CPE 4

Question 1

Divisions of Geologic Time

Answer 1

Largest Division: Eons
–Eons divided into Eras:
– Pre-Cambrian, Paleozoic, Mesozoic,
Cenozoic
»Ceno - recent
»Meso - middle
»Paleo - ancient
»Zoic - life
»Eras are divided into Periods

Question 2

Pre-Cambrian

Answer 2

543 million years ago to ~ 4 billion years ago (?)- “Age of Bacteria”
Oldest Era
* Longest era because we know so little
about the earth that long ago
* Life: Very little life: only basic forms
including bacteria, the oldest fossils ever
found, seaweed, jellyfish, and worms
–Photosynthesis of the seaweed added
oxygen to the early atmosphere, paving the
way for land life.

Question 3

Pre-Cambrian First Life

Answer 3

One celled plants
(algae) entered the
fossil record
approximately 3 b.y.
ago (Precambrian).
Large colonies of this
algae are called
stromatolites.

Question 4

Pre-Cambrian More Atmospheric Changes

Answer 4

Through
photosynthesis,
O2 was released
into the atmosphere
and ocean allowing
animals to eventually
evolve.

Question 5

Paleozoic

Answer 5

543 million years ago to 248 million years ago
* “Age of the Fish”
* Explosion of life in the sea: trilobites,
shellfish, Fish
* Life appears on land: Ferns, Amphibians
* Pangaea formed
* Largest mass extinction ever at the end
of the Paleozoic. 90% of species became
extinct.

Question 6

Paleozoic - Carboniferous Time

Answer 6

In Europe the
Mississippian and
Pennsylvanian periods
are together called the
Carboniferous
period. Vast swamps
and forests from that
time created the huge
coal beds found
throughout eastern
United States.

Question 7

Mesozoic

Answer 7

248 mya- 65mya
* “Age of the Reptiles”
* Life: Reptiles are the dominant life on land.
Dinosaurs exist. Birds appear. Forests
of trees appear
* Pangea broke apart during this peroid.
* Dinosaurs become extinct in a mass
extinction at the end of the Mesozoic.

Question 8

Mesozoic Creatures

Answer 8

Reptiles: Appeared in the Permian and quickly
became the dominant life form.
…until Dinosaurs took over. They ruled the planet
throughout the
Mesozoic era (the
“Age of Dinosaurs”).
Birds: Some of the
dinosaurs are
thought to have
evolved into
birds.
Archaeopteryx is
the oldest fossil
bird found to
date.
Dinosaur Extinction: 1. Volcanoes
erupt and fill the
atmosphere with
CO2 and gasses
that BLOCK the sun
light preventing
plant life…….
2. Meteorite
impact causes
multiple natural
disasters
Evidence of a Meteorite: * Layer of Iridium
in rock layers

Question 9

Cenozoic

Answer 9

65 mya- present
* “Age of the Mammals”
* Life: Large mammals appear, Humans
appear
* Ice Ages occur and ice sheets advance
Mammals: Mammals first appeared in the Mesozoic as small rodents. After the dinosaurs were erased at the end of the Mesozoic, Mammals quickly evolved to become the dominant life form.
The Cenozoic is the “Age of Mammals”.
Present: We live in the Holocene epoch, of
the Quaternary period, of the Cenozoic era

Question 10

Fossils

Answer 10

Preserved remains or traces of an organism
that lived in the past.
*Fossils are formed when organisms die and are
buried in sediment. Eventually the sediment
builds up and hardens to become sedimentary
rock.
*Sediments are pieces of solid material that have
been deposited on Earth’s surface by wind, ice,
gravity, or chemical precipitation.
*Paleontologist-scientist who study the remains
of organisms in the rock record.

