SUBJECT OUTLINE

49123 Waste and Pollution Management

Course area UTS: Engineering
Delivery Autumn 2019; distance mode; City
Credit points 6cp
Requisite(s) 120 Credit Points in spk(s): C10061 Bachelor of Engineering Diploma in
Engineering Practice OR 120 Credit Points in spk(s): C10066 Bachelor of
Engineering Science OR 120 Credit Points in spk(s): C10067 Bachelor of
Engineering OR 120 Credit Points in spk(s): C09067 Bachelor of Engineering
(Honours) Diploma in Professional Engineering Practice OR 120 Credit Points in
spk(s): C09066 Bachelor of Engineering (Honours)
These requisites may not apply to students in certain courses.
There are also course requisites for this subject. See access conditions.
Result type Grade and marks

Attendance: block, distance

Subject coordinator
Prof S. Vigneswaran

Room: CB.11.11.212

Phone: 02 9514 2641, Fax: 02 9514 2633; Email: S.Vigneswaran@uts.edu.au

If you wish to discuss your questions or need further help with understanding concepts in the subject, please see the
lecturer after lectures, or during consultation hours. If you are unable to come then, please email and suggest several
alternative times when you will be available. Email messages will be responded to within two working days.

Please do not make appointments by leaving phone messages.

Teaching staff
Prof S Vigneswaran
Room: 11.212
Phone: 02 9514 2641, Fax: 02 9514 2633; Email: S.Vigneswaran@uts.edu.au

Dr Jaya Kandasamy
Room: 11.213
Phone: 02 9514 2558, Fax: 02 9514 2633; Email: jaya.kandasamy@uts.edu.au

Dr Tien Vinh Nguyen

Room: 11.218
Phone: 02 9514 2620, 02 9514 2633; Email: Tien.Nguyen@uts.edu.au

Subject description
It is important to treat waste and pollution control in an integrated and comprehensive manner, permitting evaluation of
benefits of waste minimisation to industry and of pollution reduction in the environment. This subject introduces
students to leading-edge technologies of waste minimisation and pollution control such as membrane processes; raw
materials extraction and refinement; and product development including design, manufacture, use, re-use/recycling
and environmental auditing of the product life cycle. An understanding of management techniques for solid/hazardous
and liquid wastes is developed. Other topics comprehensively covered include institutional barriers to improving the
technologies of waste technology and management practices adopted in domestic waste, the paper industry, metal
plating industry, food and dairy industry, household waste and water recycling in buildings.

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Subject learning objectives (SLOs)
Upon successful completion of this subject students should be able to:
1. Comprehensively describe how waste minimisation and pollution control are treated
2. Evaluate the benefits of waste minimisation to industry and of pollution reduction in the environment
3. Appreciate, evaluate and apply leading edge technologies to topic
4. Utilise various methods of management techniques for solid/hazardous and liquid wastes

Course intended learning outcomes (CILOs)

This subject also contributes specifically to the development of the following faculty Course Intended Learning
Outcomes (CILOs) and Engineers Australia (EA) Stage 1 competencies:
Identify, interpret and analyse stakeholder needs (A.1)
Apply principles of sustainability to create viable systems (A.4)
Identify and apply relevant problem-solving methodologies (B.1)
Design components, systems and/or processes to meet required specifications (B.2)
Implement and test solutions (B.5)

Teaching and learning strategies

Strategy 1: Preparation for On-Campus Learning

Student learning in this subject is facilitated through week O and three block sessions. In preparation for block classes
students should watch the introductory video on UTSOnline. Students should reflect on the issues raised in the video
and the questions posted on UTSOnline related to the video. This will be discussed in class in Block 1 during a tutorial
session. Students will benefit from discussion with their student colleagues. The discussion is moderated by the
subject coordinator, affording the opportunity to provide feedback on students’ reflections and answers and direct
further learning.

Strategy 2: Practical Learning through lectures and tutorials

The three block sessions during the teaching session comprising lectures and tutorials. Each block will be held from
9.30am to 5pm on a Monday and 9.30am to 1pm on a Tuesday. The course is taught by lectures, assignments and
project work. Students are expected to actively take part in class to, in part, help build their communication skills as
well as consolidate concepts of waste management and minimisation.

