环境工程专业英语全文文档.docx

1、环境工程专业英语全文文档PART 1 INTRODUCTION TO ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERINGUnit 1Text: Environmental EngineeringWhat Is This Book About?The objective of this book is to introduce engineering and science students to the interdisciplinary study of enviroomentsl problems: their causes, why they sre of concern, and ho

2、w we csn control them. The book includes:? Description of what is meant by environment snd by environmental systems? Information on the basis causes of environmental disturbances? Basis scientific knowledge necessary to understand the nature of environmental problems and to be able to quantify them?

3、 Current state of the technology environmental control in its application to water, air and pollution problems? Considerable gaps in our current scientific knowledge of understanding and controlling many of the complex interactions between human activities and nature? Many environmental problems whi

4、ch could be eliminated or reduced by the application of current technology, but which are not dealt with because of societys lack of will to do so, or in many instances because of a lack of resources to do so.Some Important DefinitionsWhere they are first used in this book, definitions are introduce

5、d in block form, as shown here, or printed in bold type.Environment is the physicsl and biotic habitat which surrounds us; that which we can see. hear, touch, smell, and taste.System. according to Wehster s dictionaryD , is defined as “a set or arrangement of things so related or connected as to for

6、m a unit or organic whole; as, a solar system, irrigation system, supply system, the world or universe”.Pollution can be defined as an undesirable change in the physical, chemical, or biological characteristics of the air, water, or land that can harmfully affect the health, survival, or activities

7、of humans or other living organisms.When the goal of improving environmental quality is taken to be improving human wellbeing. the word “environment” broadens to include all kinds of social, economic, and cultural aspects. Such broadness is unworkable in many real situations and impractical in a tex

8、tbook designed for a one-semester course. Our examination of environmental problems is therefore limited by our definition of “environment”.Interaction of SystemsA number of different environmental problems are associated with water, air, or land systems. Many of these problems will apply only withi

9、n one of these systems, justifying the breakdown into these categories. Such a classification is also useful for easier comprehension of related problems within one system. Moreover, it is sensible because, for managerial and administrative reasons , such subfields as air pollution, water supply, wa

10、stewater diaposal, and solid waste disposal are often dealt with separately by governmental agencies.Unfortunately, many important environmental problems are not confined to an air, water, or land system, but involve interactions between systems. A current example is the acid rain problem stemming f

11、rom the emission of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide gases into the atmosphere from the stacks of generating stations, smelters, and automobile exhausts. These gases are then transported by air currents over wide regions, Rainfall “washes them out”, creating acid rain which is harmful to aquatic li

12、fe, forests, and agricultural crops. Two examples of interaction between systems that cause major environmental disturbances are presented-the buildup of atmospheric carbon dioxide, a global problem. and the acid rain problem. normally of regional nature.Environmental DisturbancesMany major improvem

13、ents to our standard of living can be attributed to the application of science and technology. A few examples are noted here. Can you think of others? The production of more and better quality food The creation of housing as protection from extremes from climates and as living apace The building of

14、fast and reliable means of transportation The invention of various systems of communication The invention of machines to replace human or animal power The supply of safe water and the disposal of wastes The elimination of many infectious diseases The elimination of most water-borne diseases in the d

15、eveloped world through improved water technology The availability of leisure time through greater productivity, providing the opportunity for cultural and recreational activities The protection from the worst effects of natural disasters such as floods, droughts, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions.

16、With these improvements, however, have come disturbing side effects, such as lost arable land, disappearing forests, environmental pollution, and new organisms resistant tocontrols. Many effects originally considered to be just nuisances are now recognized as potential threats to nature and to human

17、a. In an agrarian society, people lived essentially in harmony with nature, raising food, gathering firewood, and making clothing and tools from the land. The wastes from animals and humans were returned to the soil as fertilizer. Few, if any, problems of water, land, or air pollution occurred.The c

18、ities of ancient times, particularly those of the Roman Empire had systems to supply water and to dispose of wastes. The aqueducts supplying the ancient city of Rome (population about 1 million) with safe water from the Cloaca Maxims, the best known and one of the earliest sewers to be built, are ex

19、amples of such systems. The municipal technology of ancient cities seems to have been forgotten for many centuries by those who built cities throughout Europe. Water supply and waste disposal were neglected, resulting in many outbreaks of dysentery, cholera, typhoid. and other waterborne diseases. U

20、ntil the middle of the nineteenth century, it was not realized that improper wastes disposal polluted water supplies with disease-carrying organisms. The industrial revolution in nineteenth- century Britain, Europe, and North Americs aggravated the environmental problems since it brought increased u

21、rbanization with the industrialization. Both phenomena, urbanization and industrialization, were and are fundamental causes of water and air pollution which the cities of that time were unable to handle.Rapid advances in technology for the treatment of water and the partial treatment of wastewater t

22、ook place in the developed countries over the next few decades. This led to a dramatic decrease in the incidence of waterborne diseases. Note that all wastes discharge into the environment, and thus pollute our water, air, and land systems.Unit 2Text: Historical Overview of Hazardous Substance Dispo

23、sal in the USAHazardous substance disposal practices in the United States have traveled full circle. Prior to 1978 there were few if any regulations regarding the disposal of these materials. Improper disposal of many of these chemicals resulted in health problems for many citizens, contaminated wat

24、er supplies, and destruction of wildlife. With the enactment of the Resource Conversation and Recovery Act (RCRAY1 of 1978, manufacturing facilities now have an obligation to account for all waste materials that are generated by the facility. Implementation of RCRA has been slow.From the very early

25、industrial period in the United Statea, which started about 1920, until several years after the Second World Wsr, there was little concern for the proper methods of disposal of waste materials that were generated as by-products during manufacturing processes. Up until the 1960a it was quite common t

26、o find fresh water rivers and streams fouled with waste chemicals from manufacturing, salt water from oil production wells and waste acids from steel mill activities. Virtually every conceivable waste oil, solvent, or resin waste could be found in the rivers. The laws of the time were either non-exi

27、stent or not enforced. The literature has many examples of health problems of individuals as well as destruction of fish and wildlife habitat. Many other cases occurred that were not reported in the literature.Other waste materiala were dumped haphazardly in makeshift excavations either at the facto

28、ry side or throughout the country aide. Because of ignorance and lack of economic incentives to do so, the factories made no attempt to prevent contamination of underground water supplies by the chemicals that were disposed of. In fact, knowledgeable scientists of the time accepted land irrigation a

29、nd percolation into the porous underground formations as methods of waste treatment. Although these treatment methods may have been intended for non-hazardous materiala, they were employed for hazardous materials as well. Again, there were no governmental regulations protecting the underground aquif

30、ers from these practices.The problem of disposal of hazardous chemicals did not improve with the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)in 1966. The first task of the new agency was to clean up rivera and streams. Unfortunately, no one in power in the government at the time had insight

31、 into the problema that were to be created by the new agency.The EPA waa quite successful in those early days in the enforcement of the many water pollution laws that evolved. As the practice of the dumping of hazardous materials into the rivers and streams was eliminated, those same materials creat

32、ed other disposal problems.Many of the chemicals saved from the sewer were either worthlesa or of such a low value as to render recovery uneconomical, In some cases, recovery was technically impossible. Asa result, the waste chemicals were disposed of by any convenient method. The makeshift dumps sites were expanded. Because there were no regulations regarding disposal, persons with no technical expertise entered into the business of waste disposal. The profits were high because these individuals did not treat the chemicals. In mosr cases, the waste materials were transported to imp