AMBO UNIVERSITY

Hachalu Hundessa campus

School of civil and environmental Engineering

Hydraulic and water resources Engineering Department

Course : Environmental Engineering (CEng 5183)

By: Moti A. (MSc)

 Chapter-1: Introduction to
Environmental Engineering
What is Environmental Engineering??
Environmental engineering is a profession that applies mathematics and
science to utilize the properties of matter and sources of energy in the
solution of problems of environmental sanitation.
These include the provision of safe, palatable, and ample public water
supplies; the proper disposal of or recycle of wastewater and solid wastes;
the adequate drainage of urban and rural areas for proper sanitation; and
the control of water, soil, and atmospheric pollution, and the social and
environmental impact of these solutions.
 Cont..
 Furthermore it is concerned with engineering
problems in the field of public health (control of
arthropod-borne diseases, the elimination of
industrial health hazards, and the provision of
adequate sanitation in urban, rural, and recreational
areas, and the effect of technological advances on the
environment).
 An environmental engineer is an engineering
professional who protects people from the effects of
an increasingly unstable and unpredictable
environment.
 Cont.
 Environmental engineering is the branch of
engineering that protects others from harsh
environmental effects, such as pollution.
 Environmental engineering is a professional
engineering discipline related to environmental
science.
 Environmental engineers optimize the use of natural
resources, help to develop renewable energy
resources and maximize the use of existing materials.
 Environmental engineering focuses on protecting the
environment by reducing waste and pollution.
 Cont…
Environmental Engineers are the technical
professionals who identify and design solutions for
environmental problems.
Environmental Engineers provide safe drinking
water treat and properly dispose of wastes,
maintain air quality, control water pollution, and
remediate contaminated sites due to spills or
improper disposal of hazardous substances.
 Cont…
 They work to eliminate pollution, improve recycling and
waste disposal efforts, and provide clean water to
communities.
 They monitor the quality of the air, water, and land, and
they develop means to protect the environment .
The application of science and engineering
knowledge and concepts to care for and/or restore
our natural environment and/or solve
environmental problems.
 Cont.…

Class activity!
Have you identified environmental science
and environmental engineering?
 Cont…
 Environmental science focuses on researching the
environment and human impacts, while environmental
engineering focuses on applying engineering solutions to
solve environmental issues.
 Environmental engineering is more about
management and designing when it compared to

the Environmental Science.

 Cont…

Environmental science is concerning about "how"

and "why". But the environmental engineers
concern about "what should be applied" and "how
should be applied“
Environmental Scientist would discover why
environmental pollution is happening, where it
causes from, and what its potential results are.
 Cont..

 However an environmental engineer would take this

information and think about how to prevent the pollution or
how to reduce its effects.
 Environmental engineering is more about management and
designing when it compared to the Environmental Science .
 Environmental Engineering also deals with the potential
effects of climate change and other environmental
infrastructure factors.
 What are the benefits of
Environmental Engineering?
A side from the improvement of health and safety
conditions of people
Environmental engineering significantly helps in
controlling climate change.
 cont..
Environmental engineering makes use of
analytical skills to provide strategic direction
particularly for sustainability initiatives.
Such initiatives deal with low-carbon generation
of energy.
Environmental engineering also covers the way
for development of new technologies to minimize
carbon footprint.
 Cont.…
Who does it affect ??
• Everyone &
Everything!
– plants
– insects
– animals
– humans
– ecosystems
– our planet
 Cont..
• What are environmental issues?
• Three areas:
– air quality
– land quality
– water quality
 What is the future of Environmental
Engineering?
With the help of engineers, environmental
engineering shall continue to aid in continuous
environmental improvement and
environmental management.
Different environmental engineering companies
also painstakingly improve their offered services
to improve the following:

Garbage disposal

Water treatment
 Cont.…


Use of alternative energy sources

Reduction of emissions with solvents

Process survey and inspections.
 As Environmental Engineering improves these services
one step at a time, people are guaranteed a better quality
of life.
 Environmental problems and their relation to
human activity and development.
Humans impact the physical environment in many
ways (overpopulation, pollution, burning fossil
fuels, and deforestation).
Changes like these have caused climate change, soil
erosion, poor air quality, and undrinkable water.
An environmental problem is a change in the
natural environment that leads to disruption of the
functioning and structure of nature.
.
 How do the human activities affect the env’t?

