Env - Final

Environmental accounting identifies resource use, and measures and communicates costs of a company or national economic impact on the environment.

true definition of environmental accounting

Smaller businesses have an easier path to implement P2 activities relative to their larger counterparts.

false Do not have the resources, expertise, numbers

Source reduction can be done through changes in:

Technology: Equipment, piping, or layout changes

Procedures: Alteration of an existing process by adding new operations

Product material: Substitution of composite components for metal ones

Input materials- Substitution of water-based \n coatings for solvent-based coatings

Input material changes can be in the form of material substitution and material purification.

True
material substitution: less hazardous material
material purification: use of highly feed stocks to prevent unwanted reactions or having some impurity in the final project

Ideal input material change involves the replacement of a hazardous, impure material with a nonhazardous, pure one, without damaging the quality of the product.

true

Substitution of water-based inks for solvent-based inks is an example of procedural changes.

False input material change
ex leaded gasoline to unleaded w/o loss of performance (less sulfer)

Technology changes may happen in:

Equipment-installing better seals/drip pans

Process-implementation of new tech

Operational settings- less waste when system at optimal setting/improved monitor

Retrofitting old coal-fired power plants to incorporate carbon capture is an example of technology changes to prevent pollution.

True prevents CO2 pollution

Equipment changes to prevent pollution are always complicated and expensive.

False
Ex. challenger rocket failure of 1 oaring would have prevent the disaster and was cheap solution

Procedural changes may involve:

Loss Prevention
Schedule improvements
Materials handling and inventory practices
Segregation of wastes
Training employees

Installing better seals on equipment to eliminate leakage and putting drip pans under equipment to collect leaking material for reuse are examples of simple, inexpensive equipment changes.

True

Procedural changes to prevent pollution often require high capital cost despite resulting in a low return on investment.

False
do not need high capital cost and big return on investment
ex. training for loss prevention

Examples of loss prevention practices include:

Maintaining physical integrity of tanks/containers
Installing overflow arms and automatic pump shutoffs
Installing spill containment dikes and curbing
also cheap

Inventory practices aim at reducing loss of input materials resulting from mishandling, expired shelf life of time-sensitive materials, and improper storage conditions.

True

Appropriate inventory practices involve proper storage, stacking and labelling of containers.

True
ex improper stacker can result in damage, mislabeled product need to be thrown out as safety precaution

The volume of hazardous waste can be minimized by preventing the mixing of hazardous and nonhazardous wastes.

True
segregation of waste: A little bit of hazardous waste into non hazardous whole thing considered to be hazardous

Recycling may involve returning waste material either to the same process or another process for reuse as a raw material.

True

Pre-consumer recycling applications involve:

raw materials, products, and by-products that have not reached a consumer for an intended end-use, but are typically reused within an original process. Ex. done in manufacturing plant onsite water reuse

Post-consumer recycling

The recycling activities we do in our personal life
examples: recycled paper and plastic products after use

Additional capital and operating costs are sample disadvantages of direct reuse/recovery on-site.

True
recruitment and training costs

Direct reuse/recovery on-site depends on the extent of availability and consistency of the waste.

True
low or inconsistent amount of waste send it off site to be recycled

Off-site recovery is recommended if

Insufficient amounts of waste are generated
The recovered material cannot be reused on-site

Liability concerns and supply and demand are two of the main considerations when waste sale for off-site reuse is sought.

True
if accident happens who is responsible

To recover energy, waste may be used as:

Fuel supplement - mix biomass(waste) with coal
Fuel substitute - waste burning as fuel source

Waste exchanges serve as brokers of wastes and/or clearinghouses for information on the availability of waste streams.

true
facility connection btw waste producers and buyers

The transportation sector generates solid and hazardous wastes, wastewater, air pollution and noise pollution.

through

Maintenance/repair, Fueling, and Transportation system operations

The wastes are created during maintenance and repair, fueling and system operations.

True

Solid waste

Hazardous wastes

Wastewater (contaminated waste cleaner, solvents, grease)

Air pollution

Noise pollution

Solid waste may be created:

via replacement of batteries, brakes and filters. ex. replacement of battery creates solid/hazardous waste

Hazardous waste may be generated through:

True

waste paints, degreasers, thinners and lubricants. oil changes

Wastewater may be generated through:

vehicle exterior washing, and tank and parts cleaning.

Air pollution may originate from:

fueling( VOC) system operations (Soxs, Nox, carbon monoxide),painting and depainting

Noise pollution may be created through:

aircraft operations and construction activities.

Gasoline combustion in cars and trucks is the most significant source of CO2 emissions from the transportation sector.

