ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING
CONTENT
* Introduction
* Concepts of Ecology and Natural Resources
* Material and Energy balances
* Water Quality Engineering
* Solid waste management
* Air Pollution and Control
* Hazardous and Radioactive wastes
* Environmental Impact Assessment
* Noise Pollution and Control
ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING
o Engineering is “a profession that applies science and mathematics to make the properties of
matter and sources of energy useful in structures, machines, products, systems and
processes”
o Environmental engineering is one of the few engineering professions that really deals a lot
with science.
o Why? Because we are always creating NEW problems which we need to address!
o New contaminants = New treatments!
WHAT IS ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING?
o “The application of science and engineering principles to minimize the adverse
effects of human activity on the environment.”
or
o Application of fundamental scientific principles to the development and
implementation of technologies needed to satisfy human needs without affecting
natural Ecosystem.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
• The study of the processes in water, air, soil and organisms which lead to pollution or
environmental damage, and the scientific basis for the establishment of a standard
which can be considered acceptably clean, safe and healthy to human beings and the
natural ecosystem.
ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING
o Concerned with the design, manufacture, installation and operation of the
engineering systems that sustain and control the environments required by
people and processes.
o Involves social, political, economic, and legal issues
o Object-focused (problem focused), rather than tool-based
o It operates at four different levels:
• Remediation of contaminated sites (fixing the past),
• Treatment of effluents (dealing with present),
• Pollution prevention, and
• Care for future generations.
o Environmental engineering is being studied in many disciplines
• Civil engineering
• Public health
• Meteorology
• Chemical
• Global warming
• Acid rains
• Ozone layer depletion
• Deforestation
• Climate change
• Ecological imbalance
• Air and Water pollution
Global Warming
The increase in CO2 content of the environment has been responsible for
gradual heating up of the globe, by a process called green house effect
Acid Rain
• Causes damage materials
• Reduces soil fertility & crop yield
• H2O + CO2 H2CO3
• Affects aquatic organisms
• 2SO2 + H2O + O2 2H2SO4
• Irritation to skin and respiratory tract
• 4NO2 + 2H2O + O2 4HNO3 • Toxic chemicals
• Corrodes ancient monuments
Ozone Layer Depletion
• Depletion of ozone layer in the stratosphere due to increasing the release of
chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)
CL + O3 CLO + O2
Ecological Imbalance
• In natural environment, there in fact exists a perfect balance or equilibrium
between various organisms and this is known as ecological balance.
Air pollution
• Air pollution is defined as presence of solid, liquid and/or gases substances
present in atmosphere in such concentrations that may tend to be injurious
to human beings, or other Living creatures
Water pollution
• Water pollutant is defined as presence of solid, liquid, gases substances present in water in
such concentrations that may be injurious to human beings as well as environment.
Deforestation
Urbanization
• Urbanization is the increase in the proportion of people living in towns and
cities
Causes of Urbanization
• Industrialization
• Social factors
• Employment opportunities
• Modernization
ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY AND LAW
KYOTO PROTOCOL BILL MENKE, DECEMBER 6,
2005
SUMMARY
Milestones
• 1972 Stockholm Declaration
• 1988 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
• 1992 UN Framewor Convention on Climate Change
• 1997 Byrd-Hagel Resolution
• 1997 Kyoto Protocol
• 2005 Kyoto Rulebook
Declaration of the Conference on the Human Environment of 1972
(Stockholm Declaration)
Stockholm Declaration 1972:
• Draft year: June 1972
• Amendment years: 1992
• International
• The EPA and the UN (United Nations) are the regulators and enforcers of this declaration
• Function: This declaration called for the nations at the conference and those that weren't
there to take responsibility for the quality of the environment, specifically, the oceans and the
atmosphere.
• Environmental issues affected: Environmental/Habitat degradation and the pollution of the
atmosphere and the bodies of water all over the world.
• Apart from the above specific International Treaties covering specific aspects of
environmental pollution and conservation of natural resources, there are certain basic
International documents dealing with environmental issues in a holistic manner. They are:-
• Declaration on the Permanent Sovereignty over Natural Resources, 1962
• Declaration of the UN Conference on the Human Environments (STOCKHOLM), 1972
• The Hague Declaration on the Environment, 1989
• The Rio Declaration on environment and Development ,1992.
• Report of the united nations conference on environment and development (UNCED), 1992
Current Global Environmental Problems
o Desertification
o Greenhouse effect and Global warming
o Tran‟s boundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal
o Stratospheric Ozone Depletion
o Radioactivity‟s
o Global loss of Biodiversity
o Transfer, handling and use of the living modified organisms
Environmental Problems and Solutions in Ethiopia
A. Land degradation
B. Drought
C. Soil-erosion
D. Forest degradation (to obtain fuel wood and for other activity)
E. Tropical rainforest depletion through logging and clearance for cultivation, for
commercial, and resettlement activities
F. Air pollution in cities and megacities
G. Inadequate water, ground water and fresh water problems are considered to be
environmental problems
Article 43
The Right to Development, where people‟s right to:
• Improved living standards and to sustainable dev‟t,
• Participate in national dev‟t and, in particular, to be consulted with respect to
policies and projects affecting their community, and
• The enhancement of their capacities for dev‟t and to meet their basic needs
(The Constitution of FDRE, 1995)
Article 44
Env‟tal Rights, all persons are entitled to:
• live in a clean and healthy env‟t,
• Compensation, including relocation with adequate state assistance.
