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Syllabus SPRING 2018
Course: ENGR I9500 , section L, class # 60114
Title: Professional Seminar and Special Topics in Earth Systems & Environmental Engineering
Seminar series given by: The Earth Engineering Center at City College of New York (EEC|CCNY)
Sponsored by: Earth System Science and Environmental Engineering
In collaboration with: The Department of Sanitation of New York City
Instructors: Professor Marco J. Castaldi; Associate Director Demetra Tsiamis, EEC|CCNY
Contact information (use e-mails): mcastaldi@ccny.cuny.edu , dtsiamis@ccny.cuny.edu
Location: ST-312
Meetings: Tuesdays, Thursdays, 9:30-10:45 am; 01/27/2018 - 05/24/2018, Total classes: 28
Office hours: Tuesdays, Thursdays 3-4 pm, and by appointment
Pre-requisites: graduate standing (for MS students), Dean’s permission (for eligible upper-level undergraduate students)
Course description:
The Professional Seminar Series is a course on waste sustainability that will be taught by a diverse group of waste management experts in academia, industry, and government from around the world. This seminar series will serve as a unifying foundation for the ESE program by offering students a comprehensive and global education on waste sustainability, introducing research opportunities, and providing training in professional and personal skills.
Course assessment:
Assignments: There will be 5 assignment submissions that coincide with field trips. The assignment deliverable will be a quantitative summary and assessment based on the lecture and associated field trip taken. E.g. if the visit is to a recycling center, then the assignment will detail, cost of recycle material per ton, percentage that is recycled based on input. Type and quantity of material recycled vs discarded. Quantitative estimate of environmental impact or benefit per unit weight of material (i.e. Co2 savings per kg, NOx savings per kg, energy savings per kg, etc). The same will be done for each submission. If you attend more than 5 trips, hopefully you attend all, you only need to submit 5 of your choosing. Assignments will only be accepted within 7 days after completion of the field trip; late submissions will not be graded. The spirit of the assignment is to quantitatively understand a waste management process. The assignment submission should not be more than 3-4 pages including all calculations, graphs, tables and analyses. They should be concisely written as if you are providing a “trip report” to a supervisor at your workplace that conveys the quantitative understanding and learning obtained. The format should reflect a professional memorandum or professional briefing. Please see the Evaluation Rubrics
Course Content & Calendar (subject to changes):
Class 1 |
Jan. 30 | Welcome/ Intro to Waste Sustainability Speakers:
Description: Introduction to course/discussion of seminar series layout and logistics, waste management in New York City |
Class 2 |
Feb. 1 | Waste Management Overview Speaker: Demetra Tsiamis, EEC|CCNY Description: Definition of waste terminology, waste transport logistics – where does our garbage go?, overview of waste treatment technologies |
Class 3 |
Feb. 6 | Reduce & Reuse Speakers:
Description: Definition of reuse – what items in our waste can be reused and how?,, challenges in reuse, quantification of current reuse in NYC – NYCCMR reuse calculator, reuse initiatives and organizations in NYC – how to get involved |
Class 4 |
Feb. 8 | Site Visit: Materials for the Arts Site Location: Materials for the Arts 33-00 Northern Boulvard, 3rd Floor Long Island City, NY 11101 Description: Learn how artists reuse materials that would otherwise be discarded |
Class 5 |
Feb. 13 | Recycle Speakers:
Description: Definition of recycle– what items in New York City’s waste are collected for recycling?, material recovery facility operations, fate of recyclable items in New York City, current recycling rates and challenges in recycling, waste generator responsibility to achieve recycling targets |
Class 6 |
Feb. 15 | Site Visit: Sunset Park Material Recovery Facility Site Location: Sunset Park Material Recovery Facility 472 2nd Avenue (on the 29th Street Pier) Brooklyn, NY 11232 Description: See first-hand the large scale operations that sort and separate recyclables in NYC’s waste stream to prepare them to be sold back into the wholesale market as recycled consumer products |
| FEB. 20 | NO CLASS – CLASSES FOLLOW MONDAY SCHEDULE |
Class 7 |
Feb. 22 | Composting Speakers:
Description: Define composting – what items in NYC’s waste stream can be composted, composting process – from kitchen to backyard, current state of composting in NYC and current challenges, how to get involved |
