The overall goal of this project is to incorporate the results of recent and ongoing research on environmentally conscious chemical manufacturing processes into the chemical and metallurgical engineering curricula. Research in this area underway in the PIs' laboratories focuses on pollution prevention, waste reduction, environmentally conscious chemical process design, and the modeling and assessment of the environmental and ecological impact of pollutant release. In pursuing this project, we seek first of all to develop the students' appreciation of the impact of pollutant release from chemical processes and of the environmental, ecological and long term economic benefits of pollutant minimization or elimination. Second, we seek to equip them with active knowledge of the technology that is being developed for minimizing the environmental impact of chemical manufacturing processes. This will be done by involving them in the research efforts and by incorporating the results of that research into two new elective courses and into instructional modules that will be integrated throughout the chemical engineering curriculum. Finally, we seek to show students how this new technology can be implemented. Thus, we hope to produce chemical engineering professionals who are equipped with the awareness, knowledge and ability to minimize the environmental impact of the chemical manufacturing processes that they oversee.

This project reflects the changing focus of environmental research efforts from remediation to prevention. For example, there have been new chemical pathways developed for standard products, different reactor configurations that reduce or eliminate undesired byproducts, and alternative process schemes that employ only environmentally safe solvents. Our research efforts in supercritical fluid technology, environmentally-conscious chemical process modeling and design, fluid mechanics, and reaction engineering have been part of this change of emphasis. There have also been advances in the understanding of the environmental implications of industrial processes and of the importance of designing within ecological constraints. This research is vitally important since zero emissions, while a noble goal, cannot be fully achieved in practice. Thus, knowledge of the fate and consequences of pollutants that are unavoidably released into the environment is a key in minimizing the net environmental and ecological influence of chemical manufacturing processes. For all of this research to have the desired overall impact, it is necessary that the next generation of engineers be made aware of the salient issues and important research results. Not unexpectedly, curricular efforts along these lines have significantly lagged research. Consequently, current students are still learning old reaction sequences, and processes involving hazardous materials are viewed only in terms of added costs for disposal or possible litigation if emissions occur, if discussed at all.

Processing sequences that reduce or eliminate the use of toxic chemicals in the first place are not present to a significant extent in conventional textbooks. Further, an understanding of the impact on the environment and natural ecosystems of the flow of material and energy to and from industrial processes is not transmitted adequately to engineering students.

In the program we plan to address the goals and concerns expressed above by pursuing the following specific objectives:

1. Augmentation of the active research efforts in the areas of waste minimization, environmentally conscious manufacturing, and environmental impact assessment currently underway at the University of Notre Dame. This will involve both graduate and undergraduate students.



2. Integration of technological advances emanating from such research into courses throughout the undergraduate curriculum. We plan to produce instructional modules that will include background information together with one or more problems that can be used for lectures and discussions, or assigned as homework problems These materials will be designed to fit the topic of each course and to progressively increase students' awareness of, as well as skills in dealing with, the environmental impact of chemical processes. We also plan to develop new open-ended design problems and projects for use not only in the traditional senior design course, but at the sophomore and junior level as well. The new course materials will be tested at the University of Notre Dame, West Virginia University, and the University of Nevada at Reno to assess the overall influence of the curriculum improvements.



3. Development of new courses for seniors and first-year graduate students. Two new courses are planned: Environmentally Conscious Chemical Process Design and Topics on Ecology and the Environment for Chemical Engineers.