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ChemEngineering
Volume 9
Issue 6
10.3390/chemengineering9060140
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This is an early access version, the complete PDF, HTML, and XML versions will be available soon.
Article

Monte Carlo Simulations as an Alternative for Solving Engineering Problems in Environmental Sciences: Three Case Studies

by
Sergio Luis Parra-Angarita
1,
Guillermo H. Gaviria
2,
Juan F. Herrera-Ruiz
3 and
María del Carmen Márquez
4,*
1
Chemical Engineering Research Unit, PEPs, University of Liège, Quartier Polytech 1, allée de la Découverte 9, 4000 Liège, Belgium
2
Grupo de Investigación en Procesos Reactivos Intensificados y Materiales Avanzados-PRISMA, Departamento de Ingeniería Química, Facultad de Ingeniería y Arquitectura, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Sede Manizales, Campus La Nubia, km 9 vía al Aeropuerto la Nubia, Manizales 170001, Caldas, Colombia
3
Grupo de Investigación en Aplicación de Nuevas Tecnologías (GIANT), Departamento de Ingeniería Química, Facultad de Ingeniería y Arquitectura, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Sede Manizales, Campus La Nubia, km 9 vía al Aeropuerto la Nubia, Manizales 170001, Caldas, Colombia
4
Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Chemical Sciences, University of Salamanca, Plaza de los Caídos 1-5, 37008 Salamanca, Spain
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
ChemEngineering 2025, 9(6), 140; https://doi.org/10.3390/chemengineering9060140
Submission received: 31 May 2025 / Revised: 3 October 2025 / Accepted: 4 December 2025 / Published: 9 December 2025
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Approaches for the Environmental Chemical Engineering)
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Abstract

Monte Carlo methods offer a fast, cost-effective approach for modeling environmental systems influenced by random variability. This study applied them to three abiotic cases: (I) water quality in a lentic surface water source, (II) sizing of a homogenization chamber for solid waste treatment, and (III) removal of atmospheric particulate matter by rain. Deterministic models produced wide and inconsistent estimates: BOD5 concentrations from 5.28 to 19.81 mg/L (275% relative difference), chamber volumes from 24.12 to 116.53 m3, and particulate matter reductions with up to 60 µg/m3 per month variation. Monte Carlo simulations, by contrast, captured system variability and provided more robust outputs: a design value of 94.84 m3 for the homogenization chamber, narrower ranges for BOD5, and realistic distributions of atmospheric PM concentrations. Results show that reliance on average values introduces strong biases and mathematical incompatibilities, while the Monte Carlo approach yields quantitative predictions that are both accurate and operationally useful. This confirms its relevance as a practical tool for analyzing and designing environmental systems under uncertainty.
Keywords: Monte Carlo method; mathematical modeling; environmental systems; stochastic simulation; contaminant removal; solid waste treatment; water quality Monte Carlo method; mathematical modeling; environmental systems; stochastic simulation; contaminant removal; solid waste treatment; water quality
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MDPI and ACS Style

Parra-Angarita, S.L.; Gaviria, G.H.; Herrera-Ruiz, J.F.; Márquez, M.d.C. Monte Carlo Simulations as an Alternative for Solving Engineering Problems in Environmental Sciences: Three Case Studies. ChemEngineering 2025, 9, 140. https://doi.org/10.3390/chemengineering9060140

AMA Style

Parra-Angarita SL, Gaviria GH, Herrera-Ruiz JF, Márquez MdC. Monte Carlo Simulations as an Alternative for Solving Engineering Problems in Environmental Sciences: Three Case Studies. ChemEngineering. 2025; 9(6):140. https://doi.org/10.3390/chemengineering9060140

Chicago/Turabian Style

Parra-Angarita, Sergio Luis, Guillermo H. Gaviria, Juan F. Herrera-Ruiz, and María del Carmen Márquez. 2025. "Monte Carlo Simulations as an Alternative for Solving Engineering Problems in Environmental Sciences: Three Case Studies" ChemEngineering 9, no. 6: 140. https://doi.org/10.3390/chemengineering9060140

APA Style

Parra-Angarita, S. L., Gaviria, G. H., Herrera-Ruiz, J. F., & Márquez, M. d. C. (2025). Monte Carlo Simulations as an Alternative for Solving Engineering Problems in Environmental Sciences: Three Case Studies. ChemEngineering, 9(6), 140. https://doi.org/10.3390/chemengineering9060140

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