Download Ebooks: Basic Environmental Engineering

Environmental engineering is one of the most popular, complex and fast growing disciplines in engineering. The scope of environment includes issues from public health, aesthetics, and impact of all development activities, pollution control legislation, standards, regulations, guidelines and their enforcement. Traditionally the application of engineering principles for the protection and enhancement of the quality of environment and protection of public health was called as sanitary engineering or public health engineering. Around 1968 this was changed to environmental engineering.

For conceiving environmental engineering, one has to consider the definition of engineering itself. Engineering may be defined as the application, under limits of scientific principles for the planning, design, execution, operation and maintenance of structures, equipment and systems for the development and benefit of the society. Here the word benefit is more important than the development. The so-called development in some cases may not be in real benefit of the society.

The environmental engineer plans, designs, executes, operates and maintains the water, wastewater and solid waste management plants. Clean, bacteriologically safe, potable drinking water protects and enhances public health. Liquid and solid waste management is a necessary step for healthy living. They also deal with air pollution control. The resulting pure cleaner air is conducive to people’s good health and prevents the building and other materials from the harmful effects of air pollution. The environmental engineer cares for the energy requirements of the society and the ways and means to protect the environment against the various pollutions created through the production and consumption of various goods and comfort conditions. It is the duty of environment engineer to assess the environmental impacts of the various development and other activities. In general one has to work to have sustainable and holistic development. Of course there are always constraints of resources, knowledge, human nature, social and racial considerations that limit the achievement of these goals.

Therefore the environmental engineering is defined as the application of scientific and engineering principles, under limits, for the protection and enhancement of the environment that includes the biotic and abiotic both components.

The environment exists in dynamic equilibrium of its biotic (living) and abiotic (non-living) elements. The solar energy induced photosynthesis synthesizes the carbon as the plant tissue and we get matter in various forms from the trees. The carnivores, humans and animals consume the edible matter. They convert it into the energy required to sustain their lives. Their excreta comes near to the nature and the natural scavengers, bacteria and others convert it into inorganic matter like nutrients due to the biological decomposition. The roots of the plants, to form the edible matter again, extract these nutrients. Like this the nutrient cycle, material cycle, energy cycle and other cycles like hydrological cycle keep on existing until there is a great shock given by the human beings.

“Nature has enough for satisfying everybody’s need but not for anybody’s greed”. Human beings have lost their natural wisdom in want of power to overcome the nature. Since mid century the word has lost nearly one fifth of the topsoil from its cropland, a fifth of its tropical rainforests and animal species. Rapid industrialization and urbanization has increased carbon dioxide levels to the
point where global climate is being affected. The protective ozone shield is being depleted because of the chlorofluorocarbons. The forest, which is a complete ecosystem, is being converted into dead forests. The biodiversity is reducing everywhere in the world.

Biodiversity gives strength to the ecosystem against crisis. Only a well-diversified community can sustain against the extreme conditions. In quest of comfort conditions and well-secured life we have adopted a system, which is completely away from nature. We have made computers for paper less office work but the energy in making and running the computers is more than the savings made.

Of course there are other advantages of computers in computation, up keeping of data etc. But the materials used in making the computer and the disposal of the obsolete ones are drastically against the environment.

The quest of more and more comfort has fetched us far away from natural environment. The input of energy in building sector is increasing day by day. The requirements of both heating and cooling are becoming more and more energy exhaustive. At present the energy requirement in whole world is mainly met by fossil fuels. Nature has created the coal and petroleum in millions of years and we have exhausted them in hundreds of years. In the last 300 years we have consumed most of the coal and almost all of the petroleum products.

Out of the 1,30,000 MW installed capacity of electricity production in India about 66% is by fossil fuels (coal+ petroleum products), 24% by hydropower, 4% by nuclear means and only 6% by renewable energy resources like solar, wind, biomass including small hydropower plants. Still there is a very large potential of renewable energy resources unutilized but the present availability of fossil fuels and the present high cost of electricity production through R.E.S. has restrained their share to only 6%. With the advancement of technology and scarcity of fossil fuels the cost of RES will come down and there share shall increase, but is it the sustainable development? In modern context the idea of sustainable development immerged in the Earth Summit at Rio-De-Janeiro in June 1992 that let us plan a development in which the generations to come, may not become deprived of the resources which we are using today. To achieve this aim we have to control our present rate of consumption of the available resources like the fossil fuels, ground water and conserve the bio diversity and the natural cycles like the hydrological cycle.

