The discipline of Environmental Science and Engineering has developed from the major of Chemical Engineering of Kunming Institute of Technology that was established in 1958. In February 1978, the major of Environmental Engineering in the first batch in China was built based on the major of Chemical Engineering with the consent of the former State Education Commission. Currently, the Faculty has national key disciplines, the post-doctoral research station of Environmental Science and Technology, the doctor’s degree conferring spot in Environmental Science and Technology (first- level discipline), and the master’s degree conferring spot in Environmental Science and Engineering (first-level discipline). The Faculty has a complete talent-training system, cultivating bachelors, masters, doctors and post-doctors. The doctor’s degree conferring spot in Environmental Science and Engineering (first-level discipline) subordinates eight second-level doctor’s degree conferring spots in Environmental Engineering, Environmental Science, Resources Chemistry, Environmental Ecology, Environmental Biology, Environmental Medicine, Renewable Resources, Resources and Environmental Planning and Management.
On the fundamental, strategic and far-reaching issues of the environmental and ecological development of the western region of China, the disciplines focus on the major environmental problems including ecological destruction and the pollution of solid waste, air and water. Currently, four research fields have been formed, namely Industrial Waste Gas Purification and Recycling, Solid Waste Recycling, Environmental Soil Chemistry and Plateau Water Pollution Prevention and Control.
Industrial Waste Gas Purification and Recycling: in order to solve the problem of waste gas pollution in the dominant industries of western China, a series of researches have been conducted on the purification and concentration, recycling, and efficient combustion of industrious waste gas by the R&D of “emission reduction-purification- concentration-recycling” technology. By the research on the mechanism and process of the production of industrious waste gas, numerical stimulation has been carried out in industrious process control to optimize the combustion and improve efficiency thereof. Considering the special topographical and climatic condition of Yunnan Plateau, a wind-tunnel laboratory has been established to conduct stimulation researches on the risk assessment of urban air pollutants and industrious pollution accidents.
Solid Waste Recycling: in order to harmlessly recycle the solid waste generated by the dominant industries in western China including phosphorous coal chemical industry and metallurgical industry, focusing on local economic development and the requirements of national policies, an assessment system has been made on the comprehensive utilization and recycling of industrious solid waste. The features of the disciplines(Chemical Engineering and Material Engineering) including resources recycling, environmental protection and sustainable development are highlighted by the new technologies and equipments for solid waste recycling, non-ferrous metallurgical waste recycling, the harmless disposal of phosphoric coal chemical solid waste, the application of microwave energy in resource recycling, the R&D of environmental materials processed from industrious solid waste, accompanied by the environmental impact and engineering technology involved in environmental protection.
Plateau Water Pollution Prevention and Control: in order to solve the serious problems in Yunnan Province including the pollution of plateau lakes, the lack and organic pollution of drinking water, the backward treatment of urban domestic sewage and industrious wastewater, three directions have been formed, namely Organic Pollutants Environmental Safety, Plateau Lakes Eutrophication Control Theory and Technology, and Industrious Wastewater Disposal and Recycling. A series of Researches have been conducted on the migration and release of nitrogen and phosphorus and regularities thereof at the sediment-water interface in Dianchi Lake, and the absorption, concentration and degradation of nitrogen, phosphorus, heavy metals, metalloid, and organics by special aquatic plants have been disclosed. Recycling technologies of wastewater and heavy metal waste in industrious mining enterprises have been adopted for the utilization of water resources with micro-electrolysis and other electrochemical technologies as the core.
Environmental Soil Chemistry: the fragile natural environment of Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau and the comprehensive exploitation of mineral and hydraulic resources have made this region a source of soil erosion, which suffers the migration of kinds of pollutants and risks. The discipline of Environmental and Ecological Science and Engineering, focusing on the environmental geochemical behavior mechanism of the pollutants in red-soil and by virtue of certain methods including soil and water conservation, biodiversity, phytoremediation and pollution chemistry, aims to develop the technology of pollutant control and ecological system rebuilding to ensure that biological and environmental resources can be utilized properly.
The Faculty’s achievements of discipline construction over 2009-2011 was systematically summarized in the assessment of Environmental Science and Engineering (first-level discipline) organized by Degree and Graduate Education Development Center of the Ministry of Education in March 2012. Altogether 82 universities participated in this assessment, and the discipline of Environmental Science and Engineering of Kunming University of Science and Technology (hereinafter referred to as KUST) ranked 10th, parallel to that of Jilin University, Donghua University, Shanghai University, Huazhong University of Science and Technology and Sichuan University.
