This is an abridged syllabus. You can access the complete syllabus in your Canvas course.

575.623.81 - Industrial Processes and Pollution Prevention

Environmental Engineering

Fall 2024

Description

This course presents the pollution prevention and waste minimization concepts, terminologies, life cycle impacts, and management strategies. The course introduces available remediation techniques for industrial pollution control and prevention and examines specific applications to industries including biological, chemical, physical, and thermal techniques. Topics include current state of knowledge of pollution prevention approaches to encourage pollution prevention strategies, highlights of selected clean technologies and clean products, technical and economic issues, incentives and barriers to pollution prevention, and the role of different sectors in promoting pollution prevention. Pollution prevention and waste minimization techniques such as waste reduction, chemical substitution, production process modification, and reuse and recycling will be addressed with regard to selected industries.

Instructors

Jill Engel-Cox

jill.engelcox@gmail.com

Kimberly Fowler

Course Structure

The course content is divided into modules. A module will have several sections including the overview, content, readings, discussions, and assignments. You are encouraged to preview all sections of the module before starting. Most modules run for a period of seven (7) days; exceptions are noted in the Course Content.

Modules will be made available by Wednesday of each module week with most major assignments due the following Tuesday. Students should regularly check the Announcements and Calendar for assignment due dates and other important information.

Course Topics

Pollution Prevention
Environmental history and regulations
Planning, waste streams, and process flow
Source reduction, recycling, and treatment
Pollution prevention assessments
Calculating waste reduction and technical feasibility
Economic feasibility
Resources and case studies
Energy efficiency and clean energy
Industrial products and materials
Industry environmental programs and performance
Communicating pollution prevention and reporting

Course Goals

When businesses optimize their processes to reduce pollution and use of resources, they improve their economic performance. The goal of this course is for students to learn through direct experience the principles and methods for industries of all sizes to become environmentally sustainable.

Course Learning Outcomes (CLOs)

Identify and explain pollution prevention policies, concepts, and terminology
Apply pollution prevention and waste minimization assessments and management strategies to industrial and business processes
Evaluate and recommend technologies and approaches to cost-effectively eliminate waste and pollution and reduce energy consumption

Textbooks

In lieu of a major comprehensive textbook, the course requires a targeted guide to pollution prevention assessments to use for the course project

Pollution Prevention Opportunity Assessments: A Handbook for Businesses, Jill A. Engel-Cox and Kim M. Fowler, Blue Agama Books. Available as an eBook and hard copy as follows:
- Paperback (978-0-9905179-8-6): Amazon.com (2017)
- ePub format (978-0-9905179-0-0): Barnesandnoble.com (2014)
- Kindle format (978-0-9905179-1-7): Amazon.com (2014)

Other Materials & Online Resources

Other References (not required):

Pollution Prevention: Sustainability, Industrial Ecology, and Green Engineering, Second Edition, R. Ryan Dupont, Kumar Ganesan, and Louis Theodore, CRC Press, 2016

Required Software

Word processing, presentation, and spreadsheet software.

Student Coursework Requirements

It is expected that each class will take approximately 10-15 hours per week to complete. It is also expected that students will explore other online materials in support of the assignments. The assignments in the first half of the class will be short enough to complete in one week and designed to develop knowledge and skills. The second half of the class will be focused on conducting the main course project, which is a technical and economic pollution prevention assessment of a real business or process, recruited by the student.

Grading is on a 1000 point scale. Details on points for each item are defined below and in the following section. This course will consist of three basic student requirements:

Assignments and Quizzes (30% of Final Grade Calculation)

Assignments include a mix of qualitative assignments (e.g., short reports) and quantitative problem sets. Quizzes are a short set of multiple choice or short answer questions.

Qualitative assignments are evaluated by the quality and completeness of the assignment. Quantitative assignments are evaluated by the technical approach as well as achieving the correct answer; however, if the final answer is in error but the methodology is correct, then only a few points will be deducted. Therefore, it is very important for you to show your work in full.