Question 11

Kinds of fossils

Answer 11

• Petrified - when minerals replace the remains and
  they become rock things like wood.
• Mold - when the shell remains and the contents
  dissolve (hollow) like in art class you use a mold
  to get the correct shape of a bowl.
• Cast - when the mold becomes filled with minerals
  that are not a part of the original organism.
• Index- a fossil found in a narrow time range but
  widely distributed around the earth;used to date
  rock layers.
• Trace fossil-a fossilized mark that is formed in soft
  sediment by the movement or actions of an animal

Question 12

AETOSAUR

Answer 12

FOUND IN THE NATIONAL PETRIFIED FOREST. Sometimes whole animals become
preserved intact, but this is very rare.
If an organism is surrounded by ice
or tar they might be discovered
looking much the same as they did
when they died.

Question 13

Relative Dating

Answer 13

looks at where the fossil is
located to determine its age relative to other
fossils. This only works if the area has been
undisturbed.

Question 14

Absolute Dating

Answer 14

• Uses radioactive elements near the fossils
  to determine the actual age of the fossils.
  *By determining the age of the radioactive
  element, scientists can calculate the age of the
  fossil buried nearby.
  The absolute age
  of fossils is
  estimated by
  dating associated
  igneous rock and
  lava flows

Question 15

Fossil Record

Answer 15

• The dating of all
  fossils is included in
  the Geological Time
  Scale. This scale
  divides the time that
  the earth has existed
  into 4 eras.
• Eras are then divided
  into periods based on
  common events in
  that time period.

Question 16

PreCambrian (other info)

Answer 16

• Began with
  the formation
  of the Earth
  4.6 billion
  years ago.
• Bacteria
  appeared 3.5
  billion years
  ago, followed
  by algae and
  fungi.

Question 17

Paleozoic Era (other info)

Answer 17

• Divided into 5 periods:
• Cambrian period -
  Sponges, snails, clams
  and worms evolve
• Ordovician period -
  First fishes evolved and
  other species become
  extinct
• Silurian period - Land
  plants, insects and
  spiders appear
• Devonian period -
  Amphibians evolve and
  cone-bearing plants start to
  appear.
• Carboniferous period -
  Tropical forests appear and
  reptiles evolve.
• Permian period - Seed
  plants become common
  and insects and reptiles
  become widespread. Sea
  animals and some
  amphibians begin to
  disappear.

Question 18

Mesozoic Era

Answer 18

• Divided into 3 periods:
• Triassic period - Turtles
  and crocodiles evolve and
  dinosaurs appear.
• Jurassic period - Large
  dinosaurs roam the world.
  First mammals and birds
  appear.
• Cretaceous period -
  Flowering plants appear,
  mammals become more
  common, dinosaurs
• become extinct.

Question 19

Cenozoic Era

Answer 19

• Divided into 2 periods:
• Tertiary period - First
  primates appear and
  flowering plants
  become the most
  common.
• Quaternary period -
  Humans evolve and
  large mammals like
  woolly mammoths
  become extinct.

Question 20

LAW OF SUPERPOSITION:

Answer 20

in
horizontal sedimentary rock layers, the
oldest layer is at the bottom. Each
higher layer is younger than the layers
below it.

Question 21

Other Clues to Relative Age

Answer 21

A. Clues from Igneous Rocks:
1. Lava that hardens on the surface is
called an Extrusion
(Example – an eruption would put a layer of igneous rock
on top of sedimentary rocks.
Rock layers below an extrusion are always older than
the extrusion.
2. Magma that cools and pushes into bodies of
rock and hardens is called an Intrusion
An intrusion is always younger
than the rock layers around and
beneath it.

Question 22

B.Clues from Faults:

Answer 22

Fault: is a break in the Earth’s crust.
– Forces inside the Earth cause movement
of the rock on opposite sides of a fault.
– Fault is always younger than the rock it
cuts through.

Question 23

GAPS IN THE GEOLOGIC RECORD

Answer 23

• Record of sedimentary rock layers is not
  always complete
• Deposition slowly builds layers upon layer
  of sedimentary rock, BUT some of these
  layers may erode away, exposing an older
  rock surface.

Question 24

Unconformity

Answer 24

is a gap in the geologic
record. An unconformity shows where
some rock layers have been lost because
of erosion.

