CHEM ENG 7048 - Biofuels, Biomass and Wastes
North Terrace Campus - Semester 2 - 2024
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General Course Information
Course Details
Course Code CHEM ENG 7048 Course Biofuels, Biomass and Wastes Coordinating Unit Chemical Engineering Term Semester 2 Level Postgraduate Coursework Location/s North Terrace Campus Units 3 Contact Up to 4 hours per week Available for Study Abroad and Exchange Y Assessment Assignments, project and final examination Course Staff
Course Coordinator: Associate Professor Philip Kwong
Course Timetable
The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from Course Planner.
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Learning Outcomes
Course Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this course students will be able to:
1 Describe the nature and principle of different biomass energy extraction systems and know how to choose the suitable biomass fuels for different bio-energy applications; 2 Address the desirable features of these biomass energy sources and their advantages over traditional fuels such as coal and oil; and 3 Identify their limited scope in terms of suitable sites, dependence on the elements, capital costs, and cost effectiveness compared with traditional sources.
The above course learning outcomes are aligned with the Engineers Australia Entry to Practice Competency Standard for the Professional Engineer. The course develops the following EA Elements of Competency to levels of introductory (A), intermediate (B), advanced (C):
1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 A — C C B C B C B B A B A B — A University Graduate Attributes
This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attribute(s) specified below:
University Graduate Attribute Course Learning Outcome(s) Attribute 1: Deep discipline knowledge and intellectual breadth
Graduates have comprehensive knowledge and understanding of their subject area, the ability to engage with different traditions of thought, and the ability to apply their knowledge in practice including in multi-disciplinary or multi-professional contexts.
1-3 Attribute 2: Creative and critical thinking, and problem solving
Graduates are effective problems-solvers, able to apply critical, creative and evidence-based thinking to conceive innovative responses to future challenges.
1-3 Attribute 3: Teamwork and communication skills
Graduates convey ideas and information effectively to a range of audiences for a variety of purposes and contribute in a positive and collaborative manner to achieving common goals.
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Learning Resources
Recommended Resources
Demirbas, A., 2009, Biofuels securing the planet’s future energy needs, Energy Conversion and Management 50, 2239-2249.
Demirbas, A., 2001, Biomass resource facilities and biomass conversion processing for fuels and chemicals, Energy Conversion and Management 42, 1357-1378.
Sami, M., Annamalai, K., Wooldridge, M., 2001, Co-firing of coal and biomass fuel blends, Progress in Energy and Combustion Science 27,171-214.
Demirbas, A., 2004, Combustion characteristics of different biomass fuels, Progress of Energy and Combustion Science 30, 219–230.
Nussbaumer, T., 2003, Combustion and co-combustion of biomass: Fundamentals, technologies, and primary measures for emission reduction, Energy and fuels 17, 1510- 1512.
de Nevers, N., Air pollution control engineering (2nd edition), McGraw-Hill.
Meier D. and Faix, O., 1999, State of the art of applied fast pyrolysis of lignocellulosic materials- a review, Bioresource Technology, 68, 71-77.
Ni, M., Leung, D.Y.C., Leung, M.K.H. and Sumathy, K., 2006, An overview of hydrogen production from biomass, Fuel Processing Technology 87, 461-472.
Kirubakaran, V., Sivaramakrishnan, R., Nalini, R., Sekar, T., Premalatha, M. and Subramanian, P., 2009, A review on gasification of biomass, Renewable & Sustainable Energy Reviews 13, 179-186.
Chynoweth D.P., Owens, J.M., and Legrand, R., 2001, Renewable methane from anaerobic digestion of biomass, Renewable Energy 22, 1-8.
Gunaseelan, V. N., 1997, Anaerobic digestion of biomass for methane production: A review, Biomass and Bioenergy 13, 83-114.
Cheng, H. and Hu, Y., 2010, Municipal solid waste (MSW) as a renewable source of energy: Current and future practices in China, Bioresource Technology 101, 3816-3824.
Pavlas, M., Touš, M., Bébar, L. and Stehlík, P., 2009, Waste to energy- An evaluation of the environmental impact, Applied Thermal Engineering, doi:10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2009.10.019
Demirbas, A., 2009, Political, economic and environmental impacts of biofuels: A review, Applied Energy 86, S108-S117.Online Learning
A range of online resources will be provided via MyUni. -
Learning & Teaching Activities
Learning & Teaching Modes
No information currently available.
Workload
The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.
Activity Contact Hours Workload Hours Lectures 20 48 Tutorials 11 18 Computer Labs 0 0 Project 5 31 Examination 0 8 TOTAL 36 105 Learning Activities Summary
Topic 1: Introduction – Current situation and overview on different energy sources
Topic 2: Overview of biomass energy
Topic 3: Combustion of biomass
Topic 4: Thermochemical conversions of biomass
Topic 5: Energy from waste
Topic 6: Issues and opportunities with biomass energy
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Assessment
The University's policy on Assessment for Coursework Programs is based on the following four principles:
- Assessment must encourage and reinforce learning.
- Assessment must enable robust and fair judgements about student performance.
- Assessment practices must be fair and equitable to students and give them the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.
- Assessment must maintain academic standards.
Assessment Summary
* The specific due date for each assessment task will be available on MyUni.Assessment Task Weighting (%) Individual/ Group Formative/ Summative Due (week)* Learning outcomes Term Project 25 Group Formative & Summative week 12 1. 2. 3. Tutorial discussion 5 Individual Formative & Summative week 1 to
week 121. 2. 3. Assignments 20 Individual Formative & Summative weeks 3
& 91. 2. 3. Final examination 50 Individual Summative week 12 1. 2. 3. Total 100
This assessment breakdown is registered as an exemption to the University's Assessment for Coursework Programs Policy. The exemption is related to the Procedures clause(s):Assessment Detail
No information currently available.
Submission
No information currently available.
Course Grading
Grades for your performance in this course will be awarded in accordance with the following scheme:
M10 (Coursework Mark Scheme) Grade Mark Description FNS Fail No Submission F 1-49 Fail P 50-64 Pass C 65-74 Credit D 75-84 Distinction HD 85-100 High Distinction CN Continuing NFE No Formal Examination RP Result Pending Further details of the grades/results can be obtained from Examinations.
Grade Descriptors are available which provide a general guide to the standard of work that is expected at each grade level. More information at Assessment for Coursework Programs.
Final results for this course will be made available through Access Adelaide.
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Student Feedback
The University places a high priority on approaches to learning and teaching that enhance the student experience. Feedback is sought from students in a variety of ways including on-going engagement with staff, the use of online discussion boards and the use of Student Experience of Learning and Teaching (SELT) surveys as well as GOS surveys and Program reviews.
SELTs are an important source of information to inform individual teaching practice, decisions about teaching duties, and course and program curriculum design. They enable the University to assess how effectively its learning environments and teaching practices facilitate student engagement and learning outcomes. Under the current SELT Policy (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/101/) course SELTs are mandated and must be conducted at the conclusion of each term/semester/trimester for every course offering. Feedback on issues raised through course SELT surveys is made available to enrolled students through various resources (e.g. MyUni). In addition aggregated course SELT data is available.
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Policies & Guidelines
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- Student Experience of Learning and Teaching Policy
- Student Grievance Resolution Process
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