SHORT QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS FOR

ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING & SAFETY

1. Define environment.
‘Environment’ is derived from the French word Environner which means to encircle or surround. All the
biological and non-biological things surrounding an organism are thus included in environment. Thus
environment is sum total of water, air and land, inter-relationships among themselves and also with the
human beings, other living organisms and property.

2. What is the difference between an ecological niche and a habitat?

Ans: An ecological niche is a set of peculiar activities, resources and strategies that a species explores to survive
and reproduce. A habitat is the place where the species lives to explore its ecological niche. In other words it can be
said that the habitat is the “address” of the species and the ecological niche is the “profession” of the species.

3. What is a biosphere?

Ans: An biosphere is a set of all of the ecosystems of the planet.

4. What are the processes that autotrophic beings use to produce organic material from inorganic
substances?

Ans: Autotrophic beings make organic material by photosynthesis or by chemosynthesis. There are photosynthetic
autotrophs, like plants, and chemosynthetic autotrophs, like some bacteria.

5. What is a biome?

Ans: A biome is a prevailing ecosystem constituted by similar biotic and abiotic factors present in one or more
regions of the planet. 

6. What are the major terrestrial biomes?

Ans: The major terrestrial biomes are: tundra, taigas (or boreal forest), temperate forests, tropical forests, grasslands
and deserts. 

7. How are the heterotrophic beings divided in the ecological study of food interactions?

Ans: Heterotrophs are divided into consumers and decomposers. An ecosystem can exist without consumers but it
cannot be sustained without decomposers. Without the decomposers the organic material would accumulate causing
environmental degradation and later death of the living beings.

8. What are trophic levels? How many trophic levels can a food chain have?

Ans: Trophic levels correspond to positions on a food chain. Therefore producers always belong to the first trophic
level and decomposers to the last trophic level; consumers that directly eat the producers belong to the second
trophic level and so on.

9. What are primary consumers? Can a food chain present quaternary consumers without having secondary
or tertiary consumers? Can a tertiary consumer of one chain be a primary or secondary consumer of
another chain?

Ans: Primary consumers are living beings that eat autotrophic beings, i.e., they eat the producers. Primary
consumers always belong to the second trophic level of a chain. A food chain cannot have consumers of superior

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orders without having the consumer of the inferior orders. A consumer however can participate in several different
chains not always belonging to the same consumer order in each of them.

10. What is the difference between the concepts of food chain and food web?

Ans: The chain concept is a theoretical model to study the energy flux in ecosystems. Actually in an ecosystem the
organisms are part of several interconnected food chains, forming a food web. Therefore the chain is a theoretical
linear sequence and the web is a more realistic representation of nature in which the food chains interconnect
forming a web.

11. Can the amount of available energy in a given trophic level be larger than the available energy in inferior
trophic levels?

Ans: A superior trophic level always has less available energy than inferior trophic levels. This is because in each
trophic level only a fraction of the organic material of the level below is incorporated into the consumers (into their
bodies). The other part is eliminated as waste or is used in the metabolism as energy source. Therefore it is never
possible to have energy pyramids with inverted conformation, i.e., with the tip to the bottom and the base to the top.

12. What is the gross primary production of an ecosystem? How does GPP relate to photosynthesis?

Ans: Gross primary production of an ecosystem, or GPP, is the quantity of organic material found in a given area in
a given period. Since only autotrophs produce organic material and photosynthesis is the main production process,
GPP is a result of the photosynthesis. 

13. What are the importance of water, carbon and nitrogen for living beings?

Ans: Water is the main solvent of living beings and it is necessary practically for all biochemical reactions,
including as reagent of photosynthesis. Many properties of water are very important for life.Carbon is the main
chemical element of organic molecules; carbon dioxide is also reagent of photosynthesis and product of the
energetic metabolism of living beings.Nitrogen is a fundamental chemical element of amino acids, the building
blocks of proteins that in their turn are the main functional molecules of living beings; nitrogen is also part of the
nucleic acid molecules, the basis of reproduction, heredity and protein synthesis.

14. What is biodiversity?

Ans: Biological diversity is the variety of species of living beings of an ecosystem. In ecosystems which are more
biodiverse, like tropical forests, a great variety of plants, microorganisms and animals live; in ecosystems less
biodiverse, like deserts.

