FE Environmental Conceptual Terms

Conic Section

Any curve made by slicing a cone with a plane

Elipse

An oval shape where the sum of distances to two fixed points is constant

Foci points

Two fixed points inside an elipse that define its shape

Vertices

The farthest points from that the center along the main axis of a shape

Parabola

Depending how it is placed, directrix on x or y axis

(Given equation is on x-axis so y-axis is the opposite)

Logarithm Addition and Subtraction

Log Addition > Multiplication

Log Subtraction > Division

Rectangular Coordinates

Describe a point using horizontal (x) and vertical (y) distances

Polar coordinates

Describe a point using r (distance from origin) and 0 (angle from x-axis)

Partial derivative

Taking the derivative while holding other variable constant

Geometric progression

A sequence where each term is multiplied by the same number to get the next term

Atomic #

The number of protions in the nucleus of an atom

Isotopes

Chemically idential forms of an element

Atomic Weight (mass)

Average atomic mass for the naturally occurring element (amu)

Molecular formula

Gives the exact number of different atoms found in an element (Ex. Octane C8H18)

Molecular Weight

Mass of a mole of a particular substance

Avogadro’s Number

A mole of molecules of a substance (6.022 × 10²³ moles)

Stoichiometry

THe part of chemistry concerned with measuring the properties of elements or compounds involved in a reaction

Equilibrium

A reaction @ equilibrium can go forward and back

Half-Life (t 1/2)

The time required for the concentration to decay to half its original value

Henry’s Law

The amount of dissolved gas in an liquid is proportional to its partial pressure above the liquid

Bioaccumulation

Many organic compounds are highly hydrophobic

Normality

Number of equivalent weights per liter of solution

Basics of Organic Chemistry Nomenclature

1. Find the longest carbon chain and give it a root name

2. Identify the highest priority functional group and add its suffix to the root name

3. Identify the types of substituente and their positions on the carbon chair, then add a numbered prefix to the root name

Nitrification

NH3 > NO3-

• Municipal wastewater influent contains a significant amount of ammonia

  • (Ammonia exerts an oxygen demand)

  • (Nitrogen contributes to algal blooms)

Phosphorus Removal (HPO4-)

Generally done to control eutrophication since phosphorus is a limiting nutrient for algal bloom in most freshwater systems

Typical Surface Water Treatment Plan

1. Rapid Mix/Screening

2. Coagulation

3. Flocculation

4. Sedimentation

5. Filtration

6. Disinfection

7. Solids Handling

Typical Groundwater Treatment Plan

1. Aeration

2. Flocculation / Lime Soda Softening

3. Sedimentation

4. Recarbonation

5. Filtration

6. Disinfection

7. Distribution

Theoretical Oxygen Demand (ThOD)

Amount of oxygen required to completely oxidize a substance, calculated through stoichiometry

Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD)

Measured quantity of oxygen consumed by chemical oxidation

Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD)

Measured amount of oxygen consumed by the oxidation of organics by microbes

Microorganisms

Microscopic organisms that consist of a single cell or cell cluster; includes viruses that are microscopic but not considered living

Ex. Protozoa, algae, fungi, eubacteria, archaebacteria

3 Methods of Classification for Microorganisms

1. Cell Structure/Morphology > how it looks, shape size?

2. Phylogeny/Nucleic Acid Sequence > DNA

3. Physiology/Metabolic Capaicty > how it generates energy?

Strong Acids examples?

HNO3, HCl, H2SO4

Weak Acids Examples?

H2CO3, CH3COOH, H2S

Buffer?

A solution that resists a pH change when an acid or base is added to it

Clean Water Act (1972)

Regulations are designed to protect the water quality of surface waters (lakes, rivers, oceans) and groundwater

Ambient/Environmental standards

Standards that specify a concentration in water or air that must not be exceeded, regardless of the source

Effluent/Emission standards

Standards that specify the maximum concentration or mass of pollutant that a specific source may contribute

National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES)

A permit system for every point-source discharger of wastewater into the environment

Safe Drinking Water Act (1974)

Focused on protecting public drinking water supplies

Water - Physical State of Impurity - DISSOLVED?

Only one phase present (liquid)

• Substance may only be removed by accomplishing a phase change

Water - Physical State of Impurity - SUSPENDED?

Two phases are present (liquid and solid)

• Solids are large enough to be removed by physical methods

Water - Physical State of Impurity - COLLOIDAL?

