Environmental Process Engineering MSc

The aim of this module is to help our graduates gain the necessary skills-set required for process engineering design and project management skills for future career development; be it Chemical, Environmental or Food. Student-led under the guidance of an academics who are all industrial specialists with extensive experience working for chemical, environmental and food manufacturing companies. Workshops and lectures are held by department staff in key areas. AutoCAD instruction is also provided. Regular mentoring sessions by an appointed team tutor to support your group work.

Modern engineering is not just motivated by profit and productivity, we must make decisions considering the technical, safety, economic and sustainability aspects, and these four factors will form the basis of our design. The focus of your process project is multi-disciplinary and rooted in “cutting-edge” research taking place around the world.

Assessment: 100% coursework

Coursework 1 (30%) Conceptual group design task

Coursework 2 (70%) Detailed group design task

Viva and Team peer assessment to compute individual marks

This module introduces students to the principles and practice of environmental risk assessment, with a focus on applications in groundwater and contaminated land. Students will learn how to characterize risk, develop conceptual models, and evaluate uncertainty. Students will use simulation software to model the mobilization and transport of contaminants. Outputs will be evaluated to predict human health and environmental impacts and propose risk management strategies.

Assessment: 100% coursework

Coursework 1 (30%) Individual presentation

Coursework 2 (70%) Group risk assessment report

The module develops the skills required to design, plan, implement and manage a research project. Students will be given instruction and practice in problem definition; collection, synthesis and critical review of information from a range of traditional and electronic sources; definition of scope, aims and objectives; development of a project plan and schedule; management of project progress.

Particular emphasis of the module is towards quality control and quality assurance and how these underpin measurement activities. The use of statistics for the assessment of data quality in measurement is also emphasised. Students will also develop their writing and practical skills through exercises and coursework.

Assessment: 100% individual coursework

Coursework 1 (70%) 3,000-word laboratory report

Coursework 2 (30%) 1,000-word critical review

This module teaches a risk-based approach to contaminated land management. The first part introduces land contamination within the UK legal context through the development of conceptual models using a source-pathway-receptor linkage approach. The second part looks at risk management, introducing a range of remediation approaches. The selection of an appropriate remedial technology considering cost, timeframe and sustainability are covered.

Assessment: 100% individual coursework

The aim of this module is to give students an in depth understanding of the physical and chemical principles behind the selection and design of control systems to mitigate particulate emissions from process streams. The module is delivered as a series of design calculation tutorials that consider the design of unit operations. Students are required to produce a design of an integrated particulate control system of a mineral processing circuit to meet a given client specification.

Assessment: 100% individual coursework

This module will give you a detailed understanding of design considerations, current industry challenges, emerging issues, and technological solutions in water treatment. The module is delivered through case studies for you to experience and learn what water treatment engineering really means to different industries. Guest speakers will also introduce you to their challenges and solutions, including how these problems are driving investment into developing and emerging technologies.

Assessment: 30% individual coursework, 70% exam

You will gain skills in planning, executing and reporting on an individual research study thereby developing your powers of analysis, independence and critical judgement.

This is a combined design and research project undertaken by a team of 2-5 students, and involving both group and individual working. The basic elements of the project involve a critical review of the literature to provide the background to the initial group design element, followed by the group design part of the project.

The design element will involve the selection of an appropriate, initial process scheme following by preparation of a process flowsheet with associated mass and heat balances. The design will also include control, operational, safety, environmental and economic aspects in addition to the design of important plant items.

This will then be followed by the research element, which will be based on a topic with the aim of eventually aiding the individual design process. The research segment will consist of a critical review of relevant literature and subsequent research work, which may be experimental, computational or theoretical in nature.

The final element of the project is a re-evaluation of the previous design in the light of information gleaned from the research segment.

This module introduces students to a range of knowledge and skills applicable to water and wastewater treatment. Students will gain an understanding in water availability, sources of pollution and the legislative framework for water quality from an EU perspective. Municipal water and wastewater treatment processes will be covered, focusing on key unit processes including sedimentation, filtration and disinfection. The module will also be supported by 2 site visits.

Assessment: 100% exam

This module will develop your knowledge and understanding of air pollution problems. It includes a categorisation of the types of natural and anthropogenic air pollution sources, sinks, and the effects that air pollutants may produce within natural and manmade environments. You’ll learn about the processes of selection and design of pollutant monitoring and control technologies that may be applied to control atmospheric emissions from industrial processes.

Assessment: 100% exam

This module covers underpinning aspects for bio-processing technologies including: an overview of microbes, including structure, function, kinetics and components; metabolism and biomolecules; microbial technology including industrial biosafety and reactor systems; and industrial enzyme biocatalyst technologies with applications.

Assessment: 100% exam

This module aims to provide you with a thorough understanding of how process, hygiene and material characteristics influence the total transformation design of chemical process plants via analysis of exemplar plant designs. 

You'll learn how to assess the basis for safe process design and selection of construction materials. Demonstrate what influence whole system thinking, total life-cycle and critical analysis have upon the basis of process designs and influence process economics. Explain control choices, evaluate interactive risk and understand the potential influence of that environmental impact and societal opinion has upon process design.

Assessment: 100% exam

This module will look at the potential of various waste streams in industry, domestic sources, and agriculture, as well as the different combustion technologies available. It will include a strong international focus, particularly on small to medium scale renewable energy schemes in developing countries. The module will also have dedicated socio-cultural, socio-economic, policy and guidance and techno-economic seminars to introduce students to the interdisciplinary nature of the subject.

Assessment: 30% group coursework, 70% exam

This module gives the students an introduction to industrial scale food processing. A $12 trillion industry that represents greater than 10% of global consumer spending and 40% of employment. Topics covered included: Food structure, food safety and hygiene, freezing, baking, frying, separation, drying and packaging. There is a large amount of industrial context with several guest lectures delivered by industrial engineers working within the fast-growing food and drink sector.

Assessment: 100% exam

In this module, you form a small start-up business based on the development of new technologies and work in teams to develop technological applications, assess market opportunities, explore competitor technologies, evaluate and consider risks—and then develop a full business case for specific technologies in specific market areas. Classes will revolve around group clinics/consultancy sessions, Q&A, lectures and guest lectures and two presentation sessions to a panel of ‘dragons’.

Assessment: 100% group coursework

Energy storage is emerging as one of the most important and most exciting of modern engineering activities. This module begins with an overview of why energy storage is becoming so important and reviews the main options available. Then it addresses thermo-mechanical solutions (springs, flywheels, pumped hydro, compressed air and pumped thermal), electro-chemical solutions (batteries, supercapacitors and flow-batteries) & fossil fuel storage (gas, oil & coal).

Assessment: 100% exam