an official journal of: published by:
an official journal of: published by:
Editor in Chief: RAFFAELLO COSSU

APPLYING CIRCULAR ECONOMY THINKING TO INDUSTRY BY INTEGRATING EDUCATION & RESEARCH ACTIVITIES

  • Ian D. Williams - International Centre for Environmental Science, Faculty of Engineering and the Environment, University of Southampton, United Kingdom
  • Keiron P. Roberts - International Centre for Environmental Science, Faculty of Engineering and the Environment, University of Southampton, United Kingdom
  • Peter J. Shaw - International Centre for Environmental Science, Faculty of Engineering and the Environment, University of Southampton, United Kingdom
  • Barry Cleasby - Southern Water Services Limited, United Kingdom

Released under CC BY-NC-ND

Copyright: © Cisa Publisher


Abstract

Collaboration between universities and external organisations offers opportunities for multiple and mutual benefits, including the development of employability skills in students. This paper outlines the educational approach taken and results achieved when under- and post-graduate students were tasked with working with a water supply and waste water treatment company (Southern Water; SW) with the aim of identifying opportunities to apply circular economy thinking to SW’s operations at a waste water treatment plant (WWTP) in England. The students were presented with a “real-world” consultancy task to identify and evaluate the waste streams within the WWTP process and produce options for their reduction, recovery and reuse without hindering operational effectiveness. The mutual benefits of this collaborative venture were demonstrated via: i) the utility of students’ recommendations and SW’s desire to participate in and fund follow-up activities, including academic consultancy, MSc and PhD projects; ii) positive feedback from SW and the students; and iii) the quality of the exercise as a vehicle for academic learning and development of professional and employability skills. Academics can address the challenge of simultaneously needing to develop students’ employability skills whilst covering core topics required by professional bodies by deliberately incorporating open-ended, real-world industrial activities into teaching and learning activities within assessed modules. Active learning approaches to education in waste and resource management incorporating consultancy-style work of this nature are strongly recommended.

Keywords


Editorial History

  • Received: 15 Jan 2018
  • Revised: 16 Mar 2018
  • Accepted: 23 Mar 2018
  • Available online: 31 Mar 2018

References

Bates, J. (2015). Biomethane for Transport from Landfill and Anaerobic Digestion. Oxford: Ricardo- AEA Ltd. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/416002/biomethane-for-transport.pdf (Accessed: 13 November 2016).

Berger, V., Niemann, A., Frehmann, T. and Brockmann, H. (2014). Advanced energy recovery strategies for wastewater treatment plants and sewer systems using small hydropower. Water Utility Journal, 5, 15–24.

Bowes, L. and Harvey, L. (2000). The Impact of Sandwich Education on the Activities of Graduates Six Months Postgraduation. London: National Centre for Work Experience and the Centre for Research into Quality.

Brockett, J. (2015). EU environment chief calls for greater wastewater reuse. [Online] Available at: http://wwtonline.co.uk/news/eu-environment-chief-calls-for-greater-wastewater-reuse#.WB44J4XXLIV [Accessed 5 November 2016].

Capua, M., Dzwonkoski, J. and Harris, C. (2014). Reclamation of Power in Wastewater Treatment Facilities. Available at: https://web.wpi.edu/Pubs/E-project/Available/E-project-031014-202035/unrestricted/MQP_-_Reclamation_of_Power_in_Wastewater_Treatment_Facilities.pdf (Accessed: 2 November 2016).

Carbery, R. and Garavan, T. (2005). Organisational Restructuring and Downsizing: Issues Related to Learning, Training and Employability of Survivors. Journal of European Industrial Training, 29(6), 488-508.

Curran, and Williams, I.D. (2012). A zero waste vision for industrial networks in Europe. J Hazardous Materials, 207-208, 3-7.

EcoGenR8 (2013). Banbury Co-digestion consultation leaflet. Available from: http://www.ecogenr8.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Consultation%20leaflet.pdf. [Accessed 17/01/2017].

Ellen MacArthur Foundation (2017). What is a circular economy? Available online at: https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/circular-economy [last accessed 12/3/2018].

Environment Agency (2013) Harnessing hydroelectric power. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/harnessing-hydroelectric-power#planning-permission-for-hydro-schemes (Accessed: 2 November 2016).

Environment Agency (2009). Renewable energy potential for the water industry. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/291638/scho1209brog-e-e.pdf (Accessed: 2 November 2016).

Europeancomission. 2015. Closing the loop - An EU action plan for the Circular Economy [Online]. EC, Brussels. Available: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/circular-economy/index_en.htm [Accessed 25/01/2017 2017].Gedye, S., Fender, E. and Chalkley, B. (2004). Geography and jobs: Undergraduate Expectations and Graduate Experience. Journal of Geography in Higher Education, 28(3), 381-396.

Geneco (no date). The bio-bus. Available at: http://www.geneco.uk.com/Bio-Bus/ (Accessed: 9 November 2016).