Lectures are supported by relevant lecture material including notes, reference material, design guides, tutorials, online
questions, assignments, etc. placed on UTSOnline. Students will gain most from the lectures if they read each block’s
material in advance and answer the associated online tutorials before the lecture so that the lecture can focus on
problem solving activities and the more problematic material. The lectures are interactive in all aspects of the course of
instruction, which will include the use of power-point presentations and selected videos. The lectures will have a
practical bias that aims to be relevant to professional engineering practice. Some of the tutorials are given by guest
lecturers with industry expertise to link subject to professional engineering practice.

Strategy 3: Collaborative Learning

Students work collaboratively in groups during tutorial sessions (two per block) and class assignments (one per block).
These sessions will be interactive with a focus on problem-solving, discussion and feedback including in groups and
on a one to one basis. All tutorial sessions provide significant opportunities for students to problem solve
collaboratively. During the tutorial sessions, 4-5 students in a group discuss a problem in a collective manner.
Answering the problem question enables students to reflect on the issues raised during the lectures. The discussion
allows the lecturer the opportunity to provide feedback and direct further learning.

Strategy 4: Ongoing Feedback

Opportunities are provided for formal and informal feedback throughout this subject. Students will receive informal
feedback on their problem-solving and collaborative skills during tutorial sessions. In addition, there are numerous
formative assessments activities (some do not contribute to overall assessment) from Block 1 onward, that are

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designed to allow students to practise using their new knowledge/skills and receive feedback from the lecturer. There
will be a class assignment during block 1 and feedback will be given to students in class and also in their marked
assignments within the first four weeks of the teaching session, before census date. Assignment marks will be posted
on UTSOnline with answers to this class assignment. Distance mode students will be provided with questions and
short answers afterwards. They will be given opportunity to discuss with the lecturer face-to-face or over the phone.

Content (topics)
Introduction: Pollution control and needs for clean technology; Advances in pollution control: Processes and case
studies, technological aspects of waste management; Techniques to achieve cleaner technologies with examples;
Waste minimisation with case studies of developed and developing countries; Waste auditing in industries with
examples on tanning and metal plating industries; Institutional barriers to waste minimisation: Employee incentives;
Strategies for promotion of cleaner production for sustainable development; Treatment and utilisation practices for
recycle of sewage and sludge; Solid and hazardous waste minimisation and management.

Program
Week/Session Dates Description

1 Block 1

Wastewater Treatment, sustainable water reuse (technologies and case studies)

Biosolids treatment and recycling · Case studies on water and biosolids
management
water sensitive urban design

Please read block 1 material and powerpoints an answer online tutorial 1, 2 and 3
before attending class.

2 Block 2

Waste auditing and case studies

Industrial waste minimisation technologies and economics
Membrane and other advanced processes in waste management
Wetlands
Waste auditing and case studies

Please read block 2 material and powerpoints an answer online tutorial 4 and 5 before
attending class.

3 Block 3

Solid and hazardous waste management with particular emphasis on recycling and
resource recovery
Large and small scale industrial waste management with case studies
Rainwater and stormwater management

Please read block 3 material and powerpoints an answer online tutorial 6 and 7 before
attending class.

Additional subject costs

Lecture notes.

Assessment
Lectures and Reading Materials (LRM)
The lecture notes provide adequate information on each topic relevant to this subject. You are expected to refer to
other references to answer the assignment questions.

Please attach the Distance Mode cover sheet to your assignment downloadable from:

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Please attach the Distance Mode cover sheet to your assignment downloadable from:
http://www.uts.edu.au/sites/default/files/Distance%20Mode%20Assignment%20Cover%20Sheet.pdf

Distance mode assignments must be returned by the date nominated by one of the means below:
by mail (postmarked by the date nominated) to the Distance Mode Officer, UTS: FEIT, Building 11.12.216, PO Box
123, BROADWAY NSW 2007; or
by hand (by the date nominated) to the Distance Mode Drop Box, outside the FEIT Learning Precinct (FLP),
Building 11, Level 5, 300 (CB11.05.300) – Drop box 33; or
by email (by the date nominated) submit soft copy in PDF format to FEITDistancemode@uts.edu.au. Please ensure
that the soft copy complies with all hard copy requirements (a hard copy will be printed on your behalf by the
Distance Mode Officer).

Please ensure that you activate your UTS email address – it will be used for all correspondence between you and the
university.