15. How does biological diversity relate to the characteristics of the abiotic factors of an ecosystem?

Ans: The availability of abiotic factors like light, moisture, mineral salts, heat and carbon dioxide, more or less
conditions the biodiversity of an ecosystem. Photosynthesis depends on water and light, and plants also need
mineral salts, carbon dioxide and adequate temperature for their cells to work. In environments where these factors
are not restrictive the synthesis of organic material (by photosynthesis) is at a maximum, plants and algae can
reproduce easier, the population of these beings increase, potential ecological niches multiply and new species
emerge.. In environments with restrictive abiotic factors, like deserts, the producers exist in small numbers and less
diversity, a feature that thus extends to consumers and conditions fewer ecological niches to be explored.

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 SHORT QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS FOR
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16.Write two objectives of Air Act,1 981 and what is its jurisdiction?

Ans: To maintain the quality of air and prevent air pollution, Establishment of boards for control of air pollution. Its
jurisdiction is Central pollution control board and State pollution control board

17. What is the difference between softening water and filtering water?

 Ans: Filtering water involves separating mineral particles, like particulates, iron, hydrogen sulfide or other organic
matter, from H2O. By passing water through a "filter bed," or "media bed," these granular particles are trapped -
and clean water passes through the bed. Softening water involves something called "ion exchange" to remove
dissolved minerals - like calcium, magnesium, iron and manganese - that can't be trapped in a filter bed. Softeners
use fresh resin beads with sodium attached to the resin. As water enters the tank, dissolved calcium and magnesium
are attracted to the resin. The resin passes up the sodium in exchange for the dissolved chemicals and the water is
then rid of these impurities.

18. What are drinking water disinfectants?

Ans: Chlorine and chloramine are common disinfectants used for killing potential bacteria in water systems and
added at the drinking water treatment plant.

19. What is humus? What is its significance?

Ans: Humus is the organic matter present in the soil formed by decomposition of dead plant and animal remains. It
is an important element of the top soil that determines the soil fertility.

20. What are the effects of noise on human health?

 Ans: Noise has direct physiological effects such as hearing damage (including hearing loss and tinnitus, or ringing
in the ears), as well as cardiovascular and hormonal disturbances. Indirect effects include sleep loss, interference
with concentration and learning, mood changes and aggression, and social isolation. 

21. What is hydrologic cycle?

Ans:- Water is lost to the atmosphere as vapor from the earth. Which is then precipitated back in the form of rain,
snow, hail dew, sleet or frost etc. This process is known as hydrologic cycle.
22. What is precipitation?
Ans:- Water evaporates from water surfaces like streqams,rivers, lakes, oceans, ponds etc. and also from land and
plants in the form of water vapour which is collected in the atmosphere. The water vapours come back to the
surface of the earth in various forms like rain, snow, hail etc is known as precipitation.
23. What is aquifier? What is its type?
Ans:- A permeable stratum or a geological formation of permeable material, which is capable of yielding
appreciable quantities of ground water under gravity, is known as an aquifier. Aquifiers are divided into two types:
(a) Unconfined or Non-artesan aquifier.
(b)Confined or artesan aquifier.
24. What is water logging? What are its effects on the environment?
Ans:- Water logging is the process of inundation of land with water. Some of the environmental effects of water
logging are soil salinity, mosquito and insect breeding, bad odour caused by anaerobic decomposition of organic
matte4r present in water and others.
25. Explain the cause of fresh water pollution.

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 SHORT QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS FOR
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Ans:- Causes of pollution are
Sewage pollution
Industrial pollution
Thermal pollution
Silt pollution
Freshwater pollution by agrochemicals
26. What is water pollution?
Ans:- Water pollution is any chemical, physical or biological change in the quality of water that has a harmful
effect on any living thing that drinks or uses or lives (in) it. When humans drink polluted water it often has serious
effects on their health. Water pollution can also make water unsuited for the desired use.

27. What is meant by biodegradable organic matter?

Ans:- The organic matters is decomposed by bacteria under biological action is called biodegradable organic
matter.
28. What is meant by de-oxygenation curve?
Ans:- The curve which represents (or) showing the depletion of D.O with time at the given temperature.
29. What is meant by re -oxygenation?
Ans:- In order to counter balance the consumption of D.O due to the de –oxygenation ,atmosphere supplies oxygen
to the water and the process is called the re –oxygenation.

