Hong Kong Institute of Vocational Education

Department of Construction
CON4418 Introduction of Environmental Engineering

Assignment:
Instruction: Answer ALL questions of each topic on A4-sized paper(s).

Water and Wastewater Treatment:

Q1. Define the following terms in relation to water engineering. (7%)
(a) Alkalinity
(b) Colour

Q2. The following test results were obtained from a wastewater sample taken
data wastewater treatment plant. 8%)
Data:
 Wastewater sample size = 300 mL
 Weight of the filter paper = 1.2433 g
 Test results:
 Weight of residue and the filter paper after drying at 105oC = 1.267 g
 Weight of residue and the filter paper after ignition at 550oC = 1.259 g
Determine the concentration in mg/L of suspended solids and
suspendedvolatile solids. All the samples used in the solids analyses were
evaporated,dried or ignited to constant weight.

Q3. A water sample has a BOD5 value of 800 mg/L at 25oC. Calculate
theultimate BOD (Lo) of the sample. Given that the reaction rate constant at
20oC is 0.23 per day. (10%)

Q4. State the purpose of grit removal in wastewater treatment. (6%)

Air Pollution:
Q5. An automobile’s exhaust gas contains 2 % by volume of CO. What is the
concentration of CO as (g/m3) at 20C and 1.5 atm. pressure? (8 %)

Q6. An average daily concentration of SO2 is observed to be 415 g/m3 at 20C

and 1 atm at a location. What is the corresponding concentration in ppm?
(10 %)
Q7. The stack of a factory with an effective stack height (H) of 75 m emits 22
g/s of CO. Calculate the CO concentration in g/m3 at ground-level 1500 m
downwind and 200 m crosswind from the stack. Wind speed is 6 m/s and
the stability category is D. (10 %)
 Solid Waste:
Q8. Calculate the total moisture content of a solid waste with the following
compositions and individual moisture contents. If wood is removed from
the waste, what is the change in percentage of the moisture content? (10%)

Components Mass % Moisture Content %

Food Waste 40 55
Paper 30 5
Cardboard 3 6
Plastic 10 2
Wood 4 15
Others 13 4

Q9. Estimate the theoretical amount of air required expressed in kg/T for
complete combustion of a waste with a composition of C60H120O30N3?
(15 %)

Noise Pollution:
Q10. Determine the Leq of the measured period from 0700 to 1900, i.e. the
working period of the construction site. (10 %)
Time (hr.) Sound level (dBA)
0000 – 0700 45
0700 – 0800 60
0800 – 1000 70
1000 – 1200 68
1200 – 1300 63
1300 – 1600 70
1600 – 1900 75
1900 – 2100 58
2100 – 0000 55

Q11. Compare the difference of noise level measurement between a sunny day
and a clear night. Which set of data is more reliable? (6 %)