Any queries related to assignments, please contact Prof. S. Vigneswaran. Email: s.vigneswaran@uts.edu.au

Assessment task 1: Waste Management and Recycling

Intent: This assignment test students understanding of wastewater and bio-solids management principles,
and ability to undertake basic design calculations and develop management practices. This will
expose them to the design process of wastewater treatment plants.

Objective(s): This assessment task addresses the following subject learning objectives (SLOs):

This assessment task contributes to the development of the following course intended learning
outcomes (CILOs):

A.1, A.4, B.1, B.2 and B.5

Type: Exercises

Groupwork: Individual

Weight: 10%

Task: Summative Assessment

Part A: Wastewater management and water reuse- Processes, rational description and calculations
(6%)

Part B: Develop knowledge of real world water reuse schemes (4%)

Questions will be posted on UTSOnline under ‘Course Instruction and Assignments’ under the section
of ‘Subject Information’.
see UTSOnline

Due: 12.00pm Friday 12 April 2019

Submit to UTSOnline

Criteria: Criteria: Single answers (Quantitative and qualitative) and methodology/approach to problem-solving.
Design of water reuse scheme is a group activity.

Criteria Criteria Weight (%) SLOs CILOs

linkages:
Correctness of calculations 25 1 B.2

Correctness of design 25 1 B.1

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 Correctness of reasoning and interpretation 30 1 A.1

Appropriateness of recommendation 20 1 A.4, B.5

SLOs: subject learning objectives

CILOs: course intended learning outcomes

Further Please attach the Distance Mode cover sheet to your assignment (downloadable from
information: https://www.uts.edu.au/sites/default/files/Distance%20Mode%20Assignment%20Cover%20Sheet.pdf).

Any queries related to assignments, please contact Prof. S. Vigneswaran. Email:

s.vigneswaran@uts.edu.au

Assessment task 2: Waste minimisation methodologies and practices

Intent: This assignment will help the students to carry out processes in industrial waste minimisation which
lead to the current practice of waste reduction and cleaner technology.

Objective(s): This assessment task addresses the following subject learning objectives (SLOs):

2 and 4

This assessment task contributes to the development of the following course intended learning
outcomes (CILOs):

A.1, B.1 and B.5

Type: Exercises

Groupwork: Individual

Weight: 15%

Task: Summative Assessment.

Industrial waste minimisation - Process design, rational description and calculations and case studies
examples.

Due: 12.00pm Friday 10 May 2019

Submit to UTSOnline

Criteria: Criteria: Single answers (Quantitative and qualitative) and methodology/approach to problem-solving.

Criteria Criteria Weight (%) SLOs CILOs

linkages:
Correctness of calculations 25 2 B.1

Correctness of design 25 2 B.1

Correctness of reasoning and interpretation 30 4 A.1

Appropriateness of recommendation 20 4 A.1, B.5

SLOs: subject learning objectives

CILOs: course intended learning outcomes

Further See UTSOnline.

information:

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Assessment task 3: Alternative water sources
Intent: This assignment will help in the choice of alternative water sources for industries through case
studies and design calculations. This will lead to developing strategies for pollution abatement for an
actual waste management scenario.

Objective(s): This assessment task addresses the following subject learning objectives (SLOs):

3 and 4

This assessment task contributes to the development of the following course intended learning
outcomes (CILOs):

A.4, B.2 and B.5

Type: Exercises

Groupwork: Individual

Weight: 25%

Task: Summative Assignment

Rainwater and stormwater management - calculation and essay questions (10%) (Individual)
2 Supplementary Group Assignments on waste minimisation technologies and pollution abatement
(15%) (Group).

The questions are semi open-ended questions. The students work on 3 - 4. Answers are put on
UTSOnline after 2 weeks and students can discuss on their approach as opposed to answers
provided on UTSOnline.

Due: First Supplementary Group Assignment (8 Marks)- 12 April, Second Supplementary Group
Assignment (7 Marks)- 10 May Rainwater and stormwater management - calculation and essay
questions (10 Marks, Individual) - 17 May Submit to UTSOnline

Criteria: Individual assignment on best management strategies. Short qualitative and quantitative questions
to illustrate the above principles (10%)

Class group assignment on pollution abatement strategies (10%)

Criteria Criteria Weight (%) SLOs CILOs

linkages:
Correctness of calculations 25 3 B.2

Correctness of design 25 3 B.2

Correctness of systems model 30 3 A.4

Appropriateness of recommendation 20 4 A.4, B.5

SLOs: subject learning objectives

CILOs: course intended learning outcomes

Further See UTSOnline.

information:
In Block 2 and Block 3 there will be short group assignments. Assignments will be provided to be
worked on in the class. Distance mode students will receive this by email.

