Environmental Engineering

Basic Principles

Vesna Tomašić, Bruno Zelić, Vesna Tomašić, Bruno Zelić

• Publisher: De Gruyter
• Year: 2018
• ISBN:
  9783110468076
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Biological Sciences
• Subtopic: Environmental Science
• Index: Biological Sciences

Environmental Engineering provides a profound introduction to Ecology, Chemistry, Microbiology, Geology and Hydrology engineering. The authors explain transport phenomena, air pollution control, waste water management and soil treatment to address the issue of energy preservation, production asset and control of waste from human and animal activities. Modeling of environmental processes and risk assessment conclude the interdisciplinary approach.

Anita Šalić and Bruno Zelić

1 Introduction to environmental engineering

Abstract: Nowadays we can easily say that environmental engineering is truly an interdisciplinary science. Combining biology, ecology, geology, geography, mathematics, chemistry, agronomy, medicine, economy, etc. environmental engineering strives to use environmental understanding and advancements in technology to serve mankind by decreasing production of environmental hazards and the effects of those hazards already present in the soil, water, and air. Major activities of environmental engineer involve water supply, waste water and solid management, air and noise pollution control, environmental sustainability, environmental impact assessment, climate changes, etc. And all this with only one main goal – to prevent or reduce undesirable impacts of human activities on the environment. To ensure we all have tomorrow.

Keywords: environment, engineering, pollution, environmental issues, humans

“We won’t have a society if we destroy the environment”

Margaret Mead

1.1 A new engineering field?

The last two to three decades have confirmed a growing understanding that no part of our world is immune from environmental consequences of human activities. There is a pressing need for international cooperation and solidarity to preserve our forests, safekeeping our water and oceans, and stabilize the Earth’s atmosphere. The strong interest in protecting the environment has placed new responsibilities, especially for the engineers. Therefore, environmental engineers got under a huge spotlight. But the question is, Is this really a new concept? Did the humans of twentieth and twenty-first centuries become more aware of their environment, protection of themselves, animals, plants, and plant populations from the effects of adverse environmental factors, including toxic chemicals and wastes, pathogenic bacteria and global effects such as warming, ozone layer depletion, and weather-pattern change? Or this goes way back in to the history?

Although the first description of title “environmental engineer” appears somewhere around 1960s, the history of practice itself goes long in to the history. Since the early days of formation of the first communities (small group of people living on permanent settlements) a concern about clean water, waste separation, and sewage system had to be developed. With the growth of population, magnitude of those simple actions increased with addition of concern about air and soil quality.

Scoping trough the written history of those early ages some examples of good environmental engineering practice can be found. Like Roman aqueducts that provided constant and clean water to the large cities of Empire or development of sewers system in some Indian cities 5,000 years ago. But true jump was made parallel with rapid industrialization in eighteenth century. With the increase of population in the cities, great migrations, increased exploitation of nature goods, increase demand for the large quantities of food and fresh water in one place, disposal of waste, appearance of massive epidemic of water transmitted diseases like cholera etc. all lead to significant concerned about public health.

The first environmental engineer is said to have been Joseph Bazalgette who designed the first large-scale sewerage system in London in the mid-nineteenth century. This engineering venture is considered the beginning era of modern environmental engineering. Since then, the main idea – to improve natural environment for human habitation – remains the same but the amplitude of work severely intensified.

1.2 New era – todays environmental engineering

Since the modern environmental engineering is relatively a new science maybe the best way to start is by defining it. Simply by scoping the Internet several definitions of environmental engineering can be found:

The application of science and engineering knowledge and concepts to care for and/or restore our natural environment and/or solve environmental problems. (unknown)

The application of science and engineering principles to improve the natural environment (air, water, and/or land resources) to provide healthy water, air, and land for human habitation (house or home) and for other organisms, and to remediate polluted sites. (unknown)

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; protection of environments, both local and global, from potentially deleterious effects of natural and human activities; and improvement of environmental quality. (The American Academy of Environmental Engineers)

Is that branch of engineering that is concerned with protecting the environment from the potentially deleterious effects of human activity, protecting human populations from the effects of adverse environmental actors and improving environmental quality for human health and wellbeing. (Peavy, 1985 [1])

Environmental engineering deals with design and construction of the processes and equipment intended to lessen the impact of man’s activities on the environment. (unknown)

Summarizes, the main goal of environmental engineering or better environmental engineers is to restore, to protect, to improve, and to provide. In order to do that, like any engineer they have to follow some basic principles like planning, design, construction and operation of equipment, systems, and structures for the benefit of society (Figure 1.1).

Figure 1.1: Basic principles for general problem management (inspired by [2]).

The basic step or better, one of the mayor responsibilities of environmental engineering is to monitor and potentially predict or even prevent harmful events in the environment. Using the previous knowledge environmental monitoring should ensures the management of natural resources contributing to sustainable development through processes and activities which characterize and monitor the quality of the environment. One of good examples is a strong pressure on upcoming industries to not only satisfy economic and technical sustainability principles but also social and ecological. Also there is a request for existing processes to adapt this new paradigm (Figure 1.2).

Figure 1.2: Suitability diagram.

According to Tonelli et al. [3] the need to reduce or contain the ecological footprint of the industry will affect the whole industrial system. In stepping to a low-carbon, resource-efficient approach, industry has to be considered not only as part of the problem but as part of the solution.

Leading companies are preparing for this transformation on three fronts:

– rapidly reducing the resource- and energy-intensity in producing existing goods

– investigating the options for a thorough redesign of the industrial system

– radically rethinking business models.

Finally, a redesigned industrial system should

– add the same value with a reduction of 25% on input materials and energy

– make use of the 90% of discarded extracted materials

– use benign materials that can be reused according to “cradle-to-cradle” concept

– refurbish and reuse sophisticated long-lasting components

– mimic and nurture the environmental niches.

Let’s go back to the basic principles. Usually predictions and prevention are not possible and if a problem appears, then the cycle of the events is launched (Figure 1.1) in order to detect the presence of pollutants and tracking them back to their source. Usually, finding the source 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. In order to, identify the problem, evaluate the situation, develop a plan and then potently resolve the situation requires extensive knowledge (Figure 1.3) of the chemistry and biology of the potential contaminants as well as the industrial or agricultural processes that might lead to their release (Chapters 2–6). And th...