19BME0510

SAHIL KUMAR DAS

DIGITAL ASSIGNMENT-2

Q1. Discuss about the various possibilities (technology, methodologies, etc.,) towards
improving water conservation and solid waste management, at both national and global
Level.

Ans) Water conservation includes all the policies, strategies and activities to sustainably manage
the natural resource of fresh water, to protect the hydrosphere, and to meet the current and future
human demand. Population, household size and growth and affluence all affect how much water
is used.

Methods of water conservation

Water conservation projects can be done anywhere and in any kind of structure. Here
are different water conservation methods where major savings can be done, without much
hassles:
Rainwater harvesting

Rainwater harvesting is a very effective method of conserving natural water and replenishing the
groundwater level. In this method of conservation of water, the rain water is collected and
allowed to percolate into a deep pit or a reservoir, so that it seeps down and improves the ground
water table.

Farmers can contribute to the water management efforts using the drip irrigation method where
plants are watered with the help of narrow tubes. This water is delivered directly at the base of
the plant, thus conserving water.

It involves the process of diverting rainwater from surfaces to tanks or into the ground, for
use at a later stage. Underground tanks can be used, to store the rainwater and it can be
used for flushing or gardening. However, the amount of water that can be stored, is limited
by the size of tank. Hence, an alternative method, is to dig bore-wells in the ground and
divert the rainwater into it, to recharge the ground water. From bore-wells, this potable
water can be pumped for daily use.

Different methods being adopted in urban areas

Rooftop RWH
“In urban areas, this is the most popular method. In Bengaluru, this has been adopted
successfully in many households,” says Shubha Ramachandran, water project manager,
Rainwater Club / Biome Environmental Trust. Residents can plan the installation on the
building’s terrace, courtyard or lawn of the residential complex. The simple system, uses
conduits or pipes, to carry the water to the harvesting or storage area. A plot of size 12 metres by
18 metres (40 ft x 60 ft), can yield as much as 1,84,000 litres of water, in a geographical location
that receives 100 cm of rain in a year.

Surface RWH

In urban areas, rainwater falling on the ground, often flows away as surface runoff. This runoff
can be collected and used for recharging aquifers, by adopting appropriate methods.

Ground water recharge

The natural water table in many areas (between 150 ft and 1,500 ft below the surface) is rapidly
depleting, owing to urbanisation and the demand from an increasing population. To alleviate this
situation, rainwater falling on a property, can be made to percolate into the earth, to eventually
recharge the groundwater.
Water metering

Another efficient way of cutting down water wastage is to install water meters and measure the
amount of water that is being used in residential and commercial buildings. The volume of water
that is used, is calculated and charged according to the price of water. Always monitor the water
bills for unusually high usage. It can help detect any leakage.
Grey water recycling

Greywater recycling is a method of saving used and waste water from kitchen sinks, washing
machines and showers, which is then recycled for usage in toilets, for watering plants, etc.
Unlike rainwater harvesting which relies on rainwater, greywater is surplus in volume.
Environmentalists have demonstrated that the usage of this recycling system has reduced almost
70% of domestic water usage.
Pressure reducing valves

A pressure reducing valve basically controls the amount of pressure in a hydraulic system. These
valves ensure a pre-set level of water that is to be used. In this way, downstream components
used in the water system last longer and water consumption is also reduced. This is a very
efficient solution for water conservation in industrial, residential, commercial and institutional
buildings.
Water efficient bathroom accessories

Currently, the market is flooded with water-efficient toilet tanks, taps and shower heads that can
cut water consumption by up to 60%. Innovations, such as change in spray patterns in taps and
showers and increased pressure for flushing in toilets, are pushing the boundaries of water
conservation, without compromising on usage habits.
Different traditional methods of water conservation in India

Rapid urbanisation and water pollution have been severely impacting the quantity and quality of
surface and groundwater in several parts of India. The country’s agricultural system is still
largely dependent on rainfall. Given the changing rainfall patterns, the government has been
considering the revival of traditional water conservation methods.

Some of them are listed below:

Talab or Bandhi

Talabs or pond are reservoirs to store water for drinking and household consumption. These
ponds may be natural or manmade. A reservoir spread over less than five bighas is known as
talab whereas a medium-sized lake is known as a bandhi.

