Handbook

Water is a critical component of all industry operations, with fashion, construction, energy, food and beverage production, mining, and car manufacturing featuring prominently when considering consumption.  In Australia, industrial water use (not including agriculture) has increased by more than 20% since 2000 to reach more than 3 Billion m3 in 2018, forming approximately 18% of all water usage within the country.1 Such usage equates to the generation of considerable volumes of wastewater comprising harmful pollutants including metals, nutrients and organics. Historically, the discharge of industrial wastewater has led to significant water pollution and wastage of a valuable resource, however, a global push for sustainable and ethical development, such as that directed by the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) movement, has led to more efficient water use, increased recycling and more intensive treatment prior to discharge. Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) reporting frameworks are being used by many companies to demonstrate how they are incorporating sustainable practices into their activities.

In this course, you will explore industrial wastewater processing from consumption to disposal or discharge, in the context of ESG reporting frameworks, using a variety of industry case studies to give examples of how this works in practice. This will involve developing a more in-depth understanding of the underlying principles of sustainability and governance that drive decision making. You will study approaches to reduce freshwater consumption, wastewater reuse and recycling, and integration of treatment operations that enable increasingly stringent environmental regulations to be met while minimising carbon footprint. You will also become familiarised with using process modelling software that will facilitate the identification of efficient, effective design selection.

1. Aquastat, Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations.