ECTS credits ECTS credits: 4.5
ECTS Hours Rules/Memories Student's work ECTS: 74.25 Hours of tutorials: 2.25 Expository Class: 18 Interactive Classroom: 18 Total: 112.5
Use languages Spanish, Galician
Type: Ordinary Degree Subject RD 1393/2007 - 822/2021
Departments: Chemistry Engineering
Areas: Chemical Engineering
Center Higher Technical Engineering School
Call: Second Semester
Teaching: With teaching
Enrolment: Enrollable
The aim of this course is to provide knowledge of the main characteristics and types of solid waste, as well as their treatment and management systems, paying special attention to the legislation in force, and, additionally, to the processes used for the recovery of contaminated soils.
The programme of the course is divided into a total of 3 blocks, which are indicated below:
Block I - Characterisation and regulation of solid waste management.
Chapter 1. Definition and characterisation of solid waste
The problem of waste generation and the actions proposed to reduce it by applying concepts of sustainable development.
Chapter 2. Regulations on solid waste management
The main existing waste regulations for waste management are briefly introduced, including EU and national legislation. Waste classification criteria are described.
Chapter 3. Municipal solid waste management plans
Here, the concept of integrated solid waste management is introduced together with the different existing plans for this purpose at national and regional level. Selective collection and recycling of solid urban waste will be discussed. It will explore recovery and transfer facilities as well as the most common treatment operations. Finally, it will be seen how the extended producer responsibility gives rise to waste management by producer responsibility organisations.
Block II - Solid waste management and treatment technologies
Chapter 4. Disposal of solid waste by landfilling
It focuses on the study of landfills, from their construction to their operation and closure. The different types of landfills and their characteristics will be studied, as well as the processes carried out in landfills, some of which lead to the production of methane.
Chapter 5. Biological treatment of solid waste.
It deals with the different options for the biological treatment of solid waste, in particular composting and anaerobic treatment operations. The existing processes will be described, taking into account the environmental conditions in which they are carried out and indicating the necessary characteristics of the waste for their application.
Chapter 6. Thermal treatments of solid waste.
It deals with the different thermal treatments applicable to the treatment of solid waste such as gasification, pyrolysis and combustion, with emphasis on the treatment of gases and combustion slag.
Chapter 7. Treatment of hazardous wastes
In this chapter, the characteristics of perigosity that classify a waste as hazardous are described. The specific aspects of its management as well as the possible treatments will be analysed. Finally, a description of the facilities that make up the industrial waste treatment center of Galicia will be done.
Block III - Remediation of contaminated soils
Chapter 8. Remediation of contaminated soils.
The last sessions of the course will deal with the treatment of soils. The characteristics of contaminants and soil relevant to this topic will be identified. The different remediation techniques will be studied: "in situ", "on site" and "off site". The different physico-chemical treatments and post-treatments will also be discussed together with soil bioremediation alternatives.
Basic bibliography
• Solid Waste Technology & Management, 1 & 2. Editor(s): Thomas H. Christensen. ISBN:978047066683
This is the main textbook which will be followed along the course and is available online through Pórtico (USC e-book search engine) at:
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/book/10.1002/9780470666883
• Tchobanoglous, G. Gestión Integral de Residuos Sólidos. Madrid: Editorial Mc-Graw-Hill., 1998. ISBN: 84-481-1830-8
Complementary bibliography
• Colomer Mendoza, F. J., Gallardo Izquierdo, A. "Tratamiento y gestión de residuos sólidos". Universidad Politécnica de Valencia, 2007. ISBN - 8483630710
• Kiely, G. Environmental Engineering. Boston: Mc-Graw Hill, 1998. ISBN: 0-07-709127-2
• Leckner, B. Process aspects in combustion and gasification Waste-to-Energy (WtE) units, Waste Management, Vol. 37, 2015. ISSN 0956-053X,
Available online at USC network at:
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2014.04.019.
• Metcalf & Eddy Inc. Wastewater Engineering. Treatment and resource recovery. 5ª Edición. New York: Mc-Graw Hill, 2014. ISBN: 978-1-259-01079-8
• Rodríguez Jiménez, J.J. Los Residuos peligrosos : caracterización, tratamiento y gestión. Madrid: Síntesis, 1999. ISBN: 84-7738-703-6
• Ortiz, I., Sanz, J., Dorado, M. & Villar, S. Técnicas de recuperación de suelos contaminados. Colección coordinada por la Fundación para el conocimiento Madrid, Universidad de Alcalá, 2007.
Available online at:
https://www.madrimasd.org/uploads/informacionidi/biblioteca/publicacion…
The skills to be developed during the course are:
Specific skills
CI.10. Basic knowledge and application of environmental technologies and sustainability.
CQ. 1.6. Knowledge about valorisation and transformation of raw materials and energetic resources.
General skills
CG.4. Capacity to solve problems with initiative, decision making, creativity, critical thinking, and of communication and transmission of knowledge, abilities and skills in the field of industrial chemical engineering.
CG.7. Ability to analyze and assess the environmental impact of the technical solutions.
