13 Environmental Chemical Engineering

Abstract

As environmental regulations have expanded and the technology being controlled has become more advanced, the associated chemical engineering problems have grown more complex. Chemical engineers have had prominent roles in the development of stack gas scrubbing technologies, in understanding the mechanisms of particle and NO x , formation in coal combustion, and in developing mathematical models of air pollution. Research that can be classified as environmental engineering occurs in academic departments of civil engineering, mechanical engineering, and chemical engineering, and environmental engineering. In terms of numbers of faculty members, the majority is carried out in departments of civil and environmental engineering. There are certain problems and opportunities for chemical engineers in environmental research. This chapter discusses some important problems in environmental chemical engineering to convey their flavor and challenges. There exist significant environmental research opportunities for chemical engineers, for example, in incineration of hazardous wastes, environmental behavior of toxic substances, synthesis and design of nonpolluting plants, regional and global air pollution, and water chemistry. Most environmental problems are highly complex and often ill defined. At a minimum, they usually require a synthesis of virtually all elements of the chemical engineer's arsenal-thermodynamics, chemical kinetics, and transport phenomena; at the most, an interdisciplinary team.