Environmental Engineering

Water Quality and Treatment

Fundamentals of Water Chemistry and Microbiology

• Master the essential chemical parameters that define water quality, including pH, alkalinity, hardness, dissolved oxygen, and turbidity. Understand their significance in natural water systems and treatment processes.
• Identify and characterize key biological parameters in water, such as coliform bacteria, various pathogenic microorganisms, and plankton, and learn their implications for public health.
• Understand national and international water quality standards and guidelines, including those set by the EPA and WHO, and learn how to interpret and apply them in practice.

Water Sources and Contaminants

• Explore the characteristics of different water sources: surface waters (lakes, rivers, reservoirs) and groundwaters (aquifers). Understand their vulnerabilities to specific types of pollution.
• Identify common contaminants found in various water sources, such as agricultural runoff components, industrial discharge chemicals, nitrates, heavy metals, and synthetic organic compounds.
• Gain knowledge of emerging contaminants like pharmaceuticals, personal care products, and microplastics, understanding their presence, potential impacts, and challenges in removal.

Conventional Water Treatment Processes

• Master the principles and application of coagulation and flocculation, including chemical dosing, rapid mixing, and slow mixing to promote particle aggregation.
• Understand the theory and design considerations for sedimentation basins, including gravitational settling principles and clarifier hydraulics.
• Learn about different filtration technologies, including rapid sand filters, slow sand filters, multimedia filters, and advanced membrane filtration techniques such as microfiltration, ultrafiltration, nanofiltration, and reverse osmosis.
• Understand the chemistry and application of various disinfection methods, including chlorine-based disinfection, UV irradiation, and ozonation, and learn about the formation and control of disinfection by-products.

Advanced Water Treatment Technologies

• Apply adsorption principles, particularly using activated carbon, for the effective removal of organic contaminants, taste, and odor compounds from water.
• Understand ion exchange processes for the removal of water hardness and specific problematic ions like arsenic and fluoride.
• Learn the mechanisms and design of aeration systems for the oxidation of dissolved iron and manganese, and for stripping volatile organic compounds.
• Explore Advanced Oxidation Processes (AOPs), such as UV/H2O2 and Fenton's reagent, for breaking down refractory organic pollutants into less harmful compounds.

Wastewater Engineering

Wastewater Characteristics and Collection Systems

• Characterize domestic and industrial wastewater based on its physical (solids, temperature), chemical (BOD, COD, nutrients, pH), and biological (microorganisms) properties.
• Understand wastewater flow rate patterns and variations, and their impact on collection and treatment system design.
• Master the design considerations for wastewater collection systems, including gravity sewers, force mains, and pumping stations, ensuring efficient and reliable transport.

Preliminary and Primary Wastewater Treatment

• Understand the function and design of preliminary treatment units such as bar screens and fine screens for removing large debris, and grit removal systems (aerated grit chambers, vortex units) for removing inorganic solids.
• Learn about flow equalization basins, their purpose in buffering flow fluctuations, and their design to optimize downstream treatment processes.
• Master the principles of primary sedimentation for the removal of settleable solids and floatable materials, including the design and operation of primary clarifiers.

Secondary (Biological) Wastewater Treatment

• Gain expert knowledge of aerobic biological treatment processes, including various activated sludge configurations (conventional, extended aeration, step-feed, sequencing batch reactors SBRs), trickling filters, and rotating biological contactors. Understand their kinetic models and operational parameters.
• Learn about anaerobic processes for both wastewater treatment and sludge stabilization, including anaerobic digestion and Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket (UASB) reactors.
• Master biological nutrient removal techniques, specifically biological nitrogen removal (nitrification and denitrification) and biological phosphorus removal, understanding the microbial processes involved.

Tertiary and Advanced Wastewater Treatment

• Understand the application of tertiary filtration systems, such as granular media filters and membrane bioreactors (MBR), for further removal of suspended solids and enhanced effluent quality.
• Apply various disinfection methods (UV, chlorination, ozonation) to treated wastewater to eliminate pathogens prior to discharge or reuse.
• Explore advanced techniques for micropollutant removal, including activated carbon adsorption and advanced oxidation processes, to meet stringent discharge limits or water reuse standards.
• Understand the concepts and applications of water reuse, including non-potable and potable reuse scenarios, and the associated treatment train requirements.

