Environmental Engineering

Is the branch of engineering concerned with the application of scientific

and engineering principles for protection of human populations from
the effects of adverse environmental factors.

It also includes studies on the environmental impact of proposed construction projects.

Involves the planning, design, construction and operation of

equipment, systems, and structures for the benefit of society. In the
case of environmental engineering, the equipment, systems, and
structures are for the protection and enhancement of the environment.

The major fields within environmental engineering are:

*Air pollution control
control

*Waste water treatment/water pollution

*Hazardous waste management

industrial water use

*Water treatment (for drinking and

*Solid waste management

*Recycling

Environmental Engineers

Study the effect of technological advances on the environment. To do

so, they conduct studies on hazardous-waste management to evaluate
the significance of such hazards, advise on treatment and
containment, and develop regulations to prevent mishaps.

These engineers design municipal water supply and industrial

wastewater treatment systems.

They address local and worldwide environmental issues such as the

effects of acid rain, global warming, ozone depletion, water pollution
and air pollution from automobile exhausts and industrial sources.

A Brief History
Although environmental engineering may sound like a new field, its application dates back to Roman
times with the construction of aqueducts to prevent droughts and ensure clean water. Today
environmental engineers work carefully with corporations and law-makers, employing sound
principles and sustainable processes in order to protect the future of our air, land and water
resources. Environmental engineers develop clean energy, promote green building design and work
to mitigate and prevent pollution.

Some notable names in the field of environmental

engineering include:

Ellen Henrietta Swallow Richards

A pioneer 19th-century industrial and environmental chemist. She was

the first woman admitted to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
(MIT) and later, an instructor in sanitary chemistry there. She worked
with many local and national groups dealing with water supplies and
public health problems.

G.D. Agrawal

A respected environmental engineer in India. He has worked to clean

up the Ganges River and fasted to protest the damming of the
Bhagirathi River.

Marc Edwards

A professor of civil and environmental engineering at Virginia

Polytechnic Institute and State University. He is a pioneer in detecting
and reducing lead in drinking water.

Joseph Lstiburek

A leading authority on building science and indoor air quality.

His authority on moisture-related building problems and indoor air

quality is internationally recognized.

George F. Pinder

A professor of civil and environmental engineering, mathematics and

statistics at the University of Vermont. He is known for his expert
testimony in the legal cases regarding environmental contamination
at Love Canal, New York, and Woburn, Massachusetts.

Applications
The applications of environmental engineering can be roughly categorized
into several divisions:
1. Drinking water and waste water treatment
Environmental engineers also design municipal water supply system and
provide safe drinking water or secure water supplies for potable and
agricultural use. To achieve these, they examine the watersheds with a
hydrological or geological point of view as well as engineering treatment
systems for water purification. Various water treatment methods are used,
including membrane technology, desalinization, biological water treatment,
etc. Water distribution systems are also designed and built. Environmental
engineers also develop collection and treatment systems to carry domestic
or industrial waste water discharges away and remove some of the
pollutants before discharging it into the environment.
2. Solid waste management
Solid waste collection, transport, processing, recycling or disposal, and
monitoring systems and methods are designed and built by environmental
engineers. Systems are generally designed to remove human-produced
waste materials and reduced its impact to the environment, health, or
aesthetics. Modern technologies also allow us to recover useful material or
energy from our waste. Common waste treatment methods include landfill,
incineration, recycling, and biological treatment.
3. Hazardous Substance Treatment and Control
Environmental engineers conduct hazardous waste management studies
to evaluate the significance of such hazards, advice on treatment and
containment, and develop regulations to prevent mishaps. A hazardous
waste is waste that poses threats or potential threats to the public health

