Solid waste engineering

ENV-500

Media

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Course summary

11.09.2025

Goal of this lecture is to give a brief overview about the course before you start with reading the book Solid Waste Engineering.

Introduction
14:15 – 15:00 Welcome
- Expectations of students
- Further Literature
- Waste Hierarchy
- What is this course about?
(read the course booklet before you inscribe to the course)

15:15 – 15:45
- Teacher’s expectations
- mandatory activities and dates
- Program / structure of this course

After 15:45
- Questions
- Books (see also below)
- Self study of Preface and Chapter 1: Integrated Solid Waste Management
- Homework
(project hours will take place later in the course, details will be announced during the course)

Today no activity after 16:00, but teacher is available for questions and to borrow the Solid Waste Engineering books (deposit is CHF 100.-)

Homework until September 18th
- Read preface and chapter 1 of SWE
- Exercise: Have a look at the "Problems section" of chapter 1
- Have a look at the paper by Gordon et al.
- get a copy of the book (SI version is available at the Rolex Center), only a few copies are available at the library
- the teacher has reserve books, which can be used during the semester. A deposit of CHF 100.- is taken which is refunded after the course (the number is limited and especially for those who cannot afford to buy the book). If you would like to borrow a book, please contact Vivek Prakash (GR A2 434) . Vivek is working at different places, so you may best contact him via e-mail in case he is not in his office.

Some documents below are only accessible with the password provided in the course. The documents are b/w copies of the preprints which later went through additional editorial steps before printing the final book. The documents are confidential and should only be used in the early stage of the course before you have organized an own official version.

18.09.2025

Topics today:
- Guidelines for waste treatment
- SWE Chapter 1, some aspects
- Exercises: making some estimations


if time allows
- The myths of IWM
- Some MFA basics
- Exercise with article by Gordon et al.

Homework
- until September 19th: unscription to excursions, if you do not follow the course
- Read chapters 2 and 3 in SWE
- Looking at the exercises may inspire you for developing an attractive video exercise at a later stage of the course.
- Exercise with article by Gorden et al


25.09.2025

- Exercises from 18.09.2025 (SWE 1)
- MFA, MFA Exercise
- Discussion of Chapter 2:
MSW Generation and Quantities, some Characteristics and Definitions


(- Discussion of Chapter 3: Waste Collection
- Exercises SWE 2 & 3)

- IMPORTANT: Please inscribe to excursions, not later than today. See link below.



02.10.2025

Excursion to BAREC

09.10.2025

14:15 – 16:15

Beach Litter
Waste Generation
Some Waste Definitions
SWE 3: Waste Collection

16:30 – 18:00 (presence of all students is mandatory)
Project kick-off

HW
- Read p1-23, p47-52 in: Peter Baccini & Paul H. Brunner (1991): Metabolism of the Anthroposphere. SPRINGER-VERLAG BERLIN
- Read carefully SWE Ch 5: p177-184 
- Screen through Figures and Tables of Ch5: p185-p218 (Focus is on understanding the principles, not on the detailed calculations)
- Read carefully SWE Ch5: p219-229


16.10.2025

"BLUBOX" Excursion to Moudon: 16.10.2024 Bus arrival 14:05 / Return towards 18:00

Departure from: Ecublens, EPFL, Piccard stop (in front of L’Epicure)
Itinerary:

14.05 Meeting point Ecublens, EPFL, Allée Piccard Bus stop
Reception of the passengers. As soon as all inscribed students are present, we will leave. Therefore, please contact the teacher asap, in case you cannot join as planned. Thanks.

14.20 departure via the Chalet à Gobet for Moudon
14.55 approx., arrival in Moudon
17.15 approx., departure and return
18:00 approx., arrival in Ecublens

Safety: During the entire tour please stay closely together and watch out that you do not stand in the way of any trucks or dredgers.

It is recommended to wear good solid shoes. As we stay mainly outside or in industrial halls, it can get quite cold. It is advised to wear warm clothing. Follow further advice given by the staff on site.


vacation

30.10.2025

14:15 – 17:15 (irregular breaks)
  Solution: Exercise “Waste Collection Tour”
  Mechanical Processes
  Separation Processes

– 18:00  project work / questions


06.11.2025

14:15 Lecture on Biological Processes

15:30 - 18:00 Short meetings with the teacher for every project group. We meet in the office of the teacher GR A2 424. You can make use of the class room until 18:00 for independent project work. Try to be present with all members of the team.

Sign up for your individual group time slot. Use "G1", "G2", as name to indicate your group. You can only choose one time slot:
https://xoyondo.com/dp/ivf33eikhqpx2zs

13.11.2025

Excursion to Ecorecyclage in Lavigny:

Route du Vignoble 101
1175 Lavigny

We will go by bus to the station "Lavigny, Hôpital" (arrival at 15:38) and walk from there to the back entrance of the site (see train/bus connections below). If you are earlier, just wait at the Lavigny Hôpital station. 

For those who travel by private car: there is only a very small parking lot at the entrance of the company. Be there at 15:40. Make sure you do not stand in the way of trucks entering and leaving the site. I will pick you up there at around 15:45 as the group who will arrive with me by bus will wait on the other side of the site. 

Consider: We will be outside most of the time. Therefore, I advise you to wear good (but not the newest) shoes and warm clothing. The excursion takes place at every weather condition (take an umbrella with you if it is a rainy day). All waste treatment sites are dangerous places as trucks, excavators or other heavy machines are moving. Single persons, unexpected by the drivers, may not be recognized. Therefore, always stand together as a group.

