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{{Short description|Engineering discipline related to environmental science}}
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'''Environmental engineering''' is a professional [[engineering]] [[Academic discipline|discipline]] related to [[environmental science]]. It encompasses broad [[Science|scientific]] topics like [[chemistry]], [[biology]], [[ecology]], [[geology]], [[hydraulics]], [[hydrology]], [[microbiology]], and [[mathematics]] to create solutions that will protect and also improve the health of living organisms and improve the quality of the environment.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=http://www.aaees.org/careers/|title=Careers in Environmental Engineering and Environmental Science|website=American Academy of Environmental Engineers & Scientists|access-date=2019-03-23|archive-date=2021-02-24|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210224142618/https://www.aaees.org/careers/|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor.U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2010-11 Edition" /> Environmental engineering is a sub-discipline of [[civil engineering]] and [[chemical engineering]]. While on the part of civil engineering, the Environmental Engineering is focused mainly on [[Sanitary Engineering]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Mahamud-López |first1=Manuel María |last2=Menéndez-Aguado |first2=Juan Mariá |date=September 2005 |title=Environmental engineering in mining engineering education |url=http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/03043790500114490 |journal=European Journal of Engineering Education |language=en |volume=30 |issue=3 |pages=329–339 |doi=10.1080/03043790500114490 |s2cid=109093239 |issn=0304-3797|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

Environmental engineering applies scientific and engineering principles to improve and maintain the environment to protect human health, protect nature's beneficial [[Ecosystem|ecosystems]], and improve environmental-related enhancement of the quality of human life.<ref name=":0" />
'''Environmental engineers''' devise solutions for [[Waste management|wastewater management]], [[Water pollution|water]] and [[air pollution]] control, [[recycling]], [[waste disposal]], and [[public health]].<ref name="Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor.U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2010-11 Edition" /><ref name=":1">{{Cite web|url=https://science.howstuffworks.com/engineering/civil/10-advancements-environmental-engineering.htm|title=10 Advancements in Environmental Engineering|date=2014-05-18|website=HowStuffWorks|language=en|access-date=2019-03-23}}</ref>  They design [[water purification|municipal water supply]] and [[industrial wastewater treatment]] systems,<ref>{{cite book|title=Aqueous Wastes from Petroleum and Petrochemical Plants|author=Beychok, Milton R.|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|year=1967|edition=1st|lccn=67019834|title-link=Aqueous Wastes from Petroleum and Petrochemical Plants}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Wastewater Engineering (Treatment Disposal Reuse) / Bailey Alatoree Inc.|author1=Tchobanoglous, G.|author2=Burton, F.L.|author3=Stensel, H.D.|publisher=McGraw-Hill Book Company|year=2003|isbn=978-0-07-041878-3|edition=4th|name-list-style=amp}}</ref> and design plans to prevent [[waterborne diseases]] and improve [[sanitation]] in urban, rural and recreational areas. They evaluate hazardous-[[waste management]] systems to evaluate the severity of such hazards, advise on treatment and containment, and develop regulations to prevent mishaps. They implement [[environmental engineering law]], as in assessing the environmental impact of proposed construction projects.

Environmental engineers study the effect of technological advances on the environment, addressing local and worldwide environmental issues such as [[acid rain]], [[global warming]], [[ozone depletion]], [[water pollution]] and air pollution from [[Automobile emissions control|automobile exhausts]] and [[AP 42 Compilation of Air Pollutant Emission Factors|industrial sources]].<ref name="Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor.U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2010-11 Edition">{{cite web|url=https://www.bls.gov/ooh/architecture-and-engineering/home.htm|title=Architecture and Engineering Occupations|date=20 February 2019|website=Occupational Outlook Handbook|publisher=Bureau of Labor Statistics|access-date=23 March 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=Turner, D.B.|title=Workbook of atmospheric dispersion estimates: an introduction to dispersion modeling|edition=2nd|publisher=CRC Press|year=1994|isbn=978-1-56670-023-8|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/workbookofatmosp0000turn}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=Beychok, M.R.|title=Fundamentals Of Stack Gas Dispersion|edition=4th|publisher=author-published|year=2005|isbn=978-0-9644588-0-2|title-link=Fundamentals Of Stack Gas Dispersion}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Career Information Center. Agribusiness, Environment, and Natural Resources|url=https://archive.org/details/careerinformatio00_2|url-access=registration|edition=9th|publisher=Macmillan Reference|year=2007}}</ref>

Most [[Jurisdiction|jurisdictions]] impose licensing and registration requirements for qualified environmental engineers.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.aaees.org/becomeboardcertified/environmentalengineers.php|title=Become Board Certified in Environmental Engineering|website=American Academy of Environmental Engineers & Scientists|access-date=2019-03-23|archive-date=2021-01-18|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210118112537/https://www.aaees.org/becomeboardcertified/environmentalengineers.php|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ncees.org/engineering/pe/environmental/|title=NCEES PE Environmental exam information|website=NCEES|language=en-US|access-date=2019-03-23}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.engc.org.uk/about-us/our-partners/professional-engineering-institutions/|title=Professional Engineering Institutions|website=Engineering Council|access-date=2019-03-23}}</ref>

== Etymology ==
The word '''environmental''' has its root in the late 19th-century French word ''environ (verb), meaning to encircle or to encompass.'' The word environment was used by Carlyle in 1827 to refer to the aggregate of conditions in which a person or thing lives. The meaning shifted again in 1956 when it was used in the ecological sense, where [[Ecology]] is the branch of science dealing with the relationship of living things to their environment.<ref>{{Cite web|title=environ {{!}} Search Online Etymology Dictionary|url=https://www.etymonline.com/search?q=environ|access-date=2020-12-14|website=www.etymonline.com}}</ref>

The second part of the phrase environmental engineer originates from Latin roots and was used in the 14th century French as engignour, meaning a constructor of military engines such as [[trebuchet]]s, [[Arquebus|harquebuses]], [[longbow]]s, [[History of cannon|cannons]], [[catapult]]s, [[ballista]]s, [[stirrup]]s, [[armour]] as well as other deadly or bellicose contraptions. The word engineer was not used to reference public works until the 16th century; and it likely entered the popular vernacular as meaning a contriver of public works during [[John Smeaton]]'s time.

==History==
{{further|History of water supply and sanitation}}

=== Ancient civilizations ===
Environmental engineering is a name for work that has been done since early civilizations, as people learned to modify and control the environmental conditions to meet needs.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2">{{Cite web|url=https://www.environmentalscience.org/environmental-engineering|title=Environmental Engineering: Why It's Vital for Our Future|last=Mason|first=Matthew|website=Environmental Science|language=en-US|access-date=2019-03-23}}</ref> As people recognized that their health was related to the [[Environmental quality|quality of their environment]], they built systems to improve<ref name=":1" /> it. The ancient [[Indus Valley civilisation|Indus Valley Civilization]] (3300 B.C.E. to 1300 B.C.E.) had advanced control over their [[water resources]].<ref name=":2" /> The public work structures found at various sites in the area include wells, public baths, water storage tanks, a drinking water system, and a city-wide sewage collection system.<ref name=":2" /><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Jansen|first=M.|date=October 1989|title=Water Supply and Sewage Disposal at Mohenjo-Daro|journal=World Archaeology|volume=21|issue=2|pages=177–192|jstor=124907|doi=10.1080/00438243.1989.9980100|pmid=16470995}}</ref> They also had an early canal [[Irrigation|irrigation system]] enabling large-scale agriculture.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Evolution of Sanitation and Wastewater Technologies through the Centuries|author-link=Andreas N. Angelakis|last1=Angelakis|first1=Andreas N.|last2=Rose|first2=Joan B.|publisher=IWA Publishing|year=2014|isbn=9781780404851|pages=25–40|chapter=Chapter 2: "Sanitation and wastewater technologies in Harappa/Indus valley civilization (ca. 2600-1900 BC)}}</ref>

From 4000 to 2000 B.C.E., many civilizations had drainage systems and some had sanitation facilities, including the [[Mesopotamia|Mesopotamian Empire]], [[Mohenjo-daro|Mohenjo-Daro]], Egypt, Crete, and the [[Orkney|Orkney Islands]] in Scotland.<ref name=":1" /> The Greeks also had aqueducts and sewer systems that used rain and wastewater to irrigate and fertilize fields.<ref name=":1" />

The first [[Roman aqueduct|aqueduct]] in Rome was constructed in 312 B.C.E., and the Romans continued to construct [[Roman aqueduct|aqueducts]] for irrigation and safe urban water supply during droughts.<ref name=":1" /> They also built an underground sewer system as early as the 7th century B.C.E. that fed into the Tiber River, draining marshes to create farmland as well as removing sewage from the city.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" />

=== Modern era ===
Very little change was seen from the decline of the Roman Empire until the 19th century, where improvements saw increasing efforts focused on public health.<ref name=":2" /><ref name="National Science Foundation.(Dec. 3, 2009).Environmental Engineering">{{cite web|url=https://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=501029|title=Funding - Environmental Engineering|website=US National Science Foundation|access-date=2013-07-01}}</ref> Modern environmental engineering began in [[London]] in the mid-19th century when [[Joseph Bazalgette]] designed the first major [[sewage collection and disposal|sewerage]] system following the [[Great Stink]].<ref name=":2" /> The city's sewer system conveyed raw sewage to the [[River Thames]], which also supplied the majority of the city's drinking water, leading to an outbreak of [[cholera]].<ref name=":2" /> The introduction of drinking water treatment and sewage treatment in industrialized countries reduced [[waterborne diseases]] from leading causes of death to rarities.<ref name="Water industry from The Oxford Companion to British History online">{{Cite web|url=https://www.encyclopedia.com/medicine/diseases-and-conditions/pathology/waterborne-infections|title=Waterborne Infections|website=Encyclopedia.com|access-date=2019-03-23}}</ref>

The field emerged as a separate academic discipline during the middle of the 20th century in response to widespread public concern about water and air pollution and other [[environmental degradation]]. As society and technology grew more complex, they increasingly produced unintended effects on the natural environment. One example is the widespread application of the pesticide [[DDT]] to control agricultural pests in the years following [[World War II]]. The story of DDT as vividly told in [[Rachel Carson]]'s ''[[Silent Spring]]'' (1962) is considered to be the birth of the modern [[environmental movement]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://web.engr.oregonstate.edu/~radniect/whatisenvironmentalengineering.php|title=What is Environmental Engineering?|last=Radniecki|first=Tyler|website=College of Engineering|publisher=Oregon State University|access-date=2019-03-23}}</ref> which led to the modern field of "environmental engineering."

==Education==
{{One source section
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Many universities offer environmental engineering programs through either the department of [[civil engineering]] or [[chemical engineering]] and also including electronic projects to develop and balance the environmental
conditions.  Environmental engineers in a civil engineering program often focus on [[hydrology]], water resources management, [[bioremediation]], and water and wastewater treatment plant design. Environmental engineers in a chemical engineering program tend to focus on environmental chemistry, advanced air and water treatment technologies, and separation processes.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2012-07-04 |title=What is Environmental Engineering? |url=https://uwaterloo.ca/civil-environmental-engineering/environmental-engineering/what-environmental-engineering |access-date=2023-01-27 |website=Civil and Environmental Engineering |language=en}}</ref>{{Citation needed|date=May 2014}} Some subdivisions of environmental engineering include [[natural resources engineering]] and [[agricultural engineering]].

Courses for students fall into a few broad classes:
* ''[[Mechanical engineering]]'' courses oriented towards designing machines and mechanical systems for environmental use such as [[Water treatment|water]] and [[wastewater treatment]] facilities, pumping stations, garbage segregation plants, and other mechanical facilities.
* ''Environmental engineering'' or ''environmental systems'' courses oriented towards a civil engineering approach in which structures and the landscape are constructed to blend with or protect the environment.
* ''[[Environmental chemistry]]'', ''sustainable chemistry'' or ''environmental chemical engineering'' courses oriented towards understanding the effects of chemicals in the environment, including any mining processes, pollutants, and also biochemical processes.
* ''[[Environmental technology]]'' courses oriented towards producing electronic or electrical graduates capable of developing devices and artifacts able to monitor, measure, model and control environmental impact, including monitoring and managing energy generation from [[Renewable energy|renewable sources]].

=== Curriculum ===
The following topics make up a typical curriculum in environmental engineering:<ref name="Masters 2008 p.">{{cite book|title=Introduction to environmental engineering and science|last=Masters|first=Gilbert|publisher=Prentice Hall|year=2008|isbn=978-0-13-148193-0|location=Upper Saddle River, N.J}}</ref>

# [[Mass transfer|Mass]] and [[Energy transfer]]
# [[Environmental chemistry]]
## [[Inorganic chemistry]]
## [[Organic Chemistry]]
## [[Nuclear Chemistry]]
# [[Population dynamics|Growth model]]s
## [[Resource consumption]]
## [[Population growth]]
## [[Economic growth]]
# [[Risk assessment]]
## [[Hazard identification]]
## [[Dose-response]] Assessment
## [[Exposure assessment]]
## Risk characterization
## Comparative [[risk analysis]]
# [[Water pollution]]
## [[Water resources]] and [[pollutant]]s
## [[Biochemical oxygen demand|Oxygen demand]]
## Pollutant [[Hydrological transport model|transport]]
## [[water treatment|Water]] and [[waste water treatment]]
# [[Air pollution]]
## Industry, [[Environmental impact of transport|transportation]], commercial and residential emissions
## Criteria and toxic [[air pollutant]]s
## Pollution modelling (e.g. [[Atmospheric dispersion modeling]])
## [[Pollution control]]
## Air pollution and [[meteorology]]
# [[Global change]]
## [[Greenhouse effect]] and [[global temperature]]
## [[Carbon cycle|Carbon]], [[Nitrogen cycle|nitrogen]], and [[oxygen cycle]]
## [[IPCC]] [[Special Report on Emissions Scenarios|emissions scenarios]]
## Oceanic changes ([[ocean acidification]], other [[effects of global warming on oceans]]) and changes in the [[stratosphere]] (see [[Physical impacts of climate change]])
# [[Solid waste management]] and [[resource recovery]]
## [[Life cycle assessment]]
## [[Source reduction]]
## [[Waste collection|Collection]] and [[Transfer station (waste management)|transfer]] operations
## [[Recycling]]
## [[Waste-to-energy]] conversion
## [[Landfill]]

== Applications ==

===Water supply and treatment===
Environmental engineers evaluate the water balance within a [[drainage basin|watershed]] and determine the available water supply, the water needed for various needs in that watershed, the seasonal cycles of water movement through the watershed and they develop systems to store, treat, and convey water for various uses.

Water is treated to achieve water quality objectives for the end uses. In the case of a [[potable water]] supply, water is treated to minimize the risk of [[infectious disease]] transmission, the risk of [[Non-communicable disease|non-infectious]] illness, and to create a palatable water flavor. [[Water distribution system]]s<ref name="nap">{{cite book|url=https://www.nap.edu/read/11728/chapter/2|title=Drinking water distribution systems : assessing and reducing risks|date=2006|publisher=National Academies Press|doi=10.17226/11728 |isbn=978-0-309-10306-0|access-date=6 October 2019}}</ref><ref name="kfupm">{{cite web|title=Water Distribution Networks CE370|url=https://faculty.kfupm.edu.sa/CE/abukhari/Courses/CE370/Lectures/Water%20Distribution%20System.pdf|access-date=6 October 2019|website=King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals}}</ref> are designed and built to provide adequate water pressure and flow rates to meet various end-user needs such as domestic use, fire suppression, and [[irrigation]].

===Wastewater treatment===
[[File:Wonga wetlands sewage plant.jpg|thumb|220px|left|[[Sewage treatment]] plant, [[Australia]]]]There are numerous [[wastewater treatment]] technologies. A wastewater treatment train can consist of a primary clarifier system to remove solid and floating materials, a secondary treatment system consisting of an [[aeration]] basin followed by [[flocculation]] and [[settling|sedimentation]] or an [[activated sludge]] system and a secondary clarifier, a tertiary biological [[nitrogen]] removal system, and a final [[disinfection]] process. The aeration basin/activated sludge system removes organic material by growing bacteria (activated sludge).  The secondary clarifier removes the activated sludge from the water. The tertiary system, although not always included due to costs, is becoming more prevalent to remove nitrogen and [[phosphorus]] and to disinfect the water before discharge to a surface water stream or ocean outfall.<ref>{{cite book|author= Sims, J.|title= Activated sludge, Environmental Encyclopedia |publisher=Detroit|year=2003}}</ref>

===Air pollution management===

Scientists have developed [[Atmospheric dispersion modeling|air pollution dispersion models]] to evaluate the concentration of a pollutant at a receptor or the impact on overall air quality from vehicle [[Exhaust system|exhausts]] and industrial [[flue gas stack]] emissions. To some extent, this field overlaps the desire to decrease [[carbon dioxide]] and other [[greenhouse gas emissions]] from combustion processes.

===Environmental impact assessment and mitigation===
{{Main|Environmental impact assessment}}[[File:Water pollution.jpg|right|thumbnail|200px|Water pollution]]

Environmental engineers apply scientific and engineering principles to evaluate if there are likely to be any adverse impacts to water quality, air quality, [[habitat (ecology)|habitat]] quality, [[flora (plants)|flora]] and [[fauna (animals)|fauna]], agricultural capacity, [[traffic]], ecology, and noise. If impacts are expected, they then develop mitigation measures to limit or prevent such impacts. An example of a mitigation measure would be the creation of [[wetland]]s in a nearby location to mitigate the filling in of wetlands necessary for a road development if it is not possible to reroute the road.

In the United States, the practice of environmental assessment was formally initiated on January 1, 1970, the effective date of the [[National Environmental Policy Act]] (NEPA). Since that time, more than 100 developing and developed nations either have planned specific analogous laws or have adopted procedure used elsewhere. NEPA is applicable to all federal agencies in the United States.<ref name="McGraw-Hill, Inc">{{cite book|title=McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Environmental Science and Engineering|url=https://archive.org/details/mcgrawhillencycl0000unse|url-access=registration|publisher=McGraw-Hill, Inc|year=1993|isbn=9780070513969 |edition=3rd}}</ref>

== Regulatory agencies ==

===Environmental Protection Agency===
The [[U.S. Environmental Protection Agency]] (EPA) is one of the many agencies that work with environmental engineers to solve critical issues. An essential component of EPA's mission is to protect and improve air, water, and overall environmental quality to avoid or mitigate the consequences of harmful effects.

==See also==
{{Portal|Environment|Ecology|Engineering}}
{{WVD}}
{{columns-list|
* [[Atmospheric dispersion modeling]]
* [[Biofiltration]]
* [[Civil engineering]]
* [[Ecological sanitation]]
* [[Ecological engineering]]
* [[Engineering geology]]
* [[Environmental design]]
* [[Environmental engineering law]]
* [[Environmental engineering science]]
* [[Environmental health]]
* [[Environmental impact assessment]]
* [[Environmental management]]
* [[Environmental restoration]]
* [[Environmental science]]
* [[Environmental studies]]
* [[Geological Engineering]]
* [[Geoprofessions]]
* [[Hydraulic engineering]]
* [[Hydrology]]
* [[List of environmental degrees]]
* [[List of environmental engineers]]
* [[Sanitary engineering]]
* [[Water purification]]
* [[Water quality modeling]]
}}

=== Associations ===
{{columns-list|
* [[American Academy of Environmental Engineers and Scientists]]
* [[Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors]]
* [[Association of Environmental Professionals]]
* [[Atmospheric dispersion modeling]]
* [[Confederation of European Environmental Engineering Societies]]
* [[Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment]]
* [[Society of Environmental Engineers]]
}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* Davis, M. L. and D. A. Cornwell, (2006) ''Introduction to environmental engineering'' (4th ed.)  McGraw-Hill {{ISBN|978-0072424119}}
* {{cite report|author=National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine|year=2019|title=Environmental Engineering for the 21st Century: Addressing Grand Challenges|place=Washington, DC|publisher=The National Academies Press|doi=10.17226/25121|isbn=978-0-309-47652-2 }}

{{Engineering fields}}
{{Sustainability}}
{{Environmental science}}
{{Human impact on the environment}}
{{HVAC}}
{{Construction overview}}
{{Population}}
{{Authority control}}

{{Interwiki extra|qid=Q3738960}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Environmental Engineering}}
[[Category:Environmental engineering| ]]
[[Category:Chemical engineering]]
[[Category:Civil engineering]]
[[Category:Environmental science]]
[[Category:Engineering disciplines]]
[[Category:Environmental terminology]]