43405 - Recycling Modulübersicht

Module Number: 43405 - module is no longer offered from SS 2019
Module Title:Recycling
  Recycling
Department: Faculty 2 - Environment and Natural Sciences
Responsible Staff Member:
  • Prof. Dr. Dr.h.c. (NMU, UA) Schmidt, Michael
Language of Teaching / Examination:English
Duration:1 semester
Frequency of Offer: Every summer semester
Credits: 6
Learning Outcome:In the range of manufacture and especially within industrial production the hazards of chemical substances and materials have been the key concern in the areas of work safety, environmental protection and plant procurement. Rules from different law areas are relevant therefore: OSHA, EP, HTMA etc. This multi-aspect subject must be understood by plant officers. In addition, the systems of chemical hazards are compared, regarding Germany (and the EC) as well as the United States.
  • Students will be confident in analyzing and assessing risks in plant operations.
  • Knowledge will be created regarding the best available technology and field of applications
  • Understanding the differences in approaches to chemical safety as based and shaped through culture.
The problems related to the handling of the (hazardous) materials and waste generated in the industry and household in may be avoided by applying the recycling processes and the environmental rules already in the planning stage of the production. The designing and implementation of recycling programs is therefore a goal in many areas of this world. This requires specific knowledge of recycling technologies and its transfer into countries is of predominant significance. Furthermore, the most effective measures of the material saving may be achieved on the level of the resource management with the help of the cycle economy rules and saving the materials and cost with the help of the best possible arrangement of the production and operation patterns. The students will:
  • Get familiar with the situation of the raw material markets;
  • Understand the connections between the natural systems and industrial systems;
  • Understand the environmental impact of resource utilization and the necessity of recycling
  • Get an insight into the recycling options for complex products
  • Understand the ways of recycling for different materials
  • Get familiar to the state-of-the-art of recycling processes and the legal requirements of the recycling operations
  • Be able to outline the consequences with respect to product design
  • Receive an insight into the economics of recycling systems
Several scientific methods and tools may be used in order to a) check the environmental performance of the products and services through the application of the environmentally friendly measures such as recycling or b) implement the corrective action. One of the most widely known is the Life Cycle Assessment (based on the ISO standards 14040), which evaluates the environmental impacts in the cradle to grave perspective, i.e. from the raw material acquisition until the final disposal of the waste material. Another possibility to analyse the complex multilevel system is given by the sensitivity modelling. This module will enable the students to:
  • Understand the main requirements and phases of the LCA;
  • Distinguish between the applied impact assessment method;
  • Have an insight into the practical application of the LCA method on example of industrial products and processes;
  • Analyse and understand the role of the specific factors and decision makers from the systemic perspective and their influence on the environmental performance of the specific company/product/service.
Contents:Part I Chemical safety and legal requirements in enterprises
  • Rulemaking system in Germany and the United States
  • German and EC laws (e.g. EC-directives)
  • Hazardous chemical substances, definition and categories
  • Chemical hazard communication standards (CERCLA, SARA Title III, TSCA, RCRA)
  • OSHA and DOT requirements
  • Rules for shipping, storing, handling and processing of chemicals in production plants
  • Special reference to handling of hazardous materials to water
Part II End-of-Life – options, available technologies, introduction to recycling technologies
  • Situation of raw material supply
  • The sustainable economy
  • Strategies for Industrial Resource Management
  • Options for resource conservation
  • Explanation of different product groups in terms of recycling procedures
  • End-of-life electronics and cars
  • Design rules for recyclability
Part III Support tools for the sustainability assessment
  • Life Cycle Assessment – elements and procedure
  • ISO 14040 standards
  • Systemic analysis and modelling – example of sensitivity modelling
  • Sustainability assessment – bioenergy generation in the EU, Germany and USA
Recommended Prerequisites:None
Mandatory Prerequisites:None
Forms of Teaching and Proportion:
  • Lecture / 4 Hours per Week per Semester
  • Self organised studies / 120 Hours
Teaching Materials and Literature:Much emphasis is put on company examples, which will be investigated through the internet. Furthermore, following books focusing on American and European laws regarding the handling of materials may be of interest.
  • The Mc Graw-Hill Recycling Handbook, second Edition, Herbert F. Lund, 2001 (ISBN: 0-07-039156-4)
  • Recycling solid waste: The first choice for private and Public sector management, Thomas E. Duston, 1993 (ISBN: 0-89930-754-X)
  • Recycling and resource recovery engineering, Richard Ian Stessel, 1996 (ISBN: 3-540-61100-2)
  • Practical handbook of processing and recycling Municipal waste, Manser AGR, Keeling AA, 1996 (ISBN: 1-56670-164-3)
  • Conversion and utilisation of waste materials, Rashid Khan M, 1996
Module Examination:Continuous Assessment (MCA)
Assessment Mode for Module Examination:
  • Presentation, 15 minutes - during the semester on one of the topics related to the module content (30%)
  • Written examination, 80 minutes (70%)
Evaluation of Module Examination:Performance Verification – graded
Limited Number of Participants:None
Part of the Study Programme:
  • no assignment
Remarks:None
Module Components:Summer semester:
  • 430604: LE/PR Material Management
  • 841079: Examination Material Management 
Winter semester:
  • 842035: Examination Material Management
Components to be offered in the Current Semester:
  • no assignment