30. Define the term Re-oxygenation curve?

Ans:- In order to counter – balance the consumption of D.O. due to de-oxygenation, atmosphere supplies oxygen to
the water and the process is called re-oxygenation.
31. What is meant by oxygen sag curve?
Ans:- The amount of resultant oxygen deflect can be obtained by algebraically adding the de -oxygenation and re -
oxygenation curves. The resultant curve so obtained is called oxygen sag curve.
32. What are the various sources of wastewater generation?
Industrial Wastes
Domestic wastes
Agricultural Wastes
33. What is means by screening?
Ans:- Screening is the very first operation carried out at a sewage treatment plant and consists of passing the
sewage through different types of screens so as to trap and remove the floating matter such as process of cloth,
paper, wood, cork, hair, fiber etc.
34. What is the purpose of providing screen?
Ans:- The main idea of providing screens is to protect the pumps and other equipments from the possible damages
due to the floating matter of the sewage.It should be used for removing the floating matters.
35. What is meant by principle of sedimentation?
Ans:- The turbulence is retarded by offering storage to sewage these impurities tend to settle down at the bottom of
the tank offering such storage. This is the principle of sedimentation.
36.What are the types of sedimentation tank?
Based on flow
Vertical flow tank
Horizontal flow tank

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 SHORT QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS FOR
ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING & SAFETY
Radial flow tank

According to use
Primary
Secondary
37.What are the chemical used for precipitation of sediment?
Alum ,Ferrous sulphate, Ferric sulphate, Ferric chlorides , Sodium alluminate Sulphuric acid, lime .
38.What are the methods involved in the treatment of waste water?
Mainly classified into
Conventional treatment methods
Advanced waste water treatment

Conventional treatment methods

Preliminary processes
Primary treatment
Secondary treatment

Advanced waste water treatment

Tertiary treatment
39.What do you understand by waste water treatment?

Ans:- The waste water treatment or sewage treatment is a broad term that applies to any process/operation
or combination of processes and operations that can reduce the objectionable properties of water carried
waste and render it less dangerous with the following.
Removal of suspended and floatable material
Treatment of biodegradable organics
Elimination of pathogenic organisms
40.What are the merits of conventional trickling filter?
 The efficient obtained from truckling filters is highly nitrified and stabilized. The efficient can
therefore be disposed of in smaller quantity of deputation water.
 It has good dependability to produce good efficient under very widely varying whether and other
conditions.
 The working of truckling filter is simple and sheep and does not require any skilled supervision.
41.What is the necessary of Recirculation in T.F?

Ans:- Recirculation is necessary to provide uniform hydraulic loading as well as to dilute the high strength waste
waters. In constant to the low rate filters, in high rate filters a part of settled or filter efficient is recycled through the
filter.
42.Give any four advantages of activated sludge process?
Lesser land area is required
 The head loss on the plant is quite low
 There is no flyash or odour nuisance
 Capital cost is less
43.Define coagulation?
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Ans:- The process of addition and mixing the chemical is called coagulation.
44.Define filtration? What are the 2 types of filter?

Ans:- The process of passing the water through the beds of such granular materials is known as
filtration.The two types of filters are,
a. Slow sand gravity filter.
b. Rapid sand gravity filter.
45.What are the various methods of purification of water?

Ans:- The various methods of purification of water are,

a. Screening.
b. Plain sedimentation.
c. Sedimentation aided with coagulation.
d. Filteration.
e. Disinfection.
f. Aeration.
g. softening.
h. Miscellaneous treatments such as fluoridation, recarbornation, liming, desalination.
46.What is schmutzdecke or dirty skin?

Ans:- The harmless compound so formed, generally form a layer on the top which is called schmutzdecke
or dirty skin. The layer helps in absorbing and straining out the impurities.

47.Differentiate between slow and rapid sand filter with respect to (a). Rate of filtration.(b). Loss of head.

S.NO ITEMS SLOW SAND FILTER RAPID SAND

1. Rate of filtration
2 Loss of head
48.Define sterilization?
FILTER
Small, such as 100 to 20 Large, such as 3000 to
l/hr/sq .m of filter area. 6000 l/hr/sq. m of
filter area
Approx 10cm is the Approx 0.3m is the initial loss
initial loss & 0.8 to 1.2m & 2.5 to 3.5m is final limit
is final limit when when cleaning is required.
cleaning is required

Ans:- The chemical used in killing these bacteria are known as disinfectants and the process is known as
disinfection or sterilization.
49.What is chloramine?
Ans:- Chloramine is the disinfectant compounds which are formed by the reaction between ammonia and
chlorine.
50.What is softening?
Ans:- The reduction or removal of hardness from water is known as water softening.
51.What are the methods of removing permanent hardness?

