Introduction to Environmental Science and Engineering PDF

Introduction to ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING CHE3131: Environmental Science and Engineering for CHE Prepared by: Engr. Mclister A. Abellera  Environmental Science and Environmental Engineering...

Introduction to ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING CHE3131: Environmental Science and Engineering for CHE Prepared by: Engr. Mclister A. Abellera  Environmental Science and Environmental Engineering ENVIRONMENT (BIOPHYSICAL) The biotic and abiotic surrounding of an organism, or population, and includes particularly the factors that have an influence in their survival, development and evolution. ❖Biotic – living component of a community ❖Abiotic – nonliving factors that affect living organisms SCIENCE The systematic study of the structure and behavior of the physical and natural world through observation, experimentation, and the testing of theories against the evidence obtained Prepared by: Engr. MAAbellera  Environmental Science and Environmental Engineering ENGINEERING The creative application of scientific principles to design or develop structures, machines, apparatus, or manufacturing processes, or works utilizing them singly or in combination; or to construct or operate the same with full cognizance of their design; or to forecast their behavior under specific operating conditions. Prepared by: Engr. MAAbellera  Environmental Science and Environmental Engineering ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE ✓ A discipline that integrates different fields of sciences to understand the environment. ✓ An interdisciplinary area of study that includes both applied and theoretical aspect of human impact on the world. “the study of the HUMAN IMPACT to the environment” ✓ Ecology: the study of living this, nonliving things, the environment and their interactions Prepared by: Engr. MAAbellera  Environmental Science and Environmental Engineering ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING ✓ The application of science and engineering principles to improve the natural environment (air, water, and/or land resources), to provide healthy water, air, and land for human habitation and for other organisms, and to remediate polluted sites. Prepared by: Engr. MAAbellera Environmental Science and Environmental Engineering Our Environment through time Prepared by: Engr. MAAbellera Our environment through time… Hunter-Gatherers ✓small groups of people that migrated from place to place ✓obtained food by collecting plants, hunting or scavenging Impact on the environment ▪ burned grasslands to maintain prairies for hunting ▪ overhunting of some game animals ▪ took plants from their native areas Prepared by: Engr. MAAbellera Our environment through time… Agricultural Revolution ✓also called the Neolithic Revolution ---- is thought to have begun about 12,000 years ago ✓the shift to agriculture from hunting and gathering ✓The foragers became farmers, transitioning from a hunter-gatherer lifestyle to a more settled one. Prepared by: Engr. MAAbellera Our environment through time… Agricultural Revolution Impact on the environment ▪ more pressure on local environments ▪ habitats were destroyed for farmland ▪ changed species from their wild ancestors – plants and animals were domesticated Impact on the society ▪ increase in population ▪ people began to concentrate in small areas Prepared by: Engr. MAAbellera Our environment through time… Industrial Revolution ✓shifted societies from an agrarian economy to a manufacturing economy where products were no longer made solely by hand but by machines First Industrial Revolution: Coal in 1765 Second Industrial Revolution: Gas in 1870 Third Industrial Revolution: Electronics and Nuclear in 1969 Fourth Industrial Revolution: Internet and Renewable Energy in 2000 Prepared by: Engr. MAAbellera Our environment through time… Industrial Revolution Impact on the environment ▪ Pollution first became a problem ▪ More waste to dispose of ▪ Occurrence of diseases especially in cities Impact on the society ▪ Populations in urban areas grew ▪ Life improved: sanitation, nutrition, medicine ▪ Growth in innovations and inventions ▪ Improvements in transportation networks Prepared by: Engr. MAAbellera  Much of environmental science and engineering is concerned with the problems associated with the Industrial Revolution Prepared by: Engr. MAAbellera  Environmental Engineering History and Background ▪ Sanitary engineering emerged as a separate engineering field within civil engineering in the mid 1800's as the importance of drinking water treatment and wastewater treatment became recognized. ▪ Sanitary engineering, which had an emphasis on water supply, water treatment, and wastewater collection and treatment for many years, is the precursor of the present day field of environmental engineering. ▪ Public concern about environmental quality issues like air pollution and water pollution emerged in the middle third of the 20th century, leading to development of environmental engineering as a separate discipline Prepared by: Engr. MAAbellera  Environmental Engineering involves…. ▪ industrial hygiene ▪ environmental ▪ wastewater management sustainability ▪ air pollution control ▪ public health issues ▪ recycling ▪ environmental engineering ▪ waste disposal law ▪ radiation protection ▪ environmental impact of proposed construction projects Prepared by: Engr. MAAbellera  Some Roles of Environmental Engineers 1) Collaborate with environmental scientists, planners, hazardous waste technicians, engineers, and other specialists, and experts in law and business to address environmental problems. 2) Provide technical-level support for environmental remediation and litigation projects, including remediation system design and determination of regulatory applicability. 3) Inspect industrial and municipal facilities and programs in order to evaluate operational effectiveness and ensure compliance with environmental regulations. 4) Assess the existing or potential environmental impact of land use projects on air, water, and land. 5) Develop site-specific health and safety protocols, such as spill contingency plans and methods for loading and transporting waste. Prepared by: Engr. MAAbellera  Some Roles of Environmental Engineers 6) Design systems, processes, and equipment for control, management, and remediation of water, air, and soil quality 7) Develop and present environmental compliance training or orientation sessions 8) Serve on teams conducting multimedia inspections at complex facilities, providing assistance with planning, quality assurance, safety inspection protocols, and sampling. 9) Monitor progress of environmental improvement programs. 10) Provide administrative support for projects by collecting data, providing project documentation, training staff, and performing other general administrative duties. Prepared by: Engr. MAAbellera Rimberio Co COMPONENTS OF THE ENVIRONMENT Presentation Design Prepared by: Engr. MAAbellera  COMPONENTS OF THE ENVIRONMENT 1.Physical Environment 3. Cultural Environment a) Atmosphere a) Society b) Hydrosphere b) Economy c) Lithosphere c) Politics 2. Biological Environment a) Flora b) Fauna c) Microbes  Components of the Environment Lithosphere ✓ The earth’s outer layer consisting of the soil and rocks. ✓ The crust, the earth’s topmost layer, is composed of several minerals 2 types of lithosphere: a. oceanic lithosphere b. continental lithosphere ✓ Tectonic plates on Earth are the primary part of the lithosphere Prepared by: Engr. MAAbellera  Components of the Environment Hydrosphere ✓ It includes all types of water bodies found on Earth, such as oceans, seas, rivers, lakes, ponds, and streams, among others. 68.9% frozen in 97.5% saltwater glaciers Hydrosphere covers 70% of the 30.8% Earth’s surface groundwater 2.5% freshwater 0.3% rivers, reservoirs, and lakesPrepared by: Engr. MAAbellera  Components of the Environment Atmosphere ✓ also called as layer of gases. ✓ a gaseous wrap that protects the earth from cosmic radiations and provides life supporting oxygen ✓ plays a major role in asserting the heat balance of the earth by gripping the re-emitted radiation from the earth. In addition to traces of hydrogen, helium, and noble gases, it is mostly composed of 78.08% nitrogen, 20.95% oxygen, 0.93% argon, and 0.038% carbon dioxide. Variable amounts of water vapour are present. Prepared by: Engr. MAAbellera Components of the Environment Prepared by: Engr. MAAbellera  Components of the Environment Biosphere ✓ a shell encompassing the earth’s surface where all the living things subsist ✓ this segment extends from 10000 m underneath sea level to 6000 m above sea level ✓ Biosphere is the total computation of all ecosystems A biosphere is the whole of all living things, often known as biomass or biota. Prepared by: Engr. MAAbellera  BIOLOGOCAL COMPONENTS OF THE ENVIRONMENT ▪ Flora - refers to the plant life occurring in a particular region, generally the naturally occurring or indigenous— native plant life. ▪ Fauna - refers to the animal life in a particular region. ▪ Microbes - are single-cell organisms so tiny that millions can fit into the eye of a needle.  