Practice Test Geeks(CES) Certified Environmental Scientist Practice Test
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Pollution Control & Waste Management Flashcards

7 cards from real CES practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.

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  1. The Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure (TCLP) is used to determine if a waste is hazardous. What does this test simulate?

    Answer: Co-disposal of waste in a municipal landfill with acidic leachate

    TCLP simulates the leaching that occurs when hazardous waste is co-disposed with municipal solid waste in a landfill.

  2. Which greenhouse gas has the highest 100-year global warming potential (GWP) among the following?

    Answer: Sulfur hexafluoride (SF6)

    SF6 has a GWP of approximately 23,500 over 100 years, making it the most potent greenhouse gas by mass among common pollutants.

  3. What is the primary treatment goal of a constructed wetland used for wastewater polishing?

    Answer: Reduction of pathogens and nutrients via biological and physical processes

    Constructed wetlands remove nutrients, pathogens, and suspended solids through a combination of sedimentation, plant uptake, and microbial activity.

  4. Which NPDES permit provision requires industrial dischargers to use the most stringent effluent limitation between technology-based and water quality-based standards?

    Answer: Anti-degradation policy

    The anti-degradation policy requires that the more stringent of technology-based or water quality-based effluent limits be applied to protect receiving water quality.

  5. In solid waste management, what does the term 'integrated waste management' prioritize as the most preferred option in its hierarchy?

    Answer: Source reduction (waste prevention)

    Source reduction—reducing the amount of waste generated at the source—is the most preferred option in the EPA's integrated waste management hierarchy.

  6. What type of pollution control strategy involves modifying industrial processes to prevent waste generation rather than treating it after the fact?

    Answer: Pollution prevention (P2)

    Pollution prevention focuses on eliminating or reducing pollutants at the source through process changes, material substitutions, or operational improvements.

  7. Which remediation technology uses zero-valent iron (ZVI) to chemically reduce chlorinated solvents in contaminated groundwater?

    Answer: Permeable reactive barrier (PRB)

    Permeable reactive barriers containing zero-valent iron intercept groundwater plumes and chemically reduce chlorinated compounds like TCE to less harmful byproducts.