Environmental Process Engineering
Environmental engineering for the process industries, followed through the environmental compliance and carbon reduction plan for the expansion of a corn ethanol plant in Cedar Rapids, Iowa: environmental law, permits and emission inventories, air pollutants and Gaussian plume dispersion, particulate control for DDGS dryers, absorption, adsorption, thermal oxidation and biofilters, NOx, SO2 and CO from combustion, industrial wastewater characterization and pretreatment, anaerobic and aerobic biological treatment, water reuse and zero liquid discharge, solid and hazardous waste, life-cycle assessment and fuel carbon intensity, and carbon accounting, capture and pricing.
CHE-480 Year 4 3 credits 12 lessons · 4 h 35 min ▶ Video lessons coming soon
Offered by HSM University · Chemical Engineering
This is the American version of this course. See the Canadian version.
What you'll learn
- Describe the environmental laws, permits and reporting programs that apply to a process plant, and build a potential-to-emit inventory to decide its permit and reporting obligations.
- Classify air pollutants, convert between concentration units, and estimate plume rise and ground-level concentrations with the Gaussian plume model.
- Select particulate controls, and size cyclones, fabric filters and electrostatic precipitators for a given dust and gas.
- Match gaseous emissions to absorption, adsorption, thermal or catalytic oxidation and biofilters, and estimate scrubber recovery, oxidizer fuel use and carbon bed life.
- Explain how combustion forms NOx, SO2 and CO, correct stack measurements to a reference oxygen, and compare combustion and post-combustion controls.
- Characterize industrial wastewater by flow, load, BOD, COD and other parameters, and design equalization, neutralization and solids removal to meet sewer rules.
- Compare aerobic, membrane and anaerobic biological treatment using COD balances, solids retention time and organic loading rate, and estimate biogas yield.
- Close a plant water balance and evaluate cooling tower cycles, membrane reuse and zero liquid discharge on water, energy and waste.
- Classify solid and hazardous wastes, determine generator obligations, and apply the waste hierarchy to reduce hazardous waste.
- Carry out a life-cycle assessment to ISO 14040 and 14044, handling co-products and land-use change, and interpret a fuel carbon intensity.
- Prepare scope 1, 2 and 3 carbon accounts, evaluate capture and storage of fermentation CO2, and value reductions under carbon pricing and credit programs.
- Prepare an environmental compliance and carbon reduction plan with a marginal abatement cost curve and a staged pathway for a plant expansion.
Course content
12 lessons · 4 h 35 min total · final exam
- 1 Environmental engineering in the process industries and regulation 27 min · quiz
- 2 Air pollutants and dispersion 23 min · quiz
- 3 Particulate control: the DDGS dryers 23 min · quiz
- 4 Gaseous emission control: absorption, adsorption, oxidation and biofilters 23 min · quiz
- 5 Combustion emissions: NOx, SOx and CO control 23 min · quiz
- 6 Industrial wastewater characterization and pretreatment 22 min · quiz
- 7 Biological wastewater treatment: anaerobic, activated sludge and MBR 23 min · quiz
- 8 Water reuse and zero liquid discharge 22 min · quiz
- 9 Solid and hazardous waste 22 min · quiz
- 10 Life-cycle assessment 23 min · quiz
- 11 Carbon management: accounting, capture and carbon pricing 21 min · quiz
- 12 Capstone: environmental compliance and carbon reduction plan for the expansion 23 min · quiz
- E Final exam 20 questions
Requirements
Recommended background. You can start any course at any time.
Description
Environmental engineering for the process industries, followed through the environmental compliance and carbon reduction plan for the expansion of a corn ethanol plant in Cedar Rapids, Iowa: environmental law, permits and emission inventories, air pollutants and Gaussian plume dispersion, particulate control for DDGS dryers, absorption, adsorption, thermal oxidation and biofilters, NOx, SO2 and CO from combustion, industrial wastewater characterization and pretreatment, anaerobic and aerobic biological treatment, water reuse and zero liquid discharge, solid and hazardous waste, life-cycle assessment and fuel carbon intensity, and carbon accounting, capture and pricing.
Part of the Engineering stream, typically taken in year 4.