Question 25

INDEX FOSSILS –

Answer 25

Fossils of widely distributed organisms
that lived during only one short period

Question 26

Example of an Index Fossil:

Answer 26

Trilobites (hard shelled animals whose bodies had three distinct parts.
* Trilobites evolved in shallow seas more than 500
million years ago.
* Over time, many types have appeared.
* They became extinct about 245 million years ago.
* They have been found in many different places
To become an Index Fossil … a trilobite must be different in some way from other trilobites. Example – type with large eyes
These large-eyed ..bites survived for a time
AFTER other bites became extinct. If a geologist finds large-eyed Trilobites in a
rock layer, the geologist can infer that those rocks are younger than rocks containing other types of trilobites
The World’s Biggest Trilobite
*A team of Canadian paleontologists working along Hudson Bay in northern Manitoba has discovered the world’s largest recorded complete fossil of a trilobite, a many-legged, sea dwelling animal that lived 445 million years ago. The giant creature is more than 70 cm long (about 28 inches), 70 percent larger than the previous record holder. “This is an
important and amazing find,” says Bob Elias, a professor in the department of geological sciences at the University of
Manitoba. “It looks like a huge bug!

Question 27

The Industrial Revolution 1750-1850

Answer 27

• Before the Industrial Revolution,
  most people in Britain lived and
  worked in the countryside.
• Things such as cloth were spun
  and woven by hand in their own
  homes.
• From about 1750 machines were
  invented to do this more quickly.
• Factories were built so the
  bigger machines could be
  powered by water, and later
  steam.
• People moved from the
  countryside to work in the
  factories, so towns grew up.

Question 28

Meanings of the words: Industrial, Revolution and Industrial Revolution

Answer 28

Industrial – Having to do with industry,
business or manufacturing
* Revolution – a huge change or a
change in the way things are done
* Industrial Revolution – a change from
making things by hand to making them
in factories.

Question 29

Transportation

Answer 29

• Before the Industrial Revolution, people relied
  on the horse and their own feet to get around.
• With the invention of the steam locomotive,
  transportation took a huge step forward.
• The first two major railroad companies were
  the Union Pacific and Central Pacific
  Railroads.
  Passenger carriers
  An original steam engine
  Steam locomotive

Question 30

Leland Stanford

Answer 30

• Leland Stanford was a
  business tycoon, (a
  wealthy, powerful
  person in business or
  industry) co-founder of
  the Central Pacific
  Railroad, creator of
  Stanford University, and
  the governor of
  California.

Question 31

Textiles

Answer 31

• With the invention of the spinning jenny
  and the power loom, the textile industry
  took off.
• Clothes could now be made far faster
  than ever before.

Question 32

The Spinning and Weaving
Inventions

Answer 32

• For centuries, people had made yarn
  at home using a spinning wheel.
• In 1764, James Hargreaves invented
  a machine called the Spinning
  Jenny. It used up to 8 spindles, so
  one spinner could spin 8 threads at
  the same time.
• Cotton could now be spun faster to
  make large amounts of cloth. Mills
  were built to house the machines
  and people were employed to work
  them
• Weaving on a handloom was slow as each
  thread in a piece of cloth was put in by hand
  using a shuttle.
• In 1787, the power loom was invented by
  Edmund Cartwright which used steam power
  to weave cloth without the need for a worker.
  This made it much faster.

Question 33

The other spinning and weaving inventions

Answer 33

Spinning wheel: * The spinning wheel
was the first
invention, but it was
very slow.
* Threads were spun
one at a time, by
hand.
The spinning jenny: * The spinning jenny
could spin up to
eight thread at time.
The spinning jenny
was much faster
than the spinning
wheel.
The power mule
The Spinning Mule: * The spinning mule used water power to
spin the thread, which was much faster
than doing it by hand.
* More cloth could now be made.
The power loom: * The power loom
used water power to
weave cloth
* People could make
a lot of cloth quickly.

Question 34

Agriculture

Answer 34

• Advances in agriculture were also made.
• The invention of the seed drill allowed
  farmers to plant many more seeds much
  more quickly.
• The reaper allowed farmers to harvest their
  crops more efficiently.
• More crops could now be grown feeding an
  increasing population.

