Chemistry, Thermodynamics, and Reaction Kinetics for Environmental Engineers

Dr. Jeff (Jih-Fen) Kuo had worked in environmental engineering industry for 10 years before joining Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at California State University, Fullerton (CSUF) in 1995. He gained his industrial experience from working at Groundwater Technology Inc.; Dames and Moore; James M. Montgomery Consulting Engineers, and the Sanitation Districts of Los Angeles County (LACSD). His industrial experience includes design and installation of air strippers, activated carbon adsorbers, soil vapor extraction systems, bioremediation systems, and flare/catalytic incinerators. He is also experienced in site assessment; fate and transport analysis of toxic compounds in the environment; RI/FS work for landfills and superfund sites; design of flanged connections to meet stringent fugitive emission requirements; and development of emission factors for VOC emissions from wastewater treatment. He also participated in application research on various wastewater treatment projects when working at LACSD. Areas of research in environmental engineering include dechlorination of halogenated aromatics by ultrasound, fines/bacteria migration through porous media, biodegradability of heavy hydrocarbons, surface properties of composite mineral oxides, kinetics of activated carbon adsorption, wastewater filtration, THM formation potential of ion exchange resins, UV disinfection, sequential chlorination, nitrification/denitrification, removal of target compounds using nanoparticles, persulfate oxidation of persistent chemicals, microwave oxidation for wastewater treatment, destruction and removal of PFOAs, landfill gas recovery and utilization, greenhouse gases control technologies, fugitive methane emissions from gas industry, and stormwater runoff treatment. He received a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from National Taiwan University, an M.S. in Chemical Engineering from University of Wyoming, an M.S. in Petroleum Engineering, and an M.S. and a Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering from University of Southern California. He is a professional civil, mechanical, and chemical engineer registered in California.

1. Basic Concepts Related to General Chemistry. 2. Organic Chemistry for Environmental Engineers. 3. Inorganic Chemistry for Environmental Engineers. 4. Fundamentals of Chemical Thermodynamics. 5. Chemical Reaction Equilibria. 6. Solutes, Solvents, and Solutions. 7. Ionic Aquatic Solutions. 8. Acid-Base Equilibria in Aqueous Solutions. 9. Oxidation-Reduction Reactions in Aqueous Solutions. 10. Fundamentals of Chemical Reaction Kinetics. 11. Types and Design of Chemical Reactors. 12. Water Quality Parameters. 13. Chemistry in Soils. 14. Chemistry in the Atmosphere.