Materials Science for Environmental Sustainability

Course aim

This course aims to provide an introduction to the science and methodologies underpinning the processing and utilisation of materials resources, with the aim of fostering sustainable development with a reduced ecological footprint.
The course aims to, in the areas of Minerals (mining), Energy, Water and Soil (remediation);

• develop in students an understanding of the range of environmental issues, a materials perspective and processes controlling sustainable management of natural resources
• introduce students to the fundamental concepts in the development of, and monitoring of, natural ecosystems in sites affected by human activity and managing the environmental impacts of human activities
• develop in students an awareness of waste generated by human activities which may result in the contamination of the environment, their storage, management, destruction and potential opportunities for recycling/reuse

Course content

This course provides an introduction to the fundamental science underpinning the processing and utilisation of materials resources. Topics to be addressed include;

• What is environmental sustainability? What is the indigenous perspective? What are different cultural perspectives of environmental sustainability?
• Impact of using new materials - impact of product use, storage and disposal, impact of ‘disposable’ culture in modern/western society vs recycling/re-use.
• Finite resources, production and life cycle assessment.
• Energy considerations – extraction and conversion.
• Waste - awareness of, management of, techniques for destruction of, and storage.

Minerals: Introduction to minerals-based sustainability concepts including: Energy and water utilization: minimization and conservation, Process waste material and heat recovery, Waste tailings and sludge treatment and disposal for footprint minimization.
Energy Technology : Fundamentals of power generation and environmental impacts, Alternative energy sources and technology, Automobiles: Fuel and energy requirements, Engineering cleaner cars, Batteries and the environment, Refrigeration and the environment.
Soil Remediation: Nutrients and elemental cycles in soils, introduce physical, chemical and biological properties of soils; ecosystem development; material-based remediation techniques
Water Technology: Introduction to water quality problems; Overview of water treatment methods; Introduction of materials used in the processes of water purification and desalination.

Textbook(s)

Nil

Prerequisite(s)

Completion of 1st year of a Science or Engineering degree program

Corequisite(s)

Nil

Teaching method

Note: These components may or may not be scheduled in every study period. Please refer to the timetable for further details.

Assessment

4 Workshop Presentations/assignments, Examination

Fees

EFTSL*: 0.125
Commonwealth Supported program (Band 2)
To determine the fee for this course as part of a Commonwealth Supported program, go to:
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Fee-paying program for domestic and international students
International students and students undertaking this course as part of a postgraduate fee paying program must refer to the relevant program home page to determine the cost for undertaking this course.

Non-award enrolment
Non-award tuition fees are set by the university. To determine the cost of this course, go to:
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Not all courses are available on all of the above bases, and students must check to ensure that they are permitted to enrol in a particular course.

* Equivalent Full Time Study Load. Please note: all EFTSL values are published and calculated at ten decimal places. Values are displayed to three decimal places for ease of interpretation.