Knowra Environmental engineering Environmental engineering Environmental engineering applies engineering methods to protect human health and ecosystems by managing pollution, waste, water, and environmental risks.
Drinking water treatment : A sequence of processes that removes contaminants from source water to make it safe for human consumption. Treatment plants apply environmental engineering to deliver safe water reliably.
Mass balance : An accounting method that tracks the inputs, outputs, and accumulation of matter in a defined system. Mass balances quantify pollutant flows through treatment plants and environmental systems.
Environmental chemistry : The study of chemical processes and substances in air, water, soil, and living systems. It explains pollutant reactions and persistence across environmental media.
Sanitary engineering : An engineering discipline focused on sanitation, sewage, and public-health infrastructure. Environmental engineering grew from sanitary engineering's work on water and waste.
Civil engineering : The engineering discipline concerned with infrastructure such as buildings, transportation systems, and waterworks. Environmental engineering overlaps with civil works but centers on health and ecological protection.
Wastewater treatment : Processes that remove contaminants from sewage and industrial wastewater before discharge or reuse. Engineers design treatment systems to reduce pathogens, nutrients, and toxic substances in wastewater.
Transport phenomena : The study of momentum, heat, and mass transfer in physical systems. Transport principles predict how contaminants move through water, air, and porous materials.
Environmental microbiology : The study of microorganisms in natural and engineered environments. Microbes drive treatment processes and transform contaminants in ecosystems.
John Snow : A British physician whose investigation of the 1854 cholera outbreak in London advanced epidemiology. His mapping of contaminated water linked sanitation failures to disease prevention.
Chemical engineering : The engineering discipline that designs and optimizes processes for producing and transforming chemicals and materials. Its process focus overlaps with pollution treatment, while environmental engineering emphasizes environmental outcomes.
Show all 28