This Course Guide has been taken from the most recent presentation of the course. It would be useful for reference purposes but please note that there may be updates for the following presentation.
ENVR S335
Environmental Control, Monitoring and Modeling
Welcome to ENVR S335 Environmental Control, Monitoring and Modelling.
This is a ten-credit, two-semester higher-level course in the Environmental Studies programme. This course is a part of the BSc and BSc (Hons) in Environmental Studies programme and the BSc (Hons) in Environmental Studies with Management programme. Hong Kong Metropolitan University (HKMU) has an open entry policy, but students taking this course are assumed to have finished a major portion of middle-level courses.
Basic knowledge, such as waste management, noise pollution control, water and wastewater treatment, and air pollution control are included, along with design methods for different types of environmental control device. Working examples of design and operation of landfill sites, wastewater treatment plants, incinerators and noise barriers are used extensively in the text to illustrate the applications of principles to practical situations. Self-assessment questions are included at the end of most of the units, to give you a chance to test your understanding of the key concepts presented in the course material. Case studies and design problems of varying degrees of complexity are selected to suit the needs of the course and are included in appendix. Suggested recent references are presented as footnotes to show you where additional information can be obtained.
It is recommended that you study ENVR S234/ ENVR S237 (Environmental Control and Public Health) before studying ENVR S335. Students taking ENVR S335 will have an advantage in studying ENVR S320 (EIA) and ENVR S341 (Environmental Legislation & Management).
Purpose of this Course Guide
You have probably taken other courses through Hong Kong Metropolitan University, so you should now be well aware of both the study skills required for distance learning and how HKMU courses are organized. It is still recommended, though, that you read this Course Guide thoroughly before looking at the study units and supplementary readings.
The Course Guide tells you briefly what the course is about and how you can work your way through the material. It suggests the amount of time you are likely to need to spend in order to complete the course and gives you a general idea when your assignments are due. For detailed information on assignments, however, please refer to the Assignment File. For information on due dates and cut-off times for work to be submitted, please refer to the Presentation Schedule.
In distance learning as practised by Hong Kong Metropolitan University, the study units (not the tutor) replace the university lecturer. This is one of the great advantages of distance learning: You can read and work through specially designed study material at your own pace at times and places that suit you best. Think of it as reading the lecture instead of hearing it from a lecturer. In the same way that a lecturer might set you some reading to do, the study unit tells you when to read your textbook or other material. In the same way that a lecturer might give you an in- class exercise, your study unit has exercises (called by various names) for you to do at appropriate points. You are also likely to find review questions at the end of each unit. Do them all, as these exercises and questions give you the practice necessary to achieve the course learning outcomes and to pass the examination.
Course aims
The aims of the course are:
Course learning outcomes
On completing ENVR S335, you should be able to:
Course overview
The course is organized into four separate blocks. Block 1: Waste Management provides background material for understanding waste management. It contains an analysis of a selection of treatment and disposal methods, discussions of the technical aspects of incineration with energy recovery and environmental control measures that must be taken to prevent another form of pollution occurring. Block 1 also covers landfill design. This includes the characterization of a landfill site, the assessment of risks that it poses, and the development and selection of remedies.
Block 2 of the course deals with Air Pollution Control. This presents a rather thorough introduction to traditional air pollution problems involving criteria pollutants, dispersion models and emission controls. This block also introduces concepts in air pollution management, including classification of air pollutants and formation of primary and secondary pollutants. The block also covers mathematical models currently used by environmental professionals to assess the magnitude of air pollution problems, and the methodology of chimney design.
Block 3: Noise Pollution and Vibration Control gives a general introduction to noise and vibration control techniques that are frequently used in the field of noise abatement. A general overview of concepts of noise is given. This covers the basic acoustics and scales, the indices and ratings, and the methods of predictions and control.
The final block of the course, Block 4, deals with Water and Wastewater Treatment. This block provides a concise summary of present theory, emphasizing the application of that theory to both municipal water and wastewater treatment problems. The block also focuses on water and wastewater treatment systems for conventional pollutant and includes a discussion of water quality modelling basics.
Course organization
The following chart gives a general overview of the course structure.
| Unit | Title | Weeks | Assessment activity (end of unit) |
| 1 | Overview of waste management | 3 | |
| 2 | Waste incineration | 3 | |
| 3 | Landfill disposal of wastes | 3 | Assignment 1 |
| 4 | Air pollution management | 3 | |
| 5 | Air pollution dispersion and modelling | 3 | Assignment 2 |
| 6 | Chimney designs | 3 | |
| 7 | Basic principle of noise control | 4 | Assignment 3 |
| 8 | Noise and vibration control | 4 | Assignment 4 |
| 9 | Basic treatment processes | 4 | Assignment 5-B: Project Report |
| 10 | Sludge handling and facility design | 3 | |
| 11 | Water quality modelling basics | 2 | |
| 12 | Summary of environmental control, monitoring and modelling — future trends | 1 | |
| TOTAL | 36 |
Printed materials
You should read the study units carefully, as they can guide your learning and tell you how to approach the assignments related to the unit. Otherwise, you might miss important information. You must read all suggested supplementary readings. They are not alternatives. Moreover, you should make frequent reference to articles in newspapers and journals and other books related to the topics. The more widely you read, the better your appreciation and understanding of the course.
Each unit is divided into a number of sections. The first section introduces the materials to be covered. The next section constitutes the contents of the study unit. This section guides your learning and directs you to complete the activities and self-tests.
