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Unit of study_

CHNG1106: Engineering for a Sustainable Society

2025 unit information

This unit involves the study of the fundamental concepts which underpin sustainable development, including technical and economic efficiency, environmental stewardship and social responsibility. The unit examines both the material and non-material economies from an engineering perspective. Tools such as life-cycle assessment, input-output analysis and multi-criteria decision analysis are examined and implications for resource and energy consumption, pollution and waste generation are analysed. A number of governing sustainability frameworks are discussed to determine their suitability within the context of chemical and biomolecular engineering. A range of approaches and tools for determining the environmental impact of human activities on small and large scale are introduced as part of a sustainability framework. Energy production and use, and product design are investigated from a sustainability perspective.

Unit details and rules

Managing faculty or University school:

Engineering

Study level Undergraduate
Academic unit Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
Credit points 6
Prerequisites:
? 
None
Corequisites:
? 
CHNG1103
Prohibitions:
? 
CHNG2805
Assumed knowledge:
? 
Knowledge of mass and energy balance concepts equivalent to content of CHNG1103 or CHNG9103

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

  • LO1. quantify the environmental performance of industry (with specific reference to the resource and processing sectors) using appropriate tools
  • LO2. understand corporate responsibilities with respect to sustainability
  • LO3. effectively communicate sustainability arguments to all stakeholders, and interpreters of social and environmental concerns in ways which can help shape industry practice
  • LO4. interrogate governing frameworks for sustainability to support actions within industry
  • LO5. understand the trade-offs in decisions which impact on sustainability
  • LO6. understand the role of technology in promoting sustainability
  • LO7. understand the philosophical, social and political bases for sustainability, in addition to the technical, economic and environmental ones
  • LO8. understand the thermodynamic basis of the material economy in terms of resource consumption and waste generation

Unit availability

This section lists the session, attendance modes and locations the unit is available in. There is a unit outline for each of the unit availabilities, which gives you information about the unit including assessment details and a schedule of weekly activities.

The outline is published 2 weeks before the first day of teaching. You can look at previous outlines for a guide to the details of a unit.

Session MoA ?  Location Outline ? 
Semester 2 2024
Normal day Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney
Session MoA ?  Location Outline ? 
Semester 2 2025
Normal day Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney
Outline unavailable
Session MoA ?  Location Outline ? 
Semester 2 2021
Normal day Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney
Semester 2 2021
Normal day Remote
Semester 2 2022
Normal day Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney
Semester 2 2022
Normal day Remote
Semester 2 2023
Normal day Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

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Modes of attendance (MoA)

This refers to the Mode of attendance (MoA) for the unit as it appears when you’re selecting your units in Sydney Student. Find more information about modes of attendance on our website.