Introduction to
Environmental
Engineering
Environment
• The most simple definition – One’s surrounding.
• In an Environmental Engineers perspective, the Environment can be
defined as a very localized area in which specific problems he/she have
to be addressed.
• The global Environment consists of
Atmosphere – A mixture of gases extending outward the earth surface.
Hydrosphere – Consists of oceans, lakes, streams and shallow surface water
bodies that interflow with the ground water.
Lithosphere – Soil mantle that cover the earth core.
All these regions are contained with life sustaining recourses.
Biosphere
• A thin shell that encapsulate the earth.
• Made up of atmosphere and lithosphere very close to the earth
surface.
• It also combines with hydrosphere
• The life sustaining resources are withdrawn from the biosphere.
• The generated waste from various processes also to be discharged to
the biosphere.
• The most polluted part of the global environment is Biosphere.
Environmental pollution
• The pollution can be called as the contamination of the environment
with unwanted substances.
• It can be defined as the undesirable alteration of the physical,
chemical and/or biological characteristics of the Environment and for
every incident the natural quality of the immediate environment.
• There can be degradable and non degradable pollutants.
• The earth’s biosphere has capacity to assimilate the effects of
pollution.
• Now a days, it shows some stress in containing the effects of
anthropogenic effects.
Impact of human upon Environment
• Earth’s life form live in equilibrium with the environment .
• Earth’s resources regulate the activities and number of various species.
• Human are only species have ability to gather recourses from an environment
which is not closer to him.
• This led to the over population.
• Due to the over population, human induced pollutants over loaded the system
or the environment.
• The activities which have been carried out for satisfying the natural needs
(Food, air, water, shelter etc.) will cause pollution.
• But the pollutants generated by these activity can be assimilated by the
environment itself.
Impact to the environment due to
activities for satisfying acquired
needs.
• Acquired need are those needs which stand beyond the natural needs.
• There are many examples for the acquired needs
• A car for travel
• Air conditioning
• Jewelry
• Computer
• Power supply
Increased number and demand of the acquired needs led to industrialization
Increased consumption of various commodities has also led to the higher amount
of waste generation.
This has caused the overloading of the environment with pollutants
Impacts
• Air pollution
• Global warming
• Ozone depletion
• Acid rain
• Water pollution
• Acidification of lakes
• Bioaccumulation
• Soil pollution
• Deforestation
• Over use of natural resources
Air pollution
Human activity produces two main types of air pollutant:
Noxious gases – These include carbon dioxide (CO2),
sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx).
Particulates – These are tiny particles suspended in air (e.g.
smoke), which are usually produced by the combustion of
fossil fuels.
Air pollution has been a major problem since the Industrial
Revolution of the late 18th Century, and has been made
worse by humans’ reliance on burning fossil fuels for energy.
Air pollution, global warming, acid rain, damage to the ozone
layer and smog. Each of these has serious implications for
the environment and human health.
Global warming and greenhouse
gases
One of the greatest threats caused by air pollution is global warming. Global
warming is caused by a build-up of greenhouses gases, which leads to an
increase in the Earth’s temperature.
A greenhouse gas is an atmospheric gas that absorbs infrared light.
Key greenhouses gases include:
carbon dioxide (CO2)
methane (CH4)
water vapour (H2O)
nitrous oxide (N2O)
Carbon dioxide levels
Carbon dioxide is one of the most important greenhouse gases because atmospheric
concentrations have risen dramatically over the past century.
Burning fossil fuels, deforestation and flooding land for the construction of hydroelectric dams have all
contributed to rising levels of carbon dioxide.
Ozone layer depletion
The ozone layer is a protective part of the atmosphere that absorbs some of the Sun’s
damaging ultraviolet (UV) rays.
Damage to the ozone layer means that more UV rays reach Earth, increasing the risk
of skin cancer.
The ozone layer is damaged by chemicals called chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), which contain
the elements carbon, hydrogen, chlorine and fluorine.
CFCs are used in fridges and freezers, aerosol sprays and packaging materials such as
polystyrene. The production and use of CFCs is now banned in many countries and could
be worldwide in a few years.
Water pollution
Sewage, industrial waste, oil, pesticides and fertilizers and many more pollute water.
Fertilizers and sewage can easily be washed into rivers, streams and lakes. The nutrients,
phosphates and nitrates in these substances cause eutrophication.
Eutrophication is the accumulation of nutrients in water, which causes excessive algal
growth. This leads to a reduction in oxygen levels and the death of aquatic life.
Many other chemicals changes the natural properties of the water and lead to various
problems to the associated ecosystem
The change in the natural properties of the water make it unusable for various
applications.
Land pollution
Land and soil can be polluted by two main types of substance:
solid waste – such as plastic, metal, paper
and other man-made substances
chemicals – such as herbicides and
pesticides, crude oil and waste from
industrial processes.
Land pollution often leads to water pollution, as
chemicals are washed into rivers and lakes.
Impact of Environment upon human
• Health concerns
• Natural disasters
• Deterioration of aesthetic delight
• Economic threats to human population
Improvement of Environmental
quality
• Environmental Engineers play a vital role in this.
• Environmental Engineers forms strategies as well as tactics
• Environmental strategies: Comprehensive plans to address various issues.
(Eg. A program to reduce the pollution in river Ganga)
• Environmental tactics: Means for achieving certain goals.
(Eg. Treatment methods for a certain pollutant removal)
Role of a Environmental Engineer
• They build a bridge between Technology and Biology.
• A keen knowledge in the environmental constraints is very important.
• They develop the methods for reducing the impact of human activities on the
environment based on the natural cleansing process of the environment.
• Design of various treatment processes ( Biological, Chemical and Physical)
• Developing method for safe disposal of wastes
• They should be able to develop techniques to reduce the impact of the
environment on human.
• The could be able to devise various legislations for protecting the
Environment.
• All students are hereby humbly requested to read “Peavy H.S., Rose
D.R.& Tchobanoglous G., Environmental Engineering, McGraw Hill”
Pages 1 to 7 for more information and learning
