The book "Solid Waste Engineering - A Global Perspective" is the basis for this course. This textbook is an excellent introduction to the field of Solid Waste Engineering and gives insight into relevant solid waste treatment technologies and practices. Transversal skills will be fostered as well.
With the third edition of Solid Waste Engineering, the authors have decided to expand this college textbook to focus on the worldwide problem of solid waste management. This change is illustrated by the addition of "A Global Perspective" to the title. Given that we are currently using our natural resources at an unsustainable rate, polluting our oceans and land with a variety of waste products and altering our atmosphere with gases that are causing further global warming, now is the time to educate future engineers with knowledge and tools to address these worldwide problems.
The 3rd Edition was also adapted in view of the needs of the students who are taking the Solid Waste Engineering course at EPFL. The course is following the logic structure and the chapters of the book. The third edition has been rearranged to follow the hierarchy of solid waste management: reduce, reuse, recycle and recovery. Thus, students will first learn about integrated waste management strategies, an expertise which will support the future engineer to take measures for pollution prevention as well as for resources conservation. In chapter 2 the students are introduced to municipal solid waste characteristics, including the identification of different waste components and materials. Component specific information is needed for recovery, separation and recycling of waste materials. The relevance of chemical, physical and mechanical properties are discussed in more detail as a basis for the chapters which follow. These properties are most helpful in order to identify potentially meaningful recycling pathways, as well as to decide about possible technological separation and purification options. The next chapter is dedicated to the collection of municipal solid waste, a key, but many times overlooked, component of integrated waste management. Following collection is mechanical processing, in most cases the necessary first step to the recycling and recovery of municipal solid waste. The students will then study mechanical, biological, and thermal processes. For each of these topics the authors have dedicated a separate chapter which will introduce the students to the basic principles of these separate disciplines in the context of waste management. Since not all waste streams can be recovered, students move on to residue management by combustion and landfilling. Finally, students are exposed to the current issues in solid waste management and the principles of integrated and sustainable solid waste management.
It is recommended to buy the book in advance of the course as e-book or as printed edition. (One can get the book at the Rolex Learning Center book store, but if they run out of stock the delivery may take several weeks). A limited stock of books can be borrowed from the teacher for a deposit of CHF 100.
In a few cases the activities at EPFL and the home reading will be complemented with field visits to waste treatment facilities. In addition a group work will focus on specific waste related aspects. These learnings will be transcribed into a video so that these group specific learnings can be made available to the other students in this and in future courses.
Waste Technologies, Recycling, Recovery, Secondary Resources, Mechanical Treatment, Biological Treatment, Thermal Treatment, Co-treatment, Landfilling, Residues and Secondary Wastes, Stabilization, Heavy Metals, Biomass, Bioenergy, Technical Ordinance on Waste, Material and Elemental Flow Analysis