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Assessment task 4: Final Exam
Objective(s): This assessment task addresses the following subject learning objectives (SLOs):

1, 2, 3 and 4

This assessment task contributes to the development of the following course intended learning
outcomes (CILOs):

A.1, A.4, B.1 and B.2

Type: Examination

Groupwork: Individual

Weight: 50%

Task: This will be an open book exam, and as such you can bring your lecture notes and books for your
reference during the exam. The exam will consist of a number of short-answer questions both
quantitative and qualitative.

Length: The duration of the examination is 2 hours and 10 minutes.

Due: UTS Exam Period

Criteria: Marks for each exam question are stated in the exam sheets.

Criteria Criteria Weight (%) SLOs CILOs

linkages:
Correctness of calculations 50 1, 2, 3, 4 A.1, A.4, B.1, B.2

Correctness of reasoning and 50 1, 2, 3, 4 A.1, A.4, B.1, B.2

interpretation

SLOs: subject learning objectives

CILOs: course intended learning outcomes

Further All students, including distance mode students who live within the Sydney basin, must attend the
information: examination at UTS. For students who live outside the Sydney basin, the FEIT Teaching & Learning
Protfolio will organise for the examination to be sat near the student’s place of work or home.

Assessment feedback
Formative feedback will be provided on the class assignment during Block 1. Feedback on marked assignments will
also be provided within the first four weeks of the session. Assignment marks will be posted on UTSOnline with
answers to this class assignment.

Feedback on assignments will be summative (with marks) for all assessments, and given individually two weeks after
submission of student assignments. Short answers with direction to approach the questions will be provided to
distance and block mode students. This will be followed with discussion face-to-face or via telephone contact.

Examination material or equipment

The duration of the examination is 2 hours plus 10 minutes reading time. This will be an open book exam, and as such
you can bring your lecture notes and books for your reference during the exam. The exam will consist of a number of
short-answer questions both quantitative and qualitative.

Minimum requirements
In order to pass the subject, you must
Achieve a minimum of 50% in the final exam and

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 Achieve an overall total of 50 marks or more for the subject

Students who do not meet these minimum requirements but achieve an overall mark of 50% or greater will fail the
subject and receive their overall mark with an "X" (fail) grade.

Required texts
Vigneswaran S, Visvanathan C and Jegatheesan V, 1998, ‘Industrial waste minimisation’, Ensearch, Malaysia
Course notes are available at the bookshop

The CN Number is: Waste and Pollution Management, CN No. and Price will be advised at
http://www.uts.edu.au/current-students/feit/postgraduate-coursework/distance-mode/learning-materials

Recommended texts
Information on specific text will be provided in class.

Other resources
see UTSOnline: https://online.uts.edu.au/

Graduate attribute development

For a full list of the faculty's graduate attributes and EA Stage 1 competencies, refer to the FEIT Graduate Attributes
webpage.

Assessment: faculty procedures and advice

Extensions

When, due to extenuating circumstances, you are unable to submit or present an assessment task on time, please
contact your subject coordinator before the assessment task is due to discuss an extension. Extensions may be
granted up to a maximum of 5 days (120 hours). In all cases you should have extensions confirmed in writing.

Special consideration

If you believe your performance in an assessment item or exam has been adversely affected by circumstances
beyond your control, such as a serious illness, loss or bereavement, hardship, trauma, or exceptional employment
demands, you may be eligible to apply for Special Consideration.

Late penalty

Work submitted late without an approved extension is subject to a late penalty of 10 per cent of the total available
marks deducted per calendar day that the assessment is overdue (e.g. if an assignment is out of 40 marks, and is
submitted (up to) 24 hours after the deadline without an extension, the student will have four marks deducted from
their awarded mark). Work submitted after five calendar days is not accepted and a mark of zero is awarded.

