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THT311 Water & Wastewater Treatment (special topics)

Credits (ECTS):10

Course responsible:Harsha Chandima Ratnaweera

Campus / Online:Taught campus Ås

Teaching language:Engelsk

Limits of class size:60

Course frequency:Annually. Cancelled summer 2025

Nominal workload:Ca. 80 hours of lectures, exercises, excursions within 2 intensive weeks, followed by 170 hours project work during a 3 months period.

Teaching and exam period:2 weeks of intensive lectures (daily) between mid June - mid July. Independent work on the term paper July - August.

About this course

This course is an intensive course complementary to THT271, THT310 or can be taken as an independent professional development course.

This course focuses on thematic modules addressing modern water and wastewater management. Examples of relevant topics for the current study year:

  • Water quality management and monitoring
  • Climate Change influence on water supply and wastewater management
  • Advanced treatment processes in water and wastewater treatment
  • Digitalisation of the water sector
  • Cybersecurity in the water sector
  • Water-smart circular economy
  • Decentralised wastewater treatment
  • Energy considerations in the water sector
  • Beneficial use of residuals
  • Research skills for the water sector

Course assignments will focus on the implementation of one or more special topics in water utility upgrading.

Learning outcome

At the completion of this course, candidates will be able to (examples, depending on the topics selected for this year):

  • apply principles of the integrated water resource management
  • recognise climate change impacts on the water sector
  • explain the principles of digitalisation in the water sector
  • identify cybersecurity risks in the water sector
  • implement circular economy principles in the water sector
  • compare decentralised and centralised wastewater treatment solutions
  • formulate water, resource and energy value chains
  • evaluate water reuse opportunities
  • develop research concepts and present results
  • Learning activities
    (1) Lectures, (2) analytical work (discussion) in small teams, (3) tutorials with process simulation program STOAT, (4) excursion to treatment plant(s) to learn how the unit processes are integrated and their operational challenges, (5) instructions and hands-on practice in usage of scientific databases and reporting. Most of the presentations will be available in Canvas before the lectures.
  • Teaching support
    By email or pre-agreed meetings with lecturers.
  • Prerequisites
    Basic knowledge of water and wastewater treatment (similar to THT271) is required.
  • Recommended prerequisites
    Basic knowledge on water resources management
  • Assessment method
    (1) Multiple Choice Questions at the end of the 2 weeks of lectures (2) Evaluation of project reports. The final mark will be based on a combination of the marks for the above.

    Multiple choice test Grading: Letter grades Permitted aids: A1 No calculator, no other aids Project work Grading: Letter grades Permitted aids: C1 All types of calculators, other aids as specified
  • Examiner scheme
    The external examiner approves plans for the project work and its assessment. The examiner actively assures the quality of the course content and teaching.
  • Mandatory activity
    Compulsory participation in all activities during the first two weeks (lectures, excursions, exercises) of intensive work + submission of project report
  • Notes
    The course is organised as an intensive/full-time 2-weeks course in June/July at NMBU and an independent project work carried out either from Norway or abroad in December.
  • Teaching hours

    Part I: First two weeks of intensive, full-time work: 50 hours of lectures, 6-10 hours of analytical work, 6-10 hours of process simulation exercises, 20 hours of excursions.

    Part II: Work on the project report (can be carried out outside of NMBU).

    Part III: Submission of the project report.

  • Preferential right

    Ranking:

    1. students who have the course as mandatory in their study plan

    2. students on the following study programmes: M-VM and M-IØ

    3. students with most ECTS credits

    It there are not enough slots in group one the students will be ranked by their ECTS credits.

  • Reduction of credits
    No overlap from 2021
  • Admission requirements
    REALFAG (special requirements in science)