True
80% or or more large trucks mostly

NOx emissions from the transportation sector has significantly decreased over time due to technological advances.

True
ex. catality converter in cars turns Nox to m2 a benign gas

Marine vessels are the most significant source of NOx emissions from the transportation sector.

False
cars are the most significant source

SOx emissions from the transportation sector has significantly decreased over time due to lower sulfur content of diesel.

True
500 parts per 1 million to 10-15 parts

Marine are the most significant source of:

SOx emissions from the transportation sector.
uses a cheap dirty fuel

Refueling is a major source of VOC emissions in transportation.

True
volatile gases in atmosphere

The level of highway traffic noise primarily depends on volume and speed of the traffic.

True

Noise pollution impacts on people may include hearing loss, physiological effects, and speech and sleep interference.

True

P2 in transportation requires training to limit waste generation and decrease spills, and advances in technology to limit fuel consumption.

True

Maintenance waste can be reduced through:

use of nonhazardous cleaners, prevention of fuel spillage and using as little water as possible for cleaning.

Transportation noise can be reduced by noise-compatible land-use planning and construction of noise barriers along highways.

True
ex. hospital and airports should not be next to each other

Fuel efficiency in cars depends on vehicle weight, vehicle frontal area, fuel injection system, ignition system and transmission system.

True

Transportation air emissions can be reduced by using oxidization catalyst for CO and VOCs, particulate filter, and selective catalytic reduction for NOx.

True
ex. co is produced in cars bc of incomplete combustion car catality converter turns co to co2
filter: carbon particles to co2
nox to n2

electric cars:

Advantages: no exhaust gas, always-on power delivery, silent engine
Disadvantages: Limited range and long charging duration

Hybrid cars:

Advantages: city traffic Small gas engine that operates only when needed and at the speed which gives the best efficiency and the lowest emissions, tax benefits being phased out

Disadvantages: not are ideal for highway driving. expensive battery replacement and mantaince

Hydrogen cars:

Advantages: fast refueling, long-range, eco-friendly emission exhaust is water

Disadvantages: Low volumetric energy intensity compared to cars (lot of hydrogen few miles) and high cost of hydrogen, hydrogen needs to be kept at low temperature, lack of access

Gasoline dominance in transportation is due to high efficiency of combustion engines.

False
combustion engines have a low efficiency
electric cars have a high efficacy most energy converted to motion not losses
gas dominance bc high energy density small fuel tank lot of miles

Product life cycle consists of four phases, namely:

material production, product manufacturing, product use and product disposal.

Physical life:
Functional life:
Technical life:

- the time in which the product breaks down
beyond economic repair ex. not cost effective to repair an old car get a new one
- the time when the need for it ceases to exist ex: plastic water bottle once used
- the time at which advances in technology have
made the product unacceptably obsolete ex- floppy disc

Economical life:
Legal life:
Desirability life:

- the time at which advances in design and
technology offer the same functionality at lower operating cost
- the time at which new standards, directives,
legislation, or restrictions make the use of the product illegal
- the time at which changes in taste, fashion,
or aesthetic preference render the product unattractive

Embodied energy is:

The sum of energies entering a manufacturing plant per hour divided by the mass of product produced per hour.

Carbon footprint is defined as the carbon emission that is the result of creating one unit of material or product.

True

Carbon footprint considers emissions during:

Generation of electric power
Material transport
Production of feedstocks
Production of hydrocarbon fuel

LCA examines energy and material flows during:

Product maintenance, repair, manufacturing, use, distribution and storage

Raw material acquisition and processing

Life cycle assessment is the study of resources consumed and emissions generated over the life cycle of a product, and their environmental impacts.

True
waste generated: physical, water, heat, air pollution

What are the four steps of any LCA.

Goals and scope, inventory compilation, environmental impact assessment and interpretation of the findings

Companies may do LCA on their products:

To show conformity to ISO 14000
To improve their public image
For performance contracting purposes
To demonstrate being an environmentally responsible manufacturer

Boundary A in LCA tells the whole story about the life cycle of a product.

False
boundary A talks about 1 phase of the product life cycle not all four
Its scope is limited to the activity inside the box

Boundary C in LCA is the best as it sets the boundary at infinity.

False
it does set the boundary at infinity but its too ambitious and impractical

Boundary B LCA is the most logical and useful way of setting LCA boundary.

True
gives a clear picture of the entire thing, unbias and practical

Inventory compilation involves data collection on the resource flows passing into the system and the emissions passing out.

