Spring 2016

ENV 3001

S. Laha
Name__________________________________

Final Examination Part 1 (Take-Home) worth 80 points

Given: Wednesday, April 20, 2016; Due Monday April 26, 2016

1. Spreadsheet exercise to construct a plot of specific surface area (SSA) in cm2/g against particle
diameter (dp) in cm. For this exercise, consider 1 g of solid material with density 1.9 g/mL or 1.9
g/cm3. First shape it into a single sphere, compute the specific surface area (SSA) as cm2/g. Now
divide this material into two equal parts and shape into two spheres, again compute the specific
surface area in cm2/g. Repeat the process of dividing each sphere into two repeatedly and
computing the specific surface area till you obtain particle diameters in the micron-range (1 m =
106 m) made from the same 1 g mass. Use a spreadsheet for this exercise: put the number of
divisions in the first column, the number of spheres in the second column, the volume of each
sphere in the third, the diameter of each sphere in the fourth, the surface area of each sphere in the
fifth, and finally the specific surface area, SSA (product of columns 2 and 5) in column 6. Plot SSA
versus particle diameter notice the exponential increase in SSA as diameter decreases. Consider
the effects of surface forces for colloidal particles. Please do not submit more than a two-page
Excel spreadsheet printout including the figure!
(10 points)
2. A lake with a constant volume 5 x 105 m3 is fed by a pollution-free stream with flow rate 20 m3/s. A
factory dumps 4 m3/s of a non-conservative waste with concentration 120 mg/L into the lake. The
pollutant has a reaction rate coefficient K of 0.25/day. Assuming the pollutant is well mixed in the
lake; find the steady-state concentration of pollutant in lake.
(4 points)
3. Five million gallons per day (MGD) of wastewater with a concentration of 30 mg/L of a conservative
pollutant is released into a stream having an upstream flow of 0.5 m3/s and pollutant concentration
of 2.5 mg/L
(6 points)
(a) What is the concentration in ppm just downstream?
(b) How many pounds of substance per day pass a given spot? (You may want the conversions
3.785 L/gal and 2.2 lb/kg)
4. Find the theoretical oxygen demand for an aqueous solution containing 200 mg/L propionic acid
(C2H5COOH).
(4 points)
5. Aniline is a toxic organic compound with the formula CHNH. Given a wastewater containing 20
mg/L aniline, determine:
(10 points)
(a) The carbonaceous theoretical oxygen demand (cThOD) of the aniline in mg/L O2.
(b) The nitrogenous theoretical oxygen demand (nThOD) of the aniline in mg/L O2.
(c) Determine the total organic carbon content (TOC) in the aniline solution as mg/L organic carbon,
assuming that aniline is the only organic substance present in the wastewater.
(d) Explain the difference between the carbonaceous and nitrogenous demands when performing
the BOD test.
(e) Which of these oxygen demands is commonly regulated for wastewater treatment plants?
6. A 55 cm3 sample of dry soil from an aquifer weighs 90 g. When it is poured into a graduated
cylinder, it displaces 38 cm3 of water.
(6 points)
(a) What is the porosity of the soil?
(b) What is the average density of the actual solids contained in the soil?

7. You are trying to remove 8 mm diameter particles in a water treatment plant. The water is at 20 C,
and particle density is 1.05 g/mL. The plant treats 0.2 m3/s of water. It is proposed to use a 4 m deep
rectangular sedimentation basin with a length to width ratio of 4:1. What is the minimum required
width of basin? You may assume discrete particle settling.
(4 points)
8. Chlorine is used for primary disinfection at a water treatment plant that treats 0.4 m3/s of surface
water. Giardia, a protozoan, is the primary pathogen of concern, and the Giardia inactivation
constant is k* in the simplified Chick-Watson equation is 0.5/min:
(10 points)
r(N) = k* N and k* = k Cn
The plant achieves 3-log removal of Giardia at pH 6 to 9 in a plug flow contact chamber (PFR) using
free chlorine concentration of 2.4 mg/L
(a) What is the volume of contact chamber in cubic meters (m3)?
(b) If a completely mixed tank (CSTR) were used, what would be the required volume in m3?
(c) What is the required volume in m3, if we use three CSTRs in series?
9. Consider a new 35 percent efficient 500-MW power plant burning 10,000 Btu/lb coal containing 1.5
percent sulfur. If a 75% efficient scrubber is used to remove sulfur dioxide from the flue gas, what
would be the emission rate of sulfur dioxide (lb/hr)? How many pounds of SO2 per kW-h of electricity
generated would be released?
(6 points)
10. Suppose the average SUV is driving 11,000 miles per year with a fuel efficiency of 22 mpg. Gasoline
contains 5.22 lbs of carbon per gallon, all of which ends up as CO2 when burned, and it has an
energy density of 125,000 Btu/gal.
(5 points)
(a) How many tons of CO2 will be emitted per SUV per year?
(b) How many Btus of energy will have been consumed per SUV?
11. The world's population 10,000 years ago has been estimated at about 5 million. What exponential
rate of growth would have resulted in the population in 1850, which is estimated at 1 billion? Had
the rate continued, what would the population have been in the year 2016?
(5 points)
12. The drinking water standard (MCL) for arsenic is 0.010 mg/L. Assuming EPA accepted parameters
(i.e., adult weighs 70 kg, drinks 2 L/d water, breathes 20 m3/d air, has 70-year lifespan) and
Potency factor (oral route) = 1.75 (mg/kg-d)1
Potency factor (inhalation route) = 50 (mg/kg-d)1, and
Oral Reference Dose (RfD) = 0.0003 mg/kg-d,
Determine the following:
(10 points)
(a) Lifetime cancer risk to individual consuming water containing arsenic at MCL all life long
(b) Annual risk to that individual
(c) Expected number of deaths that can be attributed to As exposure in population of 17 million
(d) Lifetime cancer risk if exposure occurred only 10 years in the individuals lifetime
(e) Is there any chance of a non-carcinogenic effect?
(f) How do we differentiate between a carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic response?