LTEK10160U Environmental Technology for Treatment and Management of Bio-waste

Volume 2013/2014
Content
The course is about the management and treatment of bio-waste, with a major focus on animal manures (slurry, solid farmyard manure, deep litter etc.) from livestock production.

The objective of the course is to give advanced and applicable knowledge on the biological, chemical and technological aspects of bio-waste treatment, and competences in analyzing and developing environmentally friendly technologies and whole system solutions for organic bio-waste utilisation and recycling to land.

Specific themes of the course will be:
  • Separation of phosphorous and dry matter from bio-waste through application of mechanical separation with or without additions of coagulants (iron and aluminium salts) and flocculants (polymers)
  • Reactor technologies for biogas (methane) production from bio-waste materials
  • Technologies for the reduction of the emission of odour, ammonia and greenhouse gases from stored bio-waste
  • Bio-waste land application techniques to reduce ammonia emissions
  • Sampling and analysis of bio-waste – for the assessment of nutrient mass balances and losses to the environment 
  • System analysis of bio-waste management options with the use of mathematical models
Within each theme, students will work actively with case-studies and theoretical as well as practical exercises, incl. lab-work.

The course gives important competences for jobs in private or public advisory service, environmental technology industry research and development, public administration and international organisations, as well as teaching and research at college and university level.
Learning Outcome
Participation in the course will give MSc. and PhD. students a fundamental understanding of technologies for treatment of bio-waste that can alleviate the potential damage to the environment caused by livestock production, and an ability to analyse and present technological solutions. The course will give practical insight and hands on experience in the functionality of environmental technologies for the treatment of bio-waste, in particular animal manures. 

After participating in the course students are expected to be able to: 

Knowledge:
  • Describe the biological, chemical and technological processes involved in bio-waste management
  • Identify mechanisms for bio-waste gas emission (ammonia and greenhouses gases) and overview possible control measures
  • Summarise various bio-waste management regulations and their possible effect on environmental impact
Skills:
  • Carry out appropriate sampling, preparation and standard analysis of typical bio-waste materials
  • Conduct laboratory measurements to assess the effects of a given bio-waste treatment technology
  • Apply mass balance analysis of bio-waste element flows, including sensitivity analysis.
  • Apply mathematical models for whole system analysis of bio-waste management options
Competences:
  • Analyse, discuss and develop concepts for environmentally friendly technologies and whole system solutions for organic bio-waste utilisation
  • Propose optimal utilisation of specific bio-waste materials, including selection of appropriate technologies for separation, energy conversion and recycling to land at the scale of the livestock farm
Literature
Handouts and a compendium will be distributed at the start of the course.
A BSc degree in Natural Res., Biology, Chemistry, Microbiology, Chem. Eng., Env. Eng. or similar. Basic knowledge of statistics and simple mathematical modeling, Some lab experience is mandatory
Before the course commences (at least two weeks before), each student must write and submit a short essay on home country animal waste management and regulation of animal waste use.

The on-campus part of the course will in the first week consist primarily of lectures, case-based exercises and hands-on laboratory work in teams of 3-5 persons. Through these activities the participants will be introduced to the available environmental technologies for treating bio-waste, to systems analyses and mass balance modeling.

In the second week, the primary teaching format will be group work, in which the students define and carry out a project to analyse a particular bio-waste treatment problem. The project may include experimental work (but not necessarily) and should include a system analysis of the identified problem and suggested solutions.

Excursions to farms and environmental technology industries will also be included.
NOTICE: Course location will be Dept. of Chemical, Bio- and Environmental Engineering, Odense.
  • Category
  • Hours
  • Exam
  • 7
  • Excursions
  • 15
  • Lectures
  • 15
  • Practical exercises
  • 10
  • Preparation
  • 40,5
  • Project work
  • 35
  • Theory exercises
  • 15
  • Total
  • 137,5
Credit
5 ECTS
Type of assessment
Oral examination, 20 min.
Written assignment
The assessment of each participant will be based on:

1) a short individual essay on home country animal waste management and regulation of animal waste use (pre-course report)

2)an oral examination in course curriculum and the written report / presentation on the small project carried out in the course, at the end of the course.

Weight: Assessment will be based 33% on 1) and 66% on 2).
Exam registration requirements
To be eligible for oral exam at the end of the course, students are required to have submitted a pre-course report about home country biowaste management
Aid
All aids allowed
Marking scale
7-point grading scale
Censorship form
No external censorship
One internal examiner
Criteria for exam assesment
The assessment of the oral examination will be based on the fullfilment of course learning outcomes. The criteria for the pre-course report will be specified in the instructions sent to participants before course start.