Environmental

Engineering Review
 Answer: A

Synergism – the interaction between two or more items when the combined effect is greater than if you added the items on their own
Eutrophication – characterized by excessive plant and algal growth due to the increased availability of one or more limiting growth
factors needed for photosynthesis such as sunlight, carbon dioxide, and nutrient fertilizers
Biomagnification – the process by which a compound (such as a pollutant or pesticide) increases its concentration in the tissues of
organisms as it travels up the food chain
Thermal Stratification – change in temperatures at different depths in a static body of water

Answer: B?

Troposphere – 0 – 12 km, innermost layer where most of weather takes place

Stratosphere – 12 – 50 km, composed of stratified temperature layer with thermal inversion
- contains the ozone layer
Mesosphere – 50 – 80 km, least understood part of atmosphere due to being too low for orbital spacecraft but to high for balloons
Thermosphere – 80 – 700 km, similar with stratosphere, temperature increase with altitude due to solar radiation, UV radiation
photoionize/photodissociate molecules to ions
- contains majority of ionosphere
Exosphere – 700 – 10000 km, outermost layer, does not behave as gas and particles constantly escape into space
 Trophic level – the group of organisms within an ecosystem which occupy the same level in a food chain
> Level 1 – autotrophs or primary producers  manufactures own food
> Level 2 – primary consumers  herbivores that eat producers Answer: B
> Level 3 – secondary consumers
> Level 4 – tertiary consumers carnivores (eats animals only) and omnivores (eat both plants and animals)
> Level 5 – apex predators
> detritivores or decomposers – organism that consume dead plant or animal and convert to nutrients to be used by producers

Biotic factor – a living organism that shape its environment

Biomes – large collection of flora and fauna occupying a major habitat
Niche – the way an organism fits into an ecosystem Answer: D

Ammonification – primary process that converts

reduced organic nitrogen (R–NH2) to reduced
inorganic nitrogen (NH4+) through the action of
microorganisms
Denitrification - microbial process of reducing nitrate and nitrite to gaseous Nitrogen Fixation – any natural or industrial process that
forms of nitrogen causes free nitrogen (N2) to combine chemically
Ammonolysis - type of chemical reaction in which ammonia is used as a with other elements to form more-reactive
reactant nitrogen compounds such as ammonia, nitrates, or
Answer: A nitrites.
Thermal inversion – a reversal of the normal behavior of temperature in the troposphere, in which a layer of cool air at the surface is
overlain by a layer of warmer air
Anaerobic respiration – respiration using electron acceptors other than molecular oxygen
See item #1 for other definitions Answer: A

Refer to item #5
Answer: C

Refer to item #3
Answer: D

Biomes can be generally classified on the basis of climactic factors

and types of producers
Answer: A

Denitrification is an anerobic process Answer: A

Note: some of denitrifying bacteria are considered facultative aerobic
 Answer: A

Bioaccumulation – the net accumulation of a contaminant in or on an organism from all sources including water, air, and diet
Bioconcentration – specific bioaccumulation process by which the concentration of a chemical in an organism becomes higher than its
concentration in the air or water around the organism

Color of water is measured in platinum cobalt unit (PCU)

1 unit – color produced dissolving 1 mg of platinum cobalt in 1 L
Answer: D distilled water

Turbidity – measure of relative clarity (cloudiness or haziness) of water

Hardness – concentration of multivalent cations in the water  usually expressed in ppm CaCO3
Answer: B
Total Suspended Solids - the dry-weight of suspended
particles, that are not dissolved, in a sample of water that
can be trapped by a filter that is analyzed using a filtration
Total Dissolved Solids -  a measure of the dissolved combined content ofapparatus
all inorganic and organic substances present in a liquid in
molecular, ionized, or micro-granular suspended form Answer: A
Total Solids = TSS + TDS
 Physical – determined by 5 senses
Answer: D

Answer: D

Answer: A

Refer to item #1 for definition

Answer: D
 Iron and manganese typically adds rusty reddish-brown
color to water
Answer: D

Alkalinity - measure of the acid-neutralizing capacity of

water and is usually determined by titration against sulfuric
Only ammonia, carbonate and bicarbonate will contribute to alkalinity acid to the endpoint of the acid– base reaction
Answer: B

Refer to item #13 Answer: C

Assimilative capacity – the ability of the environment or a portion of

the environment (such as a stream, lake, air mass or soil
layer) to carry waste material without adverse effects on the
environment or on users of its resources. 
Pollution occurs only when the assimilative capacity is exceeded

In a natural setting, the organic waste is degraded by microorganisms

using oxygen. Thus BOD can be an indicator of the assimilative capacity

Answer: A
 Answer: A

Stages of Wastewater Treatment

1. Primary Treatment – sewage is stored in basins where solids (sludge) can settle to the bottom and oil and lighter substances can
rise to the top
2. Secondary Treatment - removes dissolved and suspended biological matter, often using microorganisms in a controlled
environment
3. Tertiary Treatment – also called “effluent polishing” which aims to raise the quality of the water to domestic and industrial
standards, or to meet specific requirements around the safe discharge of water