Ghisellini, P., Cialani, C. and Ulgiati, S., 2016. A review on circular economy: the expected transition to a balanced interplay of environmental and economic systems. Journal of Cleaner Production, 114, pp.11-32.

Glover, D., Law S. and Youngman, A. (2002). Graduateness and Employability: Student Perceptions of the Personal Outcomes of University Education. Research in Post-Compulsory Education, 7(3), 293-306.

Jensen, J.L., Kummer, T.A., Godoy, P.D.d.M., 2015. Improvements from a flipped classroom may simply be the fruits of active learning. CBE-Life Sciences Education, 14, ar5.

Kemp S., Martin F., Maier P. J., Williams I. D., (2008). A gap analysis of student employability profiles, employer engagement and work placements. Planet, 21, 16-20.

Kollamthodi, S., Norris, J., Dun, C., Brannigan, C., Twisse, F., Beidka, M. and Bates, J. (2016). The role of natural gas and biomethane in the transport sector. Oxford: Ricardo-AEA Ltd. Available at: https://www.transportenvironment.org/sites/te/files/publications/2016_02_TE_Natural_Gas_Biomethane_Study_FINAL.pdf (Accessed: 19 November 2016).

Larsson, M., Grönkvist, S. and Alvfors, P. (2016). Upgraded biogas for transport in Sweden – effects of policy instruments on production, infrastructure deployment and vehicle sales. Journal of Cleaner Production, 112, 3774–3784.

Levidow, L., Borda-Rodriguez, A. and Papaioannou, T., 2014. UK bioenergy innovation priorities: Making expectations credible in state-industry arenas. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 87, pp.191-204.

Li, Z., Ma, Z., van der Kuijp, T., Yuan, Z. and Huang, L. (2014). A review of soil heavy metal pollution from mines in China: Pollution and health risk assessment. Science of the Total Environment, 468-469, 843-853.

Linderholm, K., Tillman, A.-M. and Mattsson, J.E. (2012). Life cycle assessment of phosphorus alternatives for Swedish agriculture. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 66, 27-39.

Maga, D. (2016). Life cycle assessment of biomethane produced from microalgae grown in municipal waste water. Biomass Conversion and Biorefinery, 7(1), 1-10.

Modin, O., Wang, X., Wu, X., Rauch, S. and Fedje, K. (2012). Bioelectrochemical recovery of Cu, Pb, Cd, and Zn from dilute solutions. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 235-236, 291-297.

Mueller, S.R., Wager, P.A., Turner, D.A., Shaw, P.J. and Williams, I.D. (2017). A framework for evaluating the accessibility of raw materials from end-of-life products and the Earth’s crust. Waste Management, 68, 534-546.

Nancharaiah, Y., Venkata Mohan, S. and Lens, P. (2015). Metals removal and recovery in bioelectrochemical systems: A review. Bioresource Technology, 195, 102-114.

North Midland Construction (2016). Stoke Bardolph Phosphate and Energy Recovery. Available from: http://www.northmid.co.uk/media-centre/case-studies/nmcnomenca/stoke-bardolph-phosphate-and-energy-recovery [Accessed 17/01/2017].

2OC's Fat-fuelled Power Plant, Beckton, London, United Kingdom. 2017; Available from: http://www.power-technology.com/projects/2ocs-fat-fuelled-power-plant-beckton/ [Accessed 17/01/2017].

Peccia, J. and Westerhoff, P. (2015). We should expect more out of our sewage sludge. Environmental Science & Technology, 49(14), 8271–8276.

Sektorov, V.R. and Savvin, Y.M. (1967). World hydropower engineering and hydropower plant construction. Hydrotechnical Construction, 1(4), 394–401.

Singh, R. and Agrawal, M. (2008). Potential benefits and risks of land application of sewage sludge. Waste Management, 28(2), 347-358.

Scottish Water (2017). Heat from sewage scheme launched. Available from: http://www.scottishwater.co.uk/about-us/media-centre/latest-news/heat-from-sewage [Accessed 17/01/2017].

Strayer, J.F. (2012). How learning in an inverted classroom influences cooperation, innovation and task orientation. Learning Environments Research, 15, 171-193.

Wang, H. and Ren, Z. (2014). Bioelectrochemical metal recovery from wastewater: A review. Water Research, 66, 219-232.

Wang, Y., Sheng, G., Li, W., Huang, Y., Yu, Y., Zeng, R. and Yu, H. (2011). Development of a Novel Bioelectrochemical Membrane Reactor for Wastewater Treatment. Environmental Science & Technology, 45(21), .9256-9261.

Wessex Water (2015). Wessex Water Magazine spring/ summer 2015. 2015; Available from: https://www.wessexwater.co.uk/magazinesummer2015/ [Accessed 17/01/2017].

Williams, I.D. and Shaw, P.J. (2017). Improving waste management systems using student-led activities: A case study for an international airport. Proceedings of the Sixteenth International Waste Management and Landfill Symposium. S. Margherita di Pula, Cagliari, Sardinia, Italy, Oct 2-6, 2017. Paper No. 066.