ENVIRONMENTAL

ENGINEERING

CHAPTER 1:
INTRODUCTION
1.1
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES AND ENGINEERING
1.2
ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMICAL PROCESSES
1.3
ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMICALS
1.4
UNIT OF CONCENTRATION

ENVIRONMENT
Environment

is Define as The
Complex of Physical, Chemical &
Biotic factors affecting an organism
and ultimately determining its form
and survival is known as
Environment.

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
-is the study of environment,
its living and nonliving
components, and
the interactions of
these components.

ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING
Environmental

Engineering is
the application of science
and engineering principles to
improve the natural
environment (air, water,
and/or land resources), to
provide healthy water, air,
and land for human
habitation (house or home)
and for other organisms, and
to remediate polluted sites.

SCIENCE & ENGINEERING

Scienceimprove
Science

our understanding of

natural processes
Engineeringuse
this understanding
Engineering
to develop and apply technologies that
will maintain or improve environmental
quality

WHAT IS ECOSYSTEM?
POPULATION
A

population is one species living in a specific

area.
For example, all foxes living in an area form a
population.

 COMMUNITY
A

community is formed from all living

populations found in an area.
All
the foxes, dandelions, grasshoppers,
snakes, hawks, deer, living in one area each
form their individual populations, but together
make up a community

 ECOSYSTEM
An

ecosystem is formed
by
the
interactions
between all living and
non-living things

WHAT IS ECOLOGY?
Ecology

is how living and non-living things

affect each other in their environment.

POLLUTION
The

introduction of
substances or energy
into the environment,
by people, liable to
cause harm to living
creatures or ecological
systems.

BIODIVERISTY
The

variety of different
types of life found on
earth. It is a measure of
the variety of organisms
present in different
ecosystems. This can
refer to genetic variation,
ecosystem variation, or
species variation
(number of species)
within an area, biome, or
planet.

COMPOSITION OF THE
ATMOSPHERE

Composition of the
Atmosphere
permanent
variable
trace

gases- nitrogen, oxygen, argon

gases water vapor

gases- carbon dioxide, ozone, CFCs

Aerosols-

suspensions of fine particles liquid

droplets in a gas

Composition of the Atmosphere

The

composition of gases in the atmosphere is

not uniform.
Lighter gases tend to rise to the top.
Gases are measured in ppm volume, which is
directly proportional to mole fraction.

Composition of the Atmosphere

Near

the Earths surface, about 99% of the

atmosphere is composed of nitrogen and
oxygen.
Oxygen has a much lower bond enthalpy
than nitrogen, and is therefore more
reactive.

Composition of the
Atmosphere
The dry atmosphere- the permanent gases:
78% N2, 21% O2, 1% Ar
N2 is primordial its been part of the
atmosphere as long as theres been an
atmosphere
O2 has been rising from none at all about
2.2 Gya comes from photosynthesis
Ar40/Ar36 tells us that the atmosphere has
been out gassed from volcanoes

Variable Gasses

COMPOSITION OF THE
ATMOSPHEREVARIABLE
GASES
Water Vapor: H2O (0-4%)
H2O can exist in all three phases at the
surface of the Earth solid, liquid and gas
Liquid or solid H2O can be suspended by
atmospheric winds (clouds) or fall to the
surface (precipitation)
VERY powerful greenhouse gas (both in
vapor form and as clouds)

COMPOSITION OF THE
ATMOSPHERE
Carbon dioxide
390 ppm (by mass)
Natural and anthropogenic sources
Strong greenhouse gas (GHG)
The important:
CO2 is a product of the reaction that allows
modern civilization to exist: combustion.

COMPOSITION OF THE
ATMOSPHERE
Methane
CH4 concentration: 1.8 ppmv
anthropogenic and natural
sources
powerful greenhouse gas
oxidizes rapidly, hence low
concentrations
Large concentrations proposed
to explain greenhouse warming
of early Earth

METHANE EMISSIONS
Energy

production and consumption

coal mining
natural gas systems
Waste management
landfill gas
Agriculture
manure management
cattle (enteric fermentation)
rice cultivation

COMPOSITION OF THE
ATMOSPHERE
Ozone, CFCs and NOx

Ozone (O3)
shields

the surface from UV rays

produced by reaction with NOx and sunlight near
the surface
CFCs (Chlorofluorocarbons)
destroy stratospheric ozone
chlorine is a catalyst: it destroys one O3 molecule
and then is free to find another
Ozoneathighaltitudes(stratosphere)isgood;
ozoneatlowaltitudes(troposphere)isbad.