(The Constitution of FDRE, 1995)
Article 92
Env‟tal objectives it is declared that,
• Gov‟t shall ensure that all Ethiopians live in a clean and healthy env‟t,
• Programs and projects design shall not damage or destroy the env‟t,
• People‟s have the right to full consultation and expression of views, and
• Gov‟t and citizens have the duty to protect the env‟t.
(The Constitution of FDRE, 1995)
ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY
Environment
o Everything which surrounds us may be collectively termed as environment.
o It is from the environment that we get food to eat, water to drink, air to
breathe and all the basic necessities required for day to day living.
o The environment therefore can be said to constitute as Life support system.
Basic Components of Natural Environment
o Atmosphere or the air
o Hydrosphere or the water
o Lithosphere or the rocks and soil
o Biosphere or the living component of the environment
Environment: Atmosphere
o Consist of a complex mixture of a number of gases, water vapor and a variety of
fine particulate material.
o Create conditions suitable for the healthy existence of the biosphere.
o Regulates the temperature of the earth. (How?)
o Harmful ultraviolet rays are absorbed in the stratosphere by the vital ozone layer.
o Transfer, transport and distribution of gaseous wastes.
Environment: Hydrosphere
o Over 72% of the earth‟s surface is covered by water.
o Out of the 72% of the earth‟s surface water: 97.2% is in the ocean, unfit for human
consumption, and too salty for irrigation and drinking without desalination, at
present too expensive to consider.
o Another 2% of the whole water lies frozen in glaciers and ice caps, and is useless.
o The tiny usable portion left, that is about 0.8% of the total is neither evenly
distributed nor properly used.
o Without water life as it exist on planet is impossible.
o Water is an important medium in which all biochemical reaction within the
environment occurs.
o The availability of water determines the nature composition and abundance
of vegetation and other forms of terrestrial life.
o Water vapor plays an important role in regulating the temperature of the
earth's crust. (How?)
Environment: Lithosphere
o Soil provides mechanical support to the plants.
o The porosity and moisture holding capacity of the soil enables fit to retain
rain water.
o Soil contain organic matter such as nitrifying bacteria, some microbes fungi
and protozoan„s to maintain in fertility for plants and Vegetation to flourish.
Environment: Biosphere
o Living beings over the surface of the earth. The biosphere includes most of
the hydrosphere and parts of the lower atmosphere and upper lithosphere.
Ecology
o A study of animal and plants in their relations to each other and to their
environment.
o Ecosystem: An interconnected community of living things, including humans,
and the physical environment in which they interact.
o Within the ecosystems organisms interact with one another and with their
physical environment in various ways.
Ecology
o On the basis of this interaction the biotic community can be grouped into:-
a) Producers: green plants which absorb carbon dioxide mineral nutrients and water and
release oxygen required for other living things on earth.
b) Consumers: producers are consumed by herbivorous animals that in turn are consumed by
carnivorous animals or the secondary consumers. This establishes a chain known as the food
chain.
c) Decomposers: the facial matter excreta of animals, plants and humans and other dead
organisms are decomposed by the activity of bacteria, fungi and other small organism which
thrive on decaying organic matter. The decomposers are important because they "bring the
constituent elements of plants and animal bodies back to the surrounding medium or soil.
Ecology
o However many human activities have had a negative effect on the biosphere.
o The illegal dumping of wastes, burning of fossil fuels, mining and extraction
of resource has led to the pollution of air, water and soil.
o Enormous increase in human population raised the demand for development
and increased the consumption of various natural resources resulting in
environmental deterioration.
Ecology
o This highlights the need to place environmental/ecological considerations at
the center of our growth model and take a sustainable development path.
o Sustainable development requires consideration of the economic, social and
environmental benefits and costs from proposed projects, and planning to
prevent/mitigate negative impacts.
WATER POLLUTION AND ITS CONTROL
CONTENTS
o Sources, Causes and Types of Water Pollution
o Water Pollution Indicators
o Water Quality Standards
o Water Pollution Control
• Water Pollution Control at Source
• Water Treatment as a Tool for Water Pollution Control
• Wastewater Treatment as a Tool for Water Pollution Control
o Water Quality Modelling
WATER QUALITY
Water need to be:
o Palatable: esthetically pleasant (water taste & odor) and
o Potable: safe (water chemicals, microorganisms, & other contaminants) to drink.
