CHEE 301. Resource Recovery and Circular Use.

Introduction to the concept of seeing human-generated waste material and energy as valuable resources, and to the emerging practices related to the circular use of resources. Topics: 1. Distribution, availability and geopolitics of natural resources; waste production and waste hierarchy; environmental impacts; incentives for recovery; classifying waste, challenges associated with large-scale recovery; thermodynamics of waste and resource recovery. 2. Detailed examples of resource recovery. 3.Environmental, health and safety considerations, local regulations and international exchanges. 4. Circular use of resources and circular economy: reuse, upgrade, remanufacture, recycling; product and process design for circular use.