Waste Management and Pollution Control 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.
Read the first 7 Waste Management and Pollution Control flashcards as text
Which type of landfill liner system is required for new municipal solid waste landfills under 40 CFR Part 258?
Answer: Composite liner with leachate collection system
40 CFR Part 258 requires a composite liner consisting of a geomembrane overlying two feet of compacted soil plus a leachate collection and removal system.
Under the Clean Air Act, a 'major source' of hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) that triggers Maximum Achievable Control Technology (MACT) standards emits at or above which threshold?
Answer: 10 tons per year of any single HAP or 25 tons per year of all HAPs combined
A major source under Section 112 emits ≥10 tpy of any single HAP or ≥25 tpy of all HAPs combined, triggering MACT standards.
Which wastewater treatment process removes dissolved phosphorus by adding metal salts such as alum or ferric chloride?
Answer: Chemical precipitation
Chemical precipitation uses coagulants like alum or ferric chloride to bind dissolved phosphorus into insoluble particles that settle out of wastewater.
A PCB transformer that contains fluid with ≥500 ppm PCBs is classified under TSCA as a:
Answer: PCB transformer
TSCA regulations define a PCB transformer as any transformer containing fluid at concentrations ≥500 ppm PCBs, subject to stringent use, servicing, and disposal rules.
Which solid waste management hierarchy tier is ranked highest in the EPA's preferred order of management?
Answer: Source reduction and reuse
EPA's waste management hierarchy places source reduction (waste prevention) and reuse at the top as the most preferred strategy before recycling, energy recovery, or disposal.
When calculating a facility's Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) threshold, which activity triggers the 10,000-pound processing threshold rather than the 25,000-pound manufacturing threshold?
Answer: Using a toxic chemical as a cleaning solvent
Otherwise use—such as using a chemical as a solvent, lubricant, or reactant without incorporating it into a product—falls under the 10,000-pound use threshold.
A brownfield site contaminated with petroleum hydrocarbons undergoes in-situ bioremediation. Which approach involves injecting oxygen-releasing compounds to stimulate native aerobic bacteria?
Answer: Biostimulation via oxygen enhancement
Biostimulation with oxygen-releasing compounds (e.g., ORC) delivers sustained dissolved oxygen to the subsurface, stimulating indigenous aerobic hydrocarbon degraders.