Drinking-water quality is described by:
o Physical: relate to the quality of water for domestic use and are usually associated with the
appearance of water (color or turbidity), temperature, taste and odor;
WATER QUALITY
o Chemical: includes the identification of its components and their concentrations;
o Microbiological: important to public health and may also be significant in modifying the
physical and chemical characteristics of water; and
o Radiological: must be considered in areas where the water may have come in contact with
radioactive substances. Radioactivity containing water is of public health concern.
o Water is said to be polluted if it does not meet the water-quality criteria or standards
associated with its intended use.
WATER POLLUTION
o Any chemical, biological and/or physical change in water quality that has a harmful effect
on living organisms or makes it unsuitable for its desired uses.
Water is being polluted by:
o Suspended impurities: clay, algae, fungi, organic and inorganic matters and mineral
matters
o Dissolved impurities: organic compounds, inorganic salts and gases
Global problem
o The massive quantity of pollutants produced by > 7 billion humans, their machines, plants,
animals
o According to the WHO, 1 in every 5 people on Earth don‟t have access to clean drinking
water.
o Every day 9300 people die from infectious diseases from contaminated water.
SURFACE (COASTAL/OCEAN) WATER POLLUTION
POLLUTED STREAMS
o Self-purification in river stream (oxygen sag curve)
• Zone of degradation: dark and turbid water, unfavorable for aquatic life, and algae dies out, but
fish life may be present
• Zone of active decomposition: heavy pollution, water becoming greyish and darker, DO
concentration falls to zero, anaerobic conditions exist
• Zone of recovery: water becomes clearer, and hence algae reappears while fungi decreases.
B.O.D falls down and DO rises.
• Zone of clear water: river attains its original conditions with DO rising up to the saturation
value.
POLLUTION OF SURFACE WATER: STREAMS
D.O., B.O.D., fecal coliform bacteria count
LAKE POLLUTION
o Dilution is less effective than with streams
o Stratification (layers in the lake) and relatively little flow hinder rapid
dilution of pollutants
o Lakes more vulnerable to pollutants than streams
o How pollutants enter lakes- runoff from watersheds, farmland, animal feedlots, urban areas,
mining sites, sewage
o Eutrophication: the input of organic and inorganic nutrients into water-body which
stimulates the growth of algae and rooted aquatic plants resulting in the interference with
desirable water use of aesthetics, recreation, fish maintenance, and water supply.
LAKE POLLUTION
o Preventing or removing eutrophication
• Advanced waste treatment to remove nitrates and phosphates
• Ban or limit the use of phosphates in household detergents
• Employ soil conservation and land use control to reduce nutrient runoff
LAKE POLLUTION: EUTROPHICATION
Oligotrophic Lakes Eutrophic Lakes
LAKE ZONES
⁎ Epilimnion zone
• The upper, warmer, well mixed and aerobic.
⁎ Hypolimnion zone:
• The lower depth which remains cooler, poorly mixed, and anaerobic
⁎ Thermocline zone: Intermediate zone
GROUNDWATER POLLUTION: CAUSES AND
PERSISTENCE
⁎ Sources of groundwater pollution: oil spills, paint thinners, sewage, hazardous wastes
injection wells, waste lagoons, landfills
⁎ Slow flow: Groundwater flows so slowly (1 foot per day) that contaminants are not
diluted and dispersed effectively.
⁎ Consequences of lower dissolved oxygen: Fewer bacteria (due to low DO) unable to
decompose wastes as more DO helps decompose many contaminants
⁎ Cooler temperatures: slow down chemical reactions
GROUND WATER POLLUTION
GROUND WATER POLLUTION
OCEAN POLLUTION
How much pollution can oceans tolerate?
⁎ Oceans can dilute, disperse, and degrade large amounts of pollutants, especially in deep
ocean areas
⁎ Ocean dumping controversies
⁎ Some scientists think that it is best to dump pollutants in deep water
⁎ We don‟t know enough about the ocean so we may not know the harmful effects in the long
run
⁎ Most ocean pollution comes from human activities on land such as changing and dumping
motor oil, by cities, industries, and people.
SOURCES OF WATER POLLUTION
o Natural sources
o Anthropogenic (Human-generated)
Point source: specific source
Nonpoint source (Diffused): doesn‟t have specific source
• Agriculture
• Urban runoff
POINT AND NONPOINT SOURCES
POINT AND NONPOINT SOURCES: DIFFERENCES
Point sources Nonpoint (diffuse) sources
⁎ Single or multi-point location ⁎ Diffuse, source not easily located
⁎ Discharge contains pollutants ⁎ Highly variable in time and correlated
with weather
⁎ Volume of discharge generally
unaffected by weather ⁎ Prevention more effective (more
difficult to treat)
⁎ Permit may be required to discharge
⁎ Largely unregulated, hence, voluntary
⁎ Controls required (usually through
water treatment)
CAUSES OF WATER POLLUTION
o Disease-causing Agents – pathogens
o Oxygen Demanding Agents – organic waste: manure
o Inorganic Plant Nutrients – nitrogen and phosphorus
o Sediment or Suspended Material – erosion, soil
o Toxic Chemicals – acids, heavy metals, organics
o Heat (Thermal) – electric and nuclear power plants