Assignments should be typed, although equations and calculations can be handwritten and scanned. Please include your name on the first page and page number indicator (i.e., page x of y) on each page.

All assignments are due according to the dates provided. Late submissions will be reduced by one letter grade for each week late. Since much of the class is based on interaction, if an assignment is more than 3 weeks late, then it will receive a grade of 0. For example, when the grades for Module 5 are completed, then any assignments not turned in for Module 2 will receive a 0.

Course Project (50% of Final Grade Calculation)

The project is the core of the course. Your project is conducting a comprehensive technical and economic pollution prevention assessment at a local business with an industrial process. Examples of businesses that have participated in past classes include auto-body repair shops, light manufacturing facilities, medical centers, landscapers/nurseries, and laboratories. During the first part of the class, you will recruit a local business to be your project; you will be provided with materials to share with the businesses in your discussions with them.

The assessments will be done individually, but students working with businesses in the same or similar sectors are encouraged to share information, opportunities, and calculations.

The assessment is done in stages and you will turn in draft worksheets over several weeks, which will enable you to get feedback on your progress from both your fellow students and the instructor. The interim worksheets will be graded but can be revised and re-submitted to improve your grade. The main part of the grade is the final report, which you will also give to the business owner, and a presentation to the class.

The class project is evaluated by the following grading elements:

1. Interim report sections (Worksheets 1-5) (15%, 150 points)

2. Written final report including compilation of the above sections plus recommendations, executive summary, and appendices presented in a professional report format (20%, 200 points)

3. Verbal presentation of the entire report posted as a recorded presentation (15%, 100 points for the presentation, 50 points for asking questions and responding to questions on the presentations)

Participation (Class Discussions) (20% of Final Grade Calculation)

The discussions in this class require preparing short essays on topics to share and discuss with other students. Thus, they are an essential and required part of the class. Each student is responsible for carefully reading all assigned material and being prepared for online discussion. Discussion is also interaction (i.e., responding to classmate postings with thoughtful responses) with at least two classmates.

Each discussion session is worth 15-20 points. Evaluation of participation is based on contribution to discussions with the following grading elements:

1. Timeliness – responses posted in the same week as the discussion

2. Critical Thinking – quality and relevance of the submission responses

Grading Policy

Student assignments are due according to the dates provided. I will post grades within approximately one week after assignment due dates.

Grading is on a point system. The total possible number of points for all the assignments during the entire class is 1000. The total points distribution for the three types of assignments is as follows:

Requirement	Total # of points
Assignments (25-40 points each assignment, 6-10 points each quiz)	300
Project (500 points total) Interim report sections (30 points worksheets 1-5, 150 points total) Written final report (200 points) Presentation and Q&A (100 points presentation, 50 points Q&A)	150 200 150
Discussions (15-20 points each)	200

In general, points will correspond with grades as follows:

Score Range	Letter Grade
100-98	= A+
97-94	= A
93-90	= A−
89-87	= B+
86-83	= B
82-80	= B−
79-77	= C+
76-73	= C
72-70	= C−
69-67	= D+
66-63	= D
<63	= F

Course Policies

Interaction and Collaboration Policies

Since the project involves working with a local business, you are expected to be professional in both your behavior and in your final report and presentation. You are representing both Johns Hopkins University and yourself as an engineer/scientist. This means you should be courteous when making initial and follow-up contacts, respectful of their time (most business owners are very busy), and professional and as technically correct as possible in the analysis you conduct and the report you prepare for them.

Collaborations and discussions between students are key ingredients to success in a graduate course. For this class, you are encouraged to discuss the course material with each other and to share online resources and information that you have found. For the class projects, students working with similar businesses can collaborate on developing technical approaches and calculation methods. However, whenever you turn in work with your name on it to be evaluated, graded and included in your record, it must represent your individual effort.

