International Journal of Advance Innovations, Thoughts & Ideas
Open Access

Environmental engineering is a discipline in which you can earn a degree these days, but it was a field that existed long before it was given a name, dating back to the dawn of civilization when humans began altering their environment to fulfil their requirements. It entails using scientific and engineering principles to improve how we use and impact natural resources. In order to effectively manage and maintain the quality of our soil, water, and air, modern environmental engineers work on solutions to concerns such as pollution reduction and clean up, energy consumption and emissions, land erosion, water treatment, and waste management.

Taking actions to reduce environmental harm in a variety of businesses will not be accomplished in a vacuum, nor will it be accomplished with a single silver bullet. The path forward will be multidisciplinary; it will necessitate global cooperation and, in many cases, the creation of localised solutions that can function independently of large-scale infrastructure. Environmental engineers’ knowledge, talents, and insights will be vital to the task ahead when it comes to developing the technologies we’ll need to ensure that our planet can sustain life for future generations. Increase the availability of potable water. Assess and mitigate the harmful impact of air pollution by providing sanitation systems that prevent disease and enhance health. Create solutions that promote human health while protecting the environment at the same time.

They aim to make everyone healthier and happier by assisting us in living more efficiently and less destructively off the land. Environmental engineers are possibly the hidden heroes that have helped to shape the contemporary world into what it is today, with generally safe food and water, breathable air, largely plague-free living situations, and energy-efficient fuel use to power pretty much everything we do. The human population is estimated to be approximately 7 billion people and growing. As that number grows, the field will become even more important.

Some key advancement has already helped get the majority of us to this point alive and well. Continue reading to learn about the services that these earth stewards have offered in the past and are planning for the future. We’ve wanted to live in an environment free of human waste for a long time, first because of the awful odour, and then, once we realised the connection, to avoid serious and deadly disease epidemics.

Sewer systems, which have been evolving for thousands of years and convey enormous amounts of human waste away from inhabited regions, suit the description.

Over the years, there was a lot of trial and error, with illness outbreaks highlighting the necessity to keep sewer outlets away from drinking water. We also learnt the importance of sewer maintenance over time, and the manhole was born (or re-invented, as we’ll see later). Most were also designed to be cleaned out with tidewater or rainwater on a regular basis. Cement is a widely used substance that accounts for 5 to 6% of yearly carbon emissions, placing it behind fossil fuels and deforestation as the third-largest source of emissions. Decarbonisation of limestone is to blame for the high rate of carbon emissions from cement. To ensure that the limestone can serve as a binder in cement (i.e., the paste that holds everything in concrete together), it is roasted in a kiln to liquefaction, catalysing a chemical reaction in which calcium carbonate splits into calcium oxide (the material needed for concrete) and carbon dioxide (a waste product). This process accounts for 60% of concrete’s carbon emissions, with the remaining 40% coming from other sources.

Sand, a common aggregate in concrete, has been overextracted and is becoming increasingly rare, adding to this very real environmental issue. Sand overexploitation can result in environmental deterioration, extinction of species, is a prime example of a problem that social unrest, and black markets. Preventing concrete industry harm and over-taxation of our sand resources requires environmental engineering to solve. Sewers carried raw trash directly to rivers, oceans, and other huge bodies of water from prehistoric times to just a few decades ago. Modern sewer systems are more complex, resulting in sewage treatment plants where the water is disinfected and toxins are removed before being returned to nature by filtering and the addition of various chemicals. They will, without a doubt, continue to change.

Because we require water to survive, it’s no surprise that many ancient civilizations arose near natural water supplies. With the invention of aqueducts, the ancient Greeks and Romans were able to thwart, or at least deflect, nature. Aqueducts carried vast amounts of water from one location to another, often over distances of up to 60 miles (96.6 kilometers). They harnessed gravity to carry water downwards through manufactured tubes built at a gradually declining gradient.