VT Green Engineering Program
Freshman Information Session
October 23, 2012
Dr. Sean McGinnis
Virginia Tech College of Engineering
Biological Systems
Engineering (BSE)
Chemical Engineering
(CHE)
Aeronautical & Ocean
Engineering (AOE)
Electrical & Computer
Engineering (ECE)
Computer
Science (CS)
GREEN
ENGINEERING
Engineering Science &
Mechanics (ESM)
Materials Science &
Engineering (MSE)
Civil & Environmental
Engineering (CEE)
Engineering Education
(ENGE)
Industrial & Systems
Engineering (ISE)
Mechanical
Engineering (ME)
Mineral & Mining
Engineering (MINE)
VT Green Engineering Curriculum
•
A Green Engineering Minor is available to students completing 18 credit hours
(6 courses):
Core
Courses (2):
ENGR 3124 – Intro to Green Engineering
ENGR 4134 – Environmental Life Cycle Analysis
Provide basic
foundational
concepts
•
Disciplinary
Courses (2):
Interdisciplinary
Courses (2):
Provide applications in
specific engineering
disciplines
Provide broad context
to tie engineering to
economic, social, and
political issues
Senior capstone design project and other courses in some cases may be
substituted for other approved courses toward the minor.
Green Engineering Engineering Courses
Aerospace Engineering
AOE 4064
Fluid Flows in Nature
Biological Science and Engineering
BSE 3305
Land and Water Resources Engineering
BSE 3306
Land and Water Resources Engineering
BSE 4304
Non-point Source Pollution Modeling & Management
BSE 4324
Non-point Source Pollution
BSE 4394
Water Supply & Sanitation in Developing Countries
BSE 5134
Land Application of Wastes
BSE 5244
Advanced GIS in Hydrological Analysis
BSE 5354
Non-point Source Pollution Modeling
Chemical Engineering
CHE 3134
Separation Processes
CHE 3184
Chemical Reactor Analysis & Design
Civil and Environmental Engineering
CEE 3104
Introduction to Environmental Engineering
CEE 4104
Water and Wastewater Treatment Design
CEE 4114
Fundamentals of Public Health Engineering
CEE 4144
Air Resources Engineering
CEE 4164
Environmental Microbiology
CEE 4174
Solid and Hazardous Waste Management
CEE 4304
Hydrology
CEE 4354
Environmental Hydrology
CEE 4554
Natural Disaster Mitigation
CEE 4594
Soil and Groundwater Pollution
CEE 4984
Pollution Control & Design for the Aquatic Environment
Electrical Engineering
ECE 4304
Design in Power Engineering
ECE 4364
Alternate Energy Systems (Online course)
ECE 5364
Electric Energy & Environmental Systems
Engineering Science and Mechanics
ESM 4015
Senior Design Project
Industrial Systems Engineering
ISE 2204
Manufacturing Processes
ISE 4644
Occupational Safety and Hazard Control
Materials Science and Engineering
MSE 2044
Elements of Materials Engineering
MSE 4055
Material Selection and Design
Mechanical Engineering
ME 4134
Thermal Environmental Systems
ME 4154
Industrial Energy Management
ME 4204
Internal Combustion Engines
ME 4214
Power Generation
ME 4554
Advanced Technology for Motor Vehicles
ME 4724
Engineering Acoustics
ME 4984
Hydrogen Energy Systems
ME 4984
Building Energy Systems
ME 5214
Combustion
ME 5254
Fuel Cell Systems
ME 5734
Advanced Engineering Acoustics
Mineral and Mining Engineering
MINE 3544
Mineral Processing Laboratory
MINE 3554
Resource Recovery
MINE 4554
Mine Reclamation and Environmental Management
• Senior capstone design projects with a focus on the environmental impact of engineering can be
substituted as engineering credits for the minor.