and the environment and may be carcinogenic, flammable, corrosive, toxic,

radioactive, explosive, or highly oxidizing. Disposal methods include
recycling, incineration, special landfills, or neutralization.
4. Air Quality Management
Environmental engineers develop methods, procedures, and equipment for
maintaining or monitoring air quality. For example, they design the
manufacturing and combustion processes to reduce air pollutant emissions.
Various processes are developed to remove particulate matter, nitrogen
oxides, sulfur oxides, volatile organic compounds, reactive organic gasses,
and other air pollutants from effluent gases prior to their emission to the
atmosphere. Devices are also developed to evaluate the concentration of
pollutants in vehicle exhausts and industrial flue gas stack emissions. In this
division, environmental issues such as the effects of acid rain, ozone
depletion, as well as carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions are
also addressed.
5. Natural resources management
Natural resource management is a general term that include the
management of land, water, soil, plants, and animals. Here, environmental
engineers study and design management strategies based on how the affect
the environment for the current as well as future generations. This discipline
specifically focus on the scientific and technical understanding of resources,
related ecology, and how these resources can support human and other life
forms. The notion of sustainable development was originally derived from
this discipline.
6. Environmental policy and regulation development
Environmental engineers also help developing environmental policy or
regulations to manage human activities with a view to prevent, reduce or
mitigate harmful effects on human health, nature and natural resources.
Environmental engineering law is the professional application of law, science
and engineering principles to improve the environment (air, water, and/or
land resources), to provide healthy water, air, and land for human habitation
and for other organisms, and to remediate polluted sites. Environmental
engineering lawyers seek to promote the advancement of technical
engineering knowledge in the legal profession and to enhance informed legal
analysis of complex environmental matters.

7. Environmental impact assessment and mitigation

Environmental engineers assess the impacts of a proposed or already
conducted project on environmental conditions. They apply scientific and
engineering principles to evaluate if there are likely to be any adverse
impacts to water quality, air quality, habitat quality, agricultural capacity,
traffic impacts, social impacts, noise impacts, visual (landscape) impacts,
etc. If impacts are expected, they then develop mitigation measures to limit
or prevent such impacts. An example of a mitigation measure would be the
creation of wetlands in a nearby location to mitigate the filling in of wetlands
necessary for a road development if it is not possible to reroute the road. In
short, it deals with the characterization, minimization, collection, treatment,
recycling, utilization, and disposal of such materials and the laws relating
thereto.
8. Contaminated resource management or site remediation
Environmental engineers work to remove radioactive or toxic pollutants
from already contaminated soil, groundwater, sediment, or surface water for
the benefits of human and ecosystem health as well as for he purpose of
redevelopment. Extensive site assessment usually precedes the actual
remediation process. Environmental engineers then design specific
remediation strategy that may include various ex-situ or in-situ methods. Exsitu methods involve excavation of affected soils and subsequent treatment
at the surface; whereas In-situ methods seek to treat the contamination
without removing the soils. Remediation is generally subject to an array of
regulatory requirements, and also can be based on assessments of human
health and ecological risks where no legislated standards exist or where
standards are advisory.

One of the most important responsibilities of environmental

engineering:

Is to prevent the release of harmful chemical and biological

contaminants into the air, water and soil. This requires extensive
knowledge of the chemistry and biology of the potential contaminants
as well as the industrial or agricultural processes that might lead to
their release. With this knowledge, new processes can be designed, or
existing processes can be modified, to reduce or eliminate the release
of pollutants.

Detecting the presence of pollutants and tracking them back to their

source. In some cases, this can present a significant challenge. For
instance, the source of contamination in a lake could be anywhere
within several thousands of acres of land surrounding the lake and its
tributaries. Contamination of oceans can present even greater
challenges in identifying the source.

Once the environmental engineer identifies a source of contamination, it

must be stopped or significantly reduced. Simply shutting down a business is
not always a viable option, because of the potential for severe economic
consequences. Environmental engineers often work with businesses to
determine ways to avoid or reduce the production of pollutants or to
separate them so they can be disposed of in a safe manner.
Critical skills needed by environmental engineers include a working
knowledge of chemical engineering, fluid dynamics, geography, geology and
hydrology. Also, because of the numerous legal issues involved and the
prevalence of litigation in environmental issues, environmental engineers
must be familiar with applicable laws, and many of them are also practicing
attorneys.

What is the future of environmental engineering?

The employment of environmental engineers to grow by 15 percent from
2012 to 2022, which is faster than the average for all occupations. "State
and local government concerns regarding water should lead to efforts to
increase the efficiency of water use,".

Environmental Engineering Group

Leader: Sebial, Jundel
Members: Gapo, Rexford
Cabilan, Mariel Angeli
Fano, Vincent
Dellera, jolibee
Padillo, Efren
Parantar, Cheff Danissa