For some assessment tasks a late penalty may not be appropriate – these are clearly indicated in the subject outline.
Such assessments receive a mark of zero if not completed by/on the specified date. Examples include:
a. weekly online tests or laboratory work worth a small proportion of the subject mark, or
b. online quizzes where answers are released to students on completion, or
c. professional assessment tasks, where the intention is to create an authentic assessment that has an absolute
submission date, or
d. take-home papers that are assessed during a defined time period, or
e. pass/fail assessment tasks.

Querying results

If students wish to query their result in an individual assessment task or the final examination, the process to follow
can be found at Querying a mark or grade. The deadline is five working days from the date of release of the result.

If students wish to query their final overall result in a subject, they may request a review of final subject assessment
result. The deadline is five working days from the date of release of the result.

Academic liaison officer

Academic liaison officers (ALOs) are academic staff in each faculty who assist students experiencing difficulties in
their studies due to: disability and/or an ongoing health condition; carer responsibilities (e.g. being a primary carer for

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small children or a family member with a disability); and pregnancy.

ALOs are responsible for approving adjustments to assessment arrangements for students in these categories.
Students who require adjustments due to disability and/or an ongoing health condition are requested to discuss their
situation with an accessibility consultant at the Accessibility Service before speaking to the relevant ALO.

The ALO for undergraduate students is:

Chris Wong
telephone +61 2 9514 4501

The ALO for postgraduate students is:

Dr Nham Tran
telephone +61 2 9514 4468

Statement about assessment procedures and advice

This subject outline must be read in conjunction with the policy and procedures for the assessment for coursework
subjects.

Statement on copyright
Teaching materials and resources provided to you at UTS are protected by copyright. You are not permitted to re-use
these for commercial purposes (including in kind benefit or gain) without permission of the copyright owner. Improper
or illegal use of teaching materials may lead to prosecution for copyright infringement.

Statement on plagiarism
Plagiarism and academic integrity

At UTS, plagiarism is defined in Rule 16.2.1(4) as: 'taking and using someone else's ideas or manner of expressing
them and passing them off as ... [their] own by failing to give appropriate acknowledgement of the source to seek to
gain an advantage by unfair means'.

The definition infers that if a source is appropriately referenced, the student's work will meet the required academic
standard. Plagiarism is a literary or an intellectual theft and is unacceptable both academically and professionally. It
can take a number of forms including but not limited to:
copying any section of text, no matter how brief, from a book, journal, article or other written source without duly
acknowledging the source
copying any map, diagram, table or figure without duly acknowledging the source
paraphrasing or otherwise using the ideas of another author without duly acknowledging the source
re-using sections of verbatim text without using quote marks to indicate the text was copied from the source (even if
a reference is given).

Other breaches of academic integrity that constitute cheating include but are not limited to:
submitting work that is not a student's own, copying from another student, recycling another student's work,
recycling previously submitted work, and working with another student in the same cohort in a manner that exceeds
the boundaries of legitimate cooperation
purchasing an assignment from a website and submitting it as original work
requesting or paying someone else to write original work, such as an assignment, essay or computer program, and
submitting it as original work.

Students who condone plagiarism and other breaches of academic integrity by allowing their work to be copied are
also subject to student misconduct Rules.

Where proven, plagiarism and other breaches of misconduct are penalised in accordance with UTS Student Rules
Section 16 – Student misconduct and appeals.

Avoiding plagiarism is one of the main reasons why the Faculty of Engineering and IT is insistent on the thorough and
appropriate referencing of all written work. Students may seek assistance regarding appropriate referencing through
UTS: HELPS.

Work submitted electronically may be subject to similarity detection software. Student work must be submitted in a
format able to be assessed by the software (e.g. doc, pdf (text files), rtf, html).

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Further information about avoiding plagiarism at UTS is available.

Retention of student work

The University reserves the right to retain the original or one copy of any work executed and/or submitted by a student
as part of the course including, but not limited to, drawings, models, designs, plans and specifications, essays,
programs, reports and theses, for any of the purposes designated in Student Rule 3.9.2. Such retention is not to affect
any copyright or other intellectual property right that may exist in the student's work. Copies of student work may be
retained for a period of up to five years for course accreditation purposes. Students are advised to contact their subject
coordinator if they do not consent to the University retaining a copy of their work.

Statement on UTS email account

Email from the University to a student will only be sent to the student's UTS email address. Email sent from a student
to the University must be sent from the student's UTS email address. University staff will not respond to email from
any other email accounts for currently enrolled students.

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