Environmental Engineering

The aim of the course is to supply the base concepts on which the separation techniques among particulate solids are based and to illustrate the machines and the industrial circuits assembled for that purpose. Those techniques are based on the laws of mechanics, hydraulics and electromagnetism and are described within the course in their applications to separate and recover the secondary materials contained in the secondary raw materials (the wastes) and in the remediation of contaminated soils. This last process involves separating the contaminating element from the natural the soil. A)Knowledge and understanding: the course is aimed to supply the conceptual basis on which the separation among particulate solids are based and to illustrate the techniques used in the separation from each other of the secondary materials, in the case of material recovery from a secondary raw material (the waste) and in the remediation of contaminated soils. Moreover, a few preliminary notions of the circular economy are provided to the students. B)Applying kwowledge and understanding: the student acquires the knowledge of conceptual, methodological and application elements relating to the more idoneous techniques in real cases of the recovery of particulate solids, both in real cases of recycle of materials contained in end-of-life products and in real cases or removal of contaminants from a contaminated soils. The student learns how to calculate the quantitative parameters of grade and recovery to judge the goodness of both separation processes. The student understand the cycle of life of a raw material coming from a natural resource and of a raw material coming from an end-of-life product, also thanks to numerical exercises designed to the application of what they have learned during the course. C)Making judgements: thanks to numerical exercises the student will become skill in the choice of the best techniques of physical separation both for the recycle of materials contained in end-of-life products and for the removal of pollutants from contaminated soils. Skill in regulating the processes of solid separation as a function of the grade and of the recovery of the materials to recycle and of the contaminants to remove. Comprehension of the cycle of life of primary and secondary raw materials and knowledge of the basics of economy, selling and transport of mercantile products. D)Communication skills: the chronology of subjects treated in class, has been designed to allow the student to acquire gradually and consequently such subjects and with a technical language that will permit them to relate to the experts in the field of separation. This will permit the student to transfer his knowledge to other people. E)Learning skills: the theoretical and practical knowledge of solid separation will allow the student to carried out technical insights on the solid separation methods and to propose new methods working with the laws on which those methods are based on.