Class 8 |
Feb. 27 | Site Visit: Earth Matter Composting Site (TENTATIVE) Site Location: Earth Matter Composting Site Governor’s Island Description: See first-hand composting operations of NYC’s organic waste *Note: Since the composting site is outdoors, the site visit may be re-scheduled for a later date depending on weather conditions this day |
Class 9 |
Mar. 1 | Anaerobic Digestion and Wastewater Collection & Treatment Speakers:
Description: Definition of aerobic and anaerobic digestion – what items in NYC waste can be digested?, technical description of digestion process, examples and industry experience with digestion facilities in the US and abroad, current state and challenges with anaerobic digestion, wastewater collection and treatment in NYC |
Class 10 |
Mar. 6 | Site Visit: Newtown Creek Digester Eggs
Site Location: Newtown Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant 329 Greenpoint Avenue Brooklyn, NY 11222 Description: See first-hand the large scale operations that treat NYC’s wastewater as well as the state-of-the-art digester eggs |
Class 11 | Mar. 8 | MIDTERM EXAM |
Class 12 |
Mar. 13 | Waste-to-Energy (contribution of GWC) Speaker: Professor Nickolas Themelis, Director, Earth Engineering Center-Columbia University; Chair, Global WtERT Council (GWC) Description: Thermal processing of post-recycling wastes; composition of wastes; technical description of waste-to-energy (WTE) combustion, boiler, and Air Pollution Control systems; examples of WTE facilities in the US and abroad; typical recovery of electricity, heat and metals; economics of WTE plants; environmental impacts; current state and challenges in the US |
Class 13 |
Mar. 15 | Site Visit: Covanta Union Waste-to-Energy Facility Site Location: 112, 202 Blanchard St, Newark, NJ 07105 Description: See first-hand the large scale operations of a waste-to-energy facility that converts NYC’s non-recyclable waste into electricity |
Class 14 |
Mar. 20 | Pyrolysis Speakers:
Description: Definition of pyrolysis – what items in NYC waste can be pyrolyzed?, technical description of pyrolysis, fundamental research to understand pyrolysis, examples of pyrolysis facilities in the US and abroad, current state and challenges with pyrolysis technology |
Class 15 |
Mar. 22 | Recycle & Material Recovery Facility Operations Speaker: Tom Outerbridge, General manager, Sims Municipal Recycling Description: Learn about the technologies and processes of a material recovery facility that separates and prepares recyclable waste to be recycled and sold back into the wholesale markets |
Class 16 |
Mar. 27 | Gasification Speaker: Professor Marco Castaldi, CCNY Description: Definition of gasification – what items in NYC waste can be gasified?, technical description of gasification, fundamental research to understand gasification, examples of gasification facilities in the US and abroad, current state and challenges with gasification technology |
Class 17 |
Mar. 29 | Site Visit: Golden Renewable Energy Plastics-to-Oil Facility Site Location: Golden Renewable Energy LLC 700 Nepperhan Avenue Yonkers, NY 10703 Description: Take a technical tour of a pilot scale pyrolysis plant that converts non-recyclable plastics into oil that can be sold into the wholesale market for transport and heating purposes |
| APRIL 1-8 | NO CLASS -SPRING BREAK |
Class 18 |
Apr. 10 | Landfilling Speaker: Dr. Morton Barlaz, Distinguished Professor and Head of Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering, NC State University Description: Definition of landfilling – what items in NYC waste are landfilled?, technical description of landfilling, fundamental research to understand landfilling, examples of landfills in the US, current state and challenges with landfilling, environmental impact of landfills |
Class 19 |
Apr 12 | Site Visit: Freshkills Park Site Location: Freshkills Park Staten Island, NY Description: Take a tour of NYC’s former landfill that was closed in 2001 and converted into a NYC park |
Class 20 |
Apr. 17 | Waste Management in Europe Speaker: Christian Riber Description: waste management policies implemented in the EU, European experience in recycling and WtE, waste infrastructure logistics in European countries, European waste generator behavior and education |
Class 21 |
Apr. 19 | Waste Management in the US and around the World Speakers:
Description: current state of waste generation and disposition in the US, USEPA waste materials flow methodology, waste management infrastructure and culture around the world |
Class 22 |