Jhalaras

Jhalaras were constructed for regular water supply for community use, religious rites, and royal
ceremonies in the past. These are rectangular-shaped stepwells with tiered steps on three or four
sides. The subterranean water seepage from a lake or an upstream reservoir gets collected in
these stepwells.
Baoli

Baolis were constructed by the ruling class for strategic, civic, or philanthropic purposes. These
structures were open to people of all sections of the society. Baolis are stepwells that were
beautifully designed with arches and motifs. The place where these baolis were located mainly
determined their purposes. For instance, baolis on trade routes were used as resting spots while
those located inside villages were for used for utilitarian purposes and social gatherings.

Kund

Kunds were built for the conservation of water and harvesting rainwater for drinking purposes,
mainly in Gujarat and Rajasthan. It is basically a catchment area shaped like a saucer, sloping
towards the circular underground well at the centre. Modern kunds are built with cement. In
earlier days, they were covered in disinfectant lime and ash.

Bawari

An example of traditional water conservation methods in India, Bawaris are stepwells that
formed the earliest water storage networks in Rajasthan. They were uniquely designed to divert
the minimum rainfall the region would receive to artificial tanks via canals constructed on hilly
terrain in the city outskirts.
Taanka

Taanka is among the traditional types of water conservation systems involving rainwater
harvesting technique specific to the Thar desert region in Rajasthan. Taanka is a cylindrical
paved underground pit, where rainwater flows from courtyards, rooftops and artificially
prepared catchments.

Nadi

Nadis refer to village ponds where rainwater collects from neighbouring natural catchment areas.
As these water bodies get water supply from irregular, torrential rainfall, they would witness
quick siltation due to large amounts of sandy sediments deposited regularly.

Bamboo drip irrigation system

Among the different methods of water conservation in India, the system of bamboo drip
irrigation has been practiced in northeastern parts of the country. It is an over 200-year-old
technique developed by tribal farmers for irrigating terrace fields. In this system, water from
perennial springs is transported using bamboo pipes.
Zings

Zings are water harvesting structures found in Ladakh. These are small tanks built to collect the
melting glacier water. This one of the easiest water conservation and management methods in
such mountainous regions. Water from the glacier is diverted to the tank through a network of
guiding channels.

Kuhls

Tapping glacial waters coming from rivers and streams through surface water channels has been
one of the oldest ways of water conservation in the hilly terrains of Himachal Pradesh. These
channels are known as Kuhls widely used for irrigation of over 30,000 hectares of fields in the
region. There are hundreds of Kuhls in the region.
Jackwells

This is one of the oldest water conservation practices in India. Jackwells are small pits used for
harvesting rainwater. In earlier times, people in the low-lying regions of the Great Nicobar
Islands constructed the structure using bamboo and logs of wood.
Q2 ) Explain in detail the various advantages and disadvantages associated with renewable
and non-renewable energy resources.

Ans ) Renewable energy resources:

Renewable energy is derived from sources that are continuously refilled. Solar energy,
geothermal energy, wind energy, and hydroelectric power are some of the renewable energy
sources.

Renewable sources are generally allied with clean energy and green energy, but there are some
subtle differences between these three types of energy. Where clean energy is a type of energy
that does not release pollutants like carbon dioxide, the sources that are recyclable are renewable
sources, and the energy that comes from natural sources is green energy. There is often a dispute
between these types of energy because not all types of renewable energy are truly green or clean.
For instance, natural habitats can be damaged by some hydroelectric sources, which eventually
causes deforestation.

 Renewable resources have the capacity to restore themselves easily.

 Ecological developments for a definite time period are required by renewable
resources to regenerate themselves.
 Renewable energy can become non-renewable energy if it is utilised in an extreme
amount, that is, higher than the environment’s ability to restore it.

Advantages of Renewable Sources of Energy

1. Renewable energy sources can never run out because these sources are continuously filled by
nature. For instance: solar energy can never run out until the Sun exists in the solar system.

2. As compared to non-renewable sources like fossil fuels, renewable energy sources are easily
available to humans and are reliable because these energy sources are distributed equally on the
planet.

3. Renewable energy sources are environment friendly because they are produced naturally, and
they do not emit any harmful gases or pollutants that can cause damage to the ozone layer or to
the environment.
4. Renewable sources require less maintenance as compared to non-renewable energy sources.
For instance, if you can see turbines in hydropower stations or in wind farms, you will observe
that these power generating systems do not require any external system for rotating parts.
Although their initial cost is high, once they are installed, you can benefit from them for a
lifetime.