STRUCTURE OF THE
ATMOSPHERE

COMPOSITION OF THE
ATMOSPHERE
Aerosols
Dust
Sea-spray
Microbes

OZONE

 Hydrocarbons

and nitrogen oxides react in the

presence of sunlight on hot calm days to form
ground-level ozone.
Ozone irritates eyes and damages the air sacs in the
lungs where oxygen and carbon dioxide are
exchanged, causing eventual hardening of this soft
and spongy tissue.
It also causes shortness of breath, wheezing, fatigue,
headaches, and nausea, and aggravates respiratory
problems such as asthma.

THE GREENHOUSE
EFFECT

Greenhouse effect: Glass allows the solar radiation to enter

freely but blocks the infrared radiation emitted by the interior
surfaces. This causes a rise in the interior temperature as a
result of the thermal energy buildup in a space (i.e., car).
The surface of the earth, which warms up during the day as a
result of the absorption of solar energy, cools down at night by
radiating part of its energy into deep space as infrared radiation.
Carbon dioxide (CO2), water vapor, and trace amounts of some
other gases such as methane and nitrogen oxides act like a
blanket and keep the earth warm at night by blocking the heat
radiated from the earth. The result is global warming.
These gases are called greenhouse gases, with CO2 being the
primary component.
CO2 is produced by the burning of fossil fuels such as coal, oil,
and natural gas

The Carbon Cycle

All

living things are made of carbon. Carbon is

also a part of the ocean, air, and even rocks.
In the atmosphere, carbon is attached to
some oxygen in a gas called carbon dioxide.
Plants use carbon dioxide and sunlight to
make their own food and grow. The carbon
becomes part of the plant. Plants that die and
are buried may turn into fossil fuels made of
carbon like coal and oil over millions of years.
When humans burn fossil fuels, most of the
carbon quickly enters the atmosphere as
carbon dioxide.

enters plants,
etc., as CO2
2.CARBON
CYCLE

Carbon

Bacteria

process carbon in a fashion that allows it to be

recycled.
Obtain energy from the molecules, and convert
carbohydrates to carbon dioxide as a result of
respiration.
Photosynthesis removes carbon from the abiotic
environment (fixes carbon into organic molecules)
Carbon moves through food chain through consumption
of one organisms by another
Cellular respiration, combustion, and erosion of limestone
return carbon to the atmosphere, water and abiotic
environment.

 Carbon

dioxide is a greenhouse gas and

traps heat in the atmosphere. Without it
and other greenhouse gases, Earth would
be a frozen world. But humans have burned
so much fuel that there is about 30% more
carbon dioxide in the air today than there
was about 150 years ago, and Earth is
becoming a warmer place. In fact, ice cores
show us that there is now more carbon
dioxide in the atmosphere than there has
been in the last 420,000 years.

RESPIRATION

AIR

PLANTS

CO2

FOOD

DEATH

WOOD

FOSSIL FUEL

ANIMAL

RESPIRATION

BURNING
COMBUSTION

Fig. Carbon
Cyclecarbon dioxide is
The source of atmospheric
variable but only plants can utilize
atmospheric carbon directly

The Nitrogen Cycle

80% of the air in the atmosphere is made of
nitrogen. Your body does not use the nitrogen that
you inhale with each breath. But, like all living
things, your body needs nitrogen. Your body gets the
nitrogen it needs to grow from food.
Most plants get the nitrogen they need from soil.
Many farmers use fertilizers to add nitrogen to the
soil to help plants grow larger and faster. Both
nitrogen fertilizers and forest fires add huge amounts
of nitrogen into the soil and nearby lakes and rivers.
Water full of nitrogen causes plants and algae to
grow very fast and then die all at once when there
are too many for the environment to support.

