FE Conceptual Questions

For carcinogens, the general acceptable value for risk in a population is less than which of the following?

B. 10^-6

The microorganisms that are used in secondary treatment of wastewaters with heavy carbonaceous organic dissolved matter can be best described as

C. Aerobic They act upon the dissolved organic materials in the presence of oxygen. The first-stage degradation involed those microogranisms that attack carbonaceous material. Only after the completion of the first sate are the nitrogenous organic materials attacked by another variety of microorganisms.

A municipal wastewater discharge into a reservoir must be regulated to prevent eutrophication. The discharge permit would likely include limits on which of the following parameters?

C. BOD5, SS, Coliforms, Total N, Total P (emphasis on N and P)

Which of the following class of compounds could be safely combined with hydrazine?

C. Caustics Carbamates + Hydrazine = Heat and gas generation (BAD) Esters + Hydrazine = Heat and gas generation (BAD) Caustics + Hydrazine = No adverse consequences (GOOD) Cyanides + Hydrazine = Gas generation (BAD)

The design of urban drainage facilities is based on...

D. rainfall intensity, which is the depth of water per unit time collected during rainfall

The efficiency of a cyclone increases as

D. the length of the cone increases while everything else remains the same Smaller particles are harder to remove in a cyclone, and a higher inlet velocity reduces the cyclone's efficiency because after the drop in gas velocity, more particles will still be entrained than when the inlet velocity was lower. Particles that are less dense have more of a tenancy to remain entrained and not be removed. However, increasing the length of the cone increases the cyclone's effective number of turns and efficiency

Remediation of groundwater that has been contaminated with hydrocarbons is commonly achiveved by:

A. Air stripping Volatile hydrocarbons may be removed from liquids by air stripping

Excessive hardness of water in a potable water system can cause many issues. Potable water can be treated with which of the following to reduce hardness?

A. Ca(OH)2 In water softening, hydrated lime is used to precipitate the multivalent cations causing the hardness in the water. The hydrated lime is used in conjunction with soda ash (Na2Co3)

A baghouse is considered an appropriate air pollution control device for which of the following pollutant streams?

A. Carbon Black C. Fly Ash E. Grains F. Paint Pigments Baghouses are appropriate for removal of air pollutants that are particulates. These are listed in the handbook. Distractors are carbon monoxide, formaldehyde, and radon as they are in the gas phase and would not be removed by a baghouse

Remediation of hazardous waste sites is regulated under the

A. Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act

A storm water conveyance channel should be used to deal with which type of flow

A. Concentrated flow Storm water conveyance channels should be used to deal with concentrated flow. Sheet flow would be dealt with using other best management practices. Nutrient rich flow does not make sense as an answer to this question. Base flow is not correct due to the fact that it occurs subsurface.

What kind of chemical bonding is represented by the molecules of cyclohexane, cyclohexene, and methanol?

A. Covalent Refer to materials science/structure of matter section. These compounds are hydrocarbons, which are polymer molecules. Therefore, covalent bonding is corrent

If an environmental assessment (EA) is performed for a proposed project and it is determined to have the possibility to cause significant impact, what is the next step in the permitting process?

A. Environmental impact study An environmental assessment is performed to determine if a project could possibly cause significant impact to the environment. If it is deemed possible that the project could cause significant impact, an Environmental Impact Study must be performed to further determine the proposed project's impact

A body of water that sees a large increase in the concentration of phosphates and nitrates from an influent waste stream will most likely be what?

A. Eutrophic Eutrophication is the enrichment of an ecosystem with chemical nutrients, typically nitrogen, phosphorus, or both. A body of water that is receiving a large inflow of nitrates and phosphates would most likely be eutrophic

A key feature of every environmental management system is

A. Evaluation of activities that have an impact on the environment Environmental management systems do not, as a rule, prescribe reductions in pollutant generation or the use of toxic or hazardous materials. They do require evaluation of activities that have an impact on the environment.