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 SHORT QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS FOR
ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING & SAFETY
Ans:- The methods removing permanent hardness are,
a. Lime soda process.
b. Base exchange process called zeolite process.
c. Demineralization.
52.Define alkalinity?
Ans:- It is defined as the quantity of ions in water that will react to neutralize the hydrogen ion. It will thus
represent the ability of water to neutralize acid.

53.What is permutit?
Ans:- The most common artificial zeolite is a white colored substance called permutit manufactured from
feldspar, kaolin, clay, and soda.
54.What are the methods of desalination?
The methods of desalination are,
a. Desalination by evaporation & distillation.
b. Electro dialysis method.
c. Reverse osmosis method.
d. Freezing process.
e. Solar distribution method.
f. Other method.
55.Enumerate various chemical parameter of water?
Ans:- Various chemical parameter of water are,
a. Chlorine content.
b. Nitrogen content.
c. Iron content.
d. Manganese and other metal content.
56.State the purpose of using the skimming tanks.

Ans:- The skimming tanks are employed for removing oils & grease from the sewage and placed before
the sedimentation tanks.
57.Why baffles are provided in the sedimentation tank in sewage treatment?

Ans:- Baffles are required to prevent the movement of organic matters and it escapes along with the
effluent and to distribute the sewage uniformly through the cross section of the tank and thus to avoid
short circuiting.
58.What are the types of trickling filters?
Ans:- Conventional trickling filter
High rate trickling filter

59.What are the operational troubles in trickling filter?

Ans:- Fly nuisance
Odour nuisance
Ponding troubles
60.Define sludge digestion?

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Ans:- The process of stabilization of the sewage particles are called sludge digestion.
61.What is meant by ripened sludge?
Ans:- The ripened sludge is nothing but the digested sludge is collected at the bottom of the digestion tank
and it is alkaline in nature
62.Define solid waste?

Ans:- the solid wastes are defined as those wastes from human and animal activity. It includes the domastic
solid wastes, paper, plastic, Food wastes etc.
63.What is integrated management of solid waste?

Ans:- Integrated management of solid waste has been promoted by US since 1965. It is the selection and
application of skitable techniques, technologies and management to achieve specific waste management
objectives and goals.
64.What is the hierarchy of integrated solid waste management?

Ans:- the hierarchy of integrated solid waste management includes

a) Waste prevention and minimization
b) Recycling and reuse
c) Transformation
d) Land fill
65.What are the sources of solid waste?

Ans:- The sources of solid wastes are domestic waste, commercial waste, industrial waste, construction and
demolition activity.
66.What are the major composition of MSW?

And:- The major composition of the MSW are

a) Food waste 30% e) Plastics 8%
b) Paper & cardboard 35% f) Ash 10-20%
c) Glass 8% g) Non combustible 4%
d) Metals 5%

67.What are the collection facility of MSW?

Ans:- There are several collection facility for MSW include

a) Dor step collection
b) Regular kreb collection
c) Civic amenity drop off
d) Community recycle bin
e) Haulire for skip collection
68.What do you mean by Reuse & Recycling?

Ans:- Reuse means the material can be used after proper cleaning. Recycling means after use the material serve
as manufacture of the material.

69.What are the importance of waste minimization?

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Ans:- The importance of waste minimization are
a) Improve process economics c) Reduce disposal cost
b) Reduce treatment cost d) Reduce liability

70.Define hazardous waste?

Ans:- According to USEPA, a substance hazardous if it exgibit one or more of the following
a) Ignitable b) Reactive c) Corrosive d) Toxic
71.What are the sources of hazardous waste?

Ans:- The hazardous wastes are generated from

a) Industry b) Medical c) House hold
72.What are medical hazardous waste consists of

Ans:- Medical hazardous waste consists of

a) Obsolete medicine d) Pathological wastes
b) Cytostatica e) Sharp and pointed items
c) Infectious material

73.Write the steps for treatment of hazardous waste?

Ans:- There are four steps of treatment for hazardous waste, include:-
a) Thermal treatment c) Physical treatment
b) Chemical treatment d) Disposal

74.Write four types of incinerators are used for waste treatment?

Ans:- The important incimmators are used for waste treatment?

a) Rotary kily incinarator c) Plasma are incineration
b) Liquid injection imliberater d) Wet air oxidation

75.Define destuction and removal efficiency and combustion efficiency of an incinerator?

