Assessment of Environmental Impacts

Overview

This module aims to introduce students to how the impacts of engineering projects are assessed within the framework Life Cycle Assessment, Environmental Impact Assessment and sustainability evaluations. Particular emphasis is given to environmental impacts, although societal impacts will also be considered.
Students will be introduced to the regulatory drivers for Environmental Impact Assessment/Strategic Environmental Assessment. The use of sustainability assessments (CEEQUAL, BREAM etc) will also be explored. Students will be introduced to current standards and guidance for quantifying environmental impacts through Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), including defining the scope of an LCA, inventory analysis and interpretation of results. Finally students will examine multi criteria analysis for evaluating and balancing diverse criteria during decision making.

Solid waste and resource management and the Circular Economy will then be studied in detail within this context.
• Students will gain an understanding of the science and technology behind advanced waste management processes and an appreciation of the financial, social and environmental factors that may restrict the adoption of particular technologies

Learning Objectives

By the end of this module, the student should have knowledge and understanding of:
• the regulatory drivers for Environmental Impact Assessment/Strategic Environmental Assessment
• the current standards and guidance for quantifying environmental impacts through Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)
• relevant legislation relating to different waste management scenarios
• how to define sustainable resource management, the waste hierarchy and concept of zero waste / and the circular economy
• how to evaluate the social, economic and environmental impacts of various waste streams
• how to critically evaluate and communicate succinctly the relationship between wastes/resource management and sustainable development
• the various stakeholders in the waste management decision making process


By the end of this module, the student should be able to:
• define the scope of an LCA and undertake inventory analysis
• understand how life cycle approaches are employed in industry through resource management, low carbon construction and carbon/energy/water foot printing
• define the need to, and difficulty of, balancing diverse criteria during decision making processes
• make cases for the adoption of a particular waste/resource technology or combination of waste technologies
• identify environmental , economic and social risks associated with different waste management technologies

Skills

By the end of this module, the student should be able to:
• apply the stages of Environmental Impact Assessment
• use sustainability assessments (CEEQUAL, BREAM etc) for construction projects
• interpret the results of a life cycle assessment
• undertake an options appraisal using MCA
• critically evaluate literature relating to advanced waste and resource management technologies
• identify potential barriers to the implementation of particular technologies (waste and energy)
• evaluate the environmental impacts of waste/resource management and energy technologies

The key skills developed by taking this module include:
• Independent learning
• Project-orientated group work
• The ability to propose, assess and evaluate solutions based on both qualitative and quantitative technical data
• Decision making based on multiple sources of information
• The ability to critically evaluate and communicate succinctly relationships between disciplines
• Applying key theoretical concepts and analysis techniques to real life case study examples, allowing students to formulate the results of conceptual assessments in the form of clear, concise and coherent technical reports

Assessment

The coursework requires the submission of all assignments.