Environmental Engineering Flashcards
6 cards from real BE/B Eng Bachelor of Engineering practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 6 Environmental Engineering flashcards as text
What is the purpose of chlorination in drinking water treatment?
Answer: To disinfect water by killing pathogens such as bacteria and viruses
Chlorination adds chlorine to water to destroy harmful microorganisms including bacteria, viruses, and protozoa, making the water safe for human consumption.
In soil remediation, what does 'pump and treat' refer to?
Answer: Extracting contaminated groundwater, treating it above ground, and reinjecting or disposing of it
Pump-and-treat extracts contaminated groundwater via wells, treats it using activated carbon, air stripping, or other methods above ground, then discharges or reinjects the clean water.
What is the ozone layer's role in protecting Earth?
Answer: To absorb harmful ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the Sun
The stratospheric ozone layer (O₃) absorbs 97–99% of the Sun's harmful UV-B and UV-C radiation, preventing it from reaching Earth's surface and causing skin cancer and ecosystem damage.
Which US regulation governs the storage, treatment, and disposal of hazardous wastes?
Answer: Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA)
RCRA (1976) establishes a cradle-to-grave regulatory framework for hazardous waste, covering generation, transportation, treatment, storage, and disposal.
What is the primary mechanism by which reverse osmosis (RO) purifies water?
Answer: Applying pressure to force water through a semi-permeable membrane that rejects dissolved contaminants
RO applies hydraulic pressure greater than osmotic pressure to push water through a dense membrane, which rejects ions, heavy metals, and dissolved solids while allowing water molecules to pass.
In noise pollution control, what does a decibel (dB) measure?
Answer: The relative intensity of sound on a logarithmic scale
The decibel scale expresses sound pressure level as a logarithmic ratio relative to a reference level (20 μPa), allowing the vast range of human-audible intensities to be expressed compactly.