There are twelve study units in ENVR S335. Each study unit consists of one to four weeks of work and includes directions for study, commentaries on readings, additional materials, and summaries of key issues and ideas. The units direct you to work on exercises related to the required readings and provide practice exercises and examples, where appropriate. In general, these exercises help you to assess your progress and to reinforce your understanding of the study material. Along with the assignments, these exercises will help you in mastering the contents of the individual units and of the course as a whole.
References books
Davis, M L and Masten, S (2008) Principles of Environmental Engineering and Science, 2nd edn, McGraw-Hill.
Kiely, G (1998) Environmental Engineering, international edn, McGraw-Hill.
Recommended readings
The course makes use of a wide range of readings compiled from design reports, government documents, books, journals and papers from conference proceedings.
A process of continuous assessment will apply in this course. It includes four assignments and one project assignment (PA).
Four assignments will be set and the best three will be counted. They contribute 30% of the overall course score (OCS).
The project will be conducted on an individual basis. You are required to conduct a design project relating to problem solving in environmental design or control, which relates to industrial and urban conditions. You can choose one project from a selection:
Details of the design project shall be presented in the form a project brief and a final report (compulsory Assignment 5) that comprises 20% of the OCS. To pass the course, you will need to achieve a 40% threshold for the cumulated score of the project assignment.
Examination
The final examination will be three hours and contribute 50% of the overall course score. The examination will consist of questions that reflect the types of activity and tutor-marked problem you have previously encountered.
| Assessment type | Marks |
| Assignments 1, 2, 3 and 4 (best three of four) | 3 × 10% = 30% |
| Project Assignment (compulsory) (40% threshold for the cumulative score of Project Assignment) | Part A: Project brief 4% Part B: Final project report 16% |
| Final Examination | 50% |
| TOTAL | 100% |
Tutors and tutorials
There will be both face-to-face tutorials and online tutor support. Eight two-hour tutorials will be provided in support of EN335 Environmental Control, Monitoring and Modelling.
Day schools
There will be three three-hour day schools arranged throughout the course. You must attend at least two of these compulsory day schools to fulfill the academic requirements of the undergraduate course. You are strongly encouraged to attend all day schools which provides you with the necessary professional skills.
During day school, you will conduct laboratory work with selected topics to become familiar with environmental instrumentation for control and monitoring. During each laboratory work session, you will be provided with a laboratory manual to sample, carry out tests, analyse results and write your own laboratory reports.
The Course Coordinator will arrange two to three optional field excursions for visiting sites of landfills, waste treatment plants, or noise control facilities. Normally, each field excursion will take a morning or afternoon session of three to four hours. Where appropriate, you shall include the site survey reports in your assignments.
A note about the developers of this course
Y H Yau & Associates has undertaken a wide range of projects involving pollution control engineering, monitoring, control and modelling. The list of associates for development of this course is:
Ir Dr Y H Yau, BEng, MEngSt, MSc, PhD, FHKIE, RPE, MHK10A
Y H Yau is a chemical and environmental engineer. He graduated in chemical engineering from the University of Queensland and spent some years working in the fields of environmental engineering and chemical waste treatment. He obtained an MSc in environmental management and has been teaching environmental science courses in the division of environmental studies, the School of Science & Technology, at Hong Kong Metropolitan University since 1993. He is a Registered Professional Engineer (RPE) in chemical engineering, and Chartered Engineer (CEng) in water and environmental management. He is also a Fellow and a Chairman (2013-2016, 2007-2010) of Chemical Discipline of Hong Kong Institute of Engineers.
Dr Yau specialises in the field of energy, environmental and chemical engineering. He has over 25 years experience in environmental education, pollution control facility design, plant operation, environmental and energy management. His professional knowledge focuses on the applications of chemical engineering to environmental and energy management problems. In the academic field, he has contributed to undergraduate and postgraduate face-to-face and distance learning courses on global trends in environmental awareness, issues and challenges. He has published over 20 journal papers and 2 books.
Ir Wang C Yuen, BSc, MSc, P Eng, MHKIE, CPEng
Wang C Yuen is a senor officer in the Environmental Protection Department, HKSAR. He received a BSc degree in civil engineering from the University of Leeds, and an MSc in environmental engineering from the University of Alberta. He is a qualified engineer in Canada, Australia and Hong Kong. He has a wide range of experience, for example, in environmental planning and assessment, environmental monitoring and control, landfill engineering, noise assessment, water and wastewater treatment, river and groundwater assessment, industrial wastewater audit and computer modeling in pollution control. Since 1994, he has also contributed to part-time lectures on environmental health impact, solid waste management, environmental auditing, environmental law and environmental resource management courses at tertiary institutions and in environmental science courses (ENVR S334) at Hong Kong Metropolitan University. He has published over ten technical booklets and articles since 1992.
Ir Dr William S T Lau, BSc, MBA, PhD, FIChemE, FHKIE, CEng, RPE
William Lau has over 40 years of experience in process engineering, water and wastewater treatment, chemical waste treatment, air pollution control, and environmental monitoring, audit and management. He is a Chartered Engineer, Fellow of the Institution of Chemical Engineers and the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers. He chaired a chemical engineering discipline of the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers. He earned his chemical engineering degree from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and MBA degree from the Chinese University of Hong Kong. He has a PhD in environmental management and remains a professional associate of the Centre of Urban Planning and Environmental Management, the University of Hong Kong. He is the author of many papers on waste management and has taught engineering subjects at Massey University, New Zealand. He has conducted an MSc course on Environmental Economics for Hong Kong Baptist University. Currently, he is helping Hong Kong Metropolitan University students with environmental projects.
