Principles of Environmental Science & Technology This page intentionally left blank Principles of Environmental Science & Technology Or. K. Saravanan prof. S. Ramachandran R. Baskar -.~ NEW AGE INTERNATIONAL (P) liMITED, PUBUSHERS New Delhi . B.n",lorc . Ch.nn.; • Cochin • Guw.h ..i • Hy<I ......d J.J.ndh. . . Kolka •• • Lu.kn_ . Momb.i • Ron<hi Copyright © 2005, New Age International (P) Ltd., Publishers Published by New Age International (P) Ltd., Publishers All rights reserved. No part of this ebook may be reproduced in any form, by photostat, microfilm, xerography, or any other means, or incorporated into any information retrieval system, electronic or mechanical, without the written permission of the publisher. All inquiries should be emailed to [email protected] ISBN (13) : 978-81-224-2341-9 PUBLISHING FOR ONE WORLD NEW AGE INTERNATIONAL (P) LIMITED, PUBLISHERS 4835/24, Ansari Road, Daryaganj, New Delhi - 110002 Visit us at www.newagepublishers.com PREFACE This book is meant to be an introductory text on the Fundamentals of Environmental Science and Engineering. Today, knowledge of Environmental Science is essential for students as well as practicing engineers and scientists of all disciplines. Here an attempt has been made to provide precise and upta date infoIlllation on the fundamental aspects of Environmental Science and Engineering without going much in-depth in to specific areas, so as to be useful for a cross section of fields of study. Indian technical universities are making the study of Environmental Science and Engineering mandatory for all courses and hence a 'comprehensive textbook covering all domains of this field (including the policy aspects and management practices) is the need of the hour. The book adopts a simple narrative style keeping in mind both the knowledge requirements and the examination needs of university students. The authors wish to profusely thank all those who have supported them in their effort viz. the Management, the Principal, teachers, professors and students of our institution Kongu Engineering College, Perundurai, Erode. The authors also thank Mis New Age International (P) Ltd. for having accepted to publish the work and the wonderful way they have brought out this book in such a short time. Feedback and corrective action is the only way to progress. As students of science the authors most humbly seek feed back from the readers of this book. The authors can be reached in any of the following e~ mail addresses - sar_ [email protected],[email protected], [email protected] -Authon This page intentionally left blank CONTENTS Prefaee eY) Introduction 1 1 Components and Subcomponents of Environment 3 2. Science of Environment 33 3. Cum:nt Environmental Issues 50 4. Engineering Interventions to Reduce Environmental Stresses 61 5. Waste Minimization and Clean Technology 104 6. Environment and Development lIS 7. Tools for Environmental Management 139 8. Environmental Perfonnance Standards 173 Review Questions 186 Selected Bibliography 193 This page intentionally left blank INTRODUCTION The objective of this book is to promote an understating among Engineers of different disci plines the concept and principles of environmental science and Engineering. Earth is a member of the solar system orbiting the Sun. The Sun is one ofthe millions ofstars in the Milky Way. When the Earth was formed there was no life in it. Mixtures of methane, ammonia, water vapour and hydrogen wefe converted into life generating compounds by electrical discharge. Thus life came in to the Earth. With the passage of time the evolution of life and Ecosystems took place. The planet as we see today is the result of millions of years of evolution. The modem man with. his high level of intellect became the most dominant animal in the entire planet. SOME FACTS ABOUT THE EARTH The earth is the third planet from the Sun at a distance of about 150 million kilometers, which is called an "astronomic unit", The earth is 12760 kilometers in diameter. It is not an ideal globe. At the equator there are little bumps and at the poles it is flatter than it is at the rest of the world. The southern part has more bumps than the northern part. The Earth's circumference is 40070 kilometers. Some basic facts about our planet is dli:tailed below: Average Diameter 12760kms Average Circumference 40070kms Surface Area 510Million sq.kms Land Area 149 Million sq.kms (29.2%) Ocean Area 361 Million sq.kms (70.8 %) Mass 5973 trillion tons Human Population AroWld 7 Billion Average surface temperature 14.3 deg C Age 4.6 billion years The surface temperatures on OUT planet fluctuate between -88 degrees Celsius (in Siberia) and + 58 degrees Celsius (in Death Va1ley. California, USA). The temperature in the Earth's core is about 10000-12000 degrees Celsius at a pressure ofabaut 3 millions times our air pressure at sea level. About 70% of the Earth's surface consists of the ocean's water and hence Earth is called "the blue planet". The oceans contain about 97% of all the water on our planet. The oceans have high salt content. The Earth is the only planet in our solar system that has an atmosphere consisting