Question 35

Agricultural Inventions:

Answer 35

The seed drill
The reaper: * The reaper was
used to cut down
the harvest. As you
can see, it would
take a long time to
do it by hand.
The mechanical reaper: The mechanical reaper was a lot
faster than doing the hand reaper

Question 36

Steel

Answer 36

• With the invention of steel, buildings
  could be made much taller.
• Steel was much harder than iron, which
  would bend if made too tall.
• The steel industry created many new
  products, and led to the invention of the
  car.

Question 37

The Steam Engine

Answer 37

• The first factories were powered by
  water wheels, which only produced
  small amounts of power.
• In the 1760s James Watt developed
  a steam engine which could power
  factories by burning coal.
• The steam engine increased the
  speed and quantity of clothmanufacturing.
• Later, the steam engine would also
  be used to power steam trains,
  which could move products much
  more quickly.

Question 38

Pollution

Answer 38

• One of the bad things about
  industrialization was pollution, as you
  could see in the earlier slides.

Question 39

Andrew Carnegie

Answer 39

• Andrew Carnegie
  became a millionaire
  in the steel business
  by putting all his
  competitors out of
  business.
• He created U.S.
  Steel in Pittsburg.

Question 40

Thomas Edison

Answer 40

• Thomas Edison invented the electric
  light.
• Thomas Edison also invented many
  other things, like the phonograph.

Question 41

Telegraph

Answer 41

• In 1844, Samuel Morse demonstrates his
  telegraph by sending a message to Baltimore
  from the chambers of the Supreme Court in
  Washington, DC. The message, “What hath
  God wrought?,” marks the beginning of a new
  era in communication.
• The telegraph used dots and dashes to send
  messages over electric lines. These dots and
  dashes became known as Morse Code.

Question 42

Telephone

Answer 42

• Alexander Graham
  Bell patented the
  first telephone in
  1876.

Question 43

John D. Rockefeller

Answer 43

• John D. Rockefeller
  became the richest man
  in the world in the oil
  business.
• He created Standard Oil
  Company.
• Oil began being used in
  all types of machines,
  like cars.

Question 44

Henry Ford

Answer 44

• Henry Ford invented
  the first practical
  car, the Model T.
• The car had been
  invented earlier, but
  Ford was the first to
  make the car
  affordable.

Question 45

Samuel Gompers

Answer 45

• With all the new
  businesses being
  created, someone
  needed to take care of
  the workers.
• Gompers created the
  American Federation of
  Labor, or organization of
  other labor unions that
  had bonded together to
  protect the rights of
  workers.

Question 46

Orville and Wilber Wright

Answer 46

• The Wright brothers
  were the first men to
  successfully fly an
  airplane.
• The flight lasted only
  twelve seconds, but
  it proved men could
  fly.

Question 47

What were the best things about the
Industrial Revolution?

Answer 47

The increase in knowledge about how
things worked and the utilisation of new
technology eventually led to
improvements in housing and working
conditions for everyone.
Britain became very
wealthy but less people
lived in the countryside.
Products were cheaper.
Towns and cities grew larger.
The Great Exhibition in London
– 1851 showed off the great
inventions and advances that
were taking place at the time.

Question 48

Domestic System

Answer 48

Hand Tools
Home
Small hand tools owned by worker.
Small level of production, sold only to local market, manufactured on a per-order basis.
Worker manufactured entire item.
Worker worked as much as they could, according to demand.
Worker had multiple sources of sustenance, other employers, own garden or farm, and outside farm labour.

Question 49

Factory System

Answer 49

Machines.
Factory.
Large power-driven machines owned by the capitalist.
Large level of production, sold to world-wide market, manufactured in anticipation of demand.
Worker typically made one part of a larger whole, Henry Ford’s assembly line (early 20th century) kept workers stationary.
Worker worked set daily hours.
Worker relied entirely on capitalist for their income- urban living made personal farming and gardening impractical.

Question 50

What were the worst things about the
Industrial Revolution?

