Professional Documents
Culture Documents
A bit about me
Environmental Science:
Introduction and Overview
EV20001 Autumn 2015
Brajesh K Dubey
Department of Civil Engineering
IIT Kharagpur
Course Textbook
Environmental Continuum
Ecosystem
Everything on earth is
connected
Air
Land
Water
7/30/2015
H 2O
Environment
Food
Energy
Copyright BAN
(www.ban.org)
Copyright BAN
(www.ban.org)
Copyright BAN
(www.ban.org)
7/30/2015
Resource Pollution
Course Content
Course Textbook
Environmental Ecology
7/30/2015
Reclamation of Water
Recovery of wastewater for reuse
industrial processing, irrigation, groundwater
recharge (State College, PA) are some indirect
reuse examples
Figure 5-2
Potable water
treatment could be
easier if discharge
into water bodies
could be controlled!
7/30/2015
What if we Fail?
Eutrophication
Defined as the accelerated fertilization of
lakes, reservoirs, streams, and estuaries arising from
pollution associated with population growth, industrial
development, and intensified agriculture
Effects of Eutrophication
Unbalance the system
(i.e., aquatic food chain)
7/30/2015
Groundwater Quality
Environmentally acceptable?
7/30/2015
Inorganic Chemicals
Arsenic, barium, cadmium, chromium, mercury, seleni
um, thallium - internal organs
Lead toxicity effects red blood cells, nervous system &
kidneys
Copper - nausea & vomiting
Fluoride - excess can cause fluorosis (teeth)
Nitrate - excessive ingestion can cause
methemoglobinemia in infants
Asbestos - pulmonary fibrosis / bronchogenic
carcinoma
Disinfection By-Products
Produced from chemical interactions between
chlorine and natural organic substances
(carcinogenic) WHAT?
Trihalomethanes (THMs) - organohalogens where 3
of the 4 H atoms of methane are replaced with
chlorine, bromine, or iodine (e.g., chloroform)
Haloacetic acids (HAA5)
Organic Chemicals
Volatile organic compounds (VOC) carcinogenic
Synthetic organic chemicals (SOC) - pesticides
greatest concern
neuralgic effects and carcinogenic
Radionuclides
Radioactive elements decay by emitting
alpha, beta, or gamma radiations caused by
transformation of the nuclei to lower energy
states (e.g., radon)
Potential health issues are
teratogenic, genetic, and somatic
Secondary Standards
Secondary maximum contaminant levels
(SMCLs) - no adverse health effects
for aesthetics
nonenforceable by federal regulator
7/30/2015
Commercial, 1%
Agriculture consumes
the largest share of
freshwater
systems
Industrial economy
America
Agricultural economy
Irrigation systems not always
efficient
Booming economy
Individual Use
A person needs 4 to 5 gallons of water per day to survive.
The average American individual uses 100 to 176 gallons of water
at home each day.
The average African family uses about 5 gallons of water each day.
Middle Eastern and Northern African (MENA) countries are in
absolute water scarcity situation (< 500 m3/person/day).
Kuwait has the least per capita water availability.
27 m3 in 1970, 9 m3 in 2001 and projected to decrease to 5 m3 in 2025
7/30/2015
Shanghai, China
23 million inhabitants
Domestic water use: 411 l/person/day
Water Requirement/Use
Virtual water
Water embedded in food products
1,000 liters for one kg of grain
15,500 liters for one kg of beef
http://www.economist.com/world/international/displayStory.cfm?story_id=13447271
http://technology.newscientist.com/data/images/archive/2540/25401501.jpg
FAO (2011)
7/30/2015
Sustainable
Development
Business
Opportunities, costs, ri
sks
Water
Energy
Environment
Agriculture, forest, clim
ate
Policy
Justice
Pricing, ownership, equ
ity
Some factoids
Electricity = 75% of
municipal water processing
and distribution cost
4% of US power used for
water supply and
treatment
10
7/30/2015
Hydraulic Fracturing
Natural gas is projected to increase by 30% over the
next 25 years.
Over one million wells have already been hydraulically
fractured since the 1940s.
An estimated 35,000 wells are fractured every year.
Hydraulic fracturing uses a mix of water, sand and
chemical additives.
Used on 90% of wells in the US
Water-related
Concerns with Fracking
Water withdrawals
Water used in fracking may be
competing with other uses.
Groundwater contamination
Drilling and production
WATER SECURITY
Space-Time Dimension
Space
Time
Need/demand/quantity/quality
Social/cultural influence
11
7/30/2015
SEI (2011)
Food Security
Water Resources
Energy Production
Extreme Hazards
Ecosystems
Human Society
Ecosphere
Biosphere
climate.nasa.gov/effects
12
7/30/2015
1995
2025
State
Stressed
Scarce
Parameter
Population
# of Countries
Population
# of Countries
1995 2025
270 mn 2.3 bn
11
15
166 mn 1.7 bn
18
39
13
7/30/2015
Demand
14
7/30/2015
CONSERVATION
DEVELOP
ADDITIONAL
SOURCES
Efficient irrigation
What is required:
Water treatment
EFFICIENT USE
DESALINATION
WATER
SUPPPLY
TREATMENT
REUSE
RECYCLE
15