Green Engineering Interdisciplinary Courses
Agriculture and Applied Economics
AAEC 3314 Environmental Law**
AAEC 4304 Environmental & Sustainable Development
Economics
AAEC 4314 Environmental Economic Analysis and Management
AAEC 4344 Sustainable Development Economics
Apparel, Housing, and Resource Management
AHRM 4604 Housing, Energy, and the Environment**
Architecture
ARCH 4055 Environment and Building Systems
ARCH 4056 Environment and Building Systems
Biology
BIOL 2804
Ecology
BIOL 4004
Freshwater Ecology
BIOL 4014
Environmental Toxicology
BIOL 4044
Biogeography
Chemistry
CHEM 4984 Green Chemistry
Crop and Soil Environmental Sciences
CSES 3644 Plant Materials for Environmental Restoration
CSES 4644 Land-Based Systems for Waste Treatment
CSES
Environmental Soil Chemistry
General Engineering
ENGR 1814 Energy, Resources and the Environment**
Environmental Science
ENSC 3634 Physics of Pollution
ENSC 4164 Environmental Microbiology
Fisheries and Wildlife
FIW 2214
Principles of Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences**
FIW 4614
Fish Ecology
Forestry
FOR 2554
Nature and American Values*
Geography
GEOG 3104 Environmental Problems, Population, &
Development**
GEOG 4204 Geography of Resources**
GEOG 5234 Human Impacts on the Environment **
Geosciences
GEOS 1024 Resources Geology**
GEOS 3014 Environmental Geosciences
GEOS 4634 Environmental Geochemistry
History
HIST 3144
American Environmental History
Political Science
PSCI 3344
Global Environmental Issues**
Urban Affairs and Planning
UAP 3354
Introduction to Environmental Policy and Planning
UAP 4264
Environmental Ethics and Policy*
UAP 4374
Land Use & the Environment: Planning and Policy
UAP 4394
Community Renewable Energy Systems
Wood Science
WOOD 2784 World Forests and Forest Products**
* Area 2 Core Curriculum Courses
** Area 7 Core Curriculum Course
What is Sustainability?
“Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the
present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their
own needs”.
United Nations - Brundtland Commission Report, 1997
“In our every deliberation, we must consider the impacts of our decisions
on the next seven generations.”
From the Great Law of the Iroquois Confederacy
"Leave the world better than you found it, take no more than you need, try
not to harm life or the environment, make amends if you do."
“The Ecology of Commerce” by Paul Hawken
6
Sustainability
Everything is
connected
Matter
circulates in
cycles
Solar
energy
powers life
Credit: Andy Lau – Penn State March 2007
Sustainability, Green Engineering &
The Triple Bottom Line
Environmental
Planet
Social
Economic
People
Profit
• Sustainability is about difficult trade-offs today in attempts to improve
quality of life in the future.
8
What Is Green Engineering?
Environmental
Environmental
Performance
Performance
Technical
Specifications
Costs
•Green engineering is the
design of materials, processes,
systems, and devices with the
objective of minimizing overall
environmental impact over
the entire life cycle while
meeting required
performance, economic, and
societal constraints.
Regulations,
Safety, & Risk
Aesthetics
Familiarity
with Materials
Why is Green Engineering Important?
Human Activity:
Environmental Effects:
IPAT Environmental Impact Equation
(Ehrlich and Holdren,1971)
Human
Environmental
Impact
≈ Population
(Impact)
(Population)
x
Wealth
Person
x
(Affluence)
Environmental Impact
Unit Wealth
(Technology)
??
Real GDP Growth
Growth (%)
10
8
6
2006
2007
2008
4
2
0
World
Developed
Developing
East Asia
Category
Source: Dupont Today 2010 Presentation
Source: World Bank
Why Consider Green Engineering?
1. Engineers have a responsibility to society
2. The relevance of this field throughout society, industry, and
government is increasing significantly
3. Attractive job opportunities exist in many fields
4. The curriculum is flexible, interdisciplinary, and practical
Green Engineering Core Courses
Introduction to Green Engineering (ENGR 3124 – Fall, Spring):
•
Introduces students to current and future environmental issues, for
example:
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
•
Natural resource limitations
Energy issues
Climate Change
Ecosystems
Pollution and Waste
Water
Agriculture
Transportation
Explores how engineering practice impacts the environment and how
engineers can design products, processes, and systems to help solve or
minimize environmental problems
Green Engineering Core Courses
Environmental Life Cycle Assessment (ENGR 4134 – Spring):
IMPACTS
Design
Atmosphere:
Global Warming
Ozone Depletion
Smog Formation
Acidification
Human Health
Manufacturing
Inputs
Extraction
Outputs
Use
Disposal
• Life Cycle Analysis helps avoid shifting the burden from one phase to
another or overlooking key environmental issues
• Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) quantifies all inputs/outputs and allows
analysis of both environmental impacts and total costs
14
Hydrosphere:
Eutrophication
Acidification
Aquifer depletion
Ecotoxicity
Human Health
Biosphere:
Soil depletion
Deforestation
Resource Depletion
Ecotoxicity
Human Health
Raw Materials Extraction
The
Real Price of Gold, National Geographic, Jan. 2009
15
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2009/01/gold/larmer-text
Key Principles of Green Engineering
• Consider waste a design flaw
–
“Cradle To Cradle”, B. McDonough & M. Braungart
Gaseous
Waste
Materials
Chemicals
Products or Services
Process/System
Co-products
Energy
Water
Liquid
Waste
Solid
Waste
Mass balance: Mass in = Mass out
Key Principles of Green Engineering
• Consider waste a design flaw
–
“Cradle To Cradle”, B. McDonough & M. Braungart
Gaseous
Waste
Materials
Chemicals
Products or Services
Process/System
Co-products
Energy
Water
Liquid
Waste
Solid
Waste
Mass balance: Mass in = Mass out
Throw Away Design and Culture
Throw Away Design and Culture
Low Earth Orbit
High Earth Orbit
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=40173
Societal Responsibility
•
Engineers play a key role in the use of the limited resources:
–
–
–
–
•
Ores and minerals
Oil, gas, coal
Water
Wood, crops, and biomaterials
Engineers design products, process, and systems which require
energy or generate energy
– Oil, coal, natural gas, nuclear reactions
– Solar, wind, biomass, hydroelectric, geothermal energy
•
Engineers are critical to provide technical analysis regarding
environmental impacts to decision makers.