Use of AI Generated Materials

Johns Hopkins University has an Academic Misconduct Policy that applies to this course, which you should carefully review (see Academic Policies section). The policy prohibits copying of text from the internet without clearly quoting and citing the source, which includes AI-generated text, images, and voice from programs such as ChatGPT and many others. You may use AI tools to brainstorm or generate ideas, but you should document their use through citations and an acknowledgment at the end of your assignments about what program(s) you used and how you used them. If you choose to use an AI tool, be aware that it is frequently wrong and often provides low quality standardized responses that can be recognized by plagiarism software used in Canvas. Ultimately, all text, graphics, voices, and materials submitted for assignments and discussions in this class should be your own creation and you should verify all facts and information with credible sources.

Academic Policies

Deadlines for Adding, Dropping and Withdrawing from Courses

Students may add a course up to one week after the start of the term for that particular course. Students may drop courses according to the drop deadlines outlined in the EP academic calendar (https://ep.jhu.edu/student-services/academic-calendar/). Between the 6th week of the class and prior to the final withdrawal deadline, a student may withdraw from a course with a W on their academic record. A record of the course will remain on the academic record with a W appearing in the grade column to indicate that the student registered and withdrew from the course.

Academic Misconduct Policy

All students are required to read, know, and comply with the Johns Hopkins University Krieger School of Arts and Sciences (KSAS) / Whiting School of Engineering (WSE) Procedures for Handling Allegations of Misconduct by Full-Time and Part-Time Graduate Students.

This policy prohibits academic misconduct, including but not limited to the following: cheating or facilitating cheating; plagiarism; reuse of assignments; unauthorized collaboration; alteration of graded assignments; and unfair competition. Course materials (old assignments, texts, or examinations, etc.) should not be shared unless authorized by the course instructor. Any questions related to this policy should be directed to EP’s academic integrity officer at ep-academic-integrity@jhu.edu.

Students with Disabilities - Accommodations and Accessibility

Johns Hopkins University values diversity and inclusion. We are committed to providing welcoming, equitable, and accessible educational experiences for all students. Students with disabilities (including those with psychological conditions, medical conditions and temporary disabilities) can request accommodations for this course by providing an Accommodation Letter issued by Student Disability Services (SDS). Please request accommodations for this course as early as possible to provide time for effective communication and arrangements.

For further information or to start the process of requesting accommodations, please contact Student Disability Services at Engineering for Professionals, ep-disability-svcs@jhu.edu.

Student Conduct Code

The fundamental purpose of the JHU regulation of student conduct is to promote and to protect the health, safety, welfare, property, and rights of all members of the University community as well as to promote the orderly operation of the University and to safeguard its property and facilities. As members of the University community, students accept certain responsibilities which support the educational mission and create an environment in which all students are afforded the same opportunity to succeed academically.

For a full description of the code please visit the following website: https://studentaffairs.jhu.edu/policies-guidelines/student-code/

Classroom Climate

JHU is committed to creating a classroom environment that values the diversity of experiences and perspectives that all students bring. Everyone has the right to be treated with dignity and respect. Fostering an inclusive climate is important. Research and experience show that students who interact with peers who are different from themselves learn new things and experience tangible educational outcomes. At no time in this learning process should someone be singled out or treated unequally on the basis of any seen or unseen part of their identity.

If you have concerns in this course about harassment, discrimination, or any unequal treatment, or if you seek accommodations or resources, please reach out to the course instructor directly. Reporting will never impact your course grade. You may also share concerns with your program chair, the Assistant Dean for Diversity and Inclusion, or the Office of Institutional Equity. In handling reports, people will protect your privacy as much as possible, but faculty and staff are required to officially report information for some cases (e.g. sexual harassment).

Course Auditing

When a student enrolls in an EP course with “audit” status, the student must reach an understanding with the instructor as to what is required to earn the “audit.” If the student does not meet those expectations, the instructor must notify the EP Registration Team [EP-Registration@exchange.johnshopkins.edu] in order for the student to be retroactively dropped or withdrawn from the course (depending on when the "audit" was requested and in accordance with EP registration deadlines). All lecture content will remain accessible to auditing students, but access to all other course material is left to the discretion of the instructor.