Answer 50

• Mills were dangerous places to work. Because of the long working
  hours, people became tired and some had terrible accidents on
  the machines.
• Children as young as five or six worked in the mills. They would
  clean under moving machines because they were small and were
  often injured.
• Factory machines were usually powered by steam from burning
  coal. This led to very bad air pollution.
• Diseases like cholera and dysentery were common in towns due to
  the poor housing and lack of sewers (city people sometimes just
  threw their poo out of their windows, into the streets!)
• Some jobs were lost. Between 1811-1816, bands of workers called
  Luddites destroyed machinery, believing it threatened their jobs.

Question 51

“Necessity Is the Mother of
Invention”

Answer 51

As more steam powered machines
were built, factories
needed more coal to
create this steam.
Mining methods
improved to meet the
demand for more
coal
*The process of inventing never ends
*One invention inevitably leads to improvements upon it
and to more inventions

Question 52

Mining phases

Answer 52

EXPLORATION, environmental assessment and approval, construction, operation, closure, reclamation and monitoring

Question 53

Mining Facts:

Answer 53

Radioactive minerals like uranium may
be found with a Geiger counter. If an area looks promising, a
drill is moved to the site. The drill goes deep into the
Earth’s crust removing long
cylinders of rock called cores. Geologic maps are created.

Question 54

• Types of Mining:

Answer 54

• Surface Mining: Scoop ore off surface of earth.
• cheap.
• safe for miners.
• large environmental destruction.
• Underground Mining: Use of adits and shafts to reach deeply
  buried ores.
• expensive.
• hazardous for miners.
• usually less environmental damage. When do we mine underground?
• The ore deposit is deep
• Ore body is steep
• Grade is high enough to
  exceed costs

Question 55

Surface mining: two types

Answer 55

open pit mining:
* funnel shaped hole in
ground, with ramp spiraling
down along sides, allows
moderately deep ore to be
reached.

• Strip-mining: Blast, scoop off
  rock overburden, and then scoop
  out ore material. Fairly shallow.
• Economics of strip mining depend
  on stripping ratio
• Large land area can be involved,
  especially for coal and bauxite.

Mountaintop Removal
- is highly controversial, &
best suited for retrieving
mass amounts of
minerals, usually coal,
from mountain peaks
- process involves blasting
the overburden with
explosives above the
mineral seam to be
mined (broken
mountaintop is then
shifted into valleys & fills
below)
This type of mining is used when the ore
to be retrieved is 400 feet or deeper.
Controversy surrounds the permanent
alteration of ecosystems and entire
landscapes by removing mountaintops,
however, advocates point out that after
completion the mining process leaves a
flat terrain where there wasn’t one when
reclamation is complete.

Question 56

Processes that minerals undergo:

Answer 56

Milling: Milling is the process of
separating the desired
mineral from the
unwanted rock (called
gangue.) See if you can
find the specks of gold.

Concentration and Flotation: Some minerals are
separated by washing,
flotation or magnetic
separation. Here a
combination of water,
chemicals, air and
agitation make desired
mineral particles float to
the top of the bubbles.

Smelting; Smelting uses high heat
and chemicals to
remove base metals
and impurities from
concentrates. Smelting
furnaces can reach
temperatures above
1064°Celcius.

Leaching: These pads are the
size of several football
fields. This one is being
stacked with crushed ore.

Electrowinning: Starter sheets are
lowered into a
solution. An electrical
charge passes
through causing
copper ions to stick to
the sheets.

Question 57

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS

Answer 57

SOIL EROSION
When topsoil is removed, the land becomes devoid of vegetation.
Hence, loosened soil can induce mass wasting and loose soil may
find its way to waterways where siltation may occur.

Dust: Excavations and movement of
equipment generate a great
deal of dust. Large amounts of
dust from rocks and soils also
escape into the atmosphere
during loading and unloading
of minerals, causing local air
pollution and many different
types of respiratory problems.

DISTURBANCE & DISPLACEMENT OF ORGANISMS: The abrupt introduction of
machines, equipment, and
people may disturb the
balance in the environment
and may force the migration
of organisms that once
occupied the mining area or
was once part of an
ecosystem in the area.