The five major impacts humans have on the

environment include deforestation, global
warming, overharvesting, pollution, and
agriculture.
These have contributed to vast species extinctions,
incremental and continuous rises in the sea level,
and record setting hot temperatures in the earth's
greenhouse atmosphere.
 Future Forecasts for Environmental
Engineering:
Environmental engineering is a constantly
evolving field, driven by the need for sustainable
solutions to address the world's environmental
challenges.
As the demand for clean water, renewable energy,
and sustainable waste management continues to
increase, the field of environmental engineering is
expected to grow.
Here are some of the future prospects for
environmental engineering:-
 Cont…
1.Water management:
With the global population expected to reach 9.7
billion by 2050, the demand for water is expected to
increase by 55%.
Environmental engineers will play a critical role in
developing innovative solutions to manage and
conserve water resources.
 Cont…

2.Renewable energy:
The shift towards renewable energy is expected to
accelerate, creating new opportunities for
environmental engineers to develop and implement
clean energy technologies such as wind turbines,
solar panels, and biomass systems.
3. Waste management:
The growing problem of waste management
presents a significant challenge for environmental
engineers.
 Cont..
Future prospects include the development of new
technologies for waste reduction and recycling, as
well as the implementation of sustainable waste
management systems.
4. Sustainable infrastructure:
Its concept is gaining momentum, with a focus on
creating buildings and infrastructure that are
designed to minimize their environmental impact.
Environmental engineers involved in designing
and implementing these sustainable systems.
 Cont.…
5.Climate change adaptation:
As the impacts of climate change become more
severe, environmental engineers will play a critical
role in developing adaptation strategies to mitigate
the effects of extreme weather events and rising sea
levels.
Since Environmental engineering is a vital field that plays a
critical role in providing clean water, managing waste, and
developing renewable energy sources. As the world faces
increasing environmental challenges, the demand for
environmental engineering expertise will continue to grow.
Environmental Systems Overview

Systems-the “systems approach” that is looking at all the

interrelated parts and their effects on one another.
 The first thing the systems engineer does, then, is to
simplify the system to a tractable size that behaves in a
fashion similar to the real system.
 Single-medium problems:- are the pollution problems
that are confined to one systems (either air, water, or soil).
 Multimedia pollution problems:- are environmental
problems that are not confined to one simple systems (but
cross the boundaries from one to the other).
 Environmental systems:

A. Water Resource Management System

Water Supply Subsystem
 The nature of the water source commonly determines
the planning, design, and operation of the collection,
purification, transmission, and distribution works.
 The two major sources used to supply community and
industrial needs are surface water(streams, lakes, and
rivers) and groundwater(those pumped from wells).
the surface water sources.
 The source in each case determines the type of
collection works and the type of treatment works.
 Cont.
• Distribution system is the pipe
network in the city
• Excess water produced by the
treatment plant during periods
of low demand
• The stored water is used to
meet high demand during the
day
 Cont.
 Population and water-consumption patterns are the
prime factors that govern the quantity of water required
and the source and the whole composition of the water
resource system.
 The major factors that influence water consumption are:
• Climate
• Industrial activity
• Meter age
• System management
• Standard of living
 Cont.
Wastewater Disposal Subsystem.
Safe disposal of all human wastes is necessary to
protect the health of the individual, the family, and the
community and also to prevent the occurrence of certain
nuisances.
 The wastewater management sub
system is composed of six parts
 The source of wastewater may be either
industrial wastewater or domestic
sewage or both.
 B. Air Resource Management System

 The balance of cost and benefit to obtain a desired

quality of air is termed air resource management .
 Air resource management programs are instituted for a
variety of reasons (air quality has deteriorated and
there is a need for correction, and the potential for a
future problem is strong.
 C. Solid Waste Management System

Solid waste is considered a problem to be solved as

cheaply as possible rather than a resource to be
recovered.
 Environmental legislation and Regulation
 The requirements of environmental legislation and
regulation are major considerations in the selection of
technology and the design of treatment processes to
remove contaminants.
 Environmental law is a collective term encompassing
aspects of law that focus on protecting the natural
environment, human health, and natural resources.
 It is a complex web of regulations, policies, and statutes
designed to address issues such as air and water quality,
waste management, and pollution control.
 Cont…
 Environmental policy, any measure by a government or
corporation or other public or private organization
regarding the effects of human activities on the
environment,
 Particularly those measures that are designed to
prevent or reduce harmful effects of human activities
on ecosystems.
 The main function of environmental policy is to reduce,
or possibly eliminate, the undesirable effects of a
business or overall action on the environment.
 END

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