Sustainable Engineering as the Theme for Undergraduate Laboratories in Chemical Engineering

Planning to update the undergraduate lab curriculum to use energy and environmental sustainability problems as examples. Goals are: to enhance the laboratory experience for the students to better prepare them to use the tools of the Chemical Engineering discipline to address aspects of major societal challenges.

To this effect, we will be upgrading equipment to enable adding and revising experiments and projects for the classes.

Objectives of Undergraduate Engineering Laboratories Identified by ABET

Instrumentation: Use appropriate instrumentation and/or software to measure physical quantities Models: Identify the strengths and limitations of theoretical models Experiment: Devise and implement an experimental approach to characterize an engineering material, component, or system Data Analysis: Demonstrate ability to collect, analyze, and interpret data Design: Design, build, or assemble a product meeting specific requirements Learn from Failure: Identify sources of failure and re-engineer effective solutions Creativity: Demonstrate creative capability in problem solving Psychomotor: Demonstrate competence in using appropriate engineering tools Safety: Identify health, safety, and environmental issues related to technological processes and deal with them responsibly Communication: Communicate effectively both orally and in writing

Teamwork: Work effectively in teams to meet deadlines and deliverables

Ethics in the Laboratory: Maintain high ethical standards and integrity Sensory Awareness: Use human senses to gather information and make sound engineering judgments

New Sustainability Objective

We believe that a new objective is needed:
Sustainability: Consider the environmental, economic, and social implications of engineering decisions. Evaluate alternatives to create more sustainable products and processes.

Why is this needed?

Sustainability extends beyond safety Engineers work in a world of expensive energy and raw materials Technological decisions must be made considering broad impacts Companies are increasingly considering triple bottom line: economics, environmental impact, and societal impact

Why teach this in the laboratory?

Experiential learning experiences have the longest lived impact Laboratory experiments by nature are multidisciplinary

Why at University of Rochester?

We want to take the lead nationwide in sustainability education We want to integrate our efforts with related efforts in sustainability across campus

Specific Teaching Goals

Focus on environmental sustainability concepts in chemical processes:
Renewable fuels Renewable feedstocks Waste minimization Energy efficiency

Our efforts in teaching sustainability must enhance, not supplant teaching the core Chemical Engineering discipline

Experiments Particularly Targeting Sustainability

biodiesel synthesis (objectives: explore renewable feedstocks while teaching reaction engineering) methanogenesis (objectives: explore renewable feedstocks while teaching reaction engineering) fuel cell performance (learn how a fuel cell works/relate to hydrogen production while teaching reaction kinetics and thermodynamics)

electrochemical solar cell (objectives: evaluate a renewable energy technology, while teaching materials/processing engineering)

Experiments Particularly Targeting Sustainability

tubular catalytic reactor (objectives: evaluate a means of mitigating pollutant emissions, while teaching reactor engineering) ethanol distillation (objectives: evaluate energy usage of distillation/relate to biofuels production, while teaching separations) CO2 absorption (objectives: attempt to evaluate cost/benefit by relating to CO2 sequestration while teaching separations and thermodynamics) membrane separation (objectives: evaluate membrane performance, while teaching separations engineering)

Experiments Particularly Targeting Sustainability

pervaporation (objectives: evaluate the cost/environmental savings of pervaporation technologies, while teaching separations engineering) Geothermal pilot experiment (objectives: explore renewable energy production while teaching heat transfer and mass transfer)

Experiments Particularly Targeting Sustainability

pervaporation (objectives: evaluate the cost/environmental savings of pervaporation technologies, while teaching separations engineering) Geothermal pilot experiment (objectives: explore renewable energy production while teaching heat transfer and mass transfer)

Estimated Costs and Utilities Required

Estimated Costs and Utilities Required

Proposed New Floorplan for Gavett 119

Gavett 119 Northwest Wall

Proposed location of new 38' bench with full sink.

Gavett 119 Southeast Wall

Proposed location of three new fume hoods.

Gavett 119 Central Area

Proposed location of three parallel 14' double benches.

Latest Gavett 119 Renovation News

Recent meeting with Paul Spaulding who is working on cost estimates...soon to receive? Air handling will be a significant expense Project may possibly be done in stages

Unfortunately, air handling is needed first

Difficult/impossible to find donors or grants for air handling and utilities (The Tom Golisano Air Handler plaque?)