Project "chemical & materials engineering for a sustainable future"

Teacher(s)

De Wilde Juray; Jacques Pascal; Jonas Alain; Luis Alconero Patricia; Poncé Samuel;

Language

English
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Main themes

Chemistry and materials science and engineering, sustainable development, life cycle assessment, processing, recycling, social life cycle assessment of products, innovation

Learning outcomes

At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to :

Given the AA repository of the program of "Master ingénieur civil en chimie et science des matériaux", this course contributes to the development, acquisition and evaluation of the following learning outcomes: a.      Disciplinary Learning Outcomes 1.1, 1.2, 1.3 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.5 3.1, 3.2, 3.3 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 4.4, 5.1, 5.2, 5.3, 5.4, 5.5, 5.6 6.1, 6.2, 6.3, 6.4 At the end of this course, students will be able to: 1.       Analyze, understand and summarize the technological and scientific issues related to the proposed case studies in the field of chemistry and material science; 2.       Conduct a social life cycle assessment of the considered case studies and to summarize the points of improvements with respect to imposed standards, criticality of raw materials, recycling issues, … 3.       Propose alternative and innovative solutions that could meet the revealed weak points of the case studied or that could improve the global efficiency also in relationship with the economical dimension; 4.       Summarize the conducted analysis in a technical report and in a presentation adapted to different audiences (experts, general public …). b. Transversal Learning Outcomes At the end of this course, students will be able to: 5.      Develop a pro-active methodology for finding the adequate pieces of information needed in an engineering approach of technological and scientific problems; 6.      Write down a clear and concise summary of seminars, conducted work, meeting, … 7.      Conduct a project in a group, requiring:                       a.      To translate some objectives.                       b.      To effectively distribute the tasks.                       c.      To evaluate the required resources, and organize the methodology.                       d.      To insure adequate communication within the group.                       e.      To develop the adequate procedure for decision-making.                       f.      To manage interpersonal relationships within and outside the group. 8.      Perform adequate presentations adapted to the considered audience.

Content

The project focuses on the study of a (class of) material and/or of a (class of) production process and/or of a (class of) device, the proposition of an improvement to - or innovative use of - this specific material, process or device, the evaluation of its potential ecological, economical and societal impacts, including a complete lifecycle analysis, and the development of a supporting professional website and a fund-raising video. It aims to provide an integrated view of the development of a product or device, from cradle to end-of-life and recycling, and/or of a process, including its environmental and societal aspects. The topic of the project is modified yearly.
In relation to content on sustainable development, the course includes:

•      quantifying the direct environmental impacts of a typical technological product or service (via a life cycle analysis)
•      the identification of hotspots in terms of the environmental impacts of a technological product or service,
•      qualitative analysis of indirect environmental impacts resulting from the introduction of a technology into society,
•      the historical perspective of the development of a technology and the socio-ecological impacts that resulted from it.

Teaching methods

The project is led in small groups of students. It may involve a variety of activities, including reading review articles and book chapters, seeking the input of external experts, simulating processing paths and/or of materials/devices properties, innovatively designing alternative solutions or creative new uses, managing societal and life cycle assessments, evaluating economic impacts, and communicating by modern communication tools such as, e.g., web sites, promotional videos, etc.
This course addresses issues related to sustainable development and transition through the following activities:

• One seminair dedicated to Sustainable Development, to understand the concepts and introduce the Sustainable Development Goals
• A life cycle assessment will be performed by the students during the course. This analysis will allow the students to identify the 'hot spots' of the overall life of the product, leading to critical discussion and a deeper reflection by the students considering the Belgian, European and global context.

Evaluation methods

The students are evaluated by group and individually, both evaluations being continuously led. Group evaluation will involve grading at different times the deliverables produced by the group, including a final deliverable at the end of the project; the individual one will consist of a few short tests aiming to evaluate the acquisition of key concepts by each student; these tests may be written or oral. The final grade will be a combination of all grades acquired along the semester - there will be no final exam. In case the project is failed, individual tests can be passed again, and group deliverables can be improved if needed.
The use of generative artificial intelligence for the produciton of (parts of) deliverables is allowed, provided this use be indicated to the teachers, done in a critical way, and compared to other sources.

Other information

The project requires the continuous involvement of the students all along the semester.

Online resources

All needed resources will be made available via the Moodle website of the project.

Faculty or entity

> EPL