CONTAMINATION OF SOILS, SURFACE
WATER, & GROUNDWATER BY
CHEMICALS: Most minerals contain heavy
metals which are toxic to
organisms like animals and
humans. In some cases,
these heavy metals cannot
be detected by the naked
eye. However, most of the
time, the chemicals are
distinct in color and
detectable when carried by
water through surface
runoff. Contaminated
surface and groundwater
from dissolved chemicals are
difficult to rehabilitate.

LOSS OF VALUABLE LAND: In large-scale mining, additional space is needed
for the storage of debris, waste materials and
excavated soil (soil dump). Aside from the
damage done to the physical environment,
there is also the possibility for chemical leakage
(mine tailings) to occur through runoff on
surface waters and may also affect the health of
residents living in communities near these
waters.

Question 58

Justification for wastewater
treatment:

Answer 58

Pollution from sewage is a primary
environmental health hazard
(wastewater effluent).
The purpose of municipal wastewater
treatment is to limit pollution of the
receiving watercourse.
The receiving watercourse may also be
a source of drinking water.

Question 59

Goals of wastewater
treatment:

Answer 59

Reduction of organic load of the
wastewater effluent to limit
eutrophication
Reduction of microbiological
contamination that may transmit
infectious disease.

Question 60

Wastewater treatment
processes:

Answer 60

 Preliminary treatment is a physical process that
removes large contaminants.
 Primary treatment involves physical
sedimentation of particulates.
 Secondary treatment involves physical and
biological treatment to reduce organic load of
wastewater.
 Tertiary or advanced treatments.

Question 61

II. Water Processes

Answer 61

PHYSICAL TREATMENT
Water should not have suspended particles
or sediments. Physically, the dirt or floating
substances should be seen in it. Common
examples of physical treatment are
filtration and sedimentation.

Question 62

Filtration:

Answer 62

Filtration separates the solids from the liquids using a filter.
Solids are trapped in the screen while water flows through.
Separate ‘nonsettleable’ solids from
water.
Combined with
coagulation/clarification, filtration can
remove 84%-96% turbidity, coliform
bacteria 97-99.95%, and >99% Giardia.

Question 63

Type of Filtration

Answer 63

Rapid filtration - uses gravity (faster flow).
Slow filtration - uses gravity [slower flow].
Pressure sand filters-use water pressure.
Diatomaceous earth (DE) filtration
Microstraining - uses fine steel fabric
(sometimes used prior to other
filtrations).

Question 64

Sedimentation

Answer 64

allows solid particles to
settle at the bottom. This usually occurs in a basin where water is
made to stand for a period of time. Sediments or the solid
substances are collected at the bottom when the water moves out
to the next treatment process.

Question 65

BIOLOGICAL TREATMENT

Answer 65

Water also needs to be free of any living
form.
Microorganisms like bacteria and other
parasites cannot be seen by the naked
eye special processes to eliminate them.
Contaminated water, or water with
bacterial content can be a major problem.
It causes intestinal and stomach problems
that sometimes lead to death.
Common examples of this process are
using chlorine, activated sludge and ultraviolet light.
The activated sludge process is a type of
wastewater treatment process for treating
sewage or industrial waste waters using
aeration and a biological floc composed
of bacteria and protozoa.

Question 66

(UV radiation):

Answer 66

Ultraviolet radiation is an effective and
relatively safe disinfection method, but is
relatively expensive and not widely used.
UV light disrupts DNA of microbial cells,
preventing reproduction.
Specific wavelengths, intensities,
distances, flow rates, and retention times
are required.

Question 67

CHEMICAL TREATMENT:

Answer 67

There are some harmful chemicals or excessive
amounts of otherwise harmless chemicals
which cannot be removed by physical or
biological treatment. Thus, a different type of
treatment should be done to address this.
Chemicals used as coagulants in drinkingwater treatment include aluminum and
iron salts, such as aluminum sulfate,
polyaluminum chloride or ferric sulfate.

Question 68

Coagulation :

Answer 68

A common type of chemical treatment is
coagulation, where liquid aluminum
sulphate (alum) and or polymer is mixed
with raw water to cause these chemicals to
stick together.
 This process continues until larger particles
of chemicals are formed called flocs,
making them easier to remove through
sedimentation or filtration.

