Apes Unit 8 Frq
Question: 2016 -ai) Explain one probable cause (other than increased composting) for the change in per capita waste generation
Answer: people and businesses practicing refuse, reduce, reuse, recycle, repurpose
Question: aii) Calculate the percent increase in total MSW generation from 1980 to 2012.
Answer: ((new-old)/old)*100 / ans: 66%
Question: bi) Identify one disadvantage of waste incineration
Answer: waste incineration releases CO2, CO, NOx, SOx
Question: bii) Identify one disadvantage of waste disposal in landfills.
Answer: groundwater is contaminated through some transport mechanism
Question: c) (3 pts) Describe the specific steps of a process used to produce electricity from waste buried in a landfill.
Answer: 1) acquire fuel by gathering methane from the waste in the landfill2) use the fuel for combustion to produce steam 3) the steam turns a turbine that generates electricity
Question: d) Describe one human health problem associated with piles of discarded tires
Answer: tires can catch fire which releases air pollutants that cause respiratory illnesses in humans
Question: ei) Other than reducing the volume of waste, identify one advantage of composting
Answer: the resulting compost can be used or sold as fertilizer or soil amendments
Question: eii) Identify one disadvantage of composting.
Answer: compost can emit foul odors or spontaneously combust
Question: 2015 -a) calculate the percent increase in mobile
Answer: 5
Question: b) Calculate the number of grams of gold that were used in the production of the mobile devices sold in 2007.
Answer: multiply devices by .o3 grams gold = 5,400,000 grams
Question: c) Calculate the mass (in kilograms) of the mobile devices sold in 2007 that were not recycled.
Answer: 1) use 90%2) write all units3) dont forget to convert to kg
Question: d) Identify one negative human health effect, other than death, associated with exposure to mercury.
Answer: birth defects
Question: ei) 2 reasons why large quantities of e-waste from the United States are shipped to developing countries rather than being recycled in the United States.
Answer: 1) there's lower labor costs in developing countries2) laws and enforcement are lax
Question: eii) Describe a realistic change in current practices that would accomplish this. (Retailers or manufacturers could take specific steps to dramatically reduce the amount of e-waste.)
Answer: Encourage recycling/reuse
Question: 2010 - ai) Describe one specific source, other than the local chemical plants, for the toxic pollutant you chose - mercury
Answer: coal burning
Question: aii) Describe how the pollutant you chose enters the human body and one specific effect it can have on human health.
Answer: Ingesting seafood contaminated with mercury causes birth defects
Question: aiii) Describe TWO specific steps, other than an outright ban, that a city or nation can take to reduce the threat posed by this pollutant.
Answer: reduce coal burning and educate people on how to avoid mercury
Question: b) Give one reason why Dr. Egguen is correct in asserting that children are particularly susceptible to toxic pollutants.
Answer: kids have less developed immune systems
Question: c) do the math...
Answer: ...
Question: d) Select one of these pollutants and identify one technology that can be used to remove it from the waste stream of coal-burning power plants. - SOx
Answer: scrubber
Question: e) Discuss TWO reasons why a multinational company would choose to build a manufacturing facility in India and/or China rather than in the United States or Europe.
Answer: 1) less expensive labor2) enforcement and laws are more lax
Question: 2017 - a) Describe TWO effects that ingesting microbeads has on aquatic organisms.
Answer: 1) microbeads block the digestive tract2) Organisms accumulate toxic chemicals (PCBs, dioxins) from microbeads, leading to long-term health effects
Question: b) Describe how nitrate levels can negatively affect water quality in some aquatic ecosystems.
Answer: it causes algal bloom which leads to reduced light penetration
Question: ci) Identify one way large pieces of plastic are removed from wastewater during primary
Answer: physical mechanisms such as filters and screens
Question: cii) Identify one technique commonly used to disinfect wastewater.
Answer: chlorination
Question: ciii) Identify one advantage and one disadvantage of this practice (Sludge or biosolids produced during the wastewater treatment process can be spread on agricultural fields)
Answer: advantage: you can use sludge as fertilizerdisadvantage: it emits a foul odor
Question: di) Provide one reason why mangrove trees are being removed by humans
Answer: to expand agriculture
Question: dii) Identify one ecosystem service provided by intact mangrove ecosystems
Answer: purification of water and air
Question: 2014 - a) Identify TWO specific pollutants in storm-water runoff that degrade the quality of surface water
Answer: nitrogen and fertilizers
Question: b) Calculate the volume of water (in m3 ) that runs off the Shoppes at Fremont parking lot after a 5 cm rainfall event. Assume that all the water that falls on the parking lot runs off
Answer: convert cm to meters and then volume of a rectangle (using parking lot dimensions)
Question: c) Calculate the volume of storm-water runoff (in m3 ) generated in all of Fremont by the 5 cm rainfall event. Assume that only the impervious surfaces generate runoff
Answer: 1) convert 5 cm to meters (1 m / 100 cm) 2) convert 10 km to meters (1000000 / 1 km) 3) mulitply all together with .2
Question: D) Assume that all the runoff that you calculated in part (c) is captured by the storm sewers in one day. Calculate the volume of untreated water (in m3 ) that bypasses the plant as a result of the storm. (Note that the plant still receives 5,000 m3 of domestic sewage per day.)
Answer: add together storm water and sewage water then subtract treated water capacity
Question: e) Describe TWO ways that the volume of storm-water runoff can be reduced.
Answer: 1) decrease the surface area covered by impervious surfaces that would increase infiltration of storm water2) create wetlands to absorb storm water
Question: f) Describe one environmental problem (other than pollution from runoff and from untreated sewage) that results from having extensive paved areas.
Answer: Erosion caused by flooding/excessive runoff
Question: 2015 - a) Using the data in the graph above,determine the maximum volume of oil estimated to have beenspilled during the Deepwater Horizon (BP) incident
Answer: 190 millions of gallons
Question: b) Describe TWO environmental problems that can result from oil spills in coastal areas.
Answer: 1) birds lose their ability to fly if their feathers are covered in oil2) organisms can die from ingesting, inhaling, or absorbing oil
Question: c) identify one economic impact that results from oil spills in coastal areas.
Answer: the cost of cleanup efforts
Question: di) Discuss both one advantage and one disadvantage of the use of chemical dispersants for oil spill cleanup.
Answer: advantage: easy to apply and quicker than disadvantage: it can be toxic to organisms shoreline cleanup
Question: dii) Identify either one biological or one physical method (other than chemical dispersal) used for oil spill cleanup in coastal waters or on beaches and describe how the method is used
Answer: use high pressure hot water to wash the rocks and organisms
Question: e) Identify one other source of oil contamination andexplain how the oil from this source enters marine waters
Answer: there's natural seeps that makes crude oil leak from the ocean floor naturally that come to the surface
Question: f) Petroleum has many uses as a raw material for consumer goods. Identify one substitute for petroleum in a specific consumer product (other than fuel)
Answer: paper bags