Air Pollution Control and Atmosphere Quiz

Environmental Science and Engineering

• This presentation covers introductions to environmental science and engineering.
• It includes topics about ecosystems, symbiotic relationships, food chains/webs, biogeochemical cycles.
• Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs) include describing ecosystem components, differentiating relationships between components, and explaining biogeochemical cycles' importance in environmental pollution.

Science

• Science is systematized knowledge.
• Natural Science includes environmental science.
• Social Science studies how people live together.

Ecology

• Ecology is the study of how living things relate to each other and their environment.
• 'Oikos' is a Greek word meaning house or place to live.

Ecological Organization

• Population: all members of a species in one location
• Community: interacting populations in an area
• Ecosystem: living community and physical environment
• Biosphere: portion of the Earth where life exists; numerous complex ecosystems.
• Interactions between abiotic and biotic factors are crucial for stable ecosystems.

Ecosystems

• A functional unit of nature where living organisms interact with each other and the surrounding environment.
• Size varies from small ponds to large forests/seas.
• Classifications include:
  • Terrestrial (forest, grassland, desert)
  • Aquatic (pond, lake, wetland, river, estuary)
  • Natural (terrestrial & aquatic)
  • Man-made (aquarium, zoo, garden, orchard)

Major Components of Ecosystems

• Inorganic substances (e.g., C, N, S, P, O2, CO2, H2O)
• Organic compounds (proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, nucleic acids)
• Climatic regime (temperature, humidity, sunlight, water)
• Producers (autotrophs like green plants)
• Macro-consumers (heterotrophs, animal consumers)
• Micro-consumers (saprotrophs/osmotrophs, bacteria, fungi)

Human Influences on Ecosystems

• The presentation discusses how humans influence ecosystems.

Nutritional Relationships

• Autotrophs: synthesize their own food from inorganic compounds.
• Heterotrophs: depend on other organisms for food.
  • Saprophytes: decomposers that feed on dead organic matter.
  • Herbivores: plant eaters
  • Carnivores: meat eaters
  • Omnivores: eat both plants and meat
  • Predators: kill and eat prey.
  • Scavengers: feed on dead animals.

Symbiotic Relationships

• Symbiosis: living together in close association.
• Types:
  • Mutualism: both organisms benefit. (e.g., nitrogen-fixing bacteria in legumes)
  • Commensalism: one organism benefits, the other is unharmed. (e.g., barnacles on whales)
  • Parasitism: one organism benefits, the other is harmed. (e.g., athlete's foot fungus)

Food Chain and Food Web

• Food chain: energy transfer from green plants through organisms (eating and being eaten).
• Food web: complex energy flow in natural communities (more complicated than a single food chain).
• Food web interactions: Producers → Primary Consumers → Secondary Consumers → Decomposers

Example problem (Deer)

• A deer eats 25 kg of herbaceous material per day.
• Dry matter (DM) is 20% of the material, containing 10 MJ per kg DM.
• 25% is excreted, 80% of digested material is lost to heat/waste.
• 20% of digested energy makes body tissue, equals 7.5 MJ daily.

Environmental Considerations

• Earth is a closed system for matter, except for small amounts of cosmic debris entering.
• Chemical processes of life derive from elements present in Earth's crust.
• Matter cycles continually through Earth's atmosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere, and lithosphere.

Gas Cycles

• Discusses the carbon cycle, oxygen cycle, and nitrogen cycle, including processes like photosynthesis, respiration, decomposition, nitrogen fixation, and nitrification.

Sedimentary Cycles

• Details the phosphorus cycle and the sulfur cycle, and their associated processes.

Group Assignment #1

• Defines significant steps required for each cycle (carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, sulfur, phosphorus, water.)

Air Pollution

• Air pollution is the contamination of the indoor or outdoor environment.
• It's the presence of one or more contaminants.
• WHO data show almost all of the global population breathes air exceeding guideline limits.
• Different types and sources, with short- and long-term averages, are provided.
• The presented material covers pollutants, their sources (mobile, stationary, area, natural), and effects.

Effects of Air Pollution on Health

• Air pollution's effects on health include respiratory tract (URT) issues
  • nose, pharynx, larynx, and trachea irritation,
  • lung function issues (e.g., asthma, bronchitis, emphysema, and lung cancer).
  • A danger of carbon monoxide (CO).

Effects of Air Pollution on Vegetation

• Ozone, affecting palisade cells (causing red spots that turn white and are called flecks)
• Nitrogen dioxide (NO2), leading to necrosis of leaves when present in high levels.
• Sulfur dioxide, causing discoloration of vegetation.
• Effects on plants are described via impacts on chloroplasts and reduced cell wall strength.

Global Warming

• Global warming is long-term heating of Earth's surface since the pre-industrial period (1850-1900).
• Primarily due to human activities, like burning fossil fuels.
• Greenhouse gas levels increase in Earth's atmosphere.
• The greenhouse effect is discussed (atmosphere letting solar radiation through).

The Earth's Atmosphere

• Details the layers of Earth’s atmosphere (exosphere, thermosphere, mesosphere, stratosphere, troposphere).
• Specific characteristics associated with each layer are described, such as altitude, temperature, particle density, presence of the ozone layer, and functions/activities in the layer (weather, jet planes).

Physical and Chemical Fundamentals

• Ideal Gas Law (PV = nRT, density of gas (ρ = MP/GMW * 22.414 * T2/273K * 101.325 kPa/P2 V/ a * 1,000 L/m³))
• Units of Measurement (micrograms per cubic meter (µg/m³), parts per million (ppm), micrometer(µm))
• Conversion Equations for gas concentration from µg/m³ to ppm

Wastewater Treatment Process

• Covers the following stages:
  • Screening and Pumping
  • Grit Removal
  • Primary Settling
  • Aeration/Activated Sludge
  • Secondary Settling
  • Filtration
  • Disinfection
  • Sludge Treatment (primary sludge from the bottom of clarifiers in step three, with continuous flow of waste activated sludge from the aeration step, must be treated to reduce volume and produce a usable end product.)
• Details for each step to remove impurities and convert wastewater to a useful end product..

Solid Waste Management

• What is solid waste/refuse: Discarded household, commercial, non-hazardous institutional and industrial.
• Different kinds of solid waste/refuse are described (e.g., garbage, rubbish, and trash)
• Ecological solid waste management: systematic management of solid waste.
• Main objectives: to remove discarded materials from inhabited places and to dispose accordingly.
• Key steps in collection: what types of solid wastes are collected, from whom, choice of containers, crew size, and methods.
• Collection methods: curbside (alley pickup), set-out (set-back), backyard pickup.

Noise Pollution

• Characteristics of sound, and what is noise.
• Classifications (community noise, occupational noise, sources of noise pollution).
• Effects of noise (hearing problems, sleep disorders, cardiovascular issues).
• Noise control (reduction design methods, sound insulation, absorption, and vibration damping).

Environmental Management System

• Introduces Environmental Management Systems (EMS).
• Includes related standards (like ISO 14001:2015), the roles of the DENR, and advantages/benefits of EMS implantation.
• Steps and action plans in implementing an EMS are detailed (including roles, responsibilities, budgets, schedules, and human resources involvement aspects).

Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process

• Steps of an EIA process are detailed (Screening, Scoping, Impact Assessment, Impact Management, EIA Report, Monitoring, and Review and Licensing).

Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC)

• Details of an ECC, including content, validity, and associated penalties.