Colloidal particles are in the size range between dissolved and suspended

Groundwater Flow

• Flows in pore and fractures of aquifers

• Flow is induced by hydraulic gradients

Intrinsic Permeability (K)

Most important properties affecting the magnitude of K, include

1. Sizes and number of pores

2. Pore shape and connectedness

3. Surface textures

Aquifers

Geological formations that are saturated with water

Channel Routing

A process for predicting how a fixed wave’s shape, speed and magnitude change as it moves downstream through a river or canal

Attenuation

Reduction in peak flows

Reservoir Routing

The process of calculating how a flood wave changes as it moves through a reservoir

Hydrograph

A graph showing water flow (discharge) over time at a specific point

Water Budget

The balance between inputs and outputs

Cash Flow

A series of expenses and credits that run over the lifetime of a project

General Work Flow

Transactions typically defined in the problem statement

1st Step: where it occurs, expense/credit

2nd Step: summarize cash flow diagram

Present Worth in Econ

(P) - Money today

Future Worth in Econ

(F) - Money at the end of the time period

Annual Amount in Econ

(A) - Same payment every year

Gradient in Econ

(G) - Payment that increases by a fixed amount each year

Salvage Value

How much the assest is worth at the end of its life

Dose

Total mass of a substance to which the body is subjected

Response

Measurable physiological changes produced by the toxin

Acute

Sudden damage resulting from a single exposure to a large concentration of a substance

Chronic

Accumulated damage from repeated exposure to small concetrations over a long time period

Local

Specific to one or a few organs

Systemic

Effect is distributed throughout the body

Carcinogenic

Inducing cancer

Mutagenic

Inducing mutations in genes or chromosomes

Teratogenic

Causing defects in an embryo or fetus during development

Risk Assessment List

• Data collection and evaluation

• Toxicity assessment

• Exposure assessment

• RIsk characterization or quantitative assessment

• Risk management

Exposure routes List

• Inhalation

• Ingestion (oral)

• Absorption through contact (dermal, skin)

Enthalpy (H)

Total energy of a fluid that includes internal energy plus flow work

• Used in open systems (turbines, pumps, boilers)

First Law of Thermodynamics

Energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transferred or converted

Rankine Cycle

Idealized cycle used to model stream power plants

• Converts heat into work using water/steam

How does a Boiler work in Rankine Cycle

Adds heat > water becomes steam

How does a Turbine work in Rankine Cycle

Steam expands > produces work

How does a Condenser work in Rankine Cycle

Removes heat > Steam becomes liquid

How does a Pump work in Rankine Cycle

Raises pressure of liquid

Refrigeration Cycle

System that removes heat from a cold space and rejects it to a warmer area using work input

How does an Evaporator work in Refrigeration Cycle

Absorbs heat (cooling effect)

How does an Compressor work in Refrigeration Cycle

Raises pressure/temperature

How does an Condensor work in Refrigeration Cycle

Releases heat

How does an Expansion Valve work in Refrigeration Cycle

Drops pressure

Ideal Gas Mixtures

A combination of gases that each behave as ideal gases and do not chemically react

Conventional Energy examples

Coal, oil, natural gas, nuclear

• mostly non-renewable

• produce CO2

• Environmental concerns: air pollution, waste, etc.

Alternative/Renewable Energy examples

Solar PV, Solar thermal, Wind, Hydropower, Geothermal, Biomass

• mostly renewable

• lower GHG emissions

Potential Energy?

Stored due to position (elevation)

Kinetic Energy

Motion

Chemical Energy

in fuels bonds

Geothermal Energy

Uses heat from inside the Earth to produce electricity or direct heating

Electrical Energy

Moving electrons

Nuclear Energy

Atomic reactions

Sound Energy

Pressure waves

Carbon Footprint

Total GHG emissions from an activity/system

• Includes: fuel burned, electricity used, transport, manufacturing

Pollutant Emission Rate equation

Emission rate = flow x concentration

Tidal Power

Uses the rise and fall of ocean tides to generate electricity

Groundwater

Water stored in the pore spaces of soil or fractures in rock below ground

Aquifer

A layer of soil or rock that can store and transmit usable amounts of groundwater

• Ex. Sand/gravel layer, fractured limestone

Unconfined Aquifer

Aquifer with its upper surface open to the atmosphere

• Ex. Shallow sand layer beneath farmland

Confined Aquifer

Aquifer trapped between low-permeability layers

• Ex. Sand layer between clay layers

Subsurface Layers of soil

• Vadose Zone = unsaturated soil above water table

• Saturated Zone = pores full of water

• Aquitard = low permeability (clay)

• Aquiclude = almost impermeable

Hydraulic Head

Total energy of groundwater at a point