Answer: A
 See item #24 Answer: C

Adsorption – the adhesion of a thin layer of molecules to the surfaces of liquids

or solids they come in contact with widely used in wastewater
treatment processes
Answer: D Activated charcoal, silica gel and Fuller’s earth (a type of clay material) are
examples of adsorbents

Answer: B (but C is also an option)

Rapid Sand Filter – part of multi-stage water treatment system that uses relatively coarse sand and other granular media to remove
particles and impurities that have been trapped in a floc through the use of flocculation chemicals
Backwashing is necessary to maintain efficient operation of the filter
Air-binding – air binds the filter medium and stops its function which is caused by too much head loss
Mud balls – formed when mud on sand surface sinks to the sand bed sticking to sand grains caused by inadequate washing
Expansion of filter media – flushing out of particulates from the filter media by backwashing
Shrinkage of filter media – caused also by insufficient washing that can lead to cracking of filter bed

Disinfection - the removal, deactivation or killing of pathogenic

microorganisms
Chlorine, chlorine dioxide and ozone – chemicals most commonly used
Sulfuric Acid- used for pH control during treatment Use of UV light is also an effective disinfection treatment
Answer: D
 Most aquatic organism prefer pH range of 6.5 – 9
Answer: C

Answer: A

Methemoglobinemia –a condition in which more than one percent of the

hemoglobin in red blood cells take the form of methemoglobin
- can be caused by drinking water with high nitrate
Typhoid – a bacterial infection
Answer: B
Gastroenteritis – stomach flu, can either be caused by bacteria or virus
Mottled tee - ?

Answer: C

Free chlorine – chlorine responsible for the disinfection of

water
Residual Chlorine – chlorine available after chlorination
Answer: B
 Temporary Hardness – presence of magnesium and calcium
carbonates in water
Permanent Hardness – when the soluble salts of magnesium and
Lime soda process – also called Clark’s process which uses the calcium are present in the form of chlorides and sulfides in
addition of limewater (Ca(OH)2) to precipitate the carbonates in water
water Answer: D

Refer to item #30 for coagulation and item #24 for

flocculation
Answer: A

Refer to item #23

Answer: D
 Answer: B

Adding chlorine to water will also: oxidize iron, manganese, taste and odor compounds, remove color in the water, destroy
hydrogen sulfide, and aid other water treatment processes, such as sedimentation and filtration

See item #17

Answer: B

See item #23

Answer: B

COD is normally higher than BOD as more organic compounds can be

chemically oxidized than biologically oxidized. However, if they are equal it
means all the organics can be biologically or chemically oxidized.
The choice of treatment will boil down to which is cheaper.
For strictly operating costs, biological treatment is lower but it has higher
Answer: B capital cost.
Assuming, both are already available and operational, biological treatment
is more practical
 Answer: A

This test refers to Total Count Test or also called Total

Viable Count (TVC) test

Most Probable Number Test (MPN) – estimate concentration of viable microorganisms in a sample
> Presumptive Test – a screening test to sample water for the presence of microorganisms
- if negative, water is considered safe, if positive, proceed to confirmative test
> Confirmative test – test to confirm if the positive result from presumptive test is actually from presence of microorganisms
> Completed test – final test to confirm positive result from confirmative test

Aeration or addition of air to water serves the ff purposes:

> in biological treatment, it allows access to oxygen for aerobic
degradation of the pollutants
Answer: D > remove dissolved gases and oxidize dissolved metals
 DAO 34 s. 1990 – revised water usage and classification
Philippine Clean Water Act of 2004 – RA 9275
Water code of the Philippines – PD 1067 s. 1976
RA 9003 – Ecological Solid Waste Management
Answer: A

Answer: C

From DAO 34 s. 1990:

Lapse rate – rate of change in temperature observed while moving upward through the Earth’s atmosphere
> dry adiabatic lapse rate – lapse rate of unsaturated air parcel about 9.8 K/km
> wet adiabatic lapse rate – rate of cooling of saturated air parcel
> environmental lapse rate – actual temperature profile vs. altitude at any given time and geographical location
Atmospheric Stability
> very stable – environmental lapse rate is equal to zero
> stable or sub-adiabatic – environmental lapse rate is less than 5.5 K/km
> neutral – environmental lapse rate is between wet adiabatic and dry adiabatic lapse rate (5.5-9.8 K/km)
> unstable or super-adiabatic – environmental lapse greater than 9.8 K/km
Answer: C

Stockholm Convention – an international environmental treaty, signed in May 2001 and effective from May 2004, that aims to
eliminate or restrict the production and use of persistent organic pollutants
Montreal Protocol – international treaty, signed on September 1987 and effective from January 1989 designed to protect the
ozone layer by phasing out the production of numerous substances that are responsible for ozone depletion
Kyoto Protocol – international treaty, adopted in 1997 and effective on February 2005 which extended the 1992 United Nations
Framework Convention on Climate Change that commits state parties to reduce greenhouse gas emissions
Answer: C
Earth Summit – United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in 1992, a response for member states to
cooperate together internationally on development issues
Agenda 21 – a product of Earth Summit which is a non binding plan of UN towards sustainable development
Answer: B

