环境工程专业英语全文文档.docx
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环境工程专业英语全文文档
PART1INTRODUCTIONTOENVIRONMENTALENGINEERING
Unit1
Text:
EnvironmentalEngineering
WhatIsThisBookAbout?
Theobjectiveofthisbookistointroduceengineeringandsciencestudentstotheinterdisciplinarystudyofenviroomentslproblems:
theircauses,whytheysreofconcern,andhowwecsncontrolthem.Thebookincludes:
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Descriptionofwhatismeantbyenvironmentsndbyenvironmentalsystems
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Informationonthebasiscausesofenvironmentaldisturbances
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Basisscientificknowledgenecessarytounderstandthenatureofenvironmentalproblemsandtobeabletoquantifythem
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Currentstateofthetechnologyenvironmentalcontrolinitsapplicationtowater,airandpollutionproblems
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Considerablegapsinourcurrentscientificknowledgeofunderstandingandcontrollingmanyofthecomplexinteractionsbetweenhumanactivitiesandnature
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Manyenvironmentalproblemswhichcouldbeeliminatedorreducedbytheapplicationofcurrenttechnology,butwhicharenotdealtwithbecauseofsociety’slackofwilltodoso,orinmanyinstancesbecauseofalackofresourcestodoso.
SomeImportantDefinitions
Wheretheyarefirstusedinthisbook,definitionsareintroducedinblockform,asshownhere,orprintedinboldtype.
Environmentisthephysicslandbiotichabitatwhichsurroundsus;thatwhichwecansee.hear,touch,smell,andtaste.
System.accordingtoWehster’sdictionaryD,isdefinedas“asetorarrangementofthingssorelatedorconnectedastoformaunitororganicwhole;as,asolarsystem,irrigationsystem,supplysystem,theworldoruniverse”.
Pollutioncanbedefinedasanundesirablechangeinthephysical,chemical,orbiologicalcharacteristicsoftheair,water,orlandthatcanharmfullyaffectthehealth,survival,oractivitiesofhumansorotherlivingorganisms.
Whenthegoalofimprovingenvironmentalqualityistakentobeimprovinghumanwell
being.theword“environment”broadenstoincludeallkindsofsocial,economic,andculturalaspects.Suchbroadnessisunworkableinmanyrealsituationsandimpracticalinatextbookdesignedforaone-semestercourse.Ourexaminationofenvironmentalproblemsisthereforelimitedbyourdefinitionof“environment”.
InteractionofSystems
Anumberofdifferentenvironmentalproblemsareassociatedwithwater,air,orlandsystems.Manyoftheseproblemswillapplyonlywithinoneofthesesystems,justifyingthebreakdownintothesecategories.Suchaclassificationisalsousefulforeasiercomprehensionofrelatedproblemswithinonesystem.Moreover,itissensiblebecause,formanagerialandadministrativereasons®,suchsubfieldsasairpollution,watersupply,wastewaterdiaposal,andsolidwastedisposalareoftendealtwithseparatelybygovernmentalagencies.
Unfortunately,manyimportantenvironmentalproblemsarenotconfinedtoanair,water,orlandsystem,butinvolveinteractionsbetweensystems.Acurrentexampleistheacidrainproblemstemmingfromtheemissionofsulfurdioxideandnitrogenoxidegasesintotheatmospherefromthestacksofgeneratingstations®,smelters,andautomobileexhausts.Thesegasesarethentransportedbyaircurrentsoverwideregions,Rainfall“washesthemout”,creatingacidrainwhichisharmfultoaquaticlife,forests,andagriculturalcrops.Twoexamplesofinteractionbetweensystemsthatcausemajorenvironmentaldisturbancesarepresented-thebuildupofatmosphericcarbondioxide,aglobalproblem.andtheacidrainproblem.normallyofregionalnature.
EnvironmentalDisturbances
Manymajorimprovementstoourstandardoflivingcanbeattributedtotheapplicationofscienceandtechnology.Afewexamplesarenotedhere.Canyouthinkofothers?
•Theproductionofmoreandbetterqualityfood
•Thecreationofhousingasprotectionfromextremesfromclimatesandaslivingapace
•Thebuildingoffastandreliablemeansoftransportation
•Theinventionofvarioussystemsofcommunication
•Theinventionofmachinestoreplacehumanoranimalpower
•Thesupplyofsafewaterandthedisposalofwastes
•Theeliminationofmanyinfectiousdiseases
•Theeliminationofmostwater-bornediseasesinthedevelopedworldthroughimprovedwatertechnology
•Theavailabilityofleisuretimethroughgreaterproductivity,providingtheopportunityforculturalandrecreationalactivities
•Theprotectionfromtheworsteffectsofnaturaldisasterssuchasfloods,droughts,earthquakes,andvolcaniceruptions.
Withtheseimprovements,however,havecomedisturbingsideeffects,suchaslostarableland,disappearingforests,environmentalpollution,andneworganismsresistantto
controls.Manyeffectsoriginallyconsideredtobejustnuisancesarenowrecognizedaspotentialthreatstonatureandtohumana.Inanagrariansociety,peoplelivedessentiallyinharmonywithnature,raisingfood,gatheringfirewood,andmakingclothingandtoolsfromtheland.Thewastesfromanimalsandhumanswerereturnedtothesoilasfertilizer.Few,ifany,problemsofwater,land,orairpollutionoccurred.