CULTURAL COMPONENTS OF THE ENVIRONMENT ▪ Society - is group of people involved in persistent interpersonal relationships, or a large social grouping sharing the same geographical or social territory, typically subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations. ▪ Economy - or economic system consists of the production, distribution or trade, and consumption of limited goods and services by different agents in a given geographical location. ▪ Politics - the activities associated with the governance of a country or other area. Rimberio Co THE ECOSYSTEM Presentation Design Prepared by: Engr. MAAbellera  The Ecosystem ECOSYSTEM ▪ a community of organisms interacting with each other and with their environment such that energy is exchanged and system-level processes, such as the cycling of elements, emerge. ▪ include living organisms, the dead organic matter produced by them, the abiotic environment within which the organisms live and exchange elements (soil, water, atmosphere), and the interactions between these components Ecosystems embody the concept that living organisms continually interact with each other and with the environment to produce complex systems with emergent properties, such that "the whole is greater than the sum of its parts" and "everything is connected“ Prepared by: Engr. MAAbellera  ECOSYSTEM TERMS ▪ Habitat - the natural environment in which an organism lives. ▪ Species - consists of a group of organisms that look alike and have similar characteristics, share the same ecological niche and are capable of interbreeding. ▪ Population - consists of organisms living in the same habitat at the same time. ▪ Community - a natural collection of plant and animal species living within a defined area or habitat in an ecosystem. ▪ Ecological niche - the function of an organism or the role it plays in an ecosystem Ecosystem Classification  FUNCTIONS OF ECOSYSTEM 1) Production – creation of new, organic matter. The synthesis and storage of organic molecules during the growth and reproduction of photosynthetic organisms. Photosynthesis reaction: CO2 + H2O -------> CH2O + O2 (light and enzymes) ✓done by phototrophs Chemosynthesis – inorganic substances are converted to organic substances in the absence of sunlight ✓done by chemotrophs which are specialized bacteria 2) Respiration – process of unleashing bound energy for utilization CH2O + O2 -----> CO2 + H2O + released energy 3) Consumption – process in which a substance is completely destroyed, used up, or incorporated or transformed into something else. It acts as a regulator for production and decomposition 4) Decomposition – responsible for the breakdown of complex structures – Abiotic decomposition – degradation of a substance by chemical or physical processes – Biotic decomposition (biodegradation) - the metabolic breakdown of materials into simpler components by living organisms ▪Producers - organisms, such as plants, that produce their own food are called autotrophs. The autotrophs convert inorganic compounds into organic compounds. They are called producers because all of the species of the ecosystem depend on them. ▪ Consumers - all the organisms that can not make their own food (and need producers) are called heterotrophs. In an ecosystem heterotrophs are called consumers because they depend on others. They obtain food by eating other organisms. There are different levels of consumers. Those that feed directly from producers, i.e. organisms that eat plant or plant products are called primary consumers. Organisms that feed on primary consumers are called secondary consumers. Those who feed on secondary consumers are tertiary consumers.  