True

Environmental impact assessment during LCA may consider potential for environmental impacts such as:

Eutrophication
Human toxicity
Global warming
Ozone depletion

externalized environmental cost is

Some damages are global and
the creator of the emissions is not
held directly responsible
The environmental cost becomes
a burden on society as a whole

internalized environmental cost.

When environmental damages are local and the originator of the emissions accepts the responsibility and cost of containing and fixing it,

Examples of externalized environmental cost.

Global warming due to GHG emissions
Ozone layer depletion due to CFC emissions

Well-to-tank emissions in cars consider the upstream fuel supply chain.

True
from the point, oil is extracted, refined, and brought to your local gas station
electric cars only have this one - gas is extracted sent to the power plant, and electricity is sent to charging station

Tank-to-wheel emissions account for energy conversion in the car.

True
when the engine burns that gas to power your car

Examples of ISO standards include:

ISO 50001 for Energy Management System (EMS)
ISO 27000 for Information Technology
ISO 22000 for Food Safety Management System
ISO 26000 for Social Responsibility
ISO 9000 for Quality Management System (QMS)

The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) represents the U.S. at ISO.

True

Full ISO members:

influence ISO standards development and strategy and sell and adopt ISO International Standards nationally.

Correspondent ISO members:

can sell and adopt ISO International Standards nationally
cant be apart of development process

Subscriber ISO members

They keep up to date on ISO’s work but cannot participate in it
They do not sell or adopt ISO International Standards nationally

International standards have been established for:

Energy production
Financial services
Banking
Communications

What entities can serve on ISO committees?

Industry
Research institutes
International organizations
Government authorities
Consumer bodies

International standardization is market-driven, but mandatory.

False
it is voluntary but it will become disadvantageous to not implement standards lose market share

Standards development process involves recognizing the need, consensus building and final approval.

True

Standards may require periodic revision due to:

New methods and materials
Technological evolution
New quality and safety requirements

The purpose of ISO 14000 is to assist companies and organizations to:

Lower trade barrier
Comply with any laws, regulations, or environmental requirements imposed upon them
Minimize their negative effects on the environment

Businesses that comply with ISO 14000 are eligible for certification by ISO.

False
certification done by a 3rd party

Environmental Management System (EMS) is a tool that allows companies to identify and control the environmental impact of their products and processes, improve their environmental performance, and create a systematic approach to setting environmental goals and achieving them.

True

The development of an EMS within the ISO 14000 framework follows a Plan-Do-Check-Act approach.

True
1. plan
2. implement
3. check how you did
4. if improvement needed act on them

The Planning stage establishes the objectives and processes needed to deliver the results in line with the EMS.

True

The Check stage is used to check, via auditing, the processes against the policy, objectives, targets, and regulations and report on the results.

True

ISO certification bodies require accreditation themselves.

False
can be accredited or not

ISO standards pitfalls may include:

Creating a trade barrier for small companies
Creating a trade barrier for developing countries
Being tedious and expensive to implement
Issues with the certification process

Weather is the temporary condition of the atmosphere in one place.

true what you wear for the day

Climate is the overall average weather at a place over a period of time.

true what ur closet looks like year round

Greenhouse Gas (GHG)?

N20-nitrous oxide
CH4-methane
H2O-watervapors
O3-ozone
CFCsFluorinated gases
CO2-carbon dioxide

Carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and CFCs are the main anthropogenic (man-made) greenhouse gases.

true
can come from natural sources

Ozone and water vapor are two major GHGs that are not significantly affected by human activities.

true more water vapor as the planet warms

GHGs tend to cool down the atmosphere.

false heat up atmosphere

The greenhouse effect in the atmosphere happens due to the:

Absorption of infrared by the GHGs
infrared radiation is emitted absorbed by greenhouse gases then re-emitted in all direction by the atmosphere. effect warms earth surface and atmosphere

The CO2 level in the atmosphere is increasing because:

We are destroying CO2 sinks (forests)We are emitting large amounts of CO2 (burning of fossil fuel)

The CO2 we are emitting may be stored in the:

earth, atmosphere, oceans
dissolved by ocean drops PH acidification of the sea

GHG concentrations in the atmosphere are on the rise, contributing to human-induced global warming.

true

Which compound(s) tend(s) to cool down the atmosphere?

Some aerosols and SOx
ex of aerosol: salt particles

All GHGs are equally contributing to the greenhouse effect.

false
Carbon dioxide accounts for 70% of ghg
fluorinated gases have a global warming potential of 10,000ppm
nitrous oxide have a global warming potential of 300ppm

Burning of fossil fuels is the main source of anthropogenic CO2 emissions.

true
cars, power generation