Which of the following is associated with the corrosion of sanitary sewers

A. H2S

Glass is said to be an amorphous material. This means that it:

A. Has no apparent crystal structure

The reason for measuring turbidity of water is

A. High turbidity requires better filtration operation coupled with coagulation Finer particles that cause turbidity must be treated with coagulants in order to form larger particles that can be removed by settling and filtration. High turbidity requires better filtration operation coupled with coagulation

The Safe Drinking Water Act includes enforceable standards for

A. Maximum contaminant levels There are two types of drinking water standards; primary and secondary. The primary standards specify the maximum allowable contaminant levels based on health criteria. These standards are enforceable. The secondary standards related to odor, color, hardness, and corrosivity are not enforceable.

Which pollutant would tend to travel the furthest in a plume?

A. PM 2.5 In general, the smaller the diameter of the pollutant the larger the surface area to mass ratio. Thus the settling velocity is slowed more by frictional drag in a smaller molecule versus a larger molecule. With this in mind, the smallest diameter pollutant (PM 2.5) would tend to travel the furthest in a plume

The criteria air pollutants for which there are National Ambient Air Quality Standards are

A. Particulate matter less than 10 um in diameter, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, ozone, and lead

A waste is classified as hazardous under RCRA if it exhibits any of the following characteristics except; A. Radioactivity B. Corrosivity C. Reactivity D. Toxicity

A. Radioactivity

What is the most likely sequence of unit operations and processes for a surface water treatment facility?

A. Rapid mix, flocculation, sedimentation, filtration, disinfection

The ratio of vapor pressure to the saturation pressure of water at a given temperature can be used to calculate:

A. Relative humidity

As an employee of a company, you discover that a recently hired coworker does not meet all of the qualifications listed on his resume. This employee will not directly design or supervise any part of an upcoming project. What are you ethically responsible to do in this situation?

A. You must inform your employer of this as it may impact current and future projects Licensees shall not falsify or permit misrepresentation of their, or their associates, academic or professional qualifications.

Mixed wastes are wastes that

A. contain radioactive wastes regulated under the Atomic Energy Act (AEA) and are hazardous wastes regulated under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA)

Recovery of VOCs can be achieved with

A.Carbon Adsorption VOCs may be recovered by carbon adsorption VOCs may be controlled (destroyed) with afterburners or catalytic converters

For a coal-fired steam electric power plants, control of SOx emissions is most commonly achieved by:

A.Lime scrubbing SOx is removed by liquid scrubbing at a high pH. Lime may be added to increase the pH

The industrial facility has the following hazardous wastes on site: water reactive substances, aromatic hydrocarbons, amides, and cyanides. What is the minimum number of containers needed to store the waste?

B. 2 Water reactive substances are extremely reactive, and should not be mixed with any other chemicals (1 container needed). Aromatic hydrocarbons can be mixed with all substance generated on this site (2 containers needed). Amides can be mixed with cyanide, and that can be mixed with aromatic hydrocarbons. Two total containers will be necessary to safely store the wastes

The water level of a well drilled into an artesian aquifer is

B. Above the level of the top of the water in the aquifer An artesian aquifer is one where the water pressure at the top of the water in the aquifer is greater than the atmospheric pressure. Therefore, the water level of a well drilled into an artesian aquifer will be above the level of the top of the water in the aquifer

Secondary air quality pollutants are primarily formed from the reactions of primary air quality pollutants. Where do these reactions generally occur?

B. Atmosphere Secondary air pollutants are generally formed by reactions of primary air quality pollutants that occur in the atmosphere. Primary air quality pollutants are generally emitted by production processes in a given facility

A typical example of an arene is:

B. Benzene

Which equation would you use to calculate the flow rate of water drawn from a well?

