Course details

  • Study time: 6h

  • Target audience: Bachelor/Master students/Industry/academia representatives in the field of (Bio)chemical engineering, chemistry, biochemistry, biotechnology.

Course curriculum

  • 1

    Introduction

    • Welcome video

    • Meet the teachers

    • Learning objectives

    • What do you want to learn?

    • Have a look at what other students want to learn

    • Present yourself to your classmates

    • Become familiar with the learning platform

    • Good practices to use this learning platform

    • How to obtain your course certificate
  • 2

    Rationale for metal recycling

    • Metal recycling rates

    • Why is it important to recycle metals?

    • Metal recovery and sustainability

    • Water bodies as sources of metals

    • Test your knowledge
  • 3

    Major sources and characteristics of wastewater

    • Introduction

    • Can you think of a wastewater source of metals?

    • The mining sector

    • Major sources and characteristics of wastewater streams containing metals

    • Exercise: the mining sector

    • The metallurgical sector

    • The oil and gas sector

    • Test your knowledge
  • 4

    Physicochemical technologies

    • Chemical precipitation

    • Exercise. Understanding selective precipitation by pH manipulation

    • Solution exercise. Understanding selective precipitation by pH manipulation

    • Exercise. Lime addition to treat acid mine drainage

    • Solution exercise. Lime addition to treat acid mine drainage

    • Adsorption & Ion-exchange

    • Membrane filtration

    • Coagulation flocculation

    • Electrochemical methods

    • Test your knowledge
  • 5

    Bio-based technologies

    • Biosorption and bio-accumulation

    • Can you name some engineering applications where microbes are used?

    • Video: Biological sulphate reduction

    • Biological sulphate reduction

    • Exercise. Using biological sulphate reduction instead of lime

    • Solution exercise. Using biological sulphate reduction instead of lime

    • Discussion : The role of pH on the biological sulphate reduction process

    • Biological selenium reduction

    • Exercise. Comparing electron donors for their application in the biological selenium reduction process

    • Solution exercise. Comparing electron donors for their application in the biological selenium reduction process

    • Discussion: Reducing agents affecting the biological selenium reduction process

    • Test your knowledge
  • 6

    Case study 1: THIOPAQ™Budelco

    • Introduction

    • Video - The THIOPAQ® process

    • Exercise. Air consumption in the Thiopaq® process

    • Solution exercise. Air consumption in the Thiopaq® process

    • Exercise. Using elemental sulfur instead of sulphate to produce sulphide

    • Solution exercise: Using elemental sulfur instead of sulphate to produce sulphide
  • 7

    Case study 2: Mirror factory

    • Introduction

    • Mirror buildup

    • Exercise: Mirror buildup

    • Mirror production process

    • Exercise: Mirror production process

    • Test your knowledge
  • 8

    Challenges, opportunities and research needs

    • Challenges, opportunities and R&D needs
  • 9

    Conclusion

    • Concluding video

    • What did you learn?

    • Read what others learned

    • Further readings

    • References

    • Help us to improve this course

    • Thanks to our sponsors

Instructor(s)

Professor

Gijs Du Laing

Ghent University, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Department of Green Chemistry and Technology

Doctor

Denys Villa Gomez

The University of Queensland, Australia, School of Civil Engineering Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Information Technology

Karel Folens and Bernd Mees

Karel Folens - Post-doc - Ghent University, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Department of Green Chemistry and Technology. [email protected] Bernd Mees - Doctoral student - Ghent University, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Department of Green Chemistry and Technology. [email protected]