While considering the production, consumption or utilization we have also to consider the other part that is pollution. Mixing of unwanted hazardous elements in anything is known as pollution, like mixing of sewage in fresh body of water, mixing of gases, like oxides of nitrogen, oxides of sulphur etc. in the air, increase of noise level etc. Actually the present trend of living is a serious cause of creating pollution in all spheres of life. Today the prosperity, wealth or living standard of a country is measured in terms of the per capita electricity consumption per year. That way India with its per capita consumption of 350 Kwh per year is considered far behind the U.S. which has around 20 times more than this. The advancement of a society is measured in terms of the measures of comfort like air conditioners, or conveyance like bigger and bigger expensive luxury cars. Taller buildings, more and more precious artificial fabric and so on. Production and maintenance of all these has created so much land, water and noise pollution that has overcome the advantages of all these so called advancements. Thus the challenging aspect of environmental engineering is to make balance between the rapid changes in the field of science, technology, health etc. and the very existence of life. Though environmentalism or the environmental consciousness is ancient the environmentalism became an organized force only in 1960s. It started with the publication of the book Silent Spring by Rachel Carson on the pesticide DDT in 1962. Actually the exponential growth of population and the worldwide consumerism imposed a great load on earth’s natural resources and waste management systems.

This text aims at the fundamental, primary knowledge for every one who has a concern about environment. The chapters have been designed to quench the thrust of knowledge of a person, let it be a scientist, an engineer or any one who is concerned about protection of environment and thus a well wisher of society.

This book has been written after gaining 10 years experience of working in the public health engineering department of Rajasthan and 20 years experience of teaching civil engineering students, subjects like environmental engineering, ecology and environmental dynamics, solid waste management etc. Recently environmental engineering has been introduced as a primary course common to first year students of all branches who opt for it. This text is on basic environmental engineering that covers the syllabus of first year semester scheme of the Rajasthan Technical University and other universities. Some portion of the martial presented in this book has bean derived from the work of others, their contribution is greatly ackoweldged. The recommendation of manual of water supply and treatment, manual on Sewerage and Sewage Treatment and manual on Solid Waste Management prepared by the Central public Health and Environmental Engineering organization, Government of India, Ministry of urban development have been closely followed.

I acknowledge my debts to my parents for their blessings, my wife Bharati for her constant support, my daughter Ruchira for her help on computer, my son Saurabh and daughter-in law Surabhi for encouragement. I express my deep sense of gratitude to my teacher Prof. Damodar Sharma, Vice chancellor Rajasthan Technical University, Kota for being a constant source of inspiration for me. I thank Prof. M. P. Poonia Principal Engineering College Bikaner for his valuable suggestions. I thank Dr. A. K. Mathur and other colleagues of my department for their help. I thank Mr. S. Gupta, Managing Director, New Age International Publishers, New Delhi for prompt publication.

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Lamborghini Sports Cars – Automotive Legends Both in Styling and Vehicle Performance

For the legendary Lamborghini sports car stable of fantastic ultra high performance and styled vehicles it all started with ordinary Fiat automobiles and tractors.

Mr. Lamborghini – fully named – Mr. Ferruccio Lamborghini got his start with Fiats and then went on to a large successful manufacturing concern that grew from a small manufacturing shop into a major producer of tractors. However at a certain point in every person’s life they search out to complete what their real passion is. In the case of Lamborghini was finely styled and crafted motor cars. At 60 years of age, an established manufacturer of agricultural tractors – Mr. Lamborghini – decided that he could a better job of building a high end, beautifully styled, performance racing automobiles than either of the two dominant Italian auto firms of that auto industry sector – Ferrari and Maserati.

The first product out of the door had a chassis that was multi-tubular; the engine was front mounted sporting a 3.5 liter 12 cylinder V-12 engine. The V-12 engine itself was fitted with six Weber carburetors and ran four overhead camshafts. It all clocked at 360 ultra smooth horsepower with the transmission drive being through five speed stick shift. Suspension involved a coil and wishbone independent suspension set up. In one word it was wow – both in terms of performance of the hop as well as the automotive styling.

Although the styling of those early Lamborghini models may be considered standard Italian sports car design – designs which have worked their way into the so called standard “sport scar designs “and “sport scar flair”, at the time it was new and innovative and for the most part if was twenty five years ahead of anything produced in the good old U.S.A. . The one American sports car which might be considered an exception to that point was the Chevrolet Corvette. For years to come nothing else really matched or was similar to the clean aerodynamic lines and styling of the early Lamborghini classic autos.

