The Environmental Engineering Laboratory at Cooper Union is being improved for undergraduate instruction, experiments, and research projects with an upflow packed-bed bioreactor and other pilot and bench-top units. The bioreactor and other pilot units are used in conjunction with mutant bacteria cultures to demonstrate and study their effectiveness and kinetics in treating industrial and/or toxic wastewaters and sludges. The instruments and equipment are used for sampling, monitoring, and analyzing various quality parameters in the raw and treated wastes, as well as studying their biodegradability and/or toxicity. The Environmental Engineering Laboratory also supports several undergraduate experimental projects per year, and is used for demonstration and instructional purposes in several Civil and Chemical Engineering Department courses.
