Sustainable engineering design: an interactive multimedia case study

This paper presents an interactive multimedia case study in waste water management developed at the University of Surrey, UK. The case study considers waste water treatment methods used in a typical sewage treatment works (STW). The works uses a biological treatment process which depends on the provision of dissolved oxygen to the incoming waste water stream. There are several alternative ways of providing oxygen and this case study explores the technical, environmental, economic and social aspects of the various alternatives. The aim of the case study is to suggest which criteria chemical engineers should consider in order to identify more sustainable process alternatives. The case study is developed as an IT‐based interactive learning package (CD‐ROM).