ABE 145: AB Waste Management Engineering
Prepared by: ER Lapong, ABE Department, MSU-GSC
ECOLOGY, ECOSYSTEM, ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION AND PROTECTION,
POLLUTION, WASTE TREATMENT AND DISPOSAL
Earth Science
- The study of planet Earth as a whole .
- It covers mining and interaction of minerals and gems, the prediction of weather
and earthquakes, the pollution of the atmosphere and the forces that shape the
physical world.
Environmental Science
- The study of the interaction among physical, chemical and biological components
of the environment (surroundings).
- It focuses on pollution and dreadful conditions of the environment related to human
activities and their impact on biodiversity and sustainability.
Ecosystem
- Is the interaction of living organisms with their sorroundings.
- On land, it ordinarily consist of an assemblage of animals and plants that
interact each other and with a set of soil, water and air resources, producing a
self-sustaining community.
- system composed of the flora, fauna and all non-living things in a single place
Ecology
- The field of science that analyzes the functioning of the ecosystem.
When the interaction become unbalanced because of some disturbances, the
resultant displacement of the ecosystem’s linkages and relationship may
markedly reduced (degrade) the system life’s-supporting capabilities. Chronic
damage to soil, water, or air, as a result of some kind of human disturbances
re the most common causes of degradation.
- The study of the relationship among organisms and the environment in
which they live, including all living and non-living components.
Food chain
- The sequence in which energy and nutrients pass through the system.
- The members of the chain are producers (ex. plants) and consumers (ex.
herbivores which feed on plants and the carnivores which feed on herbivores)
- At each level of the chain, nutrients are returned to the soil through the
decomposition of excrement and dead organisms, thus becoming once again
available to plants, and completing a cycle crucial to the stability and survival of the
ecosystem.
Carrying Capacity
- The maximum number of organisms that can be supported by a particular
environment.
- If the carrying capacity of an ecosystem is exceeded by overpopulation, there will
be insufficient resources and one or more species will decline until an equilibrium
or balance or nature is restored.
- Similarly, if the number of species in an environment is less than the carrying
capacity, the population will tend to increase until it balances the available
resources.
Environmental Degradation
Is the process of the reduction of the ecosystem’s capacity to support a constant quality
of life.
FOUR (4) FACTORS IN MAINTENANCE OF A TERRESTIAL ECOSYSTEM
1. WATER QUALITY
- All familiar form of ife depend on hydrogen and oxygen, primarily obtained
from the splitting (hydrolizing) of water molecules.
- Water,stored in the forms of oceans,seas,lakes,rivers,covers more than 2/3 of
the earth’s surface.It is also stored in polar icecaps and glaciers (2nd largest
water source), in subsurface “grounwater”, and in the atmosphere (vapor and
droplets).
- Water is the single most effecient solvent on earth,therefore,almost any
nutrients or pollutants can end up in water.
Excess Nutrients.
The two most widely cited indicators of water quality are the contained levels of
dissolved Nitrogen and Phosphorous.These two elements are required for the
successful photosynthesis.
Major source of excess nitrogen and phosphorous in the water supply is the
runoff of inorganic ,or mineral,and fertilizer from cultivated areas.
Bacteria
Bodies of water could also be degraded by abnormally high levels of certain
kinds of intestinal bacteria,known collectively as coliform bacteria ,usually due to fecal
contamination .Exceeding high coliform bacteria counts can result from dumping of
untreated sewage, runoff of bacteria-nourishing,chemicals from residential and
commercial activities, or runoff from land concerned with large amount of animal
droppings (boracay example).
Quantity
Although it is the chemical and biogical measurements generally defined water
quality, an equally important aspects is the quantity of an ecosystem’s water resource.
Habitat drying always result from human activity, destruction of the natural
vegetative ground cover, and over-exploitation of groundwater through the needles
drilling and use of wells.
Water Quality Indicators
1. Physical Characteristics – Sediments, Water Temperature, etc.
2. Dissolved oxygen constituents – Bio-chemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) of
bio-degradable materials in water, Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) for
complete chemical oxidation using “strong” oxidizing agents; COD can be
determined quickly since it does need bacterial action like in BOD
3. Presence of Other Chemicals – Pesticides, etc.
4. Bacteriological Quality – quantity of bacteria present
2. SOIL QUALITY
- 98% of the food in the world comes from the land.
