Environmental Engineering Basic Concepts:
Following are the list of Environmental Engineering Basic Concepts
Abiotic – Non-living things.
Acclimation – Adjustment to slowly changing new conditions.
Acid rain (or) Acid deposition – Falling of acids and acid forming compounds from the atmosphere to Earth’s surface.
Acidic solution – Solution in which hydrogen ions are greater than the hydroxyl ions.
Activated sludge process – The use of biologically active sewage to hasten the breakdown of organic matter in raw sewage during secondary treatment.
Adaptation – The response, either of whole ecosystems, or individual species to changing climate.
Aerobic – In presence of oxygen
Aerobic bacteria – Bacteria living in the presence of oxygen.
Aerosol – Solid or liquid particles that are larger than a molecule but small enough to remain suspended in the atmosphere. Its size is up to 100 microns diameter.
Afforestation – The conversion of non-forested areas to forest by tree planting.
Agenda 21 – Developed at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in Brazil in June 1992. A “blueprint” for sustainable development. Focuses up to the year 2000 and projects into the 21st century.
Air – Gaseous mixture of the troposphere.
Air pollution – One or more chemicals in high enough concentrations in the air to harm humans, other animals, vegetation, or materials.
Allogenic succession – Development occurred in an ecosystem due to the interaction of external physical acting on it.
Altitude – Height above sea level
Ambient – Outdoor
Anaerobic bacteria – Bacteria living without oxygen.
Anaerobic digestion – The breakdown of organic material to produce methane, carbon dioxide, and heat without the presence of oxygen. In the context of waste management, it can be utilized as an energy supply.
Anthropogenic – Man-made or human induced.
Aquatic – Pertaining to water
Artificial ecosystem – Ecosystem created and maintained by man.
Asbestosis – Occupational health hazard due to inhalation of asbestos fibers.
Atmosphere – The whole mass of air surrounding the Earth.
Atmospheric pollution – The presence of substances in the atmosphere, resulting from man-made activities or from natural processes, causing adverse effects to man and the environment.
Atomic weight – Mass of an atom
Atoms – The smallest unit of an element.
Autoclave – An airtight vessel for heating a substance’s contents under high pressure: