Environmental Engineering

Environmental Monitoring Data Collection

Required. Collect or obtain real environmental monitoring data for a defined location and parameter: water quality (pH, dissolved oxygen, turbidity, BOD, COD), air quality (PM2.5, NOx, ozone), or soil contamination (heavy metals, hydrocarbons). Government monitoring networks (US EPA AQS, NOAA, Copernicus/CAMS, OpenAQ) provide free publicly accessible data as the accessible alternative to field measurement. Statistical characterisation of the dataset: descriptive statistics, temporal trend identification, exceedance of regulatory thresholds with specific limits cited. An environmental scientist or engineer challenges the data analysis: presents an outlier and asks whether it is a real event or instrument error.

Water Treatment Process Design

Elective. Design a water or wastewater treatment process for a defined influent quality: treatment objective (drinking water standard or discharge consent), process selection with design calculations (detention time, hydraulic loading rate, organic loading rate for biological processes), equipment sizing, and a schematic of the treatment train. EPA design manuals (free download at nepis.epa.gov) provide the design equations and reference values. An engineer challenges the design: presents a changed influent parameter and asks how the treatment train would be modified.

Air Pollution Control Analysis and Sizing

Elective. Air pollution control design for a real or specified emissions source: source characterisation (pollutant species, emission rate, stack parameters), dispersion modelling using AERMOD or CALPUFF (both free, US EPA models), control technology selection with efficiency specification and design calculation, and compliance assessment against a named ambient air quality standard. US EPA AERMOD (free) or web-based Breeze AERMOD with student account. An air quality engineer challenges the dispersion model: presents a changed meteorological condition and asks whether the ground-level concentration exceeds the standard.

Waste Management System Design

Elective. Integrated waste management design for a defined waste stream: waste characterisation (composition, generation rate, physical properties), waste hierarchy application with quantified diversion rates for each tier (prevention, reuse, recycling, recovery, disposal), facility design for the primary treatment route (landfill cell to EPA criteria, composting facility sizing, or MRF throughput), and lifecycle impact comparison of at least two options using OpenLCA (free) or the EPA WARM model (free). An engineer challenges the comparison: presents a changed diversion rate assumption and asks whether the preferred option changes.

Environmental Remediation Design

Elective (PG-depth). Contaminated site remediation design: conceptual site model (source, pathway, receptor triad), contaminant fate-and-transport assessment (published Kd values and partition coefficients for the contaminant), remediation technology selection with screening matrix (at least three candidate technologies evaluated against effectiveness, feasibility, and cost), and preliminary performance estimation (timeframe to reach cleanup targets). US EPA Superfund site documents and the Remediation Technology Screening Matrix (free) provide reference data. An environmental engineer challenges the technology selection: presents a site constraint not addressed in the screening.

Environmental Engineering Design Report

Elective (PG-depth). A complete integrated environmental engineering design report at professional Environmental Impact Assessment standard: project description, baseline environmental conditions (using publicly available monitoring data), impact identification and significance assessment, mitigation measures with quantified performance targets, environmental management plan, and monitoring programme. Follows IAIA or EU EIA Directive structure. A senior environmental engineer or EIA practitioner reviews the report and challenges the significance assessment methodology.

Environmental Impact Analysis

Elective (PG-depth). A rigorous environmental impact analysis for a real or proposed project: systematic identification of environmental receptors and pathways, quantitative impact significance assessment using a named methodology (Leopold matrix, ESIA), cumulative impact analysis for at least two project phases, and a peer-reviewed literature-grounded discussion of predicted ecological and human health effects. Cross-domain reuse from UGPG-05B Natural Sciences — environmental science impact assessment and engineering mitigation design are complementary at this level of practice.

Free download of US EPA engineering design manuals for wastewater treatment, drinking water treatment, solid waste management, and air pollution control. Use for the water treatment design step (EPA Onsite Wastewater Treatment Systems Manual), the air pollution control step (EPA Air Pollution Control Technology Fact Sheets), and the waste management design step (EPA Solid Waste Management Criteria).

Free, open-source database of real-time and historical air quality data from monitoring stations worldwide. Use for the environmental monitoring step (accessible alternative to field measurement) and as the real-world data baseline for air pollution control design. API access allows download of historical PM2.5, NO2, ozone, and CO measurements from thousands of stations globally.

US EPA's preferred regulatory air dispersion model — free download. AERMOD models atmospheric dispersion from point, area, and volume sources under real meteorological conditions. Use for the air pollution control step. EPA provides free meteorological pre-processor (AERMET) and terrain pre-processor (AERMAP).

Free, open-source lifecycle assessment software. Use for the waste management design step (lifecycle comparison of management options). Works with free background databases including the US LCI Database. OpenLCA is the free alternative to SimaPro and GaBi for comparative LCA studies in environmental engineering.