Disadvantages of Renewable Sources of Energy

1. Renewable energy sources are not available round the clock because these sources are natural
forces that depend strongly on the weather condition. Therefore, when you have bad weather
conditions, renewable energy such as solar cells can’t be used.

2. The efficiency of renewable energy is low because every type of energy requires a particular
kind of technology to convert it into electricity. Unfortunately, as compared with traditional
energy conversion devices, the efficiency of renewable sources and technology is not that high.

3. The storage cost of renewable energy is very high, and also it requires a lot of space for its
installation.

Non-Renewable Energy :

The source of energy which will eventually run out with time is known as a non-renewable
energy source. Fossil fuels, such as gas, coal, and oil, are some examples of non-renewable
energy sources.

For a large number of industries, these natural resources are a major source of power; however,
there are several disadvantages to non-renewable energy, counting their negative environmental
influence and the fact they are in limited supply.

So, basically, a non-renewable resource is a finite natural resource because it cannot be refilled at
the speed at which it is consumed.

 Non-renewable energy sources are also known as stock resources because they are not
obtainable in high quantities.
  Non-renewable energy generally exists in the form of minerals which are present in
various forms in the lithosphere of the earth.
 Non-renewable resources can be obtained in solids, liquids or gases, that is, all the three
states of matter, for instance, coal, petroleum and natural gas.

Advantages of Non-Renewable Sources of Energy :

1. Resources such as oil and coal tend to provide us with more energy as compared to renewable

energy like wind or solar energy, and the reason behind it is that non-renewable resources are
high in energy.

2. In the construction of natural gas pipelines, mining of coal and selling of oil and petroleum,
huge profits can be generated.

3. Non-renewable resources are easy to use and quite easy to store. Also, non-renewable
resources can be conveniently moved across the world.

4. Most significantly, non-renewable resources are helpful in generating employment. Extracting,

refining and transporting are the portions of non-renewable sources that provide employment for
the people in gulf countries.

Disadvantages of Non-Renewable Source of Energy :

1. One of the main drawbacks of non-renewable energy is that it consumes a lot of time and it

takes a lot of effort. For instance, the process involved in the mining of coal is searching for the
coal mines, installation of complex machines, drilling, extracting, refining and transporting. All
these processes are very time-consuming processes.

2. Non-renewable energy sources are slowly vanishing from the earth because they are formed
over billions of years.

3. Since some non-renewable sources emit carbon monoxide, like fossil fuels, it means that non-
renewable energy causes pollution and also, they can cause respiratory problems in humans.
Sources like coal, oil and natural gas are responsible for rapidly destroying the ozone layer
because these sources release a large amount of carbon dioxide when burnt.
4. Transportation of non-renewable sources is a very risky process because when huge oil tanks
and cargo ships crash and spill the contents in the sea or somewhere else, then it can be deadly
for human beings, sea animals and the vegetation in that area.

Q 3). Identify and discuss on the latest developments (Chemical, Physical and Biological
processes) pertaining to carbon sequestration to counter global warming.

Carbon sequestration is the process of capturing, securing and storing carbon dioxide from the
atmosphere. The idea is to stabilize carbon in solid and dissolved forms so that it doesn’t cause
the atmosphere to warm. The process shows tremendous promise for reducing the human
“carbon footprint.” There are two main types of carbon sequestration: biological and geological.
In many ways, carbon is life. A chemical element, like hydrogen or nitrogen, carbon is a basic
building block of biomolecules. It exists on Earth in solid, dissolved and gaseous forms. For
example, carbon is in graphite and diamond, but can also combine with oxygen molecules to
form gaseous carbon dioxide (CO2).
Carbon dioxide is a heat trapping gas produced both in nature and by human activities. Man-
made sources of carbon dioxide come from the burning of fossil fuels such as coal, natural gas
and oil for uses in power generation and transportation. Carbon dioxide is also released through
land use changes, biologically through oceans, the decomposition of organic matter and forest
fires.

The build-up of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere can trap heat and
contribute to climate change.

Learning how to capture and store carbon dioxide is one way scientists want to defer the effects
of warming in the atmosphere. This practice is now viewed by the scientific community as an
essential part of solving climate change.

Types of Carbon Sequestration

Biological Carbon Sequestration

Biological carbon sequestration is the storage of carbon dioxide in vegetation such as grasslands
or forests, as well as in soils and oceans.