To go to Lavigny Hôpital, take the connection below, leaving at EPFL (Campus des médias) at 14:55 (direction of Morges, the bus station on the street side of Rolex Center).

In case you take the connection via Renens, the connections may be too tight. Instead of leaving at 14:55, I recommend to take the Métro at 14:48 and in Morges you have to change fast, else you miss the connection, especially if you do not know where the bus leaves.



 

Potential return options:

The connection at 17:47 may be tight, depending on the discussion we will have. Plan to take the connection at 18:17:






20.11.2025

20.11.2025

14:15 – 16:15
Thermal Processes
Some aspects related to
landfills

16:30 – 18:00
Group Project and Office hours (block your slot, if needed. It is not mandatory):
https://xoyondo.com/dp/ibhcrpxggv48w00


27.11.2025
Afternoon (14-18) is reserved for the group work. Teacher will come to the class room at 14:15 for general questions.

Groups that have questions related to the project can book time with the teacher (block your slot already now; see next week)




27.11.2025

14:15 - 18:00 Group work

14:15 Teacher comes to the class room for general questions

14:45 - 18:00 Teacher is available for meetings with project groups in GR A2 424 (these meetings are not mandatory). Book a slot if you think this would be useful:

https://xoyondo.com/dp/8rqz58anz58wz1f



04.12.2025

14:15 – 15:15 Training for exam

15:30 Discussion of results
          exam format, vote on exam format (closed book or with cheat sheet), questions

ca. 16:00 -18:00 Time for group work




11.12.2025

At noon all videos should be uploaded to the mediacom platform:
You can upload your video using the following link:
https://mediaspace.epfl.ch/epfl_submit/

If you have any problems in uploading your video, make sure you use your Switch-edu account with your EPFL e-mail address as login.

I will then transfer the video to the channel to which I will give you access.

We will watch the videos together in the course room CH B3 31:

14:15 - 15:45 Cinema - Video watching (part 1)

G1 Anaerobic Digestion

G2 Life Cycle of a Stainless-Steel Knife

G3 Plastic Recycling Processes

G4 Medical Wastes

G5 E-Battery Circle of Cars

Break

16:15 - 17:30 Cinema - Video watching (part 2)

G6 Recycling of Solar Panels

G7 Textile Waste

G8 Cigarette Butt Waste

G9a Economics of Recycling – Taxes and fees (part 1)
G9b Economics of Recycling – A case study (part 2)


Individual group debriefing meetings:
Reflections and final thoughts about your project. We meet in office GR A2 424. Thanks to be on time to avoid delays.

All members of the group should participate. (If groups want to switch their slot, this is possible. Let the teacher know if a slot does not work for you and inform the teacher in advance about planned changes. A video call may be arranged or the debriefing moved to another day. It is important that all group members are present. Even hybrid arrangements may be possible. However, ideally we meet all in person.)

17:45 G Debriefing
18:00 G Debriefing
18:15 G Debriefing
18:30 G Debriefing

Please reserve your time slot here:
https://xoyondo.com/dp/3yr6z3duie3nnoj

For those who are no longer on campus, please use the following Zoom link:
https://epfl.zoom.us/j/94098194939?pwd=WDVBZDZGV2tGSU5VRWtlc0Z3Z2liZz09

Do not forget to submit your final report on December 22th
To: christian.ludwig@psi.ch
Cc: selin.kandiyotieskenazi@epfl.ch

 


18.12.2025

14:15 Exam. We meet for the test in the class room.

This is a closed book exam (on 04.12.2025 the class also voted against a cheat sheet). Bring with you
- a simple non-programmable calculator (e.g. TI-30)
- virgin, unused writing paper and something to write

Please leave the room once you have handed in the test. 

Debriefing cont. (in GR A2 424):
15:45 G  Debriefing
16:00 G  Debriefing
16:15 G  Debriefing
16:30 G  Debriefing
16:45 G  Debriefing

For those who are no longer on campus, please use the following Zoom link:
https://epfl.zoom.us/j/94098194939?pwd=WDVBZDZGV2tGSU5VRWtlc0Z3Z2liZz09


17:15 Our research today for the world tomorrow (Research on Waste Treatment and Bioenergy at EPFL / PSI)
You are invited for a last lecture, about the research work of the Ludwig Group. This may inspire you for a later master's thesis project.

17:45 Debriefing with the entire class 
It is appreciated, if you join this discussion to reflect about the course content, its format, and other aspects which you like to share with the teacher. Even though this was the last time that the teacher gave this course, your input may help to motivate the school for trying to keep the topic in the curriculum. For financial reasons the plans and discussions about a follow-up professorship is now postponed to 2029 or later. 

Currently, there is no plan B. But I am happy to help encouraging the school to work out an alternative of my Solid Waste Engineering lecture. Personally, I think it would also be nice to link theoretical work with laboratory investigations. I plan to work next year on a new book chapter related to "chemical processes". And I am happy to discuss other ideas with you. 

after Debriefing at ca. 18:00 Free Beer in Satellite
To celebrate the end of the course, moreover, after 21 years of lecturing at EPFL on topics related to waste treatment, I offer all students of this course a free beer at Satellite.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year
Christian Ludwig

Do not forget to submit your final report on December 22th 
To: christian.ludwig@psi.ch
Cc: selin.kandiyotieskenazi@epfl.ch