Sludge Management and Disposal

• Master techniques for sludge thickening and dewatering, including gravity thickeners, dissolved air flotation, belt presses, and centrifuges, to reduce sludge volume.
• Learn about sludge stabilization processes such as anaerobic digestion, aerobic digestion, and composting, to reduce pathogens and putrescibility.
• Understand beneficial reuse options for biosolids, including land application and energy recovery through biogas generation.
• Evaluate different sludge disposal options, including landfilling and incineration, considering environmental and regulatory aspects.

Air Quality Management

Air Pollutants and Their Sources

• Identify and characterize criteria air pollutants such as particulate matter (PM2.5, PM10), ozone (O3), carbon monoxide (CO), sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen oxides (NOx), and lead (Pb), understanding their formation and health effects.
• Learn about hazardous air pollutants (HAPs), including volatile organic compounds (VOCs), heavy metals, and specific toxic compounds, and their regulatory control.
• Distinguish between stationary sources (industrial facilities, power plants) and mobile sources (vehicles, aircraft) of air pollution, and understand their respective emission profiles.

Air Pollution Control Technologies

• Master the design and operation of particulate matter control devices, including cyclones, electrostatic precipitators (ESPs), fabric filters (baghouses), and wet scrubbers.
• Understand technologies for controlling gaseous pollutants, such as absorption, adsorption, condensation, thermal and catalytic oxidation, Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) and Selective Non-Catalytic Reduction (SNCR) for NOx, and flue gas desulfurization for SOx.
• Apply control strategies for volatile organic compounds (VOCs), including biofilters and activated carbon adsorption systems.

Atmospheric Dispersion Modeling

• Understand the fundamental principles of atmospheric transport and diffusion, including meteorological factors affecting pollutant movement.
• Apply Gaussian plume models to estimate ground-level pollutant concentrations downwind from various point, line, and area sources.
• Interpret meteorological data, such as wind speed, wind direction, and atmospheric stability, for accurate air quality assessment and modeling.

Indoor Air Quality

• Identify common sources of indoor air pollutants, including volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from building materials, radon, and biological contaminants (mold, bacteria, viruses).
• Understand various ventilation systems and strategies, such as dilution ventilation and local exhaust ventilation, for improving indoor air quality.
• Gain knowledge of Sick Building Syndrome and building-related illness, and the engineering approaches to mitigate these issues.

Solid and Hazardous Waste Management

Solid Waste Characterization and Generation

• Characterize municipal solid waste (MSW) by its physical composition (organics, paper, plastics, metals, glass) and chemical properties.
• Understand waste generation rates, factors influencing them, and trends in waste composition.
• Identify and characterize various industrial and commercial waste streams, and their distinct management challenges.

Waste Reduction, Reuse, and Recycling

• Apply the waste management hierarchy, prioritizing waste reduction at the source and strategies for material reuse.
• Master the principles and operation of recycling programs, including materials recovery facilities (MRFs) and the differences between single-stream and multi-stream collection.
• Understand composting and anaerobic digestion processes for the beneficial treatment and conversion of organic wastes.

Landfill Design and Operation

• Evaluate critical siting considerations for municipal solid waste landfills, including geological, hydrological, and environmental factors.
• Master the design of landfill liner systems, including compacted clay liners and geomembranes, and leachate collection and treatment systems.
• Understand the design and operation of landfill gas collection systems, and technologies for energy recovery from landfill gas.
• Learn about final cover design and post-closure monitoring requirements for landfills to ensure long-term environmental protection.

Hazardous Waste Management

• Identify and classify hazardous wastes based on characteristics such as ignitability, corrosivity, reactivity, and toxicity, according to regulatory definitions.
• Explore various hazardous waste treatment technologies, including chemical precipitation, oxidation/reduction, stabilization/solidification, and incineration.
• Understand the regulatory framework for hazardous waste storage, transportation, and disposal, ensuring compliance with federal and state requirements.
• Apply principles of risk assessment to evaluate and manage risks associated with hazardous waste sites.