Apr. 24 | Waste Management in Developing Nations (contribution of GWC) Speaker: Dr. Athanasios Bourtsalas, Manager of WtERT Program, EEC-Columbia; Adjunct Assistant Professor, Columbia University Description: waste management infrastructure and culture in developing nations, challenges in waste management in developed nations compared to the US, China, and the EU |
Class 23 |
Apr. 26 | Engineering Fundamentals and Technologies in Waste Management (contribution of GWC) Speaker: Dr. Stefano Consonni, Professor of Energy Systems at Politecnico di Milano, Director of WTERT-Italy Description: thermodynamic and engineering fundamentals of thermal conversion waste management technologies |
Class 24 |
May 1 | Producer Responsibility Panel Speakers:
Description: A discussion of the initiatives that manufacturers of consumer products and textiles are taking to achieve zero waste to landfill targets and improve overall waste sustainability in the industry |
Class 25 |
May 3 | The Public’s Role in Waste Sustainability
Speaker: Paul Davison, Managing Director, Proteus Description: impact of waste generator behavior on current state of waste management, social and policy impact on achieving waste sustainability goals |
Class 26 | May 8 | Site Visit: Earth Matter Composting Site Site Location: Earth Matter Composting Site Governor’s Island Description: See first-hand composting operations of NYC’s organic waste |
Class 27 | May 10 | Site Visit: Wet Waste Gasification Site Location: City College of New York, Steinman Hall, Cellar Speaker: Mike Gillespie, Chief Technology Officer, Sustainable Waste Power Systems (SWPS) Description: Take a tour led by the inventor of a wet waste gasifier that is designed to treat wet organic waste and convert it to a hot syngas that can be used for electricity and heating purposes. |
Class 28 |
May 15 | Final Thoughts Professor Marco Castaldi, Demetra Tsiamis Description: Discussion of topics addressed in seminar series, final exam review |
| May 22 | FINAL EXAM |
FIELD TRIPS:
- REUSE
Site Location:
- RECYCLE
Site Location:
- COMPOST
Site Location:
- DIGESTION
Site Location:
- WASTE-TO-ENERGY
Site Location:
- PYROLYSIS
Site Location:
- GASIFICATION
Site Location: City College of New York, Steinman Hall, Cellar
- LANDFILL
Site Location:
The students are required to get to facilities on their own except for Covanta Union , Staten Island and Governor’s Island facilities. CCNY van transportation will be arranged to and from Covanta Union, Staten Island and Governor’s Island facilities.
Disabilities Statement
The AccessAbility Center (AAC) facilitates equal access and coordinates reasonable accommodations and support services for City College students with disabilities while preserving the integrity of academic standards. Please visit http://www.ccny.cuny.edu/accessability/ or contact North Academic Center Room 1/218 160 Convent Ave. New York, NY 10031 p: 212.650.5913 e: sds@ccny.cuny.edu
Academic Integrity
Academic dishonesty of any sort is strictly prohibited at The City College of New York. Visit https://www.ccny.cuny.edu/about/integrity to download a copy of the University’s academic integrity policy handout.
Evaluation Rubrics
Evaluation | Does not meet Expectations (1) | Meets Expectations (2) | Exceeds Expectations (3) |
Problem Definition: States the engineering problem clearly, provides motivation for the need for a solution |
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Literature & Previous Work: Is aware of and makes use of relevant literature and previous work in the area to frame the problem and develop the solution |
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Results: Applies advanced engineering methods and tools to solve the problem. Analyzes and interprets results and evaluates the solution |
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Quality of Written Report: Communicates project results clearly and professionally in the written report. |
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Overall Assessment: The assessment of the overall performance of the student based on the evidence in the above items.
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Outcomes:
Upon successful completion of the course, a student will be able to:
1. Demonstrate the ability to apply master’s level engineering concepts to solve a new problem or answer a novel question using engineering analysis, experimentation, and or computer simulations.
2. Write a comprehensive engineering report that clearly presents technical information and meets the expected standards for style, organization, content, and format.
Last Updated: 09/19/2022 10:57