Undergraduate Course: Environmental Engineering 3 (CIVE09020)
Course Outline
| School | School of Engineering |
College | College of Science and Engineering |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 9 (Year 3 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 10 |
ECTS Credits | 5 |
| Summary | This course presents a broad introduction to Environmental Engineering. A set of fundamental principles that serves as the foundation for the entire field of environmental engineers will be overviewed. These principles are based on scientific fundamentals: chemistry, biology, physics, and mathematics. This course explores how these fundamental principles are applied. Applications are selected from water quality engineering, air quality engineering, and hazardous waste management. The main elements of assessing environmental impacts of human activities, projects and plans will be explained. Students will conduct an environmental impact assessment and apply environmental design techniques for a specific problem definition.
This course will encourage students to think in an interdisciplinary way, make judgements and decisions to solve environmental problems in an integrated way. |
| Course description |
Lectures
Module 1: Fundamentals
L1 Introduction to Environmental Engineering
Overview of course. Course objectives and working approach. Examples of environmental challenges and the role of technology and of Environmental Engineering.
L2 Domains, context and concepts of Environmental Engineering
Historical background. Water quality engineering. Air quality engineering. Hazardous waste management. Units of measure. Material balance. Factors governing contaminant concentrations. Environmental regulations. Precision and accuracy. Magnitudes.
L3 Transformation processes
Governing concepts. Phase changes and partitioning. Acid-base reactions. Oxidation-reduction reactions.
L4 Transport phenomena
Basic concepts and mechanisms. Particle motion. Mass transfer at fluid boundaries. Transport in porous media.
L5 Water, air and their impurities
Water and hydrosphere. Air and the Atmosphere. Impurities in Environmental media.
L6 Transport and Transformation Models
Reactor models: batch reactor; completely mixed flow reactor; plug flow reactor; advance examples.
Module 2: Applications
L7 Applications ¿ Water Quality Engineering
The nature of water quality problems. Overview of Water Quality Regulations and Treatment Systems. Physical treatment processes. Chemical and physicochemical treatment methods. Biological wastewater treatment
L8 Applications ¿ Hazardous Waste Management
Overview. Hazardous waste minimisation. Hazardous Waste treatment processes. Hazardous waste disposal. Environmental releases and Remediation.
L9 Applications ¿ Air Quality Engineering
Nature of Air Pollution Problems
Module 3: Tutorials and coursework
¿ Coursework: Report Writing and Presentation
¿ Tutorials: Tutorial Questions will be handed out as relevant to topics. Tutorials will be arranged when required.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
Course Delivery Information
| Not being delivered |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- By the end of this course, the student should be able to:
¿ Describe and apply the fundamentals of air and water pollution to solve basic environmental engineering problems
¿ Describe environmental challenges and identify solutions
¿ Evaluate design solution alternatives
¿ Write small reports and make judgements
¿ Analyse and environmental problem and define the problem characteristics.
¿ Describe the principles and methods of environmental impact assessment - ¿ This course contributes to knowledge and understanding of:
o The underpinning principles and theories of all main aspects of the discipline of Civil Engineering.
o The role of the engineer in the infrastructure project cycle, and their responsibilities in promoting environmentally sustainable solutions, and in ensuring safe working practices.
o The fundamental knowledge of chemistry and biology that underpin all environmental engineering processes.
o Physical, chemical and biological processes and their interaction with the natural and built environment.
o Life cycle assessment of environmental engineering activities.
¿ This course develops intellectual skills so that on completion students will be able to:
o Identify and apply appropriate analytical tools for the analysis and solution of engineering problems.
o Approach problems and design holistically, and work to an appropriate level of detail for the stage of analysis or design that is required.
o Learn new theories, concepts, methods, etc and how to apply them in environmental treatment processes and technologies.
¿ Practical skills developed in this course include the ability to
o Apply a range of software tools in design.
o Work effectively in a group environment.
o Improve presentation, reading (reports and scientific papers) and writing skills.
¿ Transferable skills developed in this course include the ability to
o Competently use computers and general software including spreadsheets, word processing and presentation packages.
o Apply analytical skills to a wide variety of problems.
o Communication skills.
¿ Knowledge of the science and mathematics underpinning Civil Engineering is developed in this course so that students acquire
o Knowledge and understanding of the fundamental scientific principles that underpin an education in civil engineering, and an appreciation of their application.
o The ability to use mathematical methods and tools in the analysis and solution of civil engineering problems.
o An awareness of developing technologies in a specialised area of civil engineering.
o Knowledge and understanding of mathematical models relevant to civil engineering, and an appreciation of their limitations.
¿ Areas of engineering analysis acquired in this course include
o The ability to apply knowledge and understanding of engineering principles to the solution of civil engineering problems.
o Knowledge and understanding of underpinning principles and theories in environmental engineering and sustainability.
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Reading List
¿ Mihelcic, J.R., Zimmerman, J.B. (2010) Environmental Engineering: Fundamentals, Sustainability, Design. John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
¿ Nazaroff, W.W., Alvarez-Cohen, L. (2001) Environmental Engineering Science. John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
¿ Cunningham, W.P., Cunningham, M.A., Woodworth Saigo, B. (2007) Environmental Science: A global concern. McGrawHill Higher Education
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Contacts
| Course organiser | |
Course secretary | Ms Tina Mcavoy
Tel: (0131 6)51 7080
Email: Tina.McAvoy@ed.ac.uk |
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