Environmental Remediation

Site Investigation and Characterization

• Conduct comprehensive Phase I, II, and III Environmental Site Assessments to identify and delineate contamination.
• Design and implement effective sampling strategies for soil, groundwater, and air to accurately characterize contaminant distribution.
• Understand contaminant fate and transport mechanisms in various environmental media, including advection, dispersion, sorption, and biodegradation.

Soil Remediation Technologies

• Master ex-situ soil remediation methods, such as excavation and off-site disposal, thermal desorption, soil washing, and bioremediation techniques like landfarming and biopiles.
• Apply in-situ soil remediation techniques, including soil vapor extraction (SVE), air sparging, in-situ chemical oxidation (ISCO), phytoremediation, and monitored natural attenuation.

Groundwater Remediation Technologies

• Design and operate pump-and-treat systems, integrating physical, chemical, and biological treatment processes for extracted groundwater.
• Implement in-situ groundwater remediation methods, such as permeable reactive barriers (PRBs), in-situ chemical reduction/oxidation, biostimulation, and bioaugmentation.
• Understand dewatering and hydraulic control strategies to manage groundwater flow and prevent contaminant migration.

Sediment Remediation

• Evaluate and apply techniques for contaminated sediment remediation, including dredging, capping, and various in-situ treatment approaches.
• Understand the mechanisms of contaminant release from sediments into the water column and the risks associated with them.

Environmental Regulations and Impact Assessment

Major Environmental Legislation

• Gain a deep understanding of the Clean Water Act (CWA), including its provisions for National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits and water quality standards.
• Master the Clean Air Act (CAA), focusing on National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS), National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAPs), and strategies for emission controls.
• Understand the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) for the cradle-to-grave management of hazardous and non-hazardous solid waste.
• Learn about the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA, or Superfund) for the cleanup of hazardous waste sites.
• Understand the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) and its requirements for protecting public drinking water supplies.

Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)

• Understand the purpose and phases of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), including scoping, baseline studies, impact prediction, and the development of mitigation measures.
• Learn the process of preparing Environmental Impact Statements (EIS) and Environmental Assessments (EA), adhering to regulatory requirements.
• Understand the role and importance of public participation in the EIA process.

Permitting and Compliance

• Identify and understand the various environmental permits required for industrial, municipal, and commercial operations across different environmental media (air, water, waste).
• Master compliance monitoring and reporting requirements, ensuring adherence to permit conditions and environmental regulations.
• Understand environmental enforcement mechanisms and potential penalties for non-compliance.

Sustainable Engineering Principles

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)

• Master the methodology of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), including goal and scope definition, inventory analysis, impact assessment, and interpretation.
• Apply LCA to evaluate the environmental impacts of products, processes, and services across their entire life cycle, from raw material extraction to final disposal.

Industrial Ecology and Circular Economy

• Understand the concepts of industrial symbiosis, where waste or by-products from one industry become raw materials for another.
• Learn about material and energy flow analysis within industrial systems to identify opportunities for efficiency and waste reduction.
• Explore strategies for establishing a circular economy, focusing on closing material loops and maximizing resource efficiency.

Green Engineering Principles

• Apply the twelve principles of green engineering to design processes and products that inherently minimize environmental impact.
• Understand the importance of pollution prevention at the source, focusing on reducing or eliminating waste generation rather than treating it after formation.
• Explore the concept of inherently safer chemistry and its application in industrial processes to reduce the use and generation of hazardous substances.

Energy and Climate Change

• Gain knowledge of various renewable energy sources, including solar, wind, hydropower, and geothermal, and their role in sustainable development.
• Conduct carbon footprint analysis and develop strategies for reducing greenhouse gas emissions across different sectors.
• Understand principles of climate change adaptation and mitigation, and their integration into environmental infrastructure design and planning.