Consumers are also classified depending on what they eat. o Herbivores are those that eat only plants or plant products. Example are grasshoppers, mice, rabbits, deer, beavers, moose, cows, sheep, goats and groundhogs. o Carnivores, on the other hand, are those that eat only other animals. Examples of carnivores are foxes, frogs, snakes, hawks, and spiders. o Omnivores are the last type and eat both plants (acting a primary consumers) and meat (acting as secondary or tertiary consumers). Trophic level - corresponds to the different levels or steps in the food chain. In other words, the producers, the consumers, and the decomposers are the main trophic levels. ENERGY FLOW IN ECOSYSTEM 4th Trophic Level (10 kcal) 3rd Trophic Level (100 kcal) 2nd Trophic Level (1000 kcal) 1st Trophic Level ( 10, 000 kcal) Heat – lowest form of energy, less useful form of energy 90% energy is lost in the transfer of heat 10% is utilized Energy Pyramid  FEEDING RELATIONSHIPS 1) Food chain – transfer of food energy from the source through a series of organisms in a process of repeated/sequential eating or being eaten pattern Classification: a) Grazing food chain – starts from plants to grazing herbivores to carnivores b) Detritus food chain – starts from dead organic matter to microorganisms such as bacteria, fungi, etc. 2) Food Web – refers to the interconnected or interlocking relationships among food chains in an ecosystem 3) Food Pyramid – constitute the over – all structure of dependency among the living elements  OTHER BASIC ECOLOGICAL PRINCIPLES 1) Diversity - variety of habitats, living communities, and ecological processes in the living world. It also refers to the extent that an ecosystem possesses different species. 2) Distribution - the frequency of occurrence or the natural geographic range or place where species occur ▪ Immigration - used to describe the process by which a person moves into a country for the purpose of establishing residency. In such a case, the individual is not a native of the country which he immigrates to ▪ Emigration - process by which a person leaves his place or country of residency, to relocate elsewhere. In this case, the individual moving is referred to as an emigrant ▪ (Immigration is movement to a country; emigration is movement from a country) ▪ Migration – parent term of the aforementioned terms 3) Population Density - the number of individuals of a population per unit of living space (say, number of trees per hectare of land) 4) Dominance - the degree to which a specie is more numerous than its competitors in an ecological community, or makes up more of the biomass. Most ecological communities are defined by their dominant species Keystone species - species that have a disproportionately large effect on its environment relative to its abundance. Such species play a critical role in maintaining the structure of an ecological community, affecting many other organisms in an ecosystem and helping to determine the types and numbers of various other species in the community. The most important specie 5) Limiting Factors – environmental factors, chemical and physical factors etc.  POPULATION PRINCIPLES AND ISSUES Characteristics: 1) Natality - the birthrate, which is the ratio of total live births to total population in a particular area over a specified period of time; expressed as childbirths per 1000 people (or population) per year. It may also refer to the inherent ability of a population to increase 2) Mortality - the ratio of deaths in an area to the population of that area; expressed per 1000 per year Morbidity - an incidence of ill health. It is measured in various ways, often by the probability that a randomly selected individual in a population at some date and location would become seriously ill in some period of time 3) Sex ratio - the ratio of males to females in a population. The sex ratio varies according to the age profile of the population. It is generally divided into four: primary sex ratio — ratio at fertilization secondary sex ratio — ratio at birth tertiary sex ratio — ratio in sexually active organisms quaternary sex ratio — ratio in post-reproductive organisms (Measuring these is a problem since there are no clear boundaries between them.) 4) Age Distribution - the proportionate numbers of persons in successive age categories in a given population  KINDS OF ORGANISM INTERACTIONS 1) Competition - two species share a requirement for a limited resource → reduces fitness of one or both species 2) Predation - one species feeds on another → enhances fitness of predator but reduces fitness of prey Herbivory is a form of predation 3) Symbiosis – close long lasting relationship of 2 different species 3 Categories: a) Parasitism - one species feeds on another → enhances fitness of parasite but reduces fitness of host 2 Kinds of Parasites a.1) Ectoparasites – live on the bodies of the host (ex. molds, flies, lice) a.2) Endoparasites – live inside the bodies of the host (ex. Tapeworms, bacteria, fungi) b) Commensalism – one