B. Dupuit Formula

As a professional engineer, you are in charge of the remediation of a site contaminated by a historical release. A nearby landowner approaches you asking how the release and subsequent clean-up efforts will impact the health and well being of his land. What, if anything, are you permitted to disclose to the landowner at this time?

B. Employer consent must be sought before giving any information to the concerned party Licensees shall not reveal facts, data, or other info obtained in a professional capacity without the prior consent of the client or employer except as authorized to by state law

A parts manufacturer uses a solvent degreaser for cleaning parts. The solvent used in the degreaser is a suspected carcinogen. The manufacturer reduces the amount of solvent it disposes of by filtering dirty solvent and returning it to the degreaser. This pollution prevention strategy is known as:

B. In-process Recycling Source reduction would be a reduction in the amount of solvent used; in this case, no changes are made to eliminate or reduce the use of the solvent. An example of out-of-process recycling would be to sent the solvent off-site to be recycled. End-of-pipe treatment would consist of treating the solvent to make it less toxic before disposing of it. In this case, the solvent is filtered and returned to the same equipment that created the dirty solvent. This is in-process recycling

If a paved concrete parking lot is designed, storm water best management practices could be used to do which of the following?

B. Increase time of concentration Storm water BMP could be used to increase the time of concentration by creating a lesser slope in the parking lot. Infiltration will be minimal in a concrete parking lot. Increasing the peak discharge is not a best management practice. Decreasing rainfall intensity has noting to do with best management practices

Which of the following is used to accelerate the sedimentation of sewage?

B. Lime

Sludge is digested anaerobically after being removed from a secondary treatment tank. During the digestion process, the gas that is given out is

B. Methane

If an aluminum crimp connector is used to connect a copper wire to a battery, what would you expect to happen?

B. Only the aluminum connector will corrode Aluminum is anodic relative to copper and therefore will corrode to protect the copper

A discharge wetland

B. Receives water from a groundwater system A discharge wetland is one where the wetland's water surface is below the water table of the surrounding land. Groundwater is discharged into such a wetland. Option A describes a recharge wetland (drains into a groundwater system), option C (does not exchange water with a groundwater system) describes a perched wetland, and option D describes a spring or seep.

A soil is contaminated with a volatile, low-solubility solvent. The groundwater is very deep, and the soil is sandy. The technology most likely to be successful in cleaning up the vadose (unsaturated) zone is:

B. Soil Vapor Extraction

Which of the following describes the consequence(s) of mixing cyanides with inorganic acids?

B. Toxic and flammable gases are generated Use the chart of reactivity consequences in the NCEES handbook .Cyanides are number 11 and inorganic acids are number 3. This combination results in the generation of toxic and flammable gases

In wastewater collection systems, manholes are used

B. Where there is a change in pipe slope

In which part of the groundwater system are the pore spaces not filled with water?

B. Zone of Aeration The zone of aeration is the unsaturated area above the aquifer in which the pore spaces are not filled with water. The capillary fringe is the saturated zone just above the water table. The zone of saturation has its pore spaces filled with water. While the hydraulic gradient is the slope of the water table

The potential for landfill leachates to contaminate groundwater increases with

B. increasing permeability of the soil where the landfill is located.

A waste sample is considered corrosive under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) if it

B. is aqueous and has a pH of either less than 2 or greater than 12.5

An engineer testifying as an expert witness in a product liability case should:

B. provide a complete and objective analysis within his or her area of competence

The economic criterion for wastewater reuse decisions is the

C. Cost of treating and conveying wastewater versus cost of treating and conveying water Even though treated wastewater is used for irrigation purposes, secondary and advanced treatment is required. The cost of treating the wastewater and the cost of conveying must be competitive with the corresponding costs for water treatment.