Other general skills
CT.1. Ability for analysis and synthesis.
CT.9 Work in a interdisciplinary team
CT.11. Capacity to communicate with experts of other areas
CT.16. Sensitivity towards environmental issues.
The basic theoretical contents of the subject will be taught in lectures where they will be explained and developed. These lecturers will be supported by the use of Power Point presentations and will encourage student participation. (CI.10, CQ.1.6.)
The lecturers will alternate with seminars in which problems applied to real cases will be solved. Students will deliver some of the tasks done during these seminar sessions for their assessment. (CI.10, CQ.1.6, CG.4, CG.7, CT.1, CT.16)
During the first week of the course, the mandatory realization of a team work will be indicated, which will be presented during the group tutorial. Attendance to the group tutorials is compulsory. To follow the progress of the work, individual tutorials will be used (CI.10, CQ.1.6, CG.4, CG.7, CT9, CT.16, CT. 11).
The Learning Management System (LMS) will be used for the following purposes:
- To provide information about the subject (teaching guide, timetables, exams, announcements, etc.).
- To provide didactic material for the classes (slides of the subjects, practical cases, complementary material, etc.).
- To serve as a means of communication between students and teaching staff.
- To deliver the assignments.
The MS Teams tool will also be used as a means of non-presential student/teacher communication.
The final grade will include the following items:
* Final exam (mandatory): 50%.
* Team work (mandatory): 20%.
* Activities: 20%.
* Group tutorial (mandatory): 5%.
* Teachers’ report: 5%.
The final exam will have a theoretical part (short questions) with a weight of 50%, and a practical part with a weight of 50%. In both parts separately, a minimum of 3.5 out of 10 must be obtained to compensate, being necessary to obtain at least 4 points out of 10 in the global exam to be able to compensate in the subject as a whole.
It will be considered as Not shown in both opportunities if the student does not carry out any of the compulsory activities of the subject. If the subject is not passed at the first opportunity, the student will be assessed again at the second opportunity for the part of the subject not passed.
The competences to be assessed are as follows:
- Exam: CI.10, CQ.1.6, CG.4, CG.7, CT.1
- Teamwork: CI.10, CQ.1.6, CG.4, CG.7, CT.1, CT.9, CT.11, CT16
- Activities: CI.10, CQ.1.6, CG.4, CG.7, CT.1, CT.9, CT.11, CT16.
- Group tutorials: CI.10, CQ.1.6, CG.4, CG.7, CT.11, CT.16.
- Teachers’ report: CI.10, CQ.1.6, CG.4, CG.7, CT.1, CT.9, CT.11, CT16.
In the event of fraudulent performance of any assessable activity, the provisions of the "Regulations for the assessment of the academic performance of students and the review of qualifications" will apply.
The subject has a workload of 4.5 ECTS (112.5 h, considering that 1 ECTS corresponds to 25 hours of total work), which are distributed according to the following table. The face to face hours indicate the number of hours in the class for the various activities undertaken (theory, case studies, class work and exam), the personal work is the number of hours required by the student to pass the course, and the total is the total workload involved in each activity.
Activity_________Face-to-face time______Personal work hours____________Total hours
Lectures_____________28.0__________________34.0________________________62.0
Seminars_____________9.0___________________11.0_______________________20.0
Group tutoring sessions___1.0___________________4.0________________________5.0
Individual tutoring sessions __1.0___________________2.0_______________________3.0
Exam and revision_____________5.0_____________17.5____________________22.5
TOTAL_____________________44_______________68.5____________________112.5
The student should have been taking or have taken the course Environmental Engineering.
In order to achieve an optimum performance in the subject it is advisable that the student has the following skills: English (reading level) and computer applications at user level (Word, Excel, use of e-mail).
Class attendance and active participation is recommended. It is also recommended to study the course continuously and to use the computer application available in the USC corresponding to the subject, in accordance with the indications indicated above.
The subject will be taught in Spanish/Galician, but English bibliography may be used for assignments.
Marta Carballa Arcos
Coordinador/a- Department
- Chemistry Engineering
- Area
- Chemical Engineering
- Phone
- 881816020
- marta.carballa [at] usc.es
- Category
- Professor: University Lecturer
Miguel Mauricio Iglesias
- Department
- Chemistry Engineering
- Area
- Chemical Engineering
- Phone
- 881816800
- miguel.mauricio [at] usc.es
- Category
- Professor: University Lecturer
| Thursday | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 12:00-13:00 | Grupo /CLIS_01 | Galician | Classroom A3 |
| 01.08.2025 16:00-20:00 | Grupo /CLE_01 | Work Classroom |
| 01.08.2025 16:00-20:00 | Grupo /CLIS_01 | Work Classroom |
| 06.03.2025 16:00-20:00 | Grupo /CLE_01 | Classroom A2 |
| 06.03.2025 16:00-20:00 | Grupo /CLIS_01 | Classroom A2 |
| 06.20.2025 16:00-20:00 | Grupo /CLIS_01 | Classroom A3 |
| 06.20.2025 16:00-20:00 | Grupo /CLE_01 | Classroom A3 |