Course content

This course provides a comprehensive introduction to sustainable chemical engineering practices with applications in batteries, water treatment, and related industrial processes. Students will learn fundamental principles of chemical, biochemical, and electrochemical methods used in wastewater treatment, resource recovery, and battery recirculation. The course covers materials design for related materials and polymers, electrochemical engineering concepts for energy storage systems, and advanced methods for recovery of valuable components from water streams. Students will also explore renewable energy technologies, environmental engineering approaches for pollution abatement, and sustainable process design for a circular economy. By integrating case studies from industrial sectors such as battery recycling, metal processing, and wastewater treatment, the course links fundamental science with applied engineering to promote resource efficiency, energy optimization, and environmental protection.

Learning outcome

By the end of the course, students will be able to:

• Explain the principles of chemical, biochemical, and electrochemical methods for water and wastewater treatment.
• Design unit operations and processes for recovery of metals and non-metals (such as phosphorus), and other valuable components from dilute and complex process streams.
• Apply theories of colloid, polymer, and nanomaterial synthesis to create and tailor sustainable materials.
• Evaluate renewable energy technologies and assess their integration into industrial systems.
• Analyze the environmental footprint of industrial processes and propose strategies based on resource efficiency and the circular economy.
• Apply sustainable process design principles, including hydrometallurgical recycling, chemical recycling of plastics, catalytic biomass conversion, and CO₂ capture.
• Critically reflect on industrial case studies, interpreting experimental and process data, and work collaboratively to develop sustainable engineering solutions.

Learning methods and activities

Group activities, final presentations and final individual or group reports

Recommended previous knowledge

Admission to the course requires the candidates to be enrolled in either a PhD program or MSc/MS/MTech/ME or equivalent graduate programs within Chemical Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering, Nanotechnology, Biotechnology, Chemistry or allied fields.

Course materials

Reading materials provided before and during lectures.