CEME 1003 - Resources and Energy in a Circular Economy

The dominant linear economy (make> use > dispose), wastes resources, is economically inefficient and leads to environmental damage. In a circular economy, the maximum value is extracted from resources in use, then products and materials are recovered and regenerated at the end of each service life. This course will introduce students to the systems thinking that is required to develop technological solutions and businesses models that contribute to making our economy more circular. Course outcomes 1. Recognise, explain and discuss how materials and energy flow through our economic system 2. Apply a systems approach to developing circular economy models to keep materials and energy at their highest value 3. Recognise and distinguish between strategies to achieve a more circular economy, including resource and waste management , eco-efficiency, clean production, industrial ecology, and how technology such as big data facilitates this 4. Understand how to apply life cycle approaches to quantifying environmental impacts of products or systems, including embodied energy 5. Have experienced or been exposed to energy systems concepts, including sustainable options for production, utilisation and optimisation of energy 6. Scope, investigate, critically analyse and synthesise information to design a creative & sustainable alternative to a "linear" model in a predefined context.