Environmental contaminants have several detrimental effects on the environment, ecosystems and human health. The mission of the Sustainability and Environmental Engineering Lab (SEEL) is to better understand the concentrations, sources and impacts of environmental contaminants in different compartments, with a focus on the atmospheric compartment, in order to devise strategies for their reduction and/or mitigation.

The laboratory is equipped with cutting-edge technology for bench-scale environmental measurements and is complemented by the Air Interdisciplinary Research (AIR) ambient monitoring station, which enables continuous outdoor monitoring of key environmental pollutants. Inside the lab, automated systems and advanced data analysis techniques are widely utilized to support both research and instructional activities. Beyond its research capabilities, SEEL also serves as a dynamic, hands-on learning environment for students enrolled in Environmental Engineering and Sustainability courses within the Department of Civil Engineering. The facility supports both undergraduate and graduate-level research, fostering experiential learning and innovation in environmental monitoring and analysis.

Equipment

  • M5310 Portable Total Organic Carbon analyzer (Suez)
  • Total carbon analyzer, TCA-08 (Magee Scientific)
  • Carbon monoxide analyzer (Ecotech)
  • Nitrogen oxides analyzer (Ecotech)
  • Particle-Into-Liquid-Sampler (PILS) (Brechtel Manufacturing Inc.)
  • Axioscope 7 Microscope (Ziess)
  • High-volume atmospheric sampler (Tisch Environmental)
  • Various VOC sensors
  • Vacuum Oven
  • pH meter
  • Digital balance
  • DryCal flowmeter (Mesa Labs)
  • Sulfur dioxide analyzer (Ecotech)
  • DustTrack DRX Desktop (TSI Inc)
  • Various low-cost air quality sensors:
    • Purple Air
    • AirU Pro (TELLUS Inc.)
    • Alphasense OPC-N3
    • Vaisala AQT 420

Lab Information

Location: LB173A

Lab Director: Dr. Marwa El-Sayed

Contact Us: To speak to someone about this lab or any of our facilities, call us at 386-226-6100 or 800-862-2416, or email marwa.elsayed@erau.edu.

Photos

Civil Engineering undergraduate student Devonne Friday conducts microplastics research in the Sustainability and Environmental Engineering Laboratory.
Civil Engineering undergraduate student Devonne Friday prepares a solution to calibrate a Total Organic Carbon Analyzer as part of the aqueous aerosol characterization project.
Atharv Dangore prepares a water solution in a vacuum filtration setup in preparation for FTIR spectrometry. Dangore is an Aerospace Engineering undergraduate student conducting research in the Sustainability and Environmental Engineering Laboratory (SEEL).
Civil Engineering undergraduate student Alexis Smith collects an ambient air sample to characterize microplastics in the atmosphere.