Solid Waste Recycling

Code

Course teacher

Associate teachers

Status of the course

Course objectives

The course will provide multidisciplinary knowledge regarding all aspects of municipal and industrial solid waste recycling technology, such as project management, energy efficiency and economy, quality assurance, environmental protection, safety and health, and legal aspects and their effect on technological choices.

Course enrolment requirements and entry competences required for the course

Learning outcomes expected at the level of the course (4 to 10 learning outcomes)

By the end of this course, students will be able to:
- identify key sources, typical quantities generated, composition, and properties of solid waste;
- describe and explain recovery and recycling techniques and their impacts;
- identify and quantitatively assess recycling technologies according to the characteristics of the materials to be recovered;
- analyse quantitative and qualitative problems associated with operation of recycling techniques;
- estimate solid waste recycling costs.

Course content broken down in detail by weekly class schedule (syllabus)

1st week: Introduction. Definition of solid waste (physical, chemical and biological characteristics of solid wastes). Technological, economic, environmental and social aspects of recycling.
2nd week: Recyclability criteria. Ecodesign.
3rd week: Characterisation of waste streams, recycling and solid waste characterisation.
4th week: Recycling of complex multimaterial consumer goods (cars, electronics, etc.).
5th week: Recycling Technologies: paper.
6th week: Recycling Technologies: glass.
7th week: First test.
8th week: Recycling Technologies: ferrous metals.
9th week: Recycling Technologies: non-ferrous metals.
10th week: Recycling Technologies: composite materials.
11th week: Recycling Technologies: bio-waste.
12th week: Recycling Technologies: textiles and carpets.
13th week: The economics of recycling.
14th week: Trends in solid waste recycling: issues, challenges and opportunities.
15th week: Second test.

Format of instruction:

Student responsibilities

Lecture attendance: 80 %.