Prospectus

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Analytical Methodologies and Tools

Course
2016-2017

Admission requirements

This course is obligatory for students of the master’s programme Industrial Ecology.

Description

This course provides knowledge of the most important analytical tools used in the area of Industrial Ecology, their philosophy and their position in the field. Students are trained in the applicability of these tools by working on case studies with the aid of specific software-tools.

Course objectives

  • Knowledge of most important tools in the area of Industrial Ecology, their philosophy and their position in the field.

  • Specific knowledge on four (groups of) tools: life cycle assessment (LCA), material flow analysis (MFA), substance flow analysis (SFA) and input-output analysis (IOA).

  • Knowledge of applicability of these tools, including possibilities and limitations.

  • Analytical thinking.

  • Defining and refining research questions.

  • Modeling systems including systems definition and setting of system boundaries.

  • Working with LCA databases (ECOINVENT, ETH Zurich).

  • Working with LCA software (CMLCA, Leiden University).

  • Working with MFA/SFA software (STAN, TU Vienna).

  • Working with programming languages ®.

  • Working with analytical tools in a societal/policy/business context.

Timetable

See blackboard TU Delft.

Mode of instruction

Lectures and discussion with key articles as background.
Practical group work with software tools for MFA/SFA, LCA and IOA.
Presentation of group work results.

Assessment method

Written exam (7 out of 10 points).
Group work (3 out of 10 points).
In addition, the total grade can be increased by a maximum of 1 out of 10 points through small tests based on the proposed reading materials. The total grade will not in any case exceed 10 points.

Blackboard

The lecturer communicates via blackboard TU Delft.
Further information on the course, reading materials, communications, grades, etc. will be available at blackboard TU Delft.

Reading list

To be announced at blackboard TU Delft.

Registration

Because this course is part of a programme of Leiden University and TU Delft, all students have to be enrolled to both universities.

All students have to enroll for course and exam at the start of the course via uSis, Leiden University. For classnumbers see here.

Students who are not enrolled to the master’s programme Industrial Ecology have to ask permission from the studyadvisor of Industrial Ecology at least one month before start of the course by use of this form.

Exchange students can only enroll for this course if their home university has an Exchange agreement with both Leiden University and TU Delft. Exchange students have to ask permission from the studyadvisor of Industrial Ecology as soon as possible, preferably six months before the start of the course.

Contact information

Dr. ing. R. Kleijn
Dr. A. Penedo de Sousa Marques

Remarks

More information and the description of the course is published in the e-studyguide of TU Delft.