CHE5888 - Sustainability and innovation - 2019

Apply industrial ecology and circular economy principles to utilise by-products, minimise waste and enhance profitability of bioproduct manufacturing products. Apply design for recycling and eco-design principles to develop a new generation of biomass-derived materials and chemicals, including utilising lignocellulosic biodegradability and waste to energy applications. Critically evaluate new bioproduct manufacturing processes (either stand-alone or processing by-products) for techno-economic feasibility and their potential to enhance overall process sustainability. Apply lifecycle analysis to quantify the environmental sustainability of bio-based chemicals and materials and compare them with non-renewable alternatives. Understand the application of lifecycle analysis to multi-function systems, such as how to divide the overall lifecycle impacts to systems

producing multiple products and having multiple functions.

On successful completion of this unit, students will be able to:

1. describe principles of design for recycling/ecodesign
2. identify the most effective materials and processes to maximise sustainability
3. apply a wide range of tools and best practices to evaluate product and process innovation sustainability

4. integrate lifecycle assessment into the process design of a product
5. create a lifecycle assessment to compare processes and materials.

Continuous assessment: 60%

Take-home exam (case study): 40%

Students are required to achieve at least 45% in the total continuous assessment component and at least 45% in the final examination component and an overall mark of 50% to achieve a pass grade in the unit. Students failing to achieve this requirement will be given a maximum of 45% in the unit.

144 hours of study over the semester.

See also Unit timetable information