Even then Lamborghini had such innovative products the establishment and reputation of the Lamborghini product line was no easy road to hoe. Although the first cars were produced in 1963 it was not for two years later – at the Turin Motor Show that the car began to attract solid interest and for the reputation of the car and its studio to grow and begin to become accepted for what it should be.

The first real product of record for Lamborghini was what was marketed as Miura T 400 model automobile. Its first year of manufacture was the 1966 model year. The basic layout and design of the Miura T 400 was a mid-engined coupe with a slightly larger version of the overhead cam engine – the classic V-12 laid out transversely behind the two seats of the car. The rear wheels were then driven by this engine through” spurs gears”. Interestingly the gear boxes and rear axles were Lamborghini products all by themselves -so they shared a lineage that was unique and not the same as any other of the competitor’s models.

What was performance of this little cat? The V-12 engine could pour out a total of 385 barrel horsepower. Top speed of this little coupe was over 180 miles per hour. It could more than carry its weight with the local Italian contenders – even the famed Ferraris.

If the was one complaint from drivers or riders it was of noise levels in the car’s cockpit. It can be said that this was the price to be paid for success or in this case speed and performance. If you cannot stand the heat don’t stay in the kitchen. Certainly the buyers of Lamborghini fine motor cars who bought the product and established the revered name for its performance and advanced styling and forgo this small shortcoming or foible as the car as an assumed fact – even a luxury.

The next model in the Lamborghini stable was introduced approximately two years later. The entire life of the production run of the popular Miura model was nine years – with two cars being produced a week ( a production figure of only 100 or so cars a year). The name of this vehicle was the Espada. For the new Lamborghini model, the Espada, Lamborghini went back to a more standard front engine layout. Perhaps this was in response to concerns over noise levels in the cockpit of the Miura and the need to produce a more “standard” or “civilized “vehicle product. No one really knows what went on in the mind of the genius Ferruccio Lamborghini. However what was retained for sure were the Lamborghini basics – the four liter V-12 massive highly tuned engine with whizzy overhead cams and multiple choke carburetors all putting out massive automotive performance and handling.

In the end it can be said that the Lamborghini automotive and automotive styling and performance legends are more than unique and reek of power, thrust and acceleration.

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An Auto Engine Overhaul Keep It Clean Under The Hood

Removing an auto engine can be one of the most difficult if not troublesome as well as potentially dangerous phases or parts of the whole process of rebuilding your vehicles automotive motor.

The degree of difficulty becomes compounded when it comes the reverse procedure – when it comes to the time period when it comes to install that auto’s motor back under the hood of the vehicle. You must well remember how everything goes back together under the hood or bonnet of your means of transport otherwise you will not be able to start up that car, truck, van or SUV to drive down those streets, roads, highways and byways. Hence it is essential that you develop and maintain a careful as well as orderly set of procedures in regards to the removal process to help the whole rebuilding or upgrade process go easily and smoothly without hitch.

There are a number of preliminary steps that should be taken before the automotive engine can be removed and the work started on the vehicle.

First of all locating a place to do the work is extremely important. Adequate work space along with storage space for that vehicle or even set of vehicles, if you are providing for parts cars, is needed. If a shop or garage is not available, then at the very least then a flat, level, clean work surface made of concrete or cement is required. If it turns out in your searches and travels that the only surface available is asphalt, then be sure to remember that most jack stands will tend to sink into your asphalt when it comes time to support an extreme amount of weight especially when it comes time to support heavier sets and types of vehicles – be it SUV’s, older well made heavier vintage cars and of course trucks and busses.

Cleaning the power plant compartment and the engine before beginning the whole removal process and procedure will help to keep your tools and tool chest clean and even well and better organized. Often automotive professionals themselves and those in the trade will suggest and recommend to novice mechanics that the best method and methods for cleaning both the engine and engine compartments is to have them steam cleaned themselves by a professional automobile “detail” shop. As an alternate method most often used by home mechanics is to have the engine itself degreased. You can easily purchase a can of engine degreaser - say at your local Canadian tire store or other big box automotive parts outlet. If the motor and other power train components have an extraordinary amount of dirt, grime and grease you might want to consider purchasing two cans. Why have to drive back to the parts store unnecessarily? There are more than one brand or type of engine cleaner and degreaser to choose from , the best advice here by experienced mechanics and car industry professionals is to be sure that the label of the cleaning product specifically designates the product as an “engine degreaser” not a brake or other type of cleanser.