- Soil quality maybe degraded by: a) urbanization b)erosion.
Urbanization
- conversion of arable soil and farmlands for residential,
commercial and industrial use.
Erosion
- effect of poor land management, and is the major factor in the
degradation of soil equality.
-removal of topsoil at 25 times the rate it can be found in natute, and topsoil is
where vital organic ompounds are stored until recycles by plant life.
PRACTICES THAT LEADS TO EROSION:
1. Destructive cultivation
- practices as too frequent plowing, planting in step slope w/o tracing and
cultivating and exposing large areas of soil.
2. Overgrazing and Deforestation
-destruction of nature’s vegetative cover soil, leaving it unprotected fro wind and
water erosion.
-occur as responses to increase pressure to feed increasing population.
3. Salinization
-direct result of overuse of irrigation in areas that have high evaporation rate.
Salts that are naturally present in water are left behind as the water dessipates.
4. Direct Chemical Contamination-toxic waste and landfill contmination due to leakage, illegal roadside dumping,
poor disposal of toxic waste, radioactive fallout.
3. AIR QUALITY
The earth’s atmosphere is a complex mixture of gases, including water, that has
evolved into present composition through uses of physical and chemical
reactions and boitic contributions.
The atmosphere also act as blanket, maintaining a life-supported temperature
range on earth, and as a shield, reducing or blocking radiation from space that
would otherwise be lethal to most life-forms.
a) Contamination- result of combustion-vapor and particular matter suspended
in smoke.
b) Emission of poison- most obvious kind of atmospheric degradation that
directly injure of destroy life. Release of CFC’s used as acrosol propellants,
refrigerants, such as chlorine oxide and cleaning solvents.
4. BIODIVERSITY
Refers to the richness of species in a given area or period of time. A reduction of
biodiversity, that is, reduction in number of species forming the segments of \n
ecological web, is an indicator of envvironmenta degradation.
Natural Cycles Necessary for Environmental Stability
1. Water Cycle
2. Carbon Cycle
3. Nitrogen Cycle
ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION
-the future of environmental conservartion is on marginal ecosystem: wetlands,
arid habitats, and rain forest.
A) WETLANDS
- includes freshwater wetlands and coastal tidal zones (transition areas between
sea and shore ecosystem)
Tidal zones- marshes functions as nurseries for many marine animals. And both
tidal zones and freshwater wetland provide refuge for birds aalong seasonal migration
routes.
Wetlands also acts a filtration system for natural and synthetic pollutants and
toxins before contaminating water resources.
B) ARID (desert) and SEMI-ARID (sahel) HABITATS
SAHEL- region that lies between severe arid regions and vegetated region
(savannah)
-
Faces a great problem of desertification
Kinds of Vegetation
a. Rainforest- broadleaf anf needleleaf
b. Desert
c. Tundra- vast treeless plain in subpolar climatic zone
d. Grassland
Savannah-tropical grassland
Prairie-both tall and small grasses
Steppes- short and sparse grasses
C) RAIN FOREST
-the marginal habitat that represents the clearest case of global environmental
interdependence. Usually in South America (Brazil) and part of Southern Africa.
Rainforest play a major role in the maintenance of a livable atmosphere. Plants naturally
consumes CO2 and give off oxygen during photosyntheis. If the size of rainforest is
radically reduced, the cosequent changes in the proportion of these gases in the
atmosphere cold have a devastating effect on life. Rainforest preservation maybe the
best means of recycling excess carbons that has been released into the atmosphere by
pollution from industrial sources. Destruction is usually due to harvesting of natural
products, slash and burn farming, trees for firewood, conversion into industrial and
manufacturing sites.
