CE 485: Solid Waste Management

Instructor:

Dr. Milind V. Khire, P.E.

Office Address:

A135 Engineering Research Complex, Ph: (517) 432-3130

email: khire@egr.msu.edu

Course Website:

http://www.egr.msu.edu/classes/ce485/khire/

Class Time/Location:

M & W: 8:30 9:50 AM; 313 Ernst Bessey Hall (EBH)

Make up Classes:

As part of my job responsibilities related research, I travel and may

be out of town for up to 5 classes during the course of the
semester. During those days, I may either find a substitute
instructor or cancel the class. If I cancel the class, I will make up
the class by starting subsequent classes as early as 8:00 AM until
the lost time is made up. If this may become a problem for you,
please drop the course immediately.

Office Hours:

M & W: 10:00 to 11:00 AM, 3550 Engr. Building; Ph. No. 355-5110
At your request, I may revise office hours to align with the due
date of the HWs or exams/quizzes for your benefit.

Open Hours at A135 Research Complex Engr (just email or call me

before you plan to stop by or knock on the door if you happen to be in
RCE).

Required Textbook:

Integrated Solid Waste Management by

Tchobanoglous/Theisen/Vigil; Publisher: McGraw Hill

Prerequisite(s):

CE 280 or permission of the instructor. If the instructor has waived

the prerequisite(s), you still take full responsibility for your
performance in this course.

Reference Book:

Hazardous Waste Management, 2nd Edition, MD LaGrega, PL Buckingham and JC Evans,

McGraw-Hill, 2001.

Grading Assistant:

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A graduate student will be assigned to grade your homeworks and selective questions in your
exams. I will provide you the name and contact information as soon as I have recruited a
grading assistant.

Introduction:
During my recent discussion with a senior engineer in a large engineering consulting company,
he told me that his organization is in constant need to hire geoenvironmental engineers.
Majority of times, geoenvironmental engineers are working on geotechnical projects with
environmental applications, such as, municipal solid waste landfills, hazardous waste landfills,
agricultural waste treatment ponds, runoff management from processing plants, etc. This
course will equip you with geoenvironmental engineering knowledge that you can apply in
industry or academic settings.
In this course you will learn the fundamental principles and key technologies that are used to
manage municipal, commercial, and industrial solid waste that is generated in United States.
Almost all waste on this planet is created by humans as we enjoy our lifestyle. Industrialization
has contributed to significant increase in waste generation. Broadly, waste is grouped into
municipal solid waste (MSW) and hazardous (solid or liquid) waste.
In order to manage waste economically and comply with environmental regulations, you would
require specialized training and experience. All civil, environmental, chemical, and agricultural
engineers can benefit from this course.
I have numerous research projects where my graduate students are working on real landfills in
Jackson, Harrison, and other parts of the country on field-scale projects. If you are interested in
pursuing graduate studies in this area, please talk to me to explore the opportunity to work on
my research projects and get the hands on experience from professionals in this field.

Student Background:
I assume and hope that the background and interest of students in this class will be quite
diverse. Diverse backgrounds will add to the learning process both yours and mine! I expect
the students have basic knowledge in environmental engineering (CE280 or equivalent) and
soil properties (soil mechanics CE312 or equivalent). If you have noit taken CE312 (soil
Mechanics) or equivalent, I will do a basic review. However, if you need further help, it is your
responsibility to spend the extra time to learn the basics of soil mechanics by reading the
appropriate sections of a text book.

Objectives:

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CE485 is a 3-credit course. When you complete this course, you will be able to:

1. Identify key sources, typical quantities generated, composition, and properties of

solid and hazrdous wastes;
2. Identify waste disposal or transformation technics (landfills and incinerators);
3. Recognize the relevant regulations that apply for facilities used for disposal, and
destruction of waste;
4. Conduct invasive and non-invasive site investigation and understand permitting
process for constructing landfills;
5. Idnetify and design Solid and Hazardous Waste Landfills (RCRA Subtitle D and
C) including closure, post-closure, and rehab issues;
6. Estimate typical waste disposal costs; and
7. Identify recycling and reuse options (composting, source separation, and re-use
of shredded tires, recycled glass, fly ash, etc.).