Before the vehicle is dissembled itself, you can drive the vehicle over to a self service car wash or alternate where you can find high pressure cleaning equipment as well as proper drainage for the dirty water left over from engine compartment degreasing. Make sure that the trip over to the car wash has allowed the engine to heat up to normal operating temperatures to allow the degreaser solution to do its work in softening up and removing the long baked on dirt , grease and engine compartment grime. You can use a few old rags as well as plastic bags to cover areas that you do not want to get wet – for example electrical components as well as distributors and electric coils in older vintage cars and vehicles. Of course this will help the engine to start, and you drive away easily and without fuss after the whole cleaning process are over.

It’s always easiest to work on a clean engine both before, during an engine overhaul as well as the whole process of putting the motor and its automotive components back to the condition where it can be simply driven away – back to automotive owner or car lot where it came from.

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Top Notch Car Care: Taking Care of Your Motor

Your car may be one of the possessions that you rely on every day; to get to and from work, to collect your weekly grocery shopping or just to visit friends and family. Keeping it in tip-top condition should therefore be high on your priority list so you avoid inconvenient breakdowns or problems.

Keeping your car in check also makes it safer for you and your passengers when you’re out and about. When it comes to selling your car in the future you may also find that a well kept vehicle will sell for a higher price, so there are numerous benefits to carrying out a spot of regular car maintenance.

When it comes to safety you need to make sure your tyre threads aren’t wearing too thin, so periodically check their thickness – there are specific tools you can purchase to help you do this. In Britain it is a legal requirement to have a tyre thread thickness of at least 1.6mm so use this as a guide.

Rotation is another useful tyre maintenance tip. Uneven tyre treads can result in uneven braking and poor handling. To avoid this simply start rotating your tyres; especially on front wheel drive cars where the front tyres wear faster. You should also check your tyres on a weekly basis for any wear, tears or bulges – and don’t forget to include the spare tyre as you never know when you might need it.

Engine oil is another safety essential that needs to be regularly maintained. If you were to run out of engine oil it would probably mean the end of your engine and a very costly bill to pay before your car was back on the road again. Keeping engine oil levels topped up should be one of your main priorities when it comes to car maintenance.

To check the oil level of your car, make sure the car has fully cooled down and always have the engine switched off. Locate the engine oil dipstick, remove it and wipe it clean in order to get an accurate reading. If levels are running low then get yourself to the nearest garage and top-up immediately.

It is also an idea to keep your car as clean as possible – especially during the winter months when salt is used on the roads – to help protect the paintwork. You can invest in all sorts of car cleaning tools from alloy cleaner to wax polish that won’t leave unwanted scratches behind.

What’s more, if you are trying to keep an eye on your budget then parking your car in a garage can protect it from any natural elements that could cause damage, whilst also helping to lower the cost of your car insurance cover at the same time.

As you can see, taking care of your car does not have to be a chore and from doing so there is potentially a lot to be gained.

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Car Routine Maintenance for Neophytes

Your car is a very important investment that you would never want it to experience a breakdown especially if it is new and you are also new as a driver.

Aside from your parents’ pieces of advice on road safety, it is also better to read some tips on the magazines or on the internet perhaps. Your parents may be experts on raising kids but they may not be when it comes to vehicular concerns. There are several write ups on car safety, repair and maintenance that you as a neophyte on the road should always keep in mind.

Examples of these tips are as follows:

Read your owner’s manual first. Written there is everything about your car that you need to know and remember always. From the auto parts to the proper repair and maintenance, all are written there. It is also important to obey the manufacturer’s recommended service schedule as written there.

To ensure excellent engine performance, at a good repair shop, have your engine drivability problems corrected. These problems include hard starts, rough idling, stalling, diminished power, etc. It is also much better to replace dirty air, fuel and PCV fuels to ensure a real quality engine performance.

In order to keep moisture from freezing in the fuel line, place a bottle of fuel de-icer in your fuel tank once a month. Remember that moisture formation is prevented in a gas tank that is always filled.

The oil and filter concerns are also specified in your owner’s manual. Change them according to the stated schedule. Most often, they are changed at least every 3,000 miles. This is so if driving is mostly stop-and-go or consists of regular short trips.

