Cycling for a sustainable future: Considerations around the development of a Masters level module on carbon capture, sequestration and utilisation

This paper envisages a masters level module, as part of an integrated masters level degree in chemical engineering (but which can also be taken by other engineers, such as energy engineers), as a suitable module for bringing together broader (societal level) considerations around the implications of contemporary carbon cycle disruption with possible interventions. These would include interventions in particular at the technological level, through the preferential capture, storage and utilisation of carbon. In this way, the module can build on standard undergraduate chemical engineering modules in unit operations, mass transfer and environmental engineering to (while by drawing on research informed expertise of the lecturer) consider specific potential technological interventions in the CCS and utilisation space. It can also however both draw on and add to prior learnings from broader contexts and domains such as in the realms of industrial ecology, ecological economics, technological indeterminism, sustainability narratives and policy, in particular through the use of an overarching context of carbon cycles. It also affords the opportunity for graduate students to develop critical thinking in relation to an ever-evolving socio-technological, economic and policy landscapes, and to help the goal of facilitating the development of fit-for-purpose engineering graduates in the wake of the consequences of ruptured carbon cycles

Sustainability, pandemia and women in academia: breaking the “good girl” culture to enhance sustainability in engineering education

We would all agree that the role of sustainable development is to enable all people throughout the world to satisfy their basic needs and enjoy a better quality of life, without compromising quality of life for future generations. We would agree that sustainable development relies on ending discrimination towards women and providing equal opportunities for education and employment. Gender equality has been conclusively shown to stimulate economic growth, which is crucial for low-income countries. We would also agree that there has been a lot of research in relation to sustainable development in engineering education, indicating that the subject of sustainability may help increase participation of women in engineering. But in reality, how can we teach our students sustainable development and promote the role of females in engineering, when the engineering education is so unsustainable for female academics? Academic women have long made the compromises in terms of the double burden of domestic and paid work, as well as to their personal life choices and well-being, yet academia and higher education institutions have simply not made the working environment a more just and sustainable space for women. During the pandemic, these inequities were exacerbated by the loss of educational provision, now delivered online and facilitated by, in the majority of cases, mothers. The precarity of childcare, now makes the question of the unsustainability of female academic’s lives unavoidable. Women have been literally and figuratively left holding the baby during this crisis. We are at a critical juncture where we have the opportunity as academics, to reimagine the post-pandemic community, and create a more socially just and sustainable balance in our lives. This issue exceeds academia; it is actually the culture that dictates women to be “good girls”; to comply with the patriarchal system. While there is nothing wrong about being a good person, the “good girl” label has a completely different meaning and impact on the life and career of women. “Good girl” is the one who cares about the others, seeks their approval, has no needs or ambitions, is quiet, kind, willing to please everyone, to get everything right the first time, is not allowed to make mistakes, has to sacrifice herself, and to be perfect and above all else, not to challenge the system or to call out all the specifically gendered ways in which the impact of the system marginalises and hurts women. The “good girl” culture has been a big burden for women in academia in general, having a detrimental impact to the career development of female academics in particular in the male dominated sector of engineering education. During the pandemic, it has been taken for granted that women would deliver on all fronts. It is well document that women’s work is often invisible, both in the domestic and public spheres [1]. Although common to all disciplines, the impacts of bias and stereotypes are particularly pronounced in engineering [2]. Female academics please their students, line managers, colleagues and family, leaving behind themselves, their research and other necessary elements for their progression. They are never considered equally good, impactful, and successful, as their male colleagues. As a matter of fact, women in engineering education experience more grade appeals and receive lower course evaluations than their white male counterparts [3], being discriminated by students, administrators and academics, while their efforts and ideas are being constantly discounted. There is nothing sustainable about this. This paper proposes effective actions to tackle the “good girl” expectations for female academics, enhancing sustainability, implementing a fit-for-purpose change of the culture system across school, with targeted and consistent actions, actively promoting the needs of female academics

Studies of adsorbents and pressure/vacuum swing adsorption for co2 capture

The capture of carbon dioxide via Pressure/Vacuum Swing Adsorption (PSA/VPSA) has been examined experimentally and mathematically. The adopted method was a two bed/four step process, known as the Skarstrom Cycle. Pelletised and calcined SBA-15 powder has been modified with a monoamine, a diamine and a triamine and has been tested in a PSA configuration. The performance of the monoamine modified SBA-15 was more than doubled with the presence of immobilised polyamine groups (diamine/triamine modified SBA-15) extending the adsorption capacity of the material (chemisorption), but still not comparable to the performance of zeolite 13X (physisorption) in terms of performance, stability and reproducibility. These results will be compared to the performance of four Metal Organic Frameworks, ZIF-8, ZIF-67, UiO-66 and CuBTC which are innovative and promising materials with several applications. Experimentally, the performance of zeolites and amine modified mesoporous silicas has been investigated for different experimental conditions (cycle time, pressure ratio, feed/purge ratio). This work is further supported by theoretical studies of PSA which employs a mathematical model based on linear coupled macropore and micropore diffusion and, where appropriate, reaction. These simulations are performed using gProms

Emotional intelligence for sustainable engineering education: Incorporating soft skills in the capstone chemical engineering capstone design project

Chemical engineering students in universities across the world are involved in at least one chemical engineering design project during their studies. Traditionally, the concept of design in chemical engineering education has been associated with the design of processes, equipment and products, with extensive focus in technical knowledge, creative thinking, problem solving, common sense and efficiency. But are these skills enough for chemical engineering graduates to shine and make a difference in their careers? While engineering education focuses on the establishment of hard skills, it pays little or no attention to the soft skills that are necessary for the careers of engineering graduates. Conversely, sustainable engineering education considers soft/social skills, such as the ability to work in teams, empathy, self-motivation and self-regulation, a key element of engineering curricula. In order to maximise the potential of sustainable engineering education and prepare the students for the real work life challenges, in a team-driven learning format, as opposed to a student-centred approach, a “collaborative working strategy” (Mitchell, 2008) was introduced to the capstone design project. A personality mapping and a set of collaborating working values and behaviours were introduced as part of the project, in order to examine the extent to which emotional intelligence enhances collaborative teamwork in engineering education. More specifically, the students were asked to map their personalities and working styles in order to explore the dynamics of their team. The personality test that was used for this purpose was “The Insights Discovery, the colour personality test”, based on Carl Jung’s model for personality types. Having mapped their working style strengths and weaknesses, the teams were asked to adhere to a set of values including 1) common goal and unity of purpose, 2) team trust, 3) interdependence, 4) accountability and 5) effective feedback. These values were used as a guideline for effective communication, while the students were asked to monitor, list and reflect on the collaborative working behaviours of them and their peers, as part of their weekly tasks. The preliminary findings of this ongoing study have indicated that emotional intelligence enhances the effectiveness of project team working, providing the necessary evidence that emotional intelligence holds a dominant role in sustainable engineering education and should be part of the engineering curriculum