MEC6801 Industrial ecology
Faculty of Engineering
MEC6801 Industrial ecology is a level 6, 0-credit-point, postgraduate unit from the Faculty of Engineering, offered in 2026 in Semester 1 at Malaysia. It has no prerequisites.
- Credit points
- 0
- Offered in 2026
- Semester 1
- Malaysia
- Assessment
- No exam
- 4 tasks
- Workload
- 144 hours
- per semester
This is the 2026 handbook entry. See the 2027 entry.
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Requisites
Before MEC6801
Prohibitions
You can't enrol if you have passed any of these.
After MEC6801
No unit lists MEC6801 as a prerequisite in the 2026 handbook.
Enrolment rules
You must be enrolled in the Engineering PhD program. Students enrolled in another PhD program may seek permission from the Faculty of Engineering. The unit assumes that you have the necessary foundational knowledge.
Equivalent units
The same content under another code. Only one of them counts.
Overview
This new unit will provide analytical tools and methods for implementing principles of industrial ecology. The course will encompass sustainability concepts and tools on the potential role of industry in reducing environmental burdens throughout the product life cycle from the extraction of raw materials, to the production of goods, dematerialization, and to the use of those goods and to the management of the resulting waste. The practical applications covered in the course will be based largely on current research in the area of life cycle assessment (LCA). Case studies will be used to demonstrate concepts and principles of industrial ecology with the accomplishments of LCA. The unit would take a systems perspective in seeking the answers to questions such as how to improve resource efficiency; how to minimize waste generation; which material to use considering their costs, supply security, and criticality; and how to design an industrial process to minimize its resource and environmental risks. The unit will be highly beneficial for students, researchers, professionals, policymakers and engineers working in the industries.
Offerings in 2026
| Teaching period | Campus | Mode |
|---|---|---|
| First semester | Malaysia | On campus |
Assessment
- AssignmentsWritten20%
- Team project presentationPresentation20%
- Team project final reportProject40%
- In-class test/quizQuiz / Test20%
Assessment details may change. Please refer to the assessment information in Moodle closer to the start of the teaching period.
Learning outcomes
When you finish this unit, you should be able to:
- 1
Interpret and discuss the fundamental concepts of industrial ecology.
- 2
Appraise the material and energy flows and their transformation into products, byproducts, and wastes throughout industrial systems.
- 3
Formulate and construct the principal interactions between production, consumption, technology and sustainability.
- 4
Evaluate analytical life cycle tools and investigate their application and implications to industrial ecology.
Workload and teaching
- Workshops24 hours
- Practical activities6 hours
- Teaching approachIndustry-based learning
- Teaching approachPeer assisted learning
- Teaching approachActive learning
- Teaching approachCase-based teaching
The minimum total expected workload to achieve the learning outcomes for this unit is 144 hours per semester typically comprising a mixture of 3-6 hours of scheduled learning activities and 6-9 hours of independent study per week. Scheduled activities may include a combination of teacher-directed learning, peer-directed learning and online engagement. Independent study may include associated readings, assessment and preparation for scheduled activities.
Learning resources
Required resources
LCA Software
Recommended resources
Graedel, T. E., & Allenby, B. R. (2010). Industrial Ecology and Sustainable Engineering: International Edition, Pearson Education Inc., Upper Saddle River, Prentice Hall.
Contacts
- Unit Coordinators
- Associate Professor Arshad Salema
- Chief Examiners
- Associate Professor Arshad Salema
Common questions
What are the prerequisites for MEC6801?
MEC6801 has no prerequisites, but enrolment rules apply.
When is MEC6801 offered?
In 2026, MEC6801 runs in Semester 1 at Malaysia.
How much work is MEC6801?
The handbook expects about 144 hours of study across the semester. No students have rated its difficulty yet.
Does MEC6801 have an exam?
No. MEC6801 has 4 assessment tasks and no exam.