Development of environmental sustainability concepts for the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) campus | |
| Author | Vongdeuane Soulalay |
| Call Number | AIT Thesis no.EV-06-39 |
| Subject(s) | Biotic communities--Thailand Asian Institute of Technology--Environmental aspects |
| Note | A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Engineering, School of Environment, Resources and Development |
| Publisher | Asian Institute of Technology |
| Series Statement | Thesis ; no. EV-06-39 |
| Abstract | The study conducted was an effort towards the development of environmental sustainability within the NIT campus. The study comprised of environmental audits and CP options. The focused area of the study was on energy and water consumption, wastewater and solid waste generation. In addition, noise and odor issues were also addressed. The result of the energy audit shows that AIT consumes around 36,000 kWh/day. Offices are the major source of energy consumption, about 50% of the total energy consumption. This amount of energy consumption causes about 13 tons of CO2 emission. About 1,300 m3/day of water is consumed by AIT residents. The residential areas contribute to more than 50% of total water consumption. Everyday, AIT generates about 2.03 tons of solid waste, only 4% of total waste is recycled. Organic waste covers about 60% of total waste, which are generated largely from the residential areas. After the identification of problems, CP options have been proposed to define ways to develop environmental sustainability within the campus. For energy reduction, the awareness should be created among the staff and students, such as switching off the lights and all electric appliances when they are not used. Use of new technology appliances to reduce energy consumption, such as replacing conventional monitors with flat panel monitors, replacing the old chiller to the new high efficient one, or installing the automatic energy shutoff sensors in all office buildings, etc. For water conservation, new technology water appliances should be used in the campus such as low flow toilets, non-water urinals, low flow shower heads, water leakage detector, etc. In this study, it is proposed that AIT's WWTP should be divided into two segments. The first part will treat only the wastewater from the offices and reuse this treated wastewater for watering the garden. The second plant will treat all wastewater from the residential areas, cafeteria and AITCC, then; discharge them into the public canal. For solid waste reduction, 3R (reduce, reuse and recycle) programs are proposed, to reduce the amount of waste sent to the landfill. Furthermore, to reduce large amount of organic waste, organic composting or anaerobic digestion should be practiced within the campus. This organic fertilizer can be effectively and sustainably used in the garden. |
| Year | 2006 |
| Corresponding Series Added Entry | Asian Institute of Technology. Thesis ; no. EV-06-39 |
| Type | Thesis |
| School | School of Environment, Resources, and Development (SERD) |
| Department | Other Field of Studies (No Department) |
| Academic Program/FoS | Environmental Engineering (EV) |
| Chairperson(s) | Visvanathan, Chettiyappan |
| Examination Committee(s) | Thammarat Koottatep; Kumar, Sivanappan |
| Scholarship Donor(s) | Government of Norway (NORAD) |
| Degree | Thesis (M.Eng.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 2006 |