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Jump to any letter of the alphabet
Acid Rain
- Precipitation which has a pH value of less than 5.6, and is
therefore acidic in nature. It is responsible for raising the acidity of
soil and water in many parts of Europe. Acid rain is the reason why some
forests are being destoryed.Effects on
trees in Europe(****Caution large picture may take some time to loadup****).
The main causes of acid rain are
- sulphur dioxide
- nitrogen oxides
- hydrogen chloride
- halons
- chlorinated solvents
- Aerobic Composting
- The natural breaking down of organic waste into compost.
- Air quality
- In addition to global warming, ozone
depletion and acid rain, other form of air pollution
can affect human health and the natural environment.
- Algal Blooms
- Blue-Green algae are aquatic organisms which have some
properties characteristic of bacteria and some that are characteristic of
plants. It is particularly problematic in still freshwater i.e. reservoirs,
but can also cause problems at sea. Under certain conditions, for instance
high water temperature and excess nutrients, populations of algae can grow
to extremely high densities. These 'blooms' float on the surface of the
water and block out the sunlight. This in turn prevents oxygen from entering
the body of water so other plants and animals cannot survive. The algae