AN INTERNATIONAL COURSE FOR SOLID WASTE PROCESSING

AN INTERNATIONAL COURSE FOR SOLID WASTE PROCESSING –
AN EXCHANGE BETWEEN GERMANY AND GREECE
Mrs. Dipl.-Ing. Gilian Gerke; Mr. Prof. Dr.-Ing. Thomas Pretz
Chair of processing and recycling of solid waste material; University of Aachen
Wüllnerstraße 2, 52062 Aachen, Germany
Tel.: 0049-241-8095702; Fax.: 0049-241-8092232
Theodoros Chatziavgoustis, Serafim Savvidis
Environmental Technology; T.E.I. Kozani
KEYWORDS waste management, exchange student program, solid waste processing, RWTH
Aachen University, T.E.I. Kozani
ABSTRACT
In this paper a new exchange program between Germany and Greece is described. 2004 this
exchange program started between the RWTH Aachen University and the T.E.I. Kozani. Twice a
year students from Greece visit the Chair of Processing and Recycling of Solid Waste Material. The
course starts with a theoretic introduction into the processing of waste. This includes knowledge
about the material waste, the special characteristics and the common machines to process the
different materials. To deepen the learned contents a practical time is connected. In the pilot plant of
the chair the students learn to handle the machines with different materials to get an insight of the
subject solid waste processing.
1. INTRODUCTION
2. INVOLVED INSTITUTIONS
In the exchange program between German and Greece two institutions are involved. From the
German side the program is supported by the Chair of Processing and Recycling of Solid Waste
Material (I.A.R.) at the RWTH Aachen University. From the Greek side the department for
Environmental Technology at the T.E.I. Kozani is integrated. Both institutions offer a course of
study in the field of waste management which is described in the following paragraphs.
2.1
I.A.R. – RWTH Aachen University
The Chair of Processing and Recycling of Solid Waste Material (I.A.R.) is part off the department
for Geo-Resources and Material Technology at the RWTH Aachen University.
The city Aachen is situated in the border triangle of Belgium, Netherlands and Germany about 70
km westerly from Cologne.
The RWTH Aachen University is characterised by its strength in science and engineering education.
A wide range of subjects are also offered in Economic, Humanities and Medicine and emphasis is
placed on an intensive interaction between all sciences. The focus on multidisciplinarity in research
and teaching is a direct response to the demands placed on future young professionals. The RWTH
University has co-operations with many universities and research centres throughout the world.
Every year numerous international students and scientists come to the RWTH Aachen to study and
research at an internationally recognised high level.
At the I.A.R. the course of study Waste Management is organized. It is a five year engineer course
with the German degree “Diplomingenieur”. In the future this degree is going to be transformed into
a Bachelor / Master degree to reach an international equality in Europe.
The course Waste Management was implemented in 1996 and connects the two faculties Civil
Engineering and Geo-Resources and Material Technology. The students are going to be qualified
interdisciplinary. At the moment 355 students are following the course. 25 % are female.
In the first two years the course concentrates on the basic engineer subjects like Mathematics,
Mechanics, Chemistry, Electrotechnics, Physics or soil mechanics. It gives the student a wide
engineer base before deepen the subject in the main course.
The main course includes two pillars: solid waste and liquid waste management. Subjects like waste
water drainage and treatment, processing and recycling of solid waste material or waste treatment
and processing plant design train the students in different waste management fields.
This course of study is characterised by a wide multidisciplinarity. Besides the already named
subjects, classes of law, economics, languages, statistics, process engineering, ecology and
environmental assessment and management complete the education. In the main course a practical
training of 80 days and different seminar papers are included. The students finish their study with a
diploma thesis.
At the I.A.R. the class processing and recycling of solid waste material is given. The course runs
over two semesters. In the first semester the students learn about the different technologies to
process solid waste. The chair owns a small pilot plant station in which the students can execute the
learned theory. In the second semester different recycling technologies are discussed. In small
groups the students work out the processing of different material streams like paper, glass,
packaging material or electronics. The class ends with an excursion to an according processing
plant.
Berufsfelder
2.2
Environmental Technology – T.E.I. Kozani
Since September 2000 exists the department for Environmental Technology at the T.E.I. Kozani.
Kozani is situated in West Macedonia to the west of Salonika in the north of Greece. The
department offers the subject of study Environmental Engineering. At the moment 816 students are
following the course, 356 (44 %) are female. The first are just finishing their studies.
3. COURSE FOR PROCESSING OF SOLID WASTE MATERIAL
3.1
Theoretical introduction
FIGURE 1: Theoretical class
3.2
Execution of tests
FIGURE 2: Construction waste
FIGURE 3: Construction waste after crushing
FIGURE 4: Packaging material
3.2
Presentation of the results
FIGURE 5: Preparing for presentation
3.2
Excursions
FIGURE 6:
4. CONCLUSION
5. SUMMARY
REFERENCES
[1]
[2]
Homepage I.A.R.: http://www.iar.rwth-aachen.de
Homepage T.E.I. Kozani: http://www.teikoz.gr/