ENVIRONMENTAL

ENGINEERING

REPORT BY : CHARLIE V. FRIA

Environmental engineering is the application of science
and engineering principles to improve the
environment (air, water, and/or land resources), to
provide healthful water, air, and land for human habitation
and for other organisms, and to remediate polluted sites.

Negative environmental effects can be decreased and

controlled through public education, conservation,
regulations, and the application of good engineering
practices.
What Is Environmental Engineering
Environmental engineering applies principles of engineering
and science to improve the environment, control water and
air pollution, dispose of solid and hazardous waste, and
tackle other issues related to public health. The main goal of
this field is to provide a healthy environment for human
beings. This field began as sanitary engineering in the mid-
1800s as the importance of water treatment and waste
water treatment became recognized. In the middle third of
the 20th century the field expanded to include broader
environmental concerns, like air pollution control and
hazardous waste management, and the term environmental
engineering emerged to replace sanitary engineering.
Water Supply and Waste Water Treatment
To ensure an adequate supply of clean water, assessment is
carried out regarding the water balance in a watershed,
requirement of water for various purposes, the seasonal
cycles of the movement of water in the watershed, and
development of the systems for the storage, treatment and
conveyance of water for different uses. Water treatment is
carried out so as to make the water fit for human
consumption. Efforts are made to ensure that risks
concerning transmittal of infectious and other diseases are
minimized, flavor of water is good, water pressure is
adequate for domestic use, suppression of fire is possible,
and availability is ensured for irrigation purposes.
Air Pollution Control and Waste Management
Principles of environmental engineering are also applied to the
design of manufacturing and combustion processes, with the goal
being to minimize air pollutant emissions to permissible levels.
Several techniques are applied, such as electrostatic precipitators
and catalytic converters for the removal of sulph0r oxides,
particulate matter, and other air pollutants from the flue gases
before their emission to the atmosphere.
Air pollution dispersion models have been developed to analyze the
strength of pollutants, or their influence on the air quality that is
being released from industrial emissions. Thus, efforts are being
made to reduce carbon dioxide and greenhouse gas emissions from
various processes of combustion.
Land pollution is a serious problem that impacts humans,
animals, and the earth. Without taking measures now to
reduce pollution levels, permanent changes to the land can
occur. The adverse changes to the environment due to land
pollution are subtle, but the problem is much bigger than it
appears.
Even though most people have a general understanding
of pollution, they may not realize the significance of land
pollution. Here is a look at land pollution, its causes, its
impact, and solutions to the problem.
Solutions to Land Pollution

There are several possible solutions to land pollution,

including conservation. Conservation focuses on preserving
natural resources, such as soil and plants. The efforts to
conserve resources can start with utilizing sustainable
practices.
For instance, leaving some of the trees in a forest to
naturally die and decay. This not only leaves the cover
needed for the soil and other vegetation, but it helps to
provide the nutrients that the soil needs to remain fertile.
Other solutions include:
* Proper waste disposal that focuses on treating waste and
disposing it in the safest manner possible.
* Reusing materials to reduce the need for harvesting of
resources. Products that are not reusable can likely be
recycled.
* Reducing the usage of non-biodegradable materials, such
as plastic shopping bags. The simple act of switching to a
reusable cloth bag for groceries can help cut down on the
need for non-biodegradable materials.
* Organic gardening can reduce the usage of pesticides and
insecticides. Non-gardeners can help by buying organic
food.