The Environmental Group is an established area of strength within the Department of Civil Engineering, with research conducted by faculty members in diverse areas spanning multiple scales. Their current research is focused primarily on water-related issues, including surface water, groundwater, drinking water, and wastewater in both natural and engineered systems. Examples include the design of low-energy and low-cost wastewater treatment systems, emerging contaminants such as algae toxins, PPCPs, flame retardants and microplastics, groundwater flow and contaminant transport for the remediation of contaminated sites (see Figure 1), and the sustainable design and operation of urban water systems.
The group’s methods range from small-scale laboratory studies to pilotscale and field-scale investigations, Synchroton radiation, nano-technology, biotechnology and also involve the development and application of advanced numerical modelling techniques. Emerging areas of concentration include research at the water-energy interface, such as bioenergy recovery, energy interactions in water distribution systems, and impacts to water from energy development, as well as the transport and treatment of emerging contaminants. Much of the research is anchored in the Beaty Water Research Centre (see Figure 2).
Researchers in the group include a Canada Research Chair, as well as fellows of the Canadian Academy of Engineering (CAE) and the Engineering Institute of Canada (EIC), the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), and the National Ground Water Association (NGWA).
Researchers in this group: