GEA4102-

SUSTAINABLE
ENGINEERING SYSTEMS

For I CSE C
 Course Outcomes (COs)

Upon Completion of this course, the students will be able to

Learn the principles of sustainability with case studies  CO 1

Understand assessing technologies and their impact on environment. CO 2
Learn the concept of Green Engineering and to apply in their projects at higher
 CO 3
semesters
Learn Management of natural resources and waste management from various
 CO 4
types of industries.
Students learn water technology and behavioral aspects of humans.  CO 5
 Syllabus
MODULE 1 – PRINCIPLES OF SUSTAINABLE SYSTEMS (5L)
Sustainability Definitions - Principles of Sustainable Design, Sustainable Engineering -Frameworks for
Applying Sustainability Principles - Summary & Activities.
MODULE 2 – TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT AND LIFECYCLE ASSESSMENT (5L)
Technology as a part of anthropogenic environment - Technology readiness levels (TRL) – technical metrics -
Emerging, converging, disruptive technologies - Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology - Summary &
Activities.
MODULE 3 – GREEN ENGINEERING (5L)
Principles of Green Engineering - Frameworks for assessment of alternatives - Green Engineering examples -
Multifunctional Materials and Their Impact on Sustainability - Summary & Activities.
MODULE 4 – RESOURCE MANAGEMENT TECHNOLOGIES (5L)
Waste management purpose and strategies - Recycling: open-loop versus closed-loop thinking - Recycling
efficiency - Management of food waste and composting technologies - E-waste stream management - Reuse
and redistribution programs - LCA approach to waste management systems - Summary and Activities.
MODULE 5 – SUSTAINABLE WATER AND WASTEWATER SYSTEMS (5L)
Water cycle - Water conservation and protection technologies - Water treatment systems Metrics for assessment
of water management technologies - Summary & Activities.
 Syllabus
MODULE 1 – PRINCIPLES OF SUSTAINABLE SYSTEMS
Sustainability Definitions - Principles of Sustainable Design,
Sustainable Engineering -Frameworks for Applying Sustainability
Principles - Summary & Activities.
 1.1 Sustainability Definitions

The term sustainability has a multidisciplinary use and meaning.

In ecology, the word sustainability characterizes the ability of

biological systems to remain healthy, diverse, and productive over
time. Long-lived and healthy wetlands and forests are examples of
sustainable biological systems.
With human decision-making involved, sustainability attains a
significant ethical aspect and transforms social paradigm on success,
growth, profit, standards of living. 
1.1.1 Three Pillars of Sustainability
 1.3 Principles of Sustainable Design
It is a philosophy that can be applied in the fields of
architecture, landscape architecture, urban design, urban
planning, engineering, graphic design, industrial design,
interior design, fashion design, human-computer
interaction, and many other areas depending on modern
technologies.
 1.3.1 THE HANNOVER PRINCIPLES

1. Insist on rights of humanity and nature to coexist in a healthy,

supportive, diverse and sustainable condition.
2. Recognize interdependence. The elements of human design interact
with and depend upon the natural world, with broad and diverse
implications at every scale. Expand design considerations to
recognizing even distant effects.
3. Respect relationships between spirit and matter. Consider all
aspects of human settlement including community, dwelling,
industry and trade in terms of existing and evolving connections
between spiritual and material consciousness.
 1.3.1 THE HANNOVER PRINCIPLES

