LEARNING OUTCOMES
After the course the student
- can summarise the steps in producing chemical pulp in laboratory, the emphasis being in kraft pulping.
- can exemplify in detail the principles of a forest biorefinery, as well as the role of pulping in this respect.
- has practiced the most essential experimental and analytical methods in the area of biomass refining and can also describe some less conventional practical laboratory methods.
- based on the laboratory results, can calculate material balances, as well as predict practical implications in the industrial scale.
- has experience in systematic project planning and in team working.
- has practiced giving and receiving personal feedback on work performance.
- is able to present clear reports to different audiences, both in written and oral format.
Credits: 5
Schedule: 20.01.2022 - 28.04.2022
Teacher in charge (valid for whole curriculum period):
Teacher in charge (applies in this implementation): Kyösti Ruuttunen, Estefania Isaza Ferro
Contact information for the course (applies in this implementation):
CEFR level (valid for whole curriculum period):
Language of instruction and studies (applies in this implementation):
Teaching language: English. Languages of study attainment: English
CONTENT, ASSESSMENT AND WORKLOAD
Content
valid for whole curriculum period:
Student teams plan a fractionation scheme for (wood) biomass, aiming at manufacturing products from the fractions (cellulose, hemicelluloses, lignin, and/or extractives). Subsequently, the team carries out the planned process in the laboratory. The laboratory work will include characterizing the biomass raw material, as well as testing the intermediate and final product properties (e.g. pulp kappa number, intrinsic viscosity, and ISO-brightness). The student teams compose reports of the laboratory work, as well as the whole project, describing the procedure and also presenting a material balance of the process. In addition, the students have to assess, based literature survey and experimental results, the feasibility of upscaling the process to industrial scale. Finally, the student teams provide conclusions of their work, including an evaluation on their success in meeting the objectives set in the project plan.
In addition to the practical laboratory work, instructing lectures and workshops are organized. Moreover, the teams will present their work orally and present observations about each other's work during different stages of the project. Team members will give and receive feedback of their performance both as a team and individually. Staff from companies in the bioproducts industry sector may act as advisors during the different phases of the students' work (e.g. planning, reporting).
Assessment Methods and Criteria
valid for whole curriculum period:
Evaluation of the written project plan and reports. Peer and self-assessment will have an impact on the final course grade. The practical details of the assessment to be discussed with the students in class.
Workload
valid for whole curriculum period:
135 h in total; Lectures & workshops 20 h, Project work 115 h (including ca. 60 h practical laboratory work and ca. 55 h report writing and other tasks).
DETAILS
Substitutes for Courses
valid for whole curriculum period:
Prerequisites
valid for whole curriculum period:
SDG: Sustainable Development Goals
9 Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
12 Responsible Production and Consumption
FURTHER INFORMATION
Further Information
valid for whole curriculum period:
Teaching Language : English
Teaching Period : 2022-2023 Spring III - V
2023-2024 Spring III - VEnrollment :
Max. 20 students; however, all students in the Biomass Refining major are selected if enrolled in time. If there are less than 20 enrolled Biomass Refining students, other students meeting the prerequisites can be accepted to the course.