In water pollution studies, the drought flow in a stream is the lowest average

C. Discharge over a period of 1 wk with a recurrence interval of 10 yr

In a skin exposure toxicology study, the median single dose that is expected to kill 50 percent of a group of test animals is known as which of the following

C. LD50 (usually by oral or skin exposure) LC50 is the median air concentration that is expected to kill 50% of a group of test animals when administered as a single exposure over one to four hours

A waste is determined to be characteristically toxic under RCRA if

C. Leachate from the waste contains specific compounds at greater than threshold concentrations The leachability of specific compounds at greater than threshold concentrations determines whether a waste is characteristically RCRA hazardous for toxicity

The toxicity characteristic leaching procedure (TCLP)

C. Models the process that causes toxic compounds to be extracted from their original matrix into landfill leachate

According to the Model Rules, Section 240.15, Rules of Professional Conduct, licensed professional engineers are obligated to:

C. Practice by performing services only in the areas of their competence and in accordance with the current standards of technical competence

If called to testify as an expert witness in a case determining liability for a contaminated site, a professional engineer should

C. Provide to the best of his or her abilities, a technical analysis of his or her area of expertise Licensees shall be objective and truthful in professional reports, statements, or testimony

Which of the following is a characteristic that is used to classify a waste as hazardous?

C. Reactivity Reactivity, or the potential for violent reactions, is one of the four categorizing characteristics for hazardous waste along with corrosivity, ignitability, and toxicity

A piezometer located in an unconfined aquifer is monitored on a monthly basis. The response time associated with rainfall precipitation in an unconfined aquifer, in general, is considered to be:

C. Shorter than that of a confined aquifer Recharge associated with an unconfined aquifer would generally have a shorter response time

The ISO 14000 refers to a set of voluntary standards that include

C. Standards for environmental management systems

Dumping treated sewage discharge into oceans is

C. allowed, but is best done using multiport diffusers from the bottom of the ocean Dumping treated sewage discharge into oceans is allowed at present. However,if the substance is dumped directly, it can rise to the surface with the possibility of polluting the coast. Multiport diffusers maximize the amount of diffusion and thus maximize the dispersion and natural cleaning process

The primary origin of trihalomethanes in potable water supplies is:

C. by-products of chlorination from disinfection

Chemical oxygen demand (COD) is the amount of oxygen required to convert compound to CO2, Ammonia, and Water

COD = Mass O2 required/Mass Compound

Alpha Particles are stopped by

D. Aluminum, lead, concrete, and skin. Alpha particles consist of helium nuclei containing two neutrons and two protons and are not capable of penetrating skin. Aluminum, lead, and concrete are even more difficult to penetrate than skin

There has been an ongoing trend to build large municipal wastewater treatment plants that can handle domestic as well as industrial wastewater. Wastewater from metal plating plants can contain chrome and metal ions. In the case of metal plating plants, the trend has been to:

D. Both A and C A. Reduce the ionic content of industrial wastewater by redesigning/reconfiguring the plating process C. Treat and neutralize the ionized wastewater before sending it through sewers to municipal wastewater treatment plants The cost of wastewater treatment at metal plating plants is significant and option A optimizes the cost of the plating process so it is standard practice. Thus, for metal plating plants the trend has been to reduce the ionic content of the industrial wastewater by redesigning and reconfiguring the plating process and to treat and neutralize the ionized wastewater before sending it to sewer to municipal ww treatment plants. Sending the bulk of ww by trucks to municipal WW treatment plants would be too expensive.

What are the products of complete combustion of gaseous hydrocarbons?

D. Carbon Dioxide and Water Complete combustion of hydrocarbons produces only carbon dioxide and water. Carbon monoxide is formed by incomplete combustion of hydrocarbons

In general, dermal contact is a route of exposure for each of the following environmental media except: A. Groundwater B. Surface water C. Soil D. Food

D. Food

A general approach to organic chemistry reactions assumes that the characteristic properties of compounds are determined by what?

D. Functional groups The functional groups within a compound determine the characteristic properties of the compounds such as melting point, boiling point, and solubility

Which of the following would most likely result in an explosion if the materials were mixed?

