PLANNING SUSTAINABLE INFRASTRUCTURE – CHALLENGING STUDENTS – DEEPENING THE DIALOGUE.
Stephen Moore @ UNSW Australia
SYNOPSIS: The UNSW environmental engineering course CVEN4701 Planning Sustainable Infrastructure challenges fourth year students to research and design sustainable and synergistic infrastructure in the areas of water and waste management, transport and energy. Begun in 2012 with hypothetical development scenarios, the course progressed in 2015 to engagement with a real client: the community on Murray Island, home of Eddy Mabo. Student groups enthusiastically participated in a Design Competition to best meet the needs of this remote community, following briefings with the client. At the end of Semester, students and their design posters were interrogated by industry, client and academic judges at a wellattended public Showcase Event held at Nura Gili, the UNSW Centre for Indigenous Programs. The winning group was then able to present their solutions in person on Murray Island, marking the start of a long term relationship between UNSW and Mer Island, and deepening the dialogue about moving towards sustainable infrastructure.
Industry Colleagues:
Description of the Project Over two and a half thousand kilometres away to the north of Sydney is a tiny island in the outermost reaches of the Torres Strait called Murray (Mer) Island. On the island live a community of 400 people who rely on diesel for electricity, desalination for water and import their food by barge from Cairns, eight hundred kilometres away. The water supply is intermittent, fresh food is prohibitively expensive and the only waste disposal method currently is burning off in the small open landfill, plastics and all. If you were an engineer, what would you do to try and improve the quality of life of the community and the impacts on the environment of this infrastructure?
Ian McIntyre, current Chair of the School’s Industry Advisory Committee, and Principal at Advisian Pty Ltd, noted that ‘the approach to teaching adopted in this course was obviously very effective in giving to students a model experience that will be valuable to them when they address new problems and objectives in the course of their professional lives as engineers. ‘ Moreover, ‘the ability of graduates to sensibly formulate a problem and conduct a study that addresses all relevant aspects, objectives, constraints and interested parties is of great interest to potential employers.’
Sustainable Infrastructure for
Mer Island Mer Island is a volcanic island of the Torres Strait Islands archipelago. Torres Strait Islanders are of Melanesian origin, proud of their own distinct cultural identity, traditions, languages and history. There are around 450 people currently living in Mer Island. Looking at the energy, water, waste and transport existing infrastructure, it is possible to identify a range of sustainability issues. This project aims to find economic, environmental and social solutions to the island and to the community.
This question formed the core of the fourth year UNSW environmental engineering course, CVEN4701 Planning Sustainable Infrastructure. By applying the knowledge gained in applied 3rd year courses to a realistic problem, it enabled students to integrate previously separately taught infrastructure components as well as recognizing and incorporating the broader concepts of sustainability that includes social, economic and environmental perspectives. The seventy students enrolled in CVEN4701 looked at infrastructure improvements and demand minimisation strategies across waste, water, energy and transport. For the materials and waste assignment, students were asked to first develop a fossil carbon and a phosphorus flow diagram for Mer Island, and to prepare a systems diagram illustrating the existing solid waste management system before proposing - and designing - a more sustainable waste management system.
sOlId WasTe
water
Around 230 kg of solid waste is produced per day in the island. A more sustainable waste management will count on actions to generate the minimum amount of waste.
Reducing the demand for freshwater is the key to achieve a sustainable development. With water reuse and recycling we can supplement the water supply, reducing the unnecessary use of potable water for non-drinking purposes. Community consultation and risk assessment processes are fundamental for implementing the reuse system.
The system components consist of:
Rainy SeaSon
Waste Collection: Waste should be disposed in 3 separate bins. (garbage, recycling and food or garden organics). Material Recovery Facility:
Rainfall (mm/year)
1690
Household Water Demand (L/d)
1008
DRy SeaSon 110 840
Potable Water Supply (L/d)
1287.85
72.35
Ratio
127.67%
8.61%
Non-Potable Water Demand (L/d)
Will receive, sort, process, store and deliver materials for recycling, composting or to the final disposal. It will improve the material recycling.
504
Greywater System (L/d)
525
Ratio
Achievements:
Composting:
Therefore, using rainwater in rainy seasons and a combination of greywater, rainwater and desalinated water in the dry season it is possible to provide a reliable water supply to Mer Island. The new system can guarantee a better use of the resources, reduce the energy consumption and also reduce the pressure in the wastewater treatment system. The project components consist on:
• Provide recover of material; • Reduce the greenhouse gases emissions and; • Save energy; • Create an engaged and environmental aware community; • Provide infrastructure, machinery, training and maintenance programs; • Achieve low levels of contamination.
