processes and consequences,
• Catchment modelling - purposes of catchment modelling, types of models and examples (e.g., SWAT and MIKE-SHE) and catchment modelling challenges. Soil erosion risk assessment and modelling USLE and MMF.

Water quantity control - investigation of land drainage status and required site moisture conditions for desired end uses

• Drainage design: types of drainage. Role and design of surface drainage channels: natural channels; engineered channels, diversion drains, etc,
• Role and design of subsurface drainage systems including; Moles, tiles, pipes, water table control using Hooghoudt, Glover Dumm equations and the Miers approach, as well as hydraulics calculation of channel / pipe discharge capacity using the Mannings equation and practical issues of drainage design: selection of materials, drainage maintenance, pipe surround, backfill and pipe sizing,
• The design of control structures including culverts - water storage structures, including ‘green’ infrastructure e.g, green roofs,
• Case studies: SUDs Sustainable Drainage systems; Lined (grassed) waterways,
• Management of irrigation systems in a catchment context; yield response to water, engineering, and technology options. Ernst equation for sub irrigation design.

Water quality control - control of sediment, nutrients, agrochemicals, other contaminants.

• Surface soil erosion control (prevention) including Buffer strips, Grassed Waterways, Filtersocks and other on-farm phosphorous removal structures and P-sorption mechanisms, Tramline and wheeling management options and SuDS,
• Water treatment in the catchment (remedial) including; water treatment works and contaminant sorbing materials.

On successful completion of this module you should be able to:

• Critically evaluate sources of sediment, nutrients and pesticides within a catchment, their pathways and receptors and identify management options,
• Select appropriate input parameter values to apply soil erosion models to predict current erosion status and evaluate different soil conservation measures to control both water quality and quantity,
• Design drainage systems, channels/ waterways and simple hydraulic structures including the calculation of peak runoff and total yield for a catchment,
• Devise preventative and remedial techniques to improve catchment water quality, taking account of site location within a catchment and socio-economic conditions,
• Evaluate the impacts and trade-offs between improving irrigation efficiency and catchment water resources.

• Professor Ana Soares

The water sector is embracing sustainable practices to effectively manage water and wastewater, aligning with circular economy principles and striving towards net zero goals while promoting resource recovery. This paradigm shift entails comprehensive, interdisciplinary strategies that prioritize not only technological advancements but also the establishment of metrics and key performance indicators. Considering regulatory frameworks and engaging local stakeholders are pivotal aspects. This module offers insights into the latest advancements in resource recovery from water, municipal, and industrial wastewater. It explores the drivers, challenges, opportunities, success stories, and tools essential for evaluating resource recovery implementation within the water sector.