Marginal Environmental Returns: Case Study in Engineering Ethics
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| Audience/Grade: | 9 - High School Senior |
| Discipline(s): |
Chemical, Biochemical, Biomolecular Engineering Engineering Ethics |
| Special Topic(s): | |
| Learning Resource Type: |
Teaching - Case Study |
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| Description: | Case study in engineering ethics that could be used in courses on Mass and Energy Balances or Thermodynamics. The case starts: "Joe has been working with the Polymers-Are-Us Chemicals (PAU Chemicals) for almost 15 years. For most of this time, he's been working as an environmental engineer for the company, reporting to state and national regulators during inspections and maintaining records of the company's pollution and wastewater treatment procedures. Because he has worked so long in the department, Joe has become acquainted with many of the state regulators and board members personally, and they trust Joe to provide them with accurate information concerning the company's waste production. As a rule, PAU Chemicals has always met the state regulations for water quality control, and Joe has always been very cooperative with the inspection teams from the state. In recent years, Joe has noticed that even when the company is operating just below the environmental standards set by the state, there have been significant environmental problems downstream of the plant outflow. Problems include declining plant life, and periodic "fish kills." The river isn't used commercially except by PAU Chemicals as a waste stream release. Few people use this segment of the river, except a rare water skier or an even rarer fisherman. After studying the problem, Joe believes that the state regulations are not restrictive enough and that the company should install another distillation column, which would lower the plant waste output to a safer level. Joe plans to approach management with a proposal at the next engineering meeting. " |
| Rating: | No Rating |
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| Version Info | |
| Publication Date: | December 1997 |
| Platform/Format: |
WWW |
| Download Size: |
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| Cost: |
Free |
| Download URL: | http://wadsworth.com/philosophy_d/templates/student_resources/053 |
| System Requirements: |
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| Metadata: |
IEEE LOM Record |
| Collection: |
NEEDS
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