PM10 – inhalable particles with diameters that are generally 10 micrometers and smaller
TSP – Total Suspended Particulate, refers to the totality of small solid matter released, documented and/or otherwise observed in
the atmosphere
Fly ash – a coal combustion product that is composed of particulates that are driven out of coal-fired boilers together with flue gases
ESP – Electrostatic Precipitator -  a device that uses an electric charge to remove certain impurities—either solid particles or liquid
droplets—from air or other gases in smokestacks and other flues
Answer: C
 Answer: C

Answer: B

Refer to item #49 for ESP

Settling chamber – uses principle of gravity to remove particulates from emissions
Cyclone device – separation devices that use the principle of inertia to remove particulate matter from flue gases
Wet collectors – the polluted gas stream is brought into contact with the scrubbing liquid, by spraying it with the liquid, by forcing it
through a pool of liquid, or by some other contact method, so as to remove the pollutants
 CFCs are one of the ozone-depleting substances (ODS)
Answer: B

All options are considered oxidants but the description

fits ozone
Answer: C

Global Warming - the long-term warming of the

planet’s overall temperature
Greenhouse effect -  the natural warming of the earth
that results when gases in the atmosphere trap heat
from the sun that would otherwise escape into
space
Answer: B Refer to item #6 for choice B and D

Smog – coined from smoke and fog, a type of visible air pollution with variable compositions of air pollutants
Sulfurous smog – high conc of SO2 from burning of fossil fuels
Photochemical smog – comes from NOx and hydrocarbon vapors that undergo photochemical reactions in the lower atmosphere
Answer: B
 See item #47 Answer: A

Peroxyacetyl Nitrate (PAN) – secondary pollutants that

at high concentration can cause serious damage to
vegetation
Answer: A

CFC
  is break down into components from high energy photons in the atmosphere
The ff reaction with chlorine and ozone happens:
1st step
2nd step
overall reaction Answer: B

Formaldehyde – a strong-smelling, colorless gas used in making building materials and many household products. It is used in
pressed-wood products, such as particleboard, plywood, and fiberboard; glues and adhesives; permanent- press
fabrics; paper product coatings; and certain insulation materials
Answer: A
 Answer: B

Leachate – any contaminated liquid that is generated from water percolating through a solid waste disposal site, accumulating
contaminants, and moving into subsurface areas
Bottom ash – the coarse, granular, incombustible by-product of coal combustion that is collected from the bottom of furnaces

Answer: C

Plastic recycling code Code Type

1 PET (Polyethylene terephthalate
2 HDPE (High-density polyethylene)
3 PVC (Polyvinyl chloride)
4 LDPE (Low-density polyethylene)
5 PP (Polypropylene)
6 PS (Polystyrene)
7 O (other plastic)
 Answer: A

Composting – a process that works to speed up the natural decay of organic material by providing the ideal conditions for detritus-
eating organisms to thrive
Incineration – a waste treatment process that involves the combustion of substances contained in waste materials
Recycling - the process of converting waste materials into new materials and objects

Answer: C

Primary Recycling -  recyclable material or product can be recovered or reused (for the same purpose) without altering its current
state (closed loop)
Secondary Recycling – repurposing a recyclable material with reprocessing
Tertiary Recycling - involves chemical altering of the products or material to convert to another product

RA 6969 – Control of Toxic Substances and Hazardous and Nuclear Waste

RA 8749 – Clean Air Act
Refer to item #44 for choice C and D Answer: C
 Answer: D

From EMB memorandum circular 005 July 2014 – Revised Guidelines for Coverage Screening and Standardized Requirements under
Philippine EIS System:
Classification of ECPs:
Heavy Industries Resource Extractive Industries
> Non-ferrous Metal Industries > Mining and Quarrying Projects
> Iron and Steel Mills > Forestry Projects
> Petroleum and Petrochemical Industries > Dikes for/and Fishpond Development Projects
> Smelting Plants

Infrastructure Projects Golf Course Projects

> Dams
> Power Plants
> Reclamation Projects
> Roads and Bridges

 Oxidation of Glucose

 
Answer: D
  Ultimate BOD – amount of oxygen required to decompose
all organic material after infinite time

Calculate from given

ppm Answer: A

 Overall reaction

  Answer: D
Total
  Alkalinity
> a measurement of the concentration of all alkaline substances dissolved in the water that can both attract and
release H+ ions or simply the ability of water to resist change in pH
> stoichiometric sum of bases in a solution
> units: milliequivalents per liter (meq/L), microequivalents per kilogram (μeq/kg) or milligrams per liter CaCO3 (mg/L CaCO3)

Simplified formula:

1
2
1
Answer: B
1
2