What is Civil Engineering?

Environmental Engineering
• Planning, design, construction and maintenance of the
physical infrastructure (buildings, bridges, tunnels, roads,
Professor Irene M. C. Lo, PhD, FHKIE, FASCE airports, dams, water pipes, sewage treatment plants, etc).
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
• Maintaining a safe, clean, and sustainable environment.

Subject Areas Subject Areas (cont’d)

• Structural Engineering • Geotechnical Engineering
Subject Areas (cont’d) Subject Areas (cont’d)
• Environmental Engineering • Hydraulics Engineering

Subject Areas (cont’d) Subject Areas (cont’d)

• Transportation Engineering • Systems Engineering
and Management
 Environmental Problems and Law
What is Land
Contamination
Solid Waste
Disposal
Water
Pollution Noise Pollution Air Pollution

Environmental
Engineering?
Application of science and engineering principles to Environmental legislation I: Waste Disposal Ordinance Cap. 354
develop solutions to environmental problems. Environmental legislation II: Water Pollution Control Ordinance Cap. 358
Environmental legislation III: Air Pollution Control Ordinance Cap. 311
Environmental legislation IV: Noise Pollution Control Ordinance Cap. 400
Video: Environmental Engineering Career Environmental legislation V: Environmental Impact Ordinance Cap. 499
Overview (~ 2 mins)
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Former Kai Tak Airport

Land Contamination:
– North Apron
A serious problem in – South Apron
Hong Kong? – Runway

11 12
 Future Kai Tak-
Former Kai Tak Airport
Contaminants detected:
New Iconic Cruise Terminal
– Total Petroleum
Hydrocarbons (TPH)
– Volatile Organic
Compounds (VOCs)
– Heavy Metals

North
Apron
South
Apron

Runway
13 14

Former Penny’s Bay Former Penny’s Bay Contaminated

Contaminated by Cheoy Lee by Cheoy Lee Shipyard
Shipyard Contaminants detected:
– Total Petroleum
Hydrocarbons (TPH)
– Volatile Organic Compounds
(VOCs)
– Heavy Metals
– Dioxins

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Site Investigation and Remediation Today’s Disney Theme Park

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Municipal Solid Waste in

What is Solid Waste? kg/inhabitant/yr

Is solid waste
disposal a serious
problem in Hong
Kong?
Video: Hong Kong: World’s Most Wasteful City
(~ 2 mins)
19 20
Landfills in Hong Kong Landfills in Hong Kong
This is estimated that Hong Kong landfills will be full by 2015

21 22

Incineration – Moving Grate

Energy
Superheated
Recovery MSW
Steam

MSW Boiler

Flue Gas

Drying
Moving
Grate Grate
Flue Gas
Treatment Facility Stack
Combustion
Air Ash
Grate

Burnout Grate
(Source: Hitachi Zosen) Bottom Ash
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 MSW Waste Charging Scheme

Will this waste

charging scheme
reduce waste
generation?

Point and Nonpoint Sources

Water Pollution: NONPOINT SOURCES

A serious problem Rural homes

in Hong Kong? Urban streets Cropland

Animal feedlot

Suburban POINT
SOURCES
Video: Dongjiang Pollution Problem development Factory

Wastewater
(~ 30 seconds) treatment
plant

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 Water Becomes Wastewater After Use

29 30

2A

31 32
 33 34

Clean Victoria Harbor Noise Pollution: A

serious problem
in Hong Kong?

35 36
Sound? or Noise?

Source: Hong Kong Environmental

37 38
Protection Department

Source vs. Receiver Loud Noise Must Be Annoyed?

All noise doesn’t have to be too loud. Some noise can
just be annoying enough to produce such bad effects
as stress, tension, and anxiety.

Source: U.S. Environmental

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Source: Hong Kong Environmental Protection Department Protection Agency
Environmental Noise in Hong Kong
Air Pollution: A
serious problem
in Hong Kong?
Regional Air Pollution: Outdoor & Indoor
Global Air Pollution: Acid rain & Climate change

Video: Hong Kong Air Pollution (~ 4 mins)

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Source: Hong Kong Environmental Protection Department

Photochemical Smog in HK
API of Today
(Outdoor Air Pollution)
Low 0-25
Medium 26-50
High 51-100
Very High 101-200
Severe 201-500

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 Trees Damaged by Acid Rain
Indoor Air Quality (Global Air Pollution)

45 46

Climate Change-GHG Emission

(Global Air Pollution)

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 To be or not to be
an Environmental
Engineer?

Video: I wanna be an Environmental Engineer

(~ 1 min)

Print out course notes early and get started!

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