The composting area will receive food and garden bins. It will produce a compost product that can be used on gardening. Landfill: Provide lining, leachate control and gas capture. It will reduce methane emission and groundwater contamination. Energy recovery: The non-recyclable can be converted into useable heat, electricity, or fuel through a variety of processes, including combustion, gasification, pyrolization, anaerobic digestion, and landfill gas recovery.
104.17%
• Rainwater harvesting on-site: installing filters and ultraviolet lights in the rainwater tanks
(www.starkenvironmental.com, 2015)
• Greywater reuse on-site: using biological filtration followed by membrane filtration to treat the greywater to a quality suitable for outdoor uses, toilet flushing and cold washing machines.
Sustainable Design - Mer • Centralized Wastewater Treatment: upgrading the collection system and the Sewage Treatment Plant and implementing biosolids treatment.
energy
Student responses:
transport
Objective:
Demand: 93 residential premises with focus on appliances and cooling (7227kWh/HH.year, total of 2376kWh/day), 24% of all electricity supplied to 15 installations other than residential premises
Reduce the reliance on diesel driven vehicles and improve the problem of disused and abandoned vehicles consuming valuable space in the dump. Sustainable transport system need to be developed.
Background
Current: 3x 200 kVA diesel gensets with higher generation costs than selling price (about $0.23 per kWh). Environmental issues with ozone-depleting, more than 40 toxic compounds, greenhouse effect (5kW will emit 4456.6 kgCO2 per year)
Solutions:
Technologies: wind and solar with batteries, biomass, tidal
Public Torres transport: Strait. This makes it challenging to produce Mer is situated on the far eastern corner of the Promote the use of public transport, such as minibuses or ferries. Construct some general infrastructure to increase travel process incorporates the viable solutions for environmentally sustainable infrastructure. Our design choice and create an integrated transport system. Design a proper route which make residents access key destinations like three main goals of sustainable development - Social Equity, & Environment. We focus on education, health services, shopping Economy, and airport easily. Improve the topography to ensure the feasibility and safety for the use of four key areas of infrastructure - Transport, Energy, & Water. Even so, the strength and outcome public transport Waste and make suitable operation timetable according to the travel demand. of any changes is highly dependent on the acceptance by the community of Mer. (www.dotherightmix.eu/, 2015)
Likewise, for water, students were asked to address and assess current water infrastructure on the island – including water supply, wastewater and bio-solids management and water reuse and recycling, before proposing sustainable water infrastructure options. Students needed to consider the possibility of photovoltaics, wind power, biomass, solar thermal and tidal options for new sources of energy supply. Transport requirements were also to be included in an Integrated
Walking and cycling: (practicalaction.org, 2015)
(www.power-eetimes.com, 2015)
Solar Photovoltaic System
(generated on HOMER)
80 PV systems 10 wind turbines 2 gensets
Possible Wnd Systems
Others:
By Gabriel Miler, Hao Chen, Shihui Hu and Luíza Caldas Aerial view of Mer
QQ A performance of Sculthorpe’s Island Dreaming by the Caro String Quartet and a mezzosoprano from the Torres Strait; pointing to the creative integration we were to see in the students’ infrastructure designs. QQ A conversation on stage between two students and the guest speakers Prof Martin Nakata Director of Nura Gili, an enthusiastic supporter of the course who had initially provided the introductions to the Mer Island community, and Doug Passi, leading to active series of questions from the audience.
Aerial view of Mer
Proposed Changes
Cars and boats are the main transport options at Mer. Alternative modes of transport include electric bicycles, solar boats and electric cars. Combined with renewable sources of energy and a car or bike sharing system, these options are less polluting, and cost less over time. Ferry services to other islands or mainland Australia could also be established to ease transport costs.
• Electric Bicycles • Electric Cars • Solar Boats • Car or Bike Sharing • Ferry Services
Energy
The mayor-equivalent of Murray Island, Mr Doug Passi, and important supporting people from Murray Island, came to Sydney early in the semester to brief the students, and returned to finally judge the student designs, in a Design Competition scenario.
An acknowledgement of Country by Owen Walsh, a student from Nura Gili, the UNSW Centre for Indigenous Programs.
Fishing traps
Aerial view of Mer
Transport
A sketch map of Mer
Features of the Showcase Event were:
Support and encourage car sharing and the use of environmentally friendly vehicles. Ensure all road infrastructure is inspected regularly and in effective working order. Make the passenger and freight travel cost affordable.
Purpose: both renewable energy sources can be 74% of the demand, 72% just with solar and 46% just with wind. It can be reduced 44% of pollutant
Infrastructure System Design.
Throughout the course, primary responsibility was handed to the students where possible. During Semester students had to present progress reports to the class early in the development of the initial waste and water concepts designs. They had to engage with the real client during two visits for design development. Working with an events manager, the students also coordinated the final Showcase Event, taking up roles such as MC, interviewers, welcomers and waiters. Some 170 industry and academic colleagues, university and high school students were the audience in the formal event, and interacted with students after the awarding of prizes.
