What is Environmental Engineering Science?

MUHAMMAD FAHAD ANSARI 12IEEM 14

What is Environmental Engineering Science?

We are concerned with the quality and availability of environmental resources and with the waste streams that impact them

Science…improve our understanding of natural processes

Engineering…use this understanding to develop and apply technologies that will maintain or improve environmental quality

What is Environmental Engineering?

Environmental engineers are the technical professionals who identify and design solutions for environmental problems.

Environmental engineers provide safe drinking water, treat and properly dispose of wastes, maintain air quality, control water pollution, and remediate sites contaminated due to spills or improper disposal of hazardous substances.

They monitor the quality of the air, water, and land. And, they develop new and improved means to protect the environment.

What is Environmental Engineering?

Although many people are concerned about the state of our environment, environmental engineers are the people who do things to protect it from damage and to correct existing problems.

Environmental engineers possess the scientific and technical knowledge to identify, design, build, and operate systems that make modern society possible.

In addition to being a field for doing, the environmental engineering field and environmental engineering education are multi-disciplinary.

They involve traditional engineering components such as mathematics, physics, chemistry, and engineering design.

What is Environmental Engineering?

But environmental engineering education and practice also includes a range of other disciplines, such as biology, microbiology, ecology, public health, geology, meteorology, economics, political science, and computer science.

To address the spectrum of issues facing the environment, environmental engineers are broadly educated, as well as technically trained.

Where do environmental engineers work?

Environmental engineers work in many places. Some of the common ones are:

engineering consulting firms that design and construct air and water pollution-control systems,

industries that need to treat their air or wastewater discharges,

private and municipal agencies that supply drinking water,

companies that treat and dispose of hazardous chemicals,

companies that operate treatment facilities for municipalities or industries,

Where do environmental engineers work?

government agencies that monitor and regulate waste discharges,

universities that teach and conduct research on environmental control,

private and government laboratories that develop the new generations of pollution-control systems,

international agencies that transfer knowledge and technology to the developing world, and

public-interest groups that advocate environmental protection.

What do environmental engineers know?

Environmental engineers must have a strong background in mathematics, physics, and chemistry.

They learn engineering problem-solving and how to work in teams to accomplish goals.

They develop the ability to apply scientific principles as part of making engineering decisions.

Environmental engineers are skilled at analysis and design, and they apply their knowledge to protect the environment and human health.

The breadth and multidisciplinary nature of environmental issues requires that environmental engineers expand their skills beyond the range normally associated with any single engineering field.

Depending upon their specific career goals, environmental engineers gain knowledge and skills in areas such as chemical technology, geology, water and atmospheric chemistry, microbiology, toxicology, hydrology, soil science, computers, economics, and law.

What do environmental engineers know?

Sources of Energy

Renewable and nonrenewable sources Renewable: tidal forces, wind, falling water,

thermal gradient in the ocean, geothermal heat, solar input, biomass (wood, animal refuse, vegetable matter, etc.)

Nonrenewable: fossil fuels (oil, natural gas, coal), radioactive minerals (uranium and thorium)

Sources of Energy

The world faces substantial increases in energy consumption, particularly in less developed areas Production of energy brings with it environmental disturbances

Whatever the source, more energy means more pollution

surface- and ground- water hydrology water quality contamination municipal water and waste water treatment hazardous waste management and

treatment air pollution

A first Water Quality Engineering Problem

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handle

Boulder, CO

Water Treatment Plants

How the Waste Water Treatment Plant Works

Seattle, WA

San Jose, CA

Boulder, CO

Portland, OR

Waste Water Treatment Plants

A few problems that we need to solve!

RUN-OFF: Contamination of aquatic environments by fertilizers and pesticides in agricultural runoff

GROUNDWATER CONTAMINATION: Contamination of groundwater resources, especially by hazardous wastes

REUSE: Treating wastewater for reuse

AIR QUALITY Engineering

Apply science and technology to control adverse effects of air pollution on human health and welfare, on other organisms, on materials, or on ecosystems

Most efforts focus on emission sources since once pollutants are emitted into the atmosphere, there are no practical engineering techniques for removing them

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Hazy DayHazy Day

Rocky Mountain National Park

Yosemite Valley National Park

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Downtown Los Angeles, December 31, 1993Downtown Los Angeles, December 31, 1993

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Kuwait, February 1991Kuwait, February 1991

3 April 20023 April 2002

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WHY DO WE CARE??WHY DO WE CARE??

Some air pollutants cause adverse health effects, and we don’t like feeling bad or dying young.

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Human welfare…Human welfare…

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Melon leaves damaged by ozoneMelon leaves damaged by ozone

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A few problems that we need to solve!

ACID RAIN: Deposition of contaminants emitted into the atmosphere that have been converted to acidic species

OZONE HOLE: Depletion of stratospheric ozone by chlorine from CFCs

HAPS: Reduction of hazardous air pollutant emissions (carcinogens, teratogens, etc.)

BIOMASS COMBUSTION: Exposure of women and children to emissions from biomass cook stoves in rural areas in developing countries

Environmental engineering is a great choice for you and for society. Institute of Environmental Engineering management Professors & staff wishes you success.

We are looking forward to seeing you in our classes and laboratories.

Wish you best of Luck

Thank you