What is Environmental Engineering?
- 1. ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING A S M A L L P R E S E N TAT I O N F O R A B I G P R O B L E M B Y A N G E L A W I N F I E L D, F U T U R E E N G I N E E R
- 2. THE HISTORY OF ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING • Environmental engineering is a new name for work that has been done since early civilizations, as people learned to modify the environment to meet needs. • As people recognized that their health was related to the quality of their environment, they built systems to improve it. • The ancient Indus Valley Civilization (3300 B.C.E. to 1300 B.C.E.) had advanced control over their water resources. • The public work structures found at various sites in the area include wells, public baths, storage tanks, a drinking water system, and a city-wide sewage collection system. • They also had an early canal irrigation system enabling large-scale agriculture.
- 3. THE HISTORY OF ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING • From 4000 to 2000 B.C.E., many civilizations had drainage systems and some had sanitation facilities, including the Mesopotamian Empire, Mohenjo-Daro, Egypt, Crete, and the Orkney Islands in Scotland. The Greeks also had aqueducts and sewer systems that used rain and wastewater to irrigate and fertilize fields. • The first aqueduct in Rome was constructed in 312 B.C.E., and from there, they continued to construct aqueducts for irrigation and safe urban water supply during droughts. They also built an underground sewer system as early as the 7th century B.C.E. that fed into the Tiber River, draining marshes to create farmland as well as removing sewage from the city. • Modern environmental engineering began in London in the mid-19th century when Joseph Bazalgette designed the first major sewerage system following the Great Stink. The city's sewer system conveyed raw sewage to the River Thames, which also supplied the majority of the city's drinking water, leading to an outbreak of cholera. The introduction of drinking water treatment and sewage treatment in industrialized countries reduced waterborne diseases from leading causes of death to rarities.
- 4. ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING TODAY • Environmental engineering takes from broad scientific topics like chemistry, biology, ecology, geology, hydraulics, hydrology, microbiology, and mathematics to create solutions that will protect the health of organisms and improve the quality of the environment. • Environmental engineering is a sub-discipline of civil engineering and chemical engineering. • Environmental engineering is the application of scientific & engineering principles to improve and maintain the environment to: – protect human health, – protect nature's beneficial ecosystems, – and improve environmental-related enhancement of the quality of human life. • Environmental engineers devise solutions for waste water management, water and air pollution control, recycling, waste disposal, and public health. They design municipal water supply and industrial wastewater treatment systems, and design plans to prevent waterborne diseases and improve sanitation in urban, rural and recreational areas. They evaluate hazardous-waste management systems to evaluate the severity of hazards, advise on treatment and containment, and develop regulations to prevent mishaps. They implement environmental engineering law, as in assessing the environmental impact of proposed construction projects. • Environmental engineers study the effect of technological advances on the environment, addressing local and worldwide environmental issues such as acid rain, global warming, ozone depletion, water pollution air pollution from automobile exhausts and industrial sources.
- 5. ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING TODAY • Environmental engineering takes from broad scientific topics like chemistry, biology, ecology, geology, hydraulics, hydrology, microbiology, and mathematics to create solutions that will protect the health of living organisms and improve the quality of the environment. • Environmental engineering is a sub-discipline of civil engineering and chemical engineering. • Environmental engineering is the application of scientific & engineering principles to improve and maintain the environment to: – protect human health, – protect nature's beneficial ecosystems, – and improve environmental-related enhancement of the quality of human life.
- 6. ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING THE PROBLEMS WE SOLVE • WATER POLLUTION – Water resources and pollutants – Oxygen demand – Pollutant transport – Water and waste water treatment • AIR POLLUTION – Industry, transportation, commercial and residential emissions – Criteria and toxic air pollutants – Pollution modelling (ex Atmospheric dispersion modeling) – Pollution control – Air pollution and meteorology • GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE + IMPACT – Greenhouse effect and global temperature – Carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen cycle – IPCC emissions scenarios – Oceanic changes (ocean acidification, other effects of global warming on oceans) – Changes in the stratosphere (physical impacts of climate change) • SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT + RESOURCE RECOVERY – Life cycle assessment – Source reduction – Collection and transfer operations – Recycling – Waste-to-energy conversion – Landfills – Disaster Recovery
- 7. ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING THINGS WE STUDY TO SOLVE PROBLEMS • MASS TRANSFER • ENERGY TRANSFER • ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMISTRY – Inorganic Chemistry – Organic Chemistry – Nuclear Chemistry • GROWTH MODELS – Resource Consumption – Population Growth – Economic Growth • RISK ASSESSMENT – Hazard Identification – Dose-response Assessment – Exposure Assessment – Risk Characterization – Comparative Risk Analysis
- 8. The Work Environment Environmental engineers work in a variety of settings because of the complex and often time, collaborative nature of the tasks they do. When they are working with other engineers and urban/ regional planners, environmental engineers are likely to be in offices. When carrying out solutions through construction projects, they are likely to be at construction sites. How to Become an Environmental Engineer Environmental engineers must have a bachelor’s degree in environmental engineering or related field, such as civil, chemical, or general engineering. Employers also value practical experience. Therefore, cooperative engineering programs, which provide college credit for structured job experience, are valuable as well. Pay The median annual wage for environmental engineers was $87,620 in May 2018. Job Outlook Employment of environmental engineers is projected to grow 8% from 2016 to 2026. On pace with the national average for all occupations. *State and local governments’ concerns regarding water availability and quality should lead to efforts to increase the efficiency of water use. ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING
- 9. NOTABLE ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERS • Ellen Henrietta Swallow Richards was an industrial and safety engineer, environmental chemist, and university faculty member in the United States during the 19th century. • Her pioneering work in sanitary engineering, and experimental research in domestic science, laid a foundation for the new science of home economics. • She was the founder of the home economics movement characterized by the application of science to the home, and the first to apply chemistry to the study of nutrition.
- 10. NOTABLE ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERS • G.D. Agrawal was an Indian environmental engineer, religious leader, monk, environmental activist, professor. • He is notable for a number of fasts undertaken to stop many projects on the River Ganga. His fast in 2009 led to the damming of the Bhagirathi River being stopped. • Agrawal died on in October 2018, after fasting since June 2018, demanding the government act on its promises to clean and save the Ganga.
- 17. 4 WAYS TO AVOID PRODUCT FAILURE IN ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING • Do your research. As an environmental engineer, you need to have a strong understanding understanding of life sciences, biological sciences, and physics but also a strong grasp on the real needs of the communities you hope to serve and improve. • Utilize your team + bring in consultants. The saying goes, teamwork makes the dream work and engineering is no different. It’s even more true for us because our entire industry because of the number of moving parts in this type of engineering. • Make sure you have a solid marketing strategy. Marketing covers a lot of different activities -- all associated with selling your company's products and services. Advertising, consumer research, product design, are all forms of marketing, as it helps match your company's products/services to known customer needs. • Always use standard best practices. Best practices are a set of guidelines, ethics or ideas that represent the most efficient or prudent course of action. Best practices are often set forth by an authority, such as a governing body or management, depending on the circumstances. While best practices generally dictate the recommended course of action, some situations require that industry best practices be followed.