Cycling can in some circumstances be quicker and easier than traveling by car. Build a high quality pedestrian and cycle network linking residences, encourage the use of walking and cycling rather than the use of vehicles if possible. Give some awards to those leaders in the carbon-free trip.
Current infrastructure on Mer Island consists of three 200kW diesel generators. Relying on diesel as the only source of energy is not sustainable. A suggested alternative involves a solar farm complemented with lead-acid batteries and the use of the existing diesel generators. The solar farm acts as a main source of energy, while the lead-acid batteries are a form of energy storage when sunlight is not available. Diesel generators will be used during peak loads and to restore the charge of batteries. The new cost of electricity is expected to be $0.95/kWh for the new system, compared to the current price of $1.38/kWh.
Student feedback was measured through UNSW systems CATEI (Course and Teaching Evaluation and Improvement). Responses to the main question statement: Overall, I was satisfied with the quality of this course – ranked a mean score of 4.83 (on a six-point rating scale where Strongly Agree is ranked as a 6; and Strongly Disagree as a 1).
Waste
For Brazilian Exchange student Felipe Lebesol, the course ‘confirmed why I am studying environmental engineering…. Thank you Stephen Moore, Richard Stuetz and Martin Nakata for this opportunity. Au Essuau!’
• 420kW Solar Farm - requires about 100m x 100m land • 1kW Batteries for Energy Storage (720 units) • Existing Diesel Generators as Backup
Proposed Changes
The current solid waste system in Mer involves very little separation or sorting of potential recyclables. Household waste is sent directly to landfill, where it is openly burnt. The overall management strategy is to divert waste from landfill. The proposed solution is a small-scale composting plant on Mer. The plant has the potential to reduce total waste by as much as 45% before it reaches the landfill. The end-product, compost, can either be used as fertiliser or sold.
Qualitative feedback from students also reflected a high satisfaction with the course.
Proposed Changes
Proposed Changes
2.6 GL of water saved per year
• Composting of Solid aste
45%
Student Andrew Weetman wrote ‘In four years of an engineering degree, I have only been given a real brief with a real client once; in CVEN4701. I learnt a lot of valuable lessons (about social design, data reliability, teamwork, economics, Queensland trade laws, sewage plant design, centralised vs decentralised systems just to list a few) that I would not have learnt otherwise and I will carry them through the rest of my career.’
GROUP 2 Andrian Tjandra Lawrence Huang
Conclusions
• Water Reuse & Recycling • Increased Efficiency
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Hubert Dao Wei Lun Fung
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The sustainability of Mer can be greatly enhanced with our proposal. Even so, the strength and outcome of these proposals depend heavily on the social license given by Mer’s residents.
Water Water is a scarce resource on Mer. It is supplied mainly by a desalination plant located on the island, and also via rainwater collection tanks. The main management strategy is to reduce wastage and improve efficiency. Examples include - providing residents with water efficient fixtures, fixing pipe leaks, improving desalination efficiency, and the recycling of greywater via sand filtration.
For student Danielle Tuazon, it was ‘the ultimate example of the best and most enhanced learning experience... It fundamentally influences our understanding as engineering students of the critical and relevant benefit of community consultation, building connections that enhance professional relationships, developing knowledge of existing and forecast issues, and recognising what is important to the people who are being served by an engineering project’ One of the winning students, Sarah Hayes wrote of her journey to Mer Island.’The trip was the most unbelievable experience. What we learnt, above all else, is that engineering does not exist in a vacuum, it is and has to be a reaction to the social and cultural environment it is serving. Walking around, we saw that our lofty ideas dreamed up in a city classroom were too formal, too rigid. The trip gave us a better understanding of the intricacies and sensitivity that being an engineer involves which will be valuable to us for the rest of our lives. Also, we hope that in some small way we have helped to begin a fruitful relationship with the small island community we all fell in love with.’
Future Impact:
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CVEN4701 established the relationship with the people of Murray island and with their ongoing invitation and approval, should be maintained for at least another three years as the designs move from conceptual to detailed designs, building year on year. In 2018 Stephen Moore hopes to invite a pro-bono input from one of the School of Civil & Environmental Engineering’s Industry partners to work with the students, to enable funding applications to be made.
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The course has already inspired the School’s Teaching & Learning Committee to ponder more ways that all our students can be given a memorable, even transformative fourth year experience. ‘This course,’ said Stephen Foster,‘has set the benchmark in our School for a “capstone” final year course.’
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‘In all my discussions with Murray Islanders, industry partners and Nura Gili participants, and with the students,’ the Head of School of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Professor Stephen Foster said, ‘I heard only very enthusiastic, highly praising and deeply engaging feedback.’
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