Ans:- Destruction and removal efficiciency

1−Wout
= X 100 % Wout=mass emission
Win Win=mass feed rate
CCO2−C CO C =Conc . of Co2
Combustion efficiency (CE) = X 100 CO 2

CCO 2
C co=Conc .of Co
76.Write the reaction of incineration process?
Ans:- Incineration is an oxidation process where the organic molecules are oxidized as high temperature and
produce Co2 and H2O
Organic waste Incineration Co2 + H2O + by Produce

77.What is an EIA?
Ans:- EIA stands for Environmental Impact assessment (EIA), a proces that requires consideration of the
environment and public participation in the decission making process of project development.

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 SHORT QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS FOR
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78.What are the different stages of EIA?
Ans:- The different stages of EIA includes
a) Screening c) EIS preparation
b) Scoping d) Review
79.Define noise?
Ans:- Noise is defined as unwanted sound, consequently it is the wrong sound in wrong sound in wrong place
at worng time.
80.What are the source of sound?
Ans:- The sources of sound are:-
a) Traffic
b) Industrial equipment
c) Construction activity
d) Sporting & crowd activity

81.What is safety?
A thing is safe if its risks are justified to be acceptable designer thing is said to be safe if for the person who
judges the perceived risk is less.
82.Define Risk?
Risk is defined as the probability of a specified level of hazardous consequences being realized .Risk ®is thus a
product of probability(P) and consequence © which is given by the equation R=PxC.
83.What are the principles of health and safety?
 All people should be given the highest level of protection against risks to their health and safety that is
reasonably practicable in the circumstances.
 Any person who manages, owns or controls a workplaces is responsible for eliminating or reducing
those risks so far as practicable.
 Employers and self-employed persons should be proactive and take reasonably practicable measures to
ensure health and safety.
 Employers and employees should exchange information and ideas about risks to health and safety and
the measures that can be taken to eliminate or reduce those risks.
 Employees are entitled, and should be encouraged, to be represented on health and safety issues.
84.Name the five groups of hazards found in workplaces.
1. Physical, such as noise, heat/cold stress, equipment, vibration, UV, poor work practices
2. Chemical, such as from cleaning chemicals
3. Biological, such as resulting from cross-contamination and the resulting disease(s)
4. Ergonomic, such as resulting from poor seating position, repetitive manual tasks (RSI)
5. Psychological, such as resulting from overwork, high level of stress, poor work organisation, conflict or
bullying

85. Describe OH&S policies and procedures.

OH &S policies and procedures involve a set of documents that describe an organisation's policies for operation
and the procedures necessary to address these policies. Sometimes called ‘standard operating procedures’, they
are essential tools to eliminate or minimise hazards in the workplace and to maintain a safe work environment.

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 SHORT QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS FOR
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86. What are Safe work practices to prevent injury and accidents?
 Using the prescribed Personal Protective Equipment
 Using safe manual-handling techniques
 Using knives and equipment safely
 Handling hot surfaces safely
 Safe handling of chemicals
 Clearing hazards from your work area
Paying attention to safety signs
87. Write the purpose of occupational safety and health act, 1970.
It established comprehensive and specific health standards, authorized inspections to ensure the standards are
met, empowered occupational safety and health administration to police the organizations compliance and
required employees to keep records of illness and injuries and to calculate the accident ratio.
88. What is the need of integration of safety, health and environment?
Need for integration of safety, health and environment-safety, health of workers and environment are inter
related and affect each other. For example if health of employees is not given due regards, it may lead to
accidents. If industry pollutes the environment it will affect the health of workers.
89. Name the safety procedures adopted for individual workman.
1. safety to himself
2. Safety to his fellow employees.
3. Protection to the public.
4. Protection to the company property.
5. Protection of general environment.
6. Not to use liquor or drugs while working
7. Not to distract the attention of others from their work.
8. Practical joking and horseplay or gossiping while on the job
90. What are the methods for extinguishing fire?
The methods for extinguishing fire are
1. Cooling (removal of heat)
2. Ventilation (release of heat)
3. Smothering (blanketing)
4. Starvation
5. Breaking chain reaction of fire.

91. Write about hazard control measures in steel industry.

An integrated steel planrt consists of blast furnace, coke oven, hot air nmill, steel manufacture units, steel melting
shop, rolling mills and so on.In every section there should be a safety management officer, to check every thing
from normal operation to breakdown stages.

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