• Offered for Year: 2026/27

• Module Leader(s): Dr Fernando Russo Abegao
• Lecturer: Dr Sabeeha Khadaroo

• Owning School: Engineering
• Teaching Location: Newcastle City Campus

Semesters

Your programme is made up of credits, the total differs on programme to programme.

Aims

This module has two parts. Part I levels the chemistry/chemical engineering foundational knowledge of students. The second part dives into green chemistry.

Part I:

The first part of this module will aim to enrich the chemistry knowledge in key aspects of chemistry applied to sustainable processes. Knowledge of specific chemical and biochemical processes, method and techniques relevant for the content later covered in elective modules will also be expanded. It will also introduce the fundamental principles of the chemical engineering discipline, developing an awareness of the basic principles of chemical engineering, approaches to solving engineering problems, principles of plant design and operation, and awareness of environmental and safety issues.

Part II:
The second part of the module aims to introduce students to Green Chemistry principles, practice and design.

Outline Of Syllabus

Part I:
•       Thermodynamics and kinetic effects in chemical reactions;
•       Molecular and ionic interactions;
•       Electronic structure in atoms, simple and complex molecules;
•       Bonding in extended systems – conjugation;
•       Substitution and elimination reactions;
•       Solvent effects;
•       Leaving groups;
•       Competing reactions.
•       Introduction to chemical engineering;
•       Units, dimensions, and basic physical properties;
•       Ideal gas law, partial pressure, and gas composition;
•       The laws of thermodynamics;
•       Mass and energy balances;
•       Vapour-liquid equilibrium such as vapour pressure, Henry’s law, and Raoult’s law;
•       Fluid mechanics such as properties of fluids, flow regimes, mechanical energy balance, and pressure drop
•       Flow measurement systems, valves, and pumps;
•       Heat transfer such as modes of heat transfer, the overall heat transfer coefficient, and heat
exchangers;
•       Mass transfer such as diffusion, diffusion coefficients, and Fick’s laws of diffusion;
•       Process design such as unit operations, process flow diagram, and piping and instrumentation diagram;
•       Separation processes such as phase creation, barrier, distillation, and absorption;
•       Process safety such as hazards and hazardous incidents, hierarchy of hazard control, COSHH, and COMAH.

Part II:
•       Introduction to green chemistry and green chemistry principles;
•       Green Chemistry, the UN Development Goals and Sustainability;
•       The Green Chemistry toolbox and new conversion pathways;
•       Feedstocks and starting materials;
•       Catalysis and Green Chemistry;
•       Biocatalysis;
•       Green Solvents;
•       Processes and operations;
•       Alternative energy sources;
•       Inherent safety;
•       Evaluating the impacts of green chemistry, green chemistry metrics, and design decision frameworks.

Teaching Methods

Teaching Activities

Teaching Rationale And Relationship

The module is delivered by a combination of present in-person lectures and tutorials, supplemented by reading materials which include research articles and process development case studies. Lectures convey the fundamental scientific concepts. Tutorial classes support the lecture material through practical examples. Tutorial questions will be attempted by students during teaching sessions where the lecturer will be moving between students providing feedback on their learning. Model solutions will be provided for tutorial questions so to enable students to compare and validate their solutions.

Assessment Methods

The format of resits will be determined by the Board of Examiners

Exams

Other Assessment

Formative Assessments

Formative Assessment is an assessment which develops your skills in being assessed, allows for you to receive feedback, and prepares you for being assessed. However, it does not count to your final mark.

Assessment Rationale And Relationship

The written examination assesses the basic understanding and the ability to deploy the concepts learnt throughout the module in solving common chemistry and chemical engineering problems under time constraint as required in industry (AHEP4 M1, M2, M4).

The in course assignment allows for a realistic open ended green chemistry and engineering problem to be investigated and solved (AHEP4 M2, M4, M7, M17).

Formative assessments allow students to check knowledge throughout the module (AHEP4 M1, M2, M4, M7).

Reading Lists

• CME8412's Reading List

Timetable

• Timetable Website: www.ncl.ac.uk/timetable/
• CME8412's Timetable