Question 69

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS

Answer 69

 Most of the environmental impacts associated with
water processing is the exploitation or over-abstraction
or over-withdrawal from a water source.
 Since water is a prime commodity, the high demand
for it requires more withdrawals of water from
freshwater resources and groundwater.
 Water depletion or drying-out happens especially if the
rate of water discharge or withdrawal exceeds the
rate of recharge (process of replenishing water supply,
usually through rainfall).
 Too much withdrawal of groundwater creates a cone
of depression which eventually makes the ground
hollow and many cause ground surface to collapse.
 Sinking water tables, can also make rivers less reliable
since most rivers are maintained by springs or waters
coming out of the cracks and fissures of rocks and soils.
 If the ground water has dried out, there will be nothing
left to sustain surface waters and reservoirs.

Question 70

What are Wastes?

Answer 70

Waste (also known as rubbish, trash, refuse, garbage, junk, litter, and ort) is unwanted or useless materials. In biology, waste is any of the many unwanted substances or toxins that are expelled from living organisms, metabolic waste; such as urea and sweat.

Question 71

Basel Convention Definition of Wastes

Answer 71

“substances or objects which are disposed of or are intended to be disposed of or are required to be disposed of by the provisions of the law”
Disposal means
“any operation which may lead to resource recovery, recycling, reclamation, direct re-use or alternative uses (Annex IVB of the Basel convention)”
The Basel Convention on the Control of
Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal, usually known simply as Basel Convention, is an international treaty that was designed to reduce the movements of hazardous
waste between nations, specially to prevent transfer of hazardous waste from developed to less developed countries (LDCs). It does not, however, address the
movement of radioactive waste. The convention is also intended to minimize the amount and toxicity of wastes generated, to ensure their environmentally
sound management as closely as possible to the source of generation, and to assist LDCs in environmentally sound management of the hazardous and other wastes they generate. The Convention was
opened for signature on 22nd March 1989, and entered into force on 5 May 1992.

Question 72

Kinds of Wastes

Answer 72

Solid wastes: wastes in solid forms,
domestic, commercial and
industrial wastes
Examples: plastics,
Styrofoam containers,
bottles, cans, papers,
scrap iron, and other
trash
According to EPA regulations, SOLID WASTE
is:
*Any garbage or refuse (Municipal Solid
Waste)
*Sludge from a wastewater treatment plant,
water supply treatment plant, or air pollution
control facility
*Other discarded material
*Solid, liquid, semi-solid, or contained gaseous
material from industrial, commercial, mining,
and agricultural operations, and from
community activities

Liquid Wastes:
wastes in
liquid form
Examples: domestic
washings, chemicals,
oils, wastewater from
ponds, manufacturing
industries and other
sources

Question 73

Classification of Wastes according to
their Properties

Answer 73

Bio-degradable
can be degraded (paper, wood, fruits and
others)

Non-biodegradable
cannot be degraded (plastics, bottles, old
machines, cans, Styrofoam containers and others)

Question 74

Classification of Wastes according to
their Effects on Human Health & the Environment

Answer 74

*Hazardous wastes
*Substances unsafe to use commercially, industrially,agriculturally, or economically and have any of thefollowing properties- ignitability, corrosivity, reactivity &toxicity.

*Non-hazardous
*Substances safe to use commercially, industrially,agriculturally, or economically and do not have any ofthose properties mentioned above. These substancesusually create disposal problems.

Question 75

Sources of Wastes

Answer 75

Households
Commerce and Industry

Question 76

IMPACTS OF WASTE IF NOT MANAGED WISELY

Answer 76

*Affects our health
*Affects our socio-economic conditions
*Affects our coastal and marine environment
*Affects our climate
* GHGs are accumulating in Earth’s atmosphere as a result of
human activities, causing global mean surface air temperature
and subsurface ocean temperature to rise.
* Rising global temperatures are expected to raise sea levels and
change precipitation and other local climate conditions.
* Changing regional climates could alter forests, crop yields, and
water supplies.
* This could also affect human health, animals, and many types of
ecosystems.
* Deserts might expand into existing rangelands, and features of
some of our national parks might be permanently altered.
- Some countries are expected to become warmer, although sulfates might limit warming in some areas.
- Scientists are unable to determine which parts of those countries will become wetter or drier, but there is likely to be an overall trend toward increased precipitation and evaporation, more intense rainstorms, and drier soils.
- Whether rainfall increases or decreases cannot be reliably projected for specific areas.