Thecitiesofancienttimes,particularlythoseoftheRomanEmpire®hadsystemstosupplywaterandtodisposeofwastes.TheaqueductssupplyingtheancientcityofRome(populationabout1million)withsafewaterfromtheCloacaMaxims©,thebestknownandoneoftheearliestsewerstobebuilt,areexamplesofsuchsystems.ThemunicipaltechnologyofancientcitiesseemstohavebeenforgottenformanycenturiesbythosewhobuiltcitiesthroughoutEurope.Watersupplyandwastedisposalwereneglected,resultinginmanyoutbreaksofdysentery,cholera,typhoid.andotherwaterbornediseases.Untilthemiddleofthenineteenthcentury,itwasnotrealizedthatimproperwastesdisposalpollutedwatersupplieswithdisease-carryingorganisms.Theindustrialrevolutioninnineteenth-centuryBritain,Europe,andNorthAmericsaggravatedtheenvironmentalproblemssinceitbroughtincreasedurbanizationwiththeindustrialization.Bothphenomena,urbanizationandindustrialization,wereandarefundamentalcausesofwaterandairpollutionwhichthecitiesofthattimewereunabletohandle.
Rapidadvancesintechnologyforthetreatmentofwaterandthepartialtreatmentofwastewatertookplaceinthedevelopedcountriesoverthenextfewdecades.Thisledtoadramaticdecreaseintheincidenceofwaterbornediseases®.Notethatallwastesdischargeintotheenvironment,andthuspolluteourwater,air,andlandsystems.
Unit2
Text:
HistoricalOverviewofHazardousSubstanceDisposalintheUSA
HazardoussubstancedisposalpracticesintheUnitedStateshavetraveledfullcircle.Priorto1978therewerefewifanyregulationsregardingthedisposalofthesematerials.Improperdisposalofmanyofthesechemicalsresultedinhealthproblemsformanycitizens,contaminatedwatersupplies,anddestructionofwildlife.WiththeenactmentoftheResourceConversationandRecoveryAct(RCRAY1of1978,manufacturingfacilitiesnowhaveanobligationtoaccountforallwastematerialsthataregeneratedbythefacility.ImplementationofRCRAhasbeenslow.
FromtheveryearlyindustrialperiodintheUnitedStatea,whichstartedabout1920,untilseveralyearsaftertheSecondWorldWsr,therewaslittleconcernforthepropermethodsofdisposalofwastematerialsthatweregeneratedasby-productsduringmanufacturingprocesses.Upuntilthe1960’aitwasquitecommontofindfreshwaterriversandstreamsfouledwithwastechemicalsfrommanufacturing,saltwaterfromoilproductionwellsandwasteacidsfromsteelmillactivities.Virtuallyeveryconceivablewasteoil,solvent,orresinwastecouldbefoundintherivers.Thelawsofthetimewereeithernon-existentornotenforced.Theliteraturehasmanyexamplesofhealthproblemsofindividualsaswellasdestructionoffishandwildlifehabitat.Manyothercasesoccurredthatwerenotreportedintheliterature.
Otherwastematerialaweredumpedhaphazardlyinmakeshiftexcavationseitheratthefactorysideorthroughoutthecountryaide.Becauseofignoranceandlackofeconomicincentivestodoso,thefactoriesmadenoattempttopreventcontaminationofundergroundwatersuppliesbythechemicalsthatweredisposedof.Infact,knowledgeablescientistsofthetimeacceptedlandirrigationandpercolationintotheporousundergroundformationsasmethodsofwastetreatment.Althoughthesetreatmentmethodsmayhavebeenintendedfornon-hazardousmateriala,theywereemployedforhazardousmaterialsaswell.Again,therewerenogovernmentalregulationsprotectingtheundergroundaquifersfromthesepractices.
TheproblemofdisposalofhazardouschemicalsdidnotimprovewiththecreationoftheEnvironmentalProtectionAgency(EPA)©in1966.Thefirsttaskofthenewagencywastocleanupriveraandstreams.Unfortunately,nooneinpowerinthegovernmentatthetimehadinsightintotheproblemathatweretobecreatedbythenewagency.
TheEPAwaaquitesuccessfulinthoseearlydaysintheenforcementofthemanywaterpollutionlawsthatevolved.Asthepracticeofthedumpingofhazardousmaterialsintotheriversandstreamswaseliminated,thosesamematerialscreatedotherdisposalproblems.
Manyofthechemicalssavedfromthesewerwereeitherworthlesaorofsuchalowvalueastorenderrecoveryuneconomical,Insomecases,recoverywastechnicallyimpossible.As
aresult,thewastechemicalsweredisposedofbyanyconvenientmethod.Themakeshiftdumpssiteswereexpanded.Becausetherewerenoregulationsregardingdisposal,personswithnotechnicalexpertiseenteredintothebusinessofwastedisposal.Theprofitswerehighbecausetheseindividualsdidnottreatthechemicals.Inmosrcases,thewastematerialsweretransportedtoimp