Conservation effect:
1) cleaning the environment
2) proper waste disposal
3) allowing natural process of resource renewal
4) pollution control
5) sound management of resources
Climate Change Indicators
1. Global warming & heat wave
2. El Niño & La Niña phenomena
3. Changing typhoon and flooding patterns
4. Volcanic eruptions and earthquakes
5. Flora and fauna extinctions (fish kills, etc.)
OZONE HOLE:
Ozone layer is not truly a layer stratified into a seperate band. Ozone molecules
are present troughout the atmosphere at a ratio of 1:100,000 with other molecules. They
are abundant in the region 6-35 miles (10-40km) above earth surface.
Ozone hole is somewhat imprecise term referring to reduction of ozone
molecules that take place in Antartica and Northern hemisphere.
Increase of Ultra Violet radiation may cause skin cancer, cataract in human, and
damage agricultural crops and natural ecosystems.
GREENHOUSE EFFECT & GLOBAL WARMING:
Tremendous amounts of carbon are released into the atmosphere through the
burning of fossil fuels (oil, coal, natural gas) and vegetation (firewood). Some of this
carbons remains in a particulate form, in minute particles that can block out sunlight,
reducing the light available for the process of photosynthesis.
Much of the released carbon binds with oygen, forming CO2, w/c not only
reduces the amount of free oxygen available to form ozone but also add to the heattrapping capacity of the atmosphere. The trapped heat raises the ambient temperature
of the earth surface, a phenomenon known as to “ Greenhouse Effect”.
The greenhouse effect however is not new. An insulating blanket of atmosphre
has been a natural and essential part of earth life processes for more than a billion
years. It is estimated tht the natural greenhouse effect would keep the earth an overall
average of 59 degree Farenheit (33 degree celsius) warmer than it would be w/o an
insulating atmosphere.
Estimated carbon emission (industries, automobiles,burning) is estimated to be
at 7 billion tons/year, a 15% increase since 1958, thereby increasing the atmosphere
carbon dioxide from 30/100 of 1% to 35/10 of 1%.
Some mathematical models estimated (based with increased of carbon dioxide
and atmospheric carbon) or projected a realtively rapid average global warming as high
as 9°F (5°C) resulting over the next 100 years in the destruction of natural habitats and
agricultural regios, and in the melting of polar icecaps, with consequent flooding in
coastal cities.
ACID RAIN
Pure rain is slightly acidic because of the CO2, w/c when reacts to rainwater, form
a weak carbonic acid (pH of 5-6) which represent the eqilibrium between water and the
atmospheric concentration of CO2.
However, rain never has been truly pure nd actually has pH w/c varies from 4.9
to 6.5 with average 5.0 in temperate zones.
“Acid Rain”is generally defused as rain with an average pH less than 5.0
Atmospheric pollution with high levels of sulfur and nitrogen oxides can increase rain
acidity to pH of 4.0 which is below the point that most forms of life can tolerate.
Some Environmental Hazards and Their Management
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARDS
MANAGEMENT
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------1. Farm waste - manure
Biogas Production
2. Ozone layer depletion
Reforestation*
Use of renewable energy systems
Reduced CFC usage
3. Global warming
Reforestation
Controlled logging
Use of renewable energy systems
Reduced CFC usage
Urban greening
4. El Niño phenomenon
Reforestation
Reduced CFC usage
5. La Niña phenomenon
Reforestation
Reduced CFC usage
6. Soil erosion
Cover cropping
Contour farming
7. Forest destruction
Reduced slash & burn cultivation
Controlled logging
8. Acid rain
Use of renewable energy systems
9. Smog (smoke and fog)
Use of renewable energy systems
10. Land slides
Controlled logging
Reforestation
11. Heat wave
Reforestation
Reduced CFC usage
12. Sea level rise
Reforestation
Reduced CFC usage
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------*Most effective environmental control
The 4 R’s in Environmental Management (Formerly 3 R’s)
1. Reduce - reduce usage of potential pollutants
2. Reuse - reuse and reuse until it’s unusable
3. Recycle - recycle unusable things
4. Refuse – refuse usage of unnecessary materials (latest addition)
REFERENCES
Catchillar, G.C. (2008). Fundamentals of Environmental Science
Catchillar, G.C. and R.G. Manelab (2005). Fundamentals, of Earth Science