Question 77

SOURCES OF HUMAN EXPOSURES

Answer 77

Exposures occurs through
*Ingestion of contaminated water or
food
*Contact with disease vectors
*Inhalation
*Dermal

Question 78

SOURCES OF HUMAN EXPOSURES

Answer 78

Exposures occurs through
*Ingestion of contaminated water or
food
*Contact with disease vectors
*Inhalation
*Dermal

Question 79

Waste hierarchy

Answer 79

Waste hierarchy refers to 3 Rs
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.
*Minimizing solid
waste
▪Minimizing packaging
▪Recycleable
Paper, plastics, metals,
glass, wood
▪Reusable ?
Textiles, leather, rubber,
metals, wood
▪Compostable
Yard trimmings, food
scraps (vegetable)

Question 80

WASTE
MANAGEMENT (OR
WASTE DISPOSAL)

Answer 80

*includes the
activities & actions
required to
manage waste from
its inception to its
final disposal.
*This includes the collection,
transport, treatment and disposal of
waste, together with monitoring and
regulation of the waste management
process.

Question 81

COMPOST PIT

Answer 81

*organic matter that has
been decomposed in a
process called
composting
*This process recycles
various organic materials
otherwise regarded as
waste products and
produces a soil
conditioner (the compost).
*Compost is rich in nutrients. It is used, for example, in garden, landscaping, horticulture, urban agriculture and organic farming.
*The compost itself is beneficial for the land in many ways, including as a soil conditioner, a fertilizer addition of vital humus or humic acids, and as a natural pesticide for soil.
*Compost is useful for erosion control, land and stream reclamation, wetland construction, and as landfill cover.

Question 82

OPEN DUMP

Answer 82

*An open dumping is defined as a land disposal site at
which solid wastes are disposed of in a manner that
does not protect the environment, are susceptible to
open burning, and are exposed to the elements, vectors,
and scavengers.
*Open dumping can include solid waste disposal
facilities or practices that pose a reasonable
probability of adverse effects on health or the
environment.
*It is also called fly dumping or fly tipping, the
dumping of waste illegally instead of using an
authorized method such as kerbside collection or
using an authorized rubbish dump.

Question 83

INCINERATION

Answer 83

*is a waste treatment process that involves the combustion
of organic substances contained in waste materials.
* Incineration and other high-temperature waste treatment
systems are described as thermal treatment.
*Incineration of waste materials converts the waste into ash,
flue gas and heat.
*The ash is mostly formed by the inorganic constituents of
the waste and may take the form of solid lumps or
particulates carried by the flue gas.

Question 84

SANITARY
LANDFILL

Answer 84

*are sites where waste is isolated from the environment until it is safe
*considered when it has completely degraded biologically, chemically and physically
*In high-income countries, the level
of isolation achieved may be high.
However, such an expensive high
level of isolation may not be
technically necessary to protect
public health.
*Four basic conditions should be
met before a site can be regarded
as a sanitary landfill.

Question 85

Basic conditions for sanitary landfill:

Answer 85

*Full or partial hydrogeological isolation: if a site cannot be located on land which naturally contains leachate security, additional lining materials should be brought to the site to reduce leakage from the base of the site (leachate) and help reduce contamination of groundwater and
surrounding soil
*Formal engineering preparations:
designs should be developed from local
geological and hydrogeological investigations. A waste disposal plan and
a final restoration plan should also be
developed
*Permanent control: trained staff
should be based at the landfill to supervise site preparation and construction, the depositing of waste and the regular operation and maintenance
*Planned waste emplacement and covering: waste should be spread in layers and compacted. A small working area which is covered daily helps make the waste less accessible to pests and vermin