The Future of Environmental Engineering in the Context of CEE Departments and Pressing 21st Century

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CEE in the 21st Century

• Providing services for a functioning society in
  more sustainable ways
• Recognizing needs for both long-term
  infrastructure and environmental health
• Integrating perspectives to improve both the
  built and natural environments

Questions to the Visiting Committee
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Sustainability the concept
The Island Problem Long-term use of limited
resources in face of increasing population and
environmental constraints

• To meet the needs of the present without
  compromising the ability of future generations to
  meet their needs Brundtland Report, 1987

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21st Century realities

• Water 1/3 of worlds population find it
  difficult or impossible to meet water needs
• Buildings Consume 42 of US energy 50
  including embodied energy

• Urbanization unprecedented development outpacing
  efforts to mitigate risks
• Health Unsafe air and water contribute to about
  five million deaths/yr worldwide
• Earths life support systems natural resources
  and ecosystems are in peril

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Global water supply sanitation

• 80 of all sicknesses in developing world relate
  to water and inadequate sanitation Water
  Advocates, NY Times, 3/22/05

Doctors Without Borders

• The challenge is how best to tackle these
  problems in the technical, social, economic and
  political settings.

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US water concerns

• Supply Acute water shortage in West and
  So.West
• Pathogens Calif. beach closings and ecological
  effects, e.g., Calif. sea otter vegetable crops
• Stressed Ecosystems Coastal margins, lakes,
  reefs

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Built environment

• Less developed countries need sustainable
  infrastructure
• US infrastructure needs renewal
• Affordable housing
• Less polluting construction practices
• Urbanization increases risk of loss from hazards

Millions
Emergency Management Institute
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Built environment and loss
Trend in Economic Loss from Disasters

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Eduardo Miranda, Stanford U. Pacific
Earthquake Engineering Research Center
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BUILDINGS USE ALMOST HALF OF U.S. ENERGY
Light Trucks, SUVs 6.5
RESIDENTIAL BLDGS 22
TRANSPORTATION 28
COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS 18
NON-BLDG INDUSTRY 22
INDUSTRIAL BLDGS 2
EMB0DIED ENERGY IN BLDG MATRLS 7
..AND ACCOUNT FOR ABOUT HALF OF U.S. CARBON
EMISSIONS
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Coming together
CEE retreat May 10, 2003
CEE retreat Jan 7, 2006
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Redefining ourselves
Engineering for Sustainability
Model for other CEE depts. ?
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Sustainable built environment

• Infrastructure systems
• New approaches for dealing with unaffordable
  deterioration
• Smarter infrastructure systems for new design
  (e.g., less developed countries)
• Hardened infrastructure to protect rapid
  urbanization
• Sustainable building design
• Innovating green buildings
• Sustainable construction practices

Eng. Analysis Broader Approaches
Terman Engineering Center

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Sustainable built environment
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Sustainable built environment
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Sustainable built environment

• Sensing for condition assessment, real-time
  maintenance and damage monitoring

• Durable, damage- resistant systems

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Sustainable built environment
Performance Based Engineering Hazard Assessment
Annualized Structural Damage and Economic Loss
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Sustainable water environment

• Water for people
• Control of pathogens
• Emerging contaminants
• (smart chemical design)
• Membranes and reuse
• Global water supply and sanitation

• Water for ecosystems
• Managing impacts and anthropogenic effects
• (e.g., sediment and runoff)
• Habitat protection/restoration
• Natural capital and services

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Sustainable water environment

• Smart chemical design
• Env. eng. - environmental fate and modeling
• Chemistry - product design
• Chem. Eng. - product performance manuf.
• Biology - cellular and ecosystem effects
• Whole picture view -- protect ecosystems and
  promote water reuse

Emerging Contaminants

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Sustainable water environment
Membrane Biotechnology for Water Reuse
First stage Remove C as methane
Second stage Remove N as N2 P in wasted biomass
UF membranes
UF membranes
RO
Reversal of conventional wastewater treatment
recovers energy from organics, uses less O2
produces less sludge, first stage generates
carbon for N and P removal, avoids chemicals for
disinfection, effluent ready for RO.
Reuse
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Sustainable water environment

• 2.6 billion people (42 of world population) lack
  access to adequate sanitation services
• Progress in expanding sanitation services much
  slower than with water supply
• How and what to deliver? Link social,
  political, economic with engineering and health
  sciences

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Sustainable energy systems

• Renewable energy resources technologies
• Environmental biotechnology for clean energy
• Impacts of hydrogen linking hydrogen with wind
  mapping wind
• Green buildings as generators
• Vehicle fuel switching
• Energy efficiency distributed generation
• How do the pieces work together?
• Faculty hiring challenge

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Laboratory, field work, modeling

• Relevant research
• Research that makes a difference
• Outcome-oriented, transition to the field apply
  knowledge
• Engage regulators and advisory groups

In place restoration of PCB-contaminated
sediment, Hunters Point, San Francisco Bay
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Our New Home Environment and Energy Bldg.
Affiliate by Thrust Areas Freshwater Marine and
Ocean Sustainable Built Environ. Energy and
Climate Land Use Conservation
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Student interest!!
Engineers for a Sustainable World
National Conf. Stanford, Sept. 30-Oct. 2, 2004
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Green Dorm
Designing a sustainable future begins with
examining how we live A practical demonstration
of whats possible without radical life-style
changes
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Inspiring
Nov 2003
Spring 2004
Winter 2004
Spring 2006
Winter 2005, 2006
Fall Winter 2006
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High Performance Green Dorm

• Our goals
• Net generation of electricity
• No net carbon emissions
• 50 less water 100 water reuse?
• Home is your gas station
• Life-cycle building performance
• Built to adapt to technology changes
• Fun, experiential, teaching facility
• And the most desirable living unit at Stanford!

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• Green Dorm Sustainable Strategies

http//soe.stanford.edu/research/greendorm.html
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Sustainable energy
Buildings a key part of reduced carbon emissions
and oil consumption
OIL
CLIMATE
OC

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LIVING LABORATORY Energy Systems For A
Zero-Carbon Green Dorm
Export Carbon-free electricity
kWh
Electricity Demand
Food waste
Stirling engine
CH4
kWh
Photovoltaics
Digester
Hot Water
OFFSET CARBON EMISSIONS OF THE NATURAL GAS BY
EXPORTING ELECTRICITY TO THE GRID
Hot Tank
Space Heat
Btu
Solar thermal
Fuel Cell
CH4
Buy N. Gas
Cooking
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Student engagement
Green Dorm Project Course Fall 2006
Student Design Team May 2006 EPA and Green Globe
Awards
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Doing things differently
A more integrated department with linkages across
the school and university More of a focus on
large societal problems Increased understanding
of natural systems Greater blending of
environmental, construction, architecture, and
engineering processes