4. Accept responsibility for the consequences of

design decisions upon human well-being, the viability of
natural systems and their right to coexist.
5. Create safe objects of long-term value. Do not burden
future generations with requirements for maintenance or
vigilant administration of potential danger due to the
careless creation of products, processes or standards.
 1.3.1 THE HANNOVER PRINCIPLES
6. Eliminate the concept of waste. Evaluate and optimize the full lifecycle of products
and processes, to approach the state of natural systems, in which there is no waste.
7. Rely on natural energy flows. Human designs should, like the living world, derive
their creative forces from perpetual solar income. Incorporate this energy efficiently and
safely for responsible use.
8. Understand the limitations of design. No human creation lasts forever and design
does not solve all problems. Those who create and plan should practice humility in the
face of nature. Treat nature as a model and mentor, not as an inconvenience to be
evaded or controlled.
9. Seek constant improvement by the sharing of knowledge. Encourage direct and open
communication between colleagues, patrons, manufacturers and users to link long term
sustainable considerations with ethical responsibility, and reestablish the integral
relationship between natural processes and human activity."
 1.3.2 waste prevention strategies 
1. Low-impact materials: Choose non-toxic, sustainably produced or recycled materials which
require little energy to process.
2. Energy efficiency: Use manufacturing processes and produce products which require less energy.
3. Emotionally Durable Design: Reduce consumption and waste of resources by increasing the
durability of relationships between people and products, through design.
4. Design for reuse and recycling: "Products, processes, and systems should be designed for
performance in a commercial 'afterlife'."
5. Biomimicry: "redesigning industrial systems on biological lines ... enabling the constant reuse of
materials in continuous closed cycles..."
6. Service substitution: Shift the mode of consumption from personal ownership of products to
provision of services which provide similar functions, e.g., from a private automobile to a
carsharing service. Such a system promotes minimal resource use per unit of consumption (e.g.,
per trip driven).
7. Renewability: Materials should come from nearby (local or bioregional), sustainably managed
renewable sources that can be composted when their usefulness has been exhausted.
 1.4 Principles of Sustainable Engineering
• Sustainable engineering should be based on principles that
support sustainable development
• Engineering forms an interface between the design (i.e., the
idea how to provide a sustainable solution to a technical
problem) and implementation and production.
• The sustainable engineering principles should be taken into
account in decision making for both research and industrial
projects as well as in policy making and decisions regarding
funding of technological research.
 1.4 Principles of Sustainable Engineering
Sustainability Approaches in Engineering
Traditional Engineering Sustainable Engineering
Considers the object or process Considers the whole system in which
the object or process will be used
Focuses on technical issues Considers both technical and non-
technical issues synergistically
Solves the immediate problem Strives to solve the problem for
infinite future
Considers the local context Considers the global context
Assumes others will deal with Acknowledges the need to interact
political, ethical, and societal issues the experts in other disciplines
related to the problem
 1.4.1 Role of Technology
Role of technology can be actually viewed as the interface that provides
connection of an idea realized through design and engineering effort with
practical and consumable outcomes, such as products or services. 

Figure 1. Hierarchy of
sustainability guidelines
and role of technologies
emphasized.
 1.5. Frameworks for Applying Sustainability Principles
Building a framework for applying the sustainability principles
requires some background on the systems approach.

A system is an interconnected set of elements that is organized in

a way that achieves a purpose.
Three distinct entities of any system are: 
 Elements, 
 Interconnections, and
 Purpose (or function). 
 1.5. Frameworks for Applying Sustainability Principles
Two important characteristics of systems are stocks and flows.
 A stock is an element that can be quantified, measured, or
monitored.
 Sustainability of stocks typically indicates the stability of a system. In the
above examples, the stocks can be: number of trees in the forest, amount of
food stored by villagers for winter, or in case of power plant - the electric
power generated and available for consumption.

A flow is a process that either increases or decreases a stock.

 Flows represent inputs and outputs of a particular stock.
1.5.1. System stock illustration using a forest system

Figure.2 System stock illustration using a forest system.

Credit: Mark Fedkin
 1.5. 2. Examples of the balancing feedback in the forest system
There are two main types of
feedback in system analysis:
B = Balancing feedback –
opposes the change imposed on the
system.

R = Reinforcing feedback –
enhances the change impose on the
system.

When increase in the stock

increases the rate, the feedback
loop is denoted with "+" sign;
 and if the increase in the stock
Figure 4. System stock illustration using a forest
results in decreasing of rate, the
system and mutual influences.
feedback loop is denoted with "-"
sign. 
 Check Your Understanding
• Here are a couple of other examples of feedback loops.
1. What kind of feedback is illustrated on the diagram below?

Options:
1. Reinforcing
2. Balancing

ANSWER: B - balancing. The larger the deer population in a given area, the higher the
probability of them being involved in traffic accidents. The traffic collisions somewhat
bring down the number of deer, balancing the stock.
 Check Your Understanding
2: What kind of feedback is illustrated on the diagram below?
(Hint: solubility of CO2 in
water decreases with increasing
environmental temperature)
Options:
1. Reinforcing
2.Balancing

ANSWER: R - reinforcing. The high global air temperature

will result in lower solubility of CO2 in sea water. So, less
CO2 will be absorbed by the ocean, and more of it will stay
in the atmosphere. The more CO2 stays in the atmosphere,
the more it causes global warming (heating).
 Learning Outcomes
By the end of this lesson, you should be able to:

• understand definitions and principles of sustainable development;

• understand how these principles apply to design and engineering;

• recall the basics of the systems analysis and apply this approach to
a simple system as an example;

• identify the role of technology in sustainability framework.

 Module I – Activity
Small seminar talk - 10 Groups /

Newspaper talk / Biomimicry /

Sustainable Technology / Do’s and Don’ts of Sustainable Technologies

 Biomimicry is an approach to innovation that seeks sustainable solutions to

human challenges by emulating nature’s time-tested patterns and strategies. 
 The goal is to create products, processes, and policies—new ways of living—that
are well-adapted to life on earth over the long haul.
 Module I – Activity
 Prepare a system diagram for a simple model system.
 Identify the stocks, inputs, outputs, and the main control factors.
 Draw arrows to show connections and feedback loops.
 Provide annotation to the schematic to explain how the system works and what
forces keep it sustainable.
 If you were to add some technologies to the system to improve its sustainability,
what kinds of technologies would they be? Provide a brief discussion on this
point.