environmental engineering

The Environmental Engineering program at Michigan Technological University is recognized nationally and internationally for its research and development of physical and chemical processes. In the past 15 years, over 35 externally funded research projects in this area were successfully completed with project funds totaling over 10 million dollars. In addition, nine awards were granted by various national professional organizations for outstanding research. This included two Ph.D. dissertations and three masters theses awards.

Students within this program learn the fundamental tools which are essential for the development and problem solving of physical and chemical processes. In addition, they are also exposed to a wide range of environmental science and engineering topics which include: atmospheric pollution fate and transport, surface water quality, groundwater fate and transport, soil and subsurface groundwater remediation, and wastewater treatment.

Students with an emphasis on physical and chemical processes perform research on the development of new air and water treatment technologies, improve existing technologies through experimentation and mathematical modeling or develop improved design procedures for new and existing treatment technologies. Recent and Present research programs include:

• Development of predictive models to evaluate the design and operation of potable water treatment system on-board the proposed International Space Station (ISS).

• Development and optimization of adsorption processes for industrial and environmental applications.

• Development of homogeneous and heterogeneous advanced oxidation processes for industrial and environmental engineering applications.

• Development of adsorbent regeneration processes using advanced oxidation, thermal and electrolytic/catalytic techniques.

• Development of software design tools for industrial and environmental applications.

• Recovery of volatile organic chemical vapors using adsorption processes.