OCEANS

Oceans absorb roughly 25 percent of carbon dioxide emitted from human activities annually.

Carbon goes in both directions in the ocean. When carbon dioxide releases into the atmosphere
from the ocean, it creates what is called a positive atmospheric flux. A negative flux refers to the
ocean absorbing carbon dioxide. Think of these fluxes as an inhale and an exhale, where the net
effect of these opposing directions determines the overall effect.

Colder and nutrient rich parts of the ocean are able to absorb more carbon dioxide than warmer
parts. Therefore, the polar regions typically serve as carbon sinks. By 2100, much of the global
ocean is expected to be a large sink of carbon dioxide, potentially altering the ocean chemistry
and lowering the pH of the water, making it more acidic.

SOIL

Carbon is sequestered in soil by plants through photosynthesis and can be stored as soil organic
carbon (SOC). Agroecosystems can degrade and deplete the SOC levels but this carbon deficit
opens up the opportunity to store carbon through new land management practices. Soil can also
store carbon as carbonates. Such carbonates are created over thousands of years when carbon
dioxide dissolves in water and percolates the soil, combining with calcium and magnesium
minerals, forming “caliche” in desert and arid soil.

Carbonates are inorganic and have the ability to store carbon for more than 70,000 years, while
soil organic matter typically stores carbon for several decades. Scientists are working on ways to
accelerate the carbonate forming process by adding finely crushed silicates to the soil in order to
store carbon for longer periods of time.
FORESTS

About 25 percent of global carbon emissions are captured by plant-rich landscapes such as
forests, grasslands and rangelands. When leaves and branches fall off plants or when plants die,
the carbon stored either releases into the atmosphere or is transferred into the soil. Wildfires and
human activities like deforestation can contribute to the diminishment of forests as a carbon sink.

GRASSLANDS

While forests are commonly credited as important carbon sinks, California’s majestic green
giants are serving more as carbon sources due to rising temperatures and impact of drought and
wildfires in recent years. Grasslands and rangelands are more reliable than forests in modern-day
California mainly because they don’t get hit as hard as forests by droughts and wildfires,
according to research from the University of California, Davis. Unlike trees, grasslands sequester
most of their carbon underground. When they burn, the carbon stays fixed in the roots and soil
instead of in leaves and woody biomass. Forests have the ability to store more carbon, but in
unstable conditions due to climate change, grasslands stand more resilient.

Geological Carbon Sequestration

Geological carbon sequestration is the process of storing carbon dioxide in underground geologic
formations, or rocks. Typically, carbon dioxide is captured from an industrial source, such as
steel or cement production, or an energy-related source, such as a power plant or natural gas
processing facility and injected into porous rocks for long-term storage.

Carbon capture and storage can allow the use of fossil fuels until another energy source is
introduced on a large scale.
Technological Carbon Sequestration

Scientists are exploring new ways to remove and store carbon from the atmosphere using
innovative technologies. Researchers are also starting to look beyond removal of carbon dioxide
and are now looking at more ways it can be used as a resource.

GRAPHENE PRODUCTION

The use of carbon dioxide as a raw material to produce graphene, a technological material.
Graphene is used to create screens for smart phones and other tech devices. Graphene production
is limited to specific industries but is an example of how carbon dioxide can be used as a
resource and a solution in reducing emissions from the atmosphere.

DIRECT AIR CAPTURE (DAC)

A means by which to capture carbon directly from the air using advanced technology plants.
However, this process is energy intensive and expensive, ranging from $500-$800 per ton of
carbon removed. While the techniques such as direct air capture can be effective, they are still
too costly to implement on a mass scale.

ENGINEERED MOLECULES

Scientists are engineering molecules that can change shape by creating new kinds of compounds
capable of singling out and capturing carbon dioxide from the air. The engineered molecules act
as a filter, only attracting the element it was engineered to seek.

Impacts of Carbon Sequestration

 About 25 percent of our carbon emissions have historically been captured by Earth’s
forests, farms and grasslands. Scientists and land managers are working to keep
landscapes vegetated and soil hydrated for plants to grow and sequester carbon.
 As much as 30 percent of the carbon dioxide we emit from burning fossils fuels is
absorbed by the upper layer of the ocean. But this raises the water’s acidity, and ocean
acidification makes it harder for marine animals to build their shells. Scientists and the
fishing industry are taking proactive steps to monitor the changes from carbon
sequestration and adapt fishing practices.