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Grading Criteria:
Attendance & Participation (5%): Attendance will be randomly recorded during class hours. If
you missed any class(s) on the days when the attendance is recorded, you will receive a
reduced grade proportional to the number of missed classes. Your participation in the class
will be recorded based on answering oral questions in the class (right or wrong, does nto
matter) and participating in all class discussions.
Homework (10%). If not specified, home work will be due a week after it is handed out.
Homework must be turned in during the class hour in the classroom on the due date. Late
turned in homeworks will receive a zero grade. Students are expected to turn in neat and
organized homework. Any homework which is sloppy, difficult to read, or difficult to
understand will receive a reduced grade.
Quizzes (10%). Total 4 to 8 in-lecture quizzes (5 to 20 min duration) will be given throughout
the semester. If the class attendance is below what I believe is appropriate, I will give these
quizzes spontaneously. Each quiz will include basic material covered in the class during
the previous four weeks. The total grade for these quizzes will be worth 10%. I will drop one
quiz with the least score for final grade computation. Under no circumstances you will be
allowed to make up any missed quizzes.
Exams (30%): Three exams (10% each of the total grade) will be given during the semester.
Theses exams are tentatively scheduled for 16 Feb., 7 March, and 6 April 2005 and will be
held at the same location as the class. Students should plan their schedules around these
times. These dates will be confirmed or revised no sooner than 1 week prior to the exams. It
is your responsibility to attend the class and record any schedule deviations. You can reschedule the class exam times only by obtaining consent of the instructor at least 2 working
days before the exam. If you are sick, you can re-schedule the exams only by providing a
registered doctors certificate within a week after the missed exam or when you attend the
next class, whichever comes first.
Term Paper (20%): You can pick any topic related to waste disposal or waste management and
write a term paper. Your topic needs to be approved by the instructor. If you do not have a
topic in mind, I will give you possible topics for your paper. You will need to type your paper
(double-spaced, left and right justified, 1 margins on all sides). Total single-sided pages in
the paper including tables and figures shall not exceed 15. You may choose to pair up with
your classmate to write the term paper.

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Final Exam (25%): A final exam worth 25% of the total grade will be given at the end of the
semester on the date/time listed in the MSU Calender. The final exam would cover the
entire syllabus (comprehensive).
Other Grade Rekated Rules:
1. If your final answer is incorrect, I will not negotiate partial grades that you may receive
for homework, quiz, or exam problems.
2. You must collect graded material during the class hours within one week after it is
handed out in the class. After one week, you will need to stop by the instructors office
in A135 RCE to pick up your graded material before the end of the semester. After that,
I will assume that you have waived your right to access your graded material.

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Grading Scale:

Total Score

Grade Point

Total Score

Grade Point

90
85 to < 90
80 to < 85
75 to < 80

4.0
3.5
3.0
2.5

70 to < 75
65 to < 70
60 to < 65
< 60

2.0
1.5
1.0
0.0

Notes: 1. If the class average is above 77.5, grades will be based on the traditional scale
presented in the above table. If the class average is below 77.5, I may translate the
grading scheme by statistical curving to reflect the true class average.
2. The instructor will make the borderline decisions based on the students motivation,
attendance, participation in the class, and quality of work.

Other Important Notes:

Academic Honesty: The Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering adheres to the policies on
academic honesty as specified in General Student Regulations 1.0, Protection of Scholarship and
Grades, and in the all-University Policy on Integrity of Scholarship and Grades, which are included in
Spartan Life, Student Handbook and Resource Guide. Students who plagiarize will receive a 0.0 grade on
the relevant assignment.
Accommodations for Disabilities: Students with disabilities should contact the Resource Center for
People with Disabilities to develop reasonable accommodations. For an appointment with a counselor, call
353-9642 (voice) or 355-1293 (TTY).
Missing Class to Participate in a Required Activity or Religious Observance: To be excused from
this class to participate in a required activity for another course, a university-sanctioned event, or a
religious event, you must provide the instructor with advanced notice and, when applicable, a written
authorization from the faculty member of the other course or from a university administrator.

Amendments:
If we make any changes to this syllabus including grading policies, we will note down the
amendments in this section.
1.

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Tentative Syllabus for CE485 Spring 2005

Week

Topic

Sources, quantities generated, and physochemical properties of municipal solid

waste and hazardous waste

Solid Waste Management Pyramid Key Technologies for SWM (collection,

3
4
5
6

handling, transformation, landfills, incinerators, composting)

Relevant environmental regulations for waste disposal, site investigations
Site investigations, Site Selection (NIMBY), Regulatory permitting process
Incineration, composting
Types of Landfills, basic geotechnical considerations, earthen liners for waste

disposal
Clay mineralogy, factors controlling hydraulic conductivity, methods to measure k

in the lab and field, compatibility of liner materials to chemicals in leachate

Contamiannt and liquid Transport in soil liners for RCRA liners (advection and

diffusion)
Geosynthetics for waste disposal overview, Geomembranes-leakage, transport,

10
11

and structural stability, Gesosynthetic Clay Liners (GCLs)

Design of Leachate Collection System for Landfills Use of gravel and GDLs
Operational aspects of MSW landfills (daily cover, leachate disposal, GW

12
13

monitoring)
Landfill Gas Collection System and Leachate Recirculation System Design
Landfill Final Cap Design and Water Balance (demonstration of HELP Model)

14
15

Modeling
Review Problems
Review Problems

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