D. Halogenated organics, alkaline earth metal, and elemental metal

Conversion of an agricultural site to a paved parking lot without stormwater detention facilities would result in which of the following? I. Increase in runoff coefficient II. Increase in design rainfall intensity III. Increase in peak discharge rate

D. I, II, III Conversion from pervious to impervious would increase runoff coefficient C Drainage improvements would decrease time of concentration; therefore the relevant duration would be reduced. A reduction in duration would produce an increase in intensity i Peak discharge would increase C increases I increases

Which of the following statements is true of faculative bacteria? A.Faculative bacteria require oxygen as an electron acceptor for metabolism B. Faculative bacteria cannot use oxygen as an electron acceptor for metabolism C. Faculative bacteria require nitrate as an electron acceptor for metabolism D. None of the above

D. None of the above Faculative bacteria can use oxygen as an electron acceptor if available. If oxygen is not available, faculative bacteria can use other electron acceptors such as nitrate or organic compounds

Galvanic action results from a difference in what property of metallic ions?

D. Oxidation potential Galvanic action results in corrosion. The greater the difference in oxidation potentials the greater the galvanic action, therefore the greater corrosion

When the pressure of a constant mass of an ideal gas is doubled and the absolute temperature is halved, the volume is:

D. Quartered

The primary treatment of wastewater consists of

D. Removing solids as well as particles of various sizes

While the corrosion of cast iron can be limited with a more electropositive coating, a coating that is less electropositive will lead to increased corrosion. Which of the following would be a poor choice to use as coating material on cast iron?

D. Silver Low carbon steel, 2024 Aluminum alloy, and alcad 35 are all more electropositive than cast iron, so they would inhibit corrosion. Silver is less electropositive however, and will lead to more corrosion

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are primarily regulated under which of the following programs

D. Toxic Substance Control Act (TSCA)

The stability class associated with the healthiest ambient air quality events is which of the following?

D. Very unstable Very unstable air conditions would promote the rapid rise of warmer air closer to the ground dispensing contaminates throughout the atmosphere and leading to lower concentrations. lower concentration of contaminants would correspond to healthier air

As a professional engineer originally licensed in 1982, you are asked to design a wastewater treatment plan for a growing, modern city. Ethically, you may only accept this offer if?

D. You are competent in the design of modern wastewater treatment plants Licensees shall undertake assignments only when qualified by education or experience in that specific technical field of engineering or surveying involved

In the context of hazardous waste regulations, joint and several liability means

D. any individual responsible party may be required to pay the entire cost of cleanup

The compression of baling of solid waste prior to disposal in a sanitary landfill

D. conserves landfill space because the volume of solid waste is reduced

During the secondary treatment of wastewater, it is known that a biochemical reaction takes place. In the language of chemistry, the reaction that affects wastewater can best be described as

D. oxidation Although carbonation is occurs here, it can not be used to describe this reaction

A horizontal rectangular stilling basin 20 m wide has a design discharge of 1000 m3/s. A detailed design should be done using which dimensionless number(s)? I. Reynolds Number II. Froude Number III. Weber Number

I and II The reynolds number is the ratio of inertial forces to frictional forces; it is used in all flow scale-up problems. The weber number is the ratio of inertial forces to the surface forces; it is used in those cases where surface tension has an important bearing on the flow. This is not the case here. The froude number is the ratio of inertial forces to gravitational forces. Gravitational forces are important here. Therefore, both the Reynolds number and Froude number are used in the given problem

USEPA-preferred strategies for the management of waste materials are listed below. Match these strategies in the correct hierarchy from most to least desireable: Disposal, Pollution Prevention/Waste Minimization, Recycle/Reuse, Treatment

Most Pollution Prevention/Waste Minimization Recycle/Reuse Treatment Disposal Least

Mark the diamond in the figure below that signifies that a material will ignite if moderately heated

N: Flammability E: Reactivity W: Special Hazards S: Health hazards