Flush and refill the cooling system as recommended in the manual. Needed to be inspected periodically are the level, condition, and the concentration of the coolant. The usually recommended concentration is a 50/50 mix of anti-freeze and water. If you are checking this part by yourself, do not remove the radiator cap until the engine has thoroughly cooled. Let the tightness and condition of drive belts, clamps, and hoses be checked by a reliable auto technician.

To achieve further comfort, the heater and defroster should be in good working condition.

Old windshield blades must be replaced. Buying rubber-clad or winter blades so that ice will not build up is a must in a winter season.

The brakes should be regularly checked. Consult the manual if you can replace the original ones with other brands such as EBC brakes.

Inspect the battery through professional equipment. This is the only appropriate way to detect a weak one. Remove the corrosion from posts and cable connections. Clean the entire surface. Make sure all connections are tightened. These should be your routine. Also check the level of fluid monthly if battery caps are removable.

Removal of cables might damage or loose data or codes on some newer vehicles. For further guidance, it is always safe to check your manual. Contact to acids is dangerous. Avoid contact with corrosive deposits and battery acid by wearing an eye protection and rubber gloves.

Before going out with the car, check all lights and bulb. Burned out bulbs must be replaced immediately. All lenses should be free from road grime. For simple lights cleaning, a dry rag can be used.

Examine the exhaust system for leaks through putting your vehicle on a lift. See to it that the exhaust trunk and floorboards do not have small holes. And take note of this: any sweat in the exhaust is deadly. To avoid this, regularly check the system.

Worn tires are also dangerous. Regularly check them to avoid short tread life, uneven wearing, and cupping. The sidewall should also be checked. Tire pressure should be checked once a month, but be sure tires are in cool condition before checking them. The manufacturer’s recommended rotation must be followed. And remember to always bring with you your spare that is in good condition. The jack, which should also be always present in your tools area, should also be in good condition.

And lastly, in case of emergency, you need to have some equipment to back you up. Always bring with you gloves, boots, blankets, flares, a small shovel, sand or kitty litter, tire chains, a flashlight, and a cell phone. This will further ensure your safety especially that you are a neophyte on the road.

Reading some materials on automotive can further add to your knowledge on cars.

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Simple Motorcycle Maintenance Tips

If it’s your first time to own a motorcycle, you should be aware that motorcycles are slightly more troublesome to take care of than cars. While cars can survive a long time of neglect, the same thing can’t be said for motorcycles. Worse, just one instance of neglect can immediately cause peril to your life.

1. Inspect Your Motorcycle Regularly

Make up a checklist of the important things you should inspect regarding your motorcycle’s safety and performance. Send it to the service center as well every time you cover 5,000 kilometers. Regular visits may cost you a small amount of money but this amount is certainly nothing considering that it’s equivalent to the price of your life!

2. How Oily is Oily?

Make it a habit to check your motorcycle’s oil level when you’ve stopped for gas. While checking the oil, make sure that no foreign material will accidentally fall into your motorcycle’s oil storage compartment. Avoid subjecting your motorcycle to constant exposure to extremely hot or cold weather as this can affect your oil’s quality.

3. Batteries are a Motorcycle’s Best Friend

Do you know that one of the most common causes for motorcycles to cease operating or malfunction is due to battery problems? As such, you need to take excellent care of your battery at all times. Firstly, never remove or replace them if the engine is still running. Don’t change batteries by yourself if you don’t have any experience.

4. Adding Fuel to the Fire

An absence of care and precaution can easily add fuel to the fire and lead you to experiencing an unfortunate accident. To avoid fuel troubles, start by learning the various locations and uses of your motorcycle’s fuses. When changing fuses, always subject it to testing to ensure that it’s in good working condition. Damaged fuses put you at the risk of having your motorcycle’s blow up while you’re on the driver seat.

5. Clean Up Your Act

Believe it or not the mere act of cleaning can significantly reduce future maintenance costs and the chances of having an accident while you’re riding your motorcycle. If you don’t like the idea of regular cleaning, just think of it as killing two birds with one stone: cleaning will let you enjoy a safer and cooler ride on your bike!

6. Your Motorcycle’s First Aid Kit

Always have a properly equipped toolbox strapped to your motorcycle. Even the world’s slowest and safest driver can still be an unfortunate victim of an accident so having a toolbox will just be your way of preparing for any eventuality!

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