1.NITROGEN CYCLE

Nitrogen is crucial for all organisms

Nucleic acids, Proteins, Chlorophyll
1) Nitrogen Fixation
Conversion of N2 NH3
Combustion, volcanic action, Lightning, Industrial processes
(making fertilizer). Bacteria (Azotobactor, Clostridium, Nostoc etc.)
2) Nitrification
Conversion of NH3 NO3
Soil bacteria convert in a two step process.
3) Assimilation

Roots absorb NH3, NH4, or NO3 and incorporate them into

nucleic acids and protein.
4) Ammonification

Amino acids and nucleotides are broken down into waste

products NH3 or NH4
5) Denitrification
The reduction of NO3 to N2 .Denitrifying bacteria return some of the
nitrogen to the atmosphere

Step 1: A special type of bacteria called nitrogen fixing bacteria take in

atmospheric nitrogen and produce ammonia (NH3).

Step 2: Other bacteria use this ammonia to produce nitrates and

nitrites, which are nitrogen and oxygen containing compounds.

Step 3: The nitrates and nitrites are used by plants to make amino acids
which are then used to make plant proteins.

Step 4: Plants are consumed by other organisms which use the plant
amino acids to make their own.

Step 5: Decomposers convert the nitrogen found in other organisms

into ammonia and return it to the soil. A few of these type of bacteria
return nitrogen to the atmosphere by a process called denitrification,
however this amount is small

Wet & dry

Atmospheric Nitrogen

deposition

Nitrogen fixation by free

living & symbiotic
microbes.

Denitrification
Pseudomonas

Consumers

Detritus

Plants

Litter fall

Uptake

Ammonification
Heterotrophs
Nitrification
Nitrosomonas

Soil nitrite

Nitrobacter

Fig. Nitrogen

Soil nitrate

Harmful Chemicals in our

Environment
Chemicals enter air as emissions and water as effluent. Industrial

and motor vehicle emissions of nitrogen and sulphur oxides

cause acid rain, which poisons fish and other aquatic organisms
in rivers and lakes and affects the ability of soil to support plants.
Carbon dioxide causes greenhouse effect and climate change.
Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) cause the destruction of ozone in the
stratosphere and create the possibility of serious environmental
damage from ultraviolet radiation.
Chemical fertilisers and nutrients run-off from farms and gardens
cause build up of toxic algae in rivers, making them
uninhabitable to aquatic organisms and unpleasant for humans.
Some toxic chemicals find their way from landfill waste sites into
our groundwater, rivers and oceans and induce genetic changes
that compromise the ability of life to reproduce and survive.

Organochlorines
(Polychlorinated biphenyls
or PCBs)

use in electric equipment

as cooling agents
accumulate in the food
chain and found in marine
species (mammals and
sea birds) decades after
their production was
discontinued
carcinogenic and
damaging the liver,
nervous system and
reproductive system
when PCBs are burned,
even more toxic dioxins
are formed.

Dioxins

by-product of the
manufacture or burning
of organic chemicals
and plastics that contain
chlorine.
the most toxic manmade organic chemicals
known.
cause serious health
effects even at ver low
levels
virtually indestructible
and are excreted by the
body extremely slowly
enter body in food and
accumulate in body fat
disrupt hormone
functions and affect
gene functions, cancer
to reduced immunity to
nervous system

Cadmium

doesn't corrode easily

used in batteries,
plastics, pigments and
metal coatings.
Cadmium gets into the
environment through
landfills, poor waste
disposal methods and
leaks at hazardous
waste sites.
produced by mining and
other industrial
activities.
enter air via coal
burning for energy and
incinerate household
waste.
food contaminated with
cadmium can irritate
digestive system and
cause vomiting and
diarrhoea.

Environmental Quality Act 1974

Legislation

is related to the prevention, abatement,

control of pollution and enhancement of the
environment.
Industrial activities are required to obtain approvals
from the Director General of Environmental Quality.
The Minister may specify conditions for emission,
discharge or deposit of environmentally hazardous
substances, pollutants or wastes or the emission of
noise into any area, segment or element of the
environment
Penalty for atmospheric pollution is max. RM100k or
jail term of up to 5 years or both

A person is deem to have pollute any inland waters if:

-places waste in or on any waters or in any place where it
may gain access to water;
-places any waste in a position where it can gain access to
water;
-causes the temperature of the receiving waters to be raised
or lowered by more than the prescribed limits;
-Penalty is max. RM100k or jail term of up to 5 years or both

Penalty for discharge of oil in Malaysian waters exceeding

acceptable conditions is max. RM500k or jail term of up to
5 years or both

Penalty for discharge of environmentally hazardous

substances, pollutants or waste in Malaysian waters
exceeding acceptable conditions is max. RM500k or jail
term of up to 5 years or both