**INTRODUCTION TO ENVIROMENTAL ENGINEERING
1.1 Basic Ecological Concept And Natural Resources
BIOTIC AND ABIOTIC SUB COMPONENTS
Biotic factor
Abiotic factor
Example:
-Living organism like bacteria & plant.
Example:
-Hydrosphere (ocean, lake)
THE VALUE OF THE ENVIRONMENT
The value of the environment for human is to satisfy natural and acquired needs of humans
*Acquired needs- items that must be processed or manufactured or refined, and the production, distribution, and use of such items usually results in more complex residuals, many which are not compatible with or readily assimilated by the environment (non renewable resources).*
Natural needs- these natural unprocessed resources were readily available in the biosphere, and the residue generated by the use of such resources were generally compatible with, or readily assimilated by the environment (renewable resources).
- Air , Water , Food , Shelter
- Metal , Oil and gas , Coal , Nuclear Energy
The need to measure and valuing all the natural services. The services nature provides can be divided into 3 categories:
- Privisioning- material, food and energy. Examplewater, timber, oil
- Regulating- benefits from regulating nature eg rock and sand as a water filtration
* - Cultural- non material benefits eg , recreational visit to natural environment*
RENEWABLE AND NON-RENEWABLE RESOURCES
example : solar , biomas . nuclear , oil
DECOMPOSITION AND NUTRIENT RECYCLING
A key nutrient recycling process within ecosystem (eg; biochemical transformations that influence the movement & retention of nutrients in ecosystems
Mineralization-bacteria & fungi release enzymes to transform organic macromolecules to small organic compounds & soluble nutrients (eg; ammonium
Decomposition is a process of breaking down complex organic matter to simpler organic matter.
It is a metabolic process – rupturing complex organic matter of dead and decayed animals and plants.
Steps in Decomposition Process
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Fragmentation – Breaking down
Leaching – Inorganic material dissolve in water and seep into soil
Catabolism – Change remaining detritus into simple inorganic compound
Humification - i.Formation of dark colour amorphous layer called humus.
Mineralisation – Release of inorganic minerals from humus
NUTRIENT CYCLES: ECOSYSTEM TO ECOSPHERE
Nutrient cycling occurs at the local level through the action of the biota.
Nutrient cycling occurs at the global level through geological processes, such as, atmospheric circulation, erosion and weathering.
UPTAKE OF INORGANIC NUTRIENTS FROM THE SOIL
With the exception of CO2 and O2 which enter though leaves, the main path of all other nutrients is from the soil through the roots of producers.
Even consumers which find Ca, P, S and other elements in the water they drink, obtain the majority of these nutrients either directly or indirectly from producers
THE ATMOSPHERE IS A SOURCE OF INORGANIC NUTRIENTS
The atmosphere acts as a reservoir for carbon dioxide (CO2), oxygen (O2) and water (H2O).
These inorganic compounds can be exchanged directly with the biota through the processes of photosynthesis and respiration
EXAMPLE OF NUTRIENT CYCLE
01 CARBON CYCLE
02 WATER CYCLE
03 PHOSPHORUS CYCLE
04 NITROGEN CYCLE
1.2 APPLY THE CHEMISTRY AND MICROBIOLOGY IN ENVIRONMENT ENGINEERING
DESCRIBE THE FOUR MAIN WATER CONSTITUENTS
Dissolved gases (oxygen, nitrogen, carbon dioxide, ammonia, sulfurous gases
Mineral constituents, including hardness salts, sodium salts (chloride,
Organic matter, including that of both animal and vegetable origin, oil
Microbiological forms, including various types of algae and slime forming bacteria
OUTLINE METHODS OF EXPRESSING CONCENTRATION
Percent w/w (%w/w) - The concentrations of strong acids, as available commercially, are expressed in this way.
This is a common way of specifying solution composition of mixtures of miscible liquids, or solids in liquids
CLASSIFY PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL PROPERTIES OF WATER
Water pollution may be defined as the presence in water of impurities in such quantity and of such nature as to impair the use of the water for a stated purpose
Physical parameters define those characteristic of water that respond to the sense of sight, touch, taste or smell
CATEGORY OF PHYSICAL PARAMETERS OF WATER
SUSPENDED SOLID
Solids suspended in water may consists of inorganic or organic particles or immiscible liquids
TURBIDITY
Turbidity is a measure of the extend to which light is either absorbed or scattered by suspended material in water.
COLOR
Pure water is colorless, but water in nature is often colored by foreign substances. Water whose color is partly due to suspended matter is said to have apparent color. Color contributed by dissolved solids that remain after removal of suspended matter is known as true color.
TASTE AND ODOR
Taste or odor in water can be due to factors such as chemical
TEMPERATURE
Very important parameter because of its effect on chemical reactions and reaction rates, aquatic life, and the suitability of the water for beneficial uses.
CATEGORY OF CHEMICAL PARAMETERS OF WATER
ORGANIC MATTER
Many organic material are soluble in water. Organic in natural water systems may come from natural sources or may result from human activities.
Biodegradable Organics
Nonbiodegradable Organics
HEAVY METAL
Excessive amount of any metal may present health hazard
NUTRIENTS
Nutrients are elements essential to the growth and reproduction of plants and animals, and aquatic species depend on the surrounding water to provide their nutrients
HARDNESS
Defined as the concentration of various metal cations in solution
TOTAL DISSOLVED SOLID
The material remaining in the water after filtration for the suspended-solids analysis is considered to be dissolved. This material is left as a solid residue upon evaporation of the water and constitutes part of total solid
ALKALINITY
Defined as the quantity of negative ions, which will react to neutralize hydrogen ions. It is a measure of water ’s ability to neutralize acids
ACIDITY
Acidity in mine water results from the dissolution of carbon dioxide or sulfuric acid