Relevance To Current Events
“Global warming causing dramatic
decline in Great Barrier Reef’s seabirds”
www.thaindian.com
Published October 21, 2008 09:33 AM
Your ‘pure’ bottled water has contaminants,
too: Study finds 38 chemicals in 10 brands,
including those common in tap water”
Associated Press
October 15, 2008
“Canada to Ban Bisphenol A in Baby Bottles,
U.S. Urged to Follow”
“EPA sets rule to get the lead out of our air”
Msnbc.com
October 16, 2008
“Climate change outracing EU targets, WWF warns”
From: http://euobserver.com
Published October 20, 2008 10:29 AM
“On Global Warming, McCain and Obama Agree:
Urgent Action Is Needed”
New York Times
October 15, 2008
Environmental New Service
October 21, 2008
“Developing countries eye nuclear power”
Reuters
May 12, 200
Relevance To Current Events
“Fossil Fuels’ Hidden Cost Is in Billions,
Study Says”
New York Times, October 19, 2009
“Energy Star Appliances May Not All Be
Efficient, Audit Finds”
New York Times, October 18, 2009
“Chu backs price collar on carbon permits”
Reuters, October 20, 2009
“Toyota launches new hybrid, Honda
warms to electric”
Reuters, October 20, 2009
“Rising seas threaten Shanghai, other big
cities: Millions of people in coastal areas are
vulnerable to flooding, catastrophes ”
“Senate should consider deforestation as
part of climate bill”
Associated Press, October 18, 2009
Grist/Roll Call, October 20, 2009
“Arctic trek confirms very thin sea ice:
Summers could be ice free in a decade,
explorers' findings indicate”
Associated Press, October 15, 2009
“U.N. official expects no climate treaty at
Copenhagen”
Grist/Agence French Presse, October 20, 2009
Tuesday, October 5, 2010 – Hungarian Red Mud Spill
http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/0,1518,721563,00.html
Fukushima Japan, March 11, 2011
• The entire plant was flooded by the earthquake-generated tsunami wave, including
low-lying generators and electrical switchgear in reactor basements and external
pumps for supplying cooling seawater. The connection to the electrical grid was broken
as the Tsunami destroyed the power lines. All power for cooling was lost and reactors
started to overheat, owing to natural decay of the fission products created before
shutdown. Overheating, meltdown, and explosions ensued for several of the 6 units at
the site. Sea water was pumped directly into the reactors to cool them.
Mineral, VA- North Anna Power Plant – August 2011
• The 1,800-megawatt, twin reactor nuclear power station shut down automatically
following the 5.8 Richter quake. Both units remain temporarily out of service.
• Station instruments showed that vertical motion and motion along one horizontal
direction very briefly exceeded the licensing design accelerations by approximately 12%
on average in horizontal direction and by about 21% on average in the vertical
direction. No significant equiment damage has been found but large waste concrete
casks with spent nuclear fuel moved due to the earthquake.
Source: Dominion Power new release, September 8, 2011
http://e360.yale.edu/
http://www.propublica.org/article/explainer-what-is-the-keystone-xl-pipeline-and-why-is-it-so-controversial
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2009/03/canadian-oil-sands/kunzig-text
http://www.nrdc.org/energy/tarsandssafetyrisks.asp
NY Times – July 2, 2011
“Ruptured
Pipeline Spills Oil
Into Yellowstone River”
Green Engineering Examples
VT Green Engineering Projects
“Green” Job Opportunities
• Engineering
– R&D, Process, Manufacturing, Environmental Compliance
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Science
Education
Government
Architecture/Construction
Medicine
Law
Management
Marketing
How Can I Find Out More?
•
Check out the VT Green Engineering Website
– http://www.eng.vt.edu/green
– General information
– Links to interesting and relevant websites
•
Contact the Green Engineering Program Director
– Dr. Sean McGinnis (smcginn@vt.edu)
2090 Torgersen Hall
231-1446
• Formally sign up for the Green Engineering Minor