species receives a benefit from another species → enhances fitness of one species; no effect on fitness of the other species c) Mutualism – two species provide resources or services to each other → enhances fitness of both species  SUCCESSION - The orderly process of community development that involves changes in species, structure, and community - It results from the modification of the physical environment by the community Primary succession occurs in essentially lifeless areas—regions in which the soil is incapable of sustaining life as a result of such factors as lava flows, newly formed sand dunes, or rocks left from a retreating glacier * lichens – pioneering specie in primary succession, aids in pedogenesis (the formation of soil) Lichens Primary Succession  SUCCESSION Secondary succession occurs in areas where a community that previously existed has been removed; it is typified by smaller-scale disturbances that do not eliminate all life and nutrients from the environment * climax community – a community in a final stage of succession. Self – perpetuating and in equilibrium with the physical habitat Rimberio Co MATERIAL CYCLES Presentation Design Prepared by: Engr. MAAbellera  Material Cycles Material Cycles ▪ also known as nutrient cycles or biogeochemical cycles ▪ describe the flow of matter from the nonliving to the living world and back again As this happens, matter can be stored, transformed into different molecules, transferred from organism to organism, and returned to its initial configuration. ▪ Includes Carbon Cycle, Nitrogen Cycle, Water Cycle, Oxygen Cycle, Phosphorus Cycle, Sulphur Cycle Prepared by: Engr. MAAbellera Carbon Cycle Prepared by: Engr. MAAbellera  Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is converted to organic carbon through photosynthesis by terrestrial organisms (like trees) and marine organisms (like algae). Respiration by terrestrial organisms (like trees and deer) and marine organisms (like algae and fish) release carbon dioxide back into the atmosphere. Prepared by: Engr. MAAbellera  Additionally, microbes that decompose dead organisms release carbon dioxide through respiration. Weathering of terrestrial rocks also brings carbon into the soil. Carbon in the soil enters the water through leaching and runoff. It can accumulate into ocean sediments and reenter land through uplifting. Prepared by: Engr. MAAbellera  Long-term storage of organic carbon occurs when matter from living organisms is buried deep underground and becomes fossilized. Volcanic activity and, more recently, human emissions stored carbon back into the carbon cycle. Prepared by: Engr. MAAbellera Nitrogen Cycle Prepared by: Engr. MAAbellera  Material Cycles NITROGEN CYCLE ▪ The nitrogen cycle is the process by which nitrogen is converted between its various chemical forms. ▪ Important processes in the nitrogen cycle include fixation, ammonification, nitrification, and denitrification. Prepared by: Engr. MAAbellera  Material Cycles PROCESSES IN THE NITROGEN CYCLE a) Nitrogen Fixation Atmospheric nitrogen must be processed, or "fixed" to be used by plants. There are four ways to convert N2 (atmospheric nitrogen gas) into more chemically reactive forms: ▪ Biological fixation: some symbiotic bacteria and some free-living bacteria are able to fix nitrogen as organic nitrogen. Prepared by: Engr. MAAbellera  Material Cycles ▪ Industrial N-fixation: Under great pressure, at a temperature of 600 C, and with the use of an iron catalyst, hydrogen and atmospheric nitrogen can be combined to form ammonia ▪ Combustion of fossil fuels: automobile engines and thermal power plants, which release various nitrogen oxides (NOx) ▪ Other processes: In addition, the formation of NO from N2 and O2 due to photons and especially lightning, can fix nitrogen Prepared by: Engr. MAAbellera  Material Cycles PROCESSES IN THE NITROGEN CYCLE b) Ammonification When a plant or animal dies, or an animal expels waste, the initial form of nitrogen is organic. Bacteria, or fungi in some cases, convert the organic nitrogen within the remains back into ammonium , a process called ammonification or mineralization. Prepared by: Engr. MAAbellera  Material Cycles PROCESSES IN THE NITROGEN CYCLE c) Nitrification This is the biological oxidation of ammonium. This is done in two steps, first from the nitrite form then to the nitrate form. Two specific chemoautotrophic bacterial genera are involved, using inorganic carbon as their source for cellular carbon. Nitrosomonas Nitrobacter NH4 + O2 → NO2 + O2 → NO3 + - - Ammonium Nitrite Nitrate Prepared by: Engr. MAAbellera  Material Cycles PROCESSES IN THE NITROGEN CYCLE d) Denitrification This is the biological reduction of nitrate to nitrogen gas. This can proceed through several steps in the biochemical pathway, with the ultimate production of nitrogen gas. A fairly broad range of hetrotrophic bacteria are involved in the process, requiring an organic carbon source for energy. NO3- + organic carbon → NO2- + organic carbon → N2 + CO2 + H2O Prepared by: Engr. MAAbellera Phosphorus Cycle Prepared by: Engr. MAAbellera  In nature, phosphorus exists as the phosphate ion (PO43-). Phosphate enters the atmosphere from volcanic aerosols, which precipitate to Earth. Weathering of rocks also releases phosphate into the soil and water, where it becomes available to terrestrial food webs. Prepared by: Engr. MAAbellera  Some of the phosphate from terrestrial food webs dissolves in streams and lakes, and the remainder enters the soil. Phosphate enters the ocean via surface runoff, groundwater flow, and river flow, where it becomes dissolved in ocean water or enters marine food webs. Prepared by: Engr. MAAbellera  Some phosphate falls to the ocean floor where it becomes sediment. If uplifting occurs, this sediment can return to land. Prepared by: Engr. MAAbellera Sulfur Cycle Prepared by: Engr. MAAbellera  Sulfur dioxide (SO2) from the atmosphere is dissolved in precipitation as weak sulfuric acid or falls directly to Earth as fallout. This releases sulfates (SO42-) into the soil and water. Soil sulfates can be carried as runoff into the water. Prepared by: Engr. MAAbellera  Marine sulfate can form pyrite, and this can break down to release soil sulfates. Organisms in terrestrial and marine ecosystems assimilate sulfate, adding sulfur to organic molecules, such as proteins. Decomposition of these organisms returns sulfates to the soil. Prepared by: Engr. MAAbellera  Microorganisms can convert sulfates to hydrogen sulfide (H2S) and vice versa. Decomposition, volcanic eruptions, and human activities (including burning fossil fuels) can release hydrogen sulfide (H2S) or sulfur dioxide into the atmosphere. Prepared by: Engr. MAAbellera Prepared by: Engr. MAAbellera  Material Cycles OXYGEN CYCLE ▪ The oxygen cycle is a biological process which helps in maintaining the oxygen level by moving through three main spheres of the earth which are: Atmosphere, Lithosphere, Biosphere Prepared by: Engr. MAAbellera  Material Cycles Stages of the Oxygen Cycle Stage-1: All green plants during the process of photosynthesis, release oxygen back into the atmosphere as a by-product. Stage-2: All aerobic organisms use free oxygen for respiration. Stage-3: Animals exhale Carbon dioxide back into the atmosphere which is again used by the plants during photosynthesis. Now oxygen is balanced within the atmosphere. Prepared by: Engr. MAAbellera  Material Cycles The four main processes that use atmospheric oxygen are: ✓ Breathing It is the physical process, through which all living organisms, including plants, animals and humans inhale oxygen from the outside environment into the cells of an organism and exhale carbon dioxide back into the atmosphere. Prepared by: Engr. MAAbellera  Material Cycles ✓ Decomposition It is one of the natural and most important processes in the oxygen cycle and occurs when an organism dies. The dead animal or plants decay into the ground, and the organic matter along with the carbon, oxygen, water and other components are returned into the soil and air. This process is carried out by the invertebrates, including fungi, bacteria and some insects which are collectively called as the decomposers. The entire process requires oxygen and releases carbon dioxide. Prepared by: Engr. MAAbellera  Material Cycles ✓ Combustion It is also one of the most important processes which occur when any of the organic materials, including fossil fuels, plastics and wood, are burned in the presence of oxygen and releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Prepared by: Engr. MAAbellera  Material Cycles ✓ Rusting This process also requires oxygen. It is the formation of oxides which is also called oxidation. In this process, metals like iron or alloy rust when they are exposed to moisture and oxygen for an extended period of time and new compounds of oxides are formed by the combination of oxygen with the metal. Prepared by: Engr. MAAbellera