48821 Principles of Environmental Engineering
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Subject handbook information prior to 2025 is available in the Archives.
Credit points: 6 cp
Subject level:
Undergraduate
Result type: Grade and marksRequisite(s): 48350 Environmental and Sanitation Engineering
Description
This subject teaches fundamental chemical, physical and biological principles which can be used to analyse data and formulate design solutions to environmental problems particularly related to water quality and treatment. The subject covers fluid flow in reactors, kinetics, material balances, nutrient cycles, transformation processes, and water resources and pollution. The way this knowledge is utilised by engineers for water quality engineering is examined. This subject enables students to master key theoretical and practical environmental engineering concepts through weekly workshop sessions, and formative and summative online exercises, develop design and collaborative skills through research group project, and enhance technical and reflective communication skills through written and oral reports. Upon completion of this subject, students acquire knowledge and skills in applying engineering and design solutions to an environmental problem and communicate in professionally varied ways relevant to professional engineering practice.
Subject learning objectives (SLOs)
Upon successful completion of this subject students should be able to:
| 1. | Describe fundamental environmental engineering concepts and apply these to environmental problems. (B.1) |
|---|---|
| 2. | Design and evaluate a waste treatment system. (C.1) |
| 3. | Perform simple material balances relevant for environmental systems. (D.1) |
| 4. | Conduct professional conversations with team members and other stakeholders to make appropriate iterations to the problem solution. (E.1) |
Course intended learning outcomes (CILOs)
This subject also contributes specifically to the development of the following Course Intended Learning Outcomes (CILOs):
- Socially Responsible: FEIT graduates identify, engage, interpret and analyse stakeholder needs and cultural perspectives, establish priorities and goals, and identify constraints, uncertainties and risks (social, ethical, cultural, legislative, environmental, economics etc.) to define the system requirements. (B.1)
- Design Oriented: FEIT graduates apply problem solving, design and decision-making methodologies to develop components, systems and processes to meet specified requirements. (C.1)
- Technically Proficient: FEIT graduates apply abstraction, mathematics and discipline fundamentals, software, tools and techniques to evaluate, implement and operate systems. (D.1)
- Collaborative and Communicative: FEIT graduates work as an effective member or leader of diverse teams, communicating effectively and operating within cross-disciplinary and cross-cultural contexts in the workplace. (E.1)
Contribution to the development of graduate attributes
Engineers Australia Stage 1 Competencies
This subject contributes to the development of the following Engineers Australia Stage 1 Competencies:
- 1.1. Comprehensive, theory based understanding of the underpinning natural and physical sciences and the engineering fundamentals applicable to the engineering discipline.
- 1.6. Understanding of the scope, principles, norms, accountabilities and bounds of sustainable engineering practice in the specific discipline.
- 2.2. Fluent application of engineering techniques, tools and resources.
- 2.3. Application of systematic engineering synthesis and design processes.
- 3.2. Effective oral and written communication in professional and lay domains.
Teaching and learning strategies
Student learning in the subject is facilitated through weekly face-to-face workshop sessions, recorded class and concept videos, tutorial exercises, laboratory sessions and project-based assessment tasks. The face-to-face sessions are designed to have a combination of taught materials and in-class activities. The weekly 3-hour class session is a combination of workshop and tutorial sessions. In-class activities will include problem solving strategies, research skills, practice design problems and critical review of anonymised student exemplars of the assessment tasks. The knowledge generated in the laboratory sessions are utilised during in-class discussions, the design of group projects, and in the formative and summative quizzes to gain a greater understanding of the subject matter. Other out-of-class activities include peer review of student work.
Significant opportunities for assessment feedback occur and are discussed further under that heading in this subject outline.
As an indication, a typical 6cp subject would normally assume a total time commitment (including class time) of approximately 150 hours, for an average student aiming to pass the subject.
Content (topics)
Technical knowledge/skills:
- Environmental measurements
- Chemistry fundamentals: Stoichiometry, Chemical equilibrium, Chemical kinetics Chemical transformation processes: volatilisation/evaporation, acid-base chemistry, precipitation/dissolution, sorption/ion exchange, oxidation-reduction
- Fundamentals of Environmental systems: Nutrient (C, N, P, S) cycles and their measurement, water quality parameters
- Material and Energy Balances: Mass balances, Mass balance with reactions, Reactors, energy balance
- Water Quality engineering & management: dissolved oxygen management for river, nutrient management, acidity management
- Sustainability and Green Engineering
- Water Pollution and Treatment
Professional knowledge/skills:
- Data handling
- Report analysis
- Multimedia communication.
Assessment
Assessment task 1: Online Exercises
| Intent: | This task is designed for students to develop their understanding of key theoretical and practical concepts that are applied in the field of environmental engineering practice. |
|---|---|
| Objective(s): | This assessment task addresses the following subject learning objectives (SLOs): 1 and 3 This assessment task contributes to the development of the following Course Intended Learning Outcomes (CILOs): B.1 and D.1 |
| Type: | Exercises |
| Groupwork: | Individual |
| Weight: | 30% |
| Length: | 5 pages in length for each exercise set |
Assessment task 2: Waste Treatment Design Mid-Project – Draft Report
| Intent: | To show how active conversations contribute to better suggestions for solving a problem. |
|---|---|
| Objective(s): | This assessment task addresses the following subject learning objectives (SLOs): 1, 2 and 4 This assessment task contributes to the development of the following Course Intended Learning Outcomes (CILOs): B.1, C.1 and E.1 |
| Type: | Report |
| Groupwork: | Group, individually assessed |
| Weight: | 30% |
| Length: | 3000 words written report |
Assessment task 3: Waste Treatment Design Final Project - Portfolio
| Intent: | This assessment task is designed for students to engage with knowledge from fundamental concepts, and integrate this with their laboratory experiences and team discussions to create a conceptual design and evaluation program for a waste treatment system, and to show how working like a reflective practitioner adds value to a required artefact. |
|---|---|
| Objective(s): | This assessment task addresses the following subject learning objectives (SLOs): 2, 3 and 4 This assessment task contributes to the development of the following Course Intended Learning Outcomes (CILOs): C.1, D.1 and E.1 |
| Type: | Portfolio |
| Groupwork: | Individual |
| Weight: | 40% |
| Length: | Maximum 5,000 words final written report and reflection, and total 5 minute video presentation + required artefacts |
Minimum requirements
In order to pass the subject, a student must achieve an overall mark of 50% or more.
Recommended texts
Davis , Masten (2014) Principles of environmental engineering and science, 3rd edition, Imprint New York, NY : McGraw-Hill, In UTS library at 628 DAVM also LDC
Mihelcic, Zimmerman (2010), Environmental Engineering: Fundamentals, sustainability, design, John Wiley & Sons, In UTS library at 628 MIHL
Many other Introductory Environmental Engineering texts are available
Nazaroff, W. W. (2001) Environmental engineering science, Imprint New York : Wiley, In UTS library at 628 NAZA
Mihelcic, J.R. (1999) Fundamentals of Environmental Engineering, John Wiley & Sons, In UTS library at 628 MIHE
References
Learner Resource Material (LRM) will be provided through Canvas to help students with the necessary technical knowledge needed to undertake the required design tasks. The LRM will comprise text and multimedia resources.
Other resources
Canvas - for announcement, assignment submissions and links to resources
Access and use of the Canvas site is a key requirement for being able to successfully complete the course