| CODE | MEC4015 |
| TITLE | Water Treatment Technology |
| UM LEVEL | 04 - Years 4, 5 in Modular UG or PG Cert Course |
| ECTS CREDITS | 5 |
| DEPARTMENT | Mechanical Engineering |
| DESCRIPTION | This study-unit offers a comprehensive overview of water treatment technologies, emphasising both the scientific principles and the practical considerations that engineers encounter in professional practice. It covers the fundamental aspects of water chemistry and characteristics, water pollution, the critical legislative and regulatory considerations governing water quality and management, risk assessment, and includes key treatment processes such as chemical oxidation, coagulation and flocculation, gravity separation, granular and membrane filtration, advanced desalination techniques such as reverse osmosis and other emerging technologies. The study-unit equips students with the analytical skills and practical insights necessary to design, assess, and implement effective water treatment solutions across diverse engineering applications. The students will have the opportunity to visit industrial plants related to water treatment that deal with reverse osmosis water desalination, sewage treatment and/or recirculatory aquaculture systems. Study-unit Aims: The main aim of this study-unit is to impart sufficient theoretical and practical knowledge so that students can carry out preliminary designs of water treatment systems, select the most appropriate water treatment technologies, and effectively manage the maintenance and operation of water treatment plants. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Describe the water cycle, water chemistry, and the physical and chemical characteristics of water; - Identify and categorise the particles, pollutants, and chemicals found in different types of water and wastewater and analyse their impacts on water quality and treatment processes; - Explain the legislative, regulatory, and safety considerations that govern water quality management; - Illustrate the principles and applications of key water treatment processes; - Recognise emerging and alternative water treatment technologies and evaluate their potential applications in diverse engineering contexts. 2. Skills By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Analyse water quality challenges by identifying critical parameters and assessing treatment requirements; - Develop preliminary designs for water treatment systems by selecting appropriate water treatment technologies based on specific quality standards and application needs; - Design effective operational and maintenance procedures for water treatment systems, drawing on industry best practices and supplier recommendations; - Perform quantitative calculations related to water treatment processes involving, for example, dosing, flow rates, particle transport, fluid dynamics and process efficiency. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: - Crittenden J.C., Trussell R.R., Hand D.W., Trussell R.R., Howe K.J., Tchobanoglous G. (2022). Stantec's Water Treatment: Principles and Design (Wiley, Updated 3rd Edition). ISBN 978-1119819967. - Davis M. L. (2019). Water and Wastewater Engineering: Design Principles and Practice (McGraw Hill, 2nd Edition). ISBN 978-1260132274. |
| ADDITIONAL NOTES | Pre-Requisite Study-unit: MEC2340 - Fluid Mechanics 1 |
| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture |
| LECTURER/S | Jean-Paul Mollicone |
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2025/6. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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