Environmental Engineering Laboratory Manual: For First Year Engineering Students

The environment can be defined as the surroundings in which we live. These surroundings
may be living (biotic) or non living (abiotic). There is a dynamic equilibrium between biotic
and abiotic environment. We are influenced in our day to day activities by the environment.
We in turn affect the environment by our activities, by consuming its natural resources
and producing pollution. Pollution is the mixing of undesirable elements in any of the
natural resources. For example when we mix the human excreta with water and produce
sewage and dispose it in the river we pollute the river. There are many indices of designating
and measuring this pollution like Biochemical Oxygen Demand, etc. Now this pollution
degrades the quality of water. Water, fit for drinking is the second most important
requirement (first is the air) for human beings. It must have some useful ingredients and
must not have the pollutants.
Actually Environmental Engineering is a very broad subject, but its basic knowledge is
compulsory for every engineer. Some of the knowledge can be obtained by doing some
simple experiments to judge the quality of water and wastewater and that is why the
laboratory analysis of Environmental Engineering has been recommended for the first year
students of all branches in Engineering in the esteem Technical University of Rajasthan.
This manual covers the syllabus of Rajasthan Technical University.
This laboratory Manual has been designed to cater the fundamental knowledge of a
part of environmental engineering i.e. water and waste water. To understand the significance
of the experiment some theory has been included before the experiment. Then the comments
give the overall aspect and in the end the student has to critically comment on the results
of the experiment that why this result is there and what is the meaning of it. This is the
most important part of the experiment and the evaluator must evaluate the work in light of
this.
The requirement of the apparatus and the reagents etc. and how to make them in the
laboratory, simplifies the work of the institution.
The students are advised to prepare the solutions by themselves afresh to have the
complete knowledge and good results.
Though there are so many tests for examination of water and wastewater actually Total
dissolved solids, Chlorides, Fluorides and Nitrates are the main chemical examinations
for acceptance or rejection of a water source as source of supply for a community. As
disinfection is a must, so microbiological examination is done after the treatment of water
to be supplied. The microbiological examination is difficult, time taking and beyond the
scope of this primary level of First year B.Tech. students. However the test of residual
chlorine makes it possible indirectly. If there is required amount of residual chlorine then
it is assumed that there are no bacteria. Determination of sulfate is necessary to find whether
the water is fit for construction (concrete) purpose or not.
The dissolved oxygen in sewage directly leads to the determination of BOD of sewage.
The determination of dissolved and settelebale solids gives idea about the design of grit
chamber and the offensiveness of the sewage.
So the manual on Environmental Engineering Laboratory provides a sufficient basic
tool for the examination of water and wastewater for first year students of every branch of
B.Tech /B.E degree and any body engaged in this profession
It has been taken into consideration that the method of measurements is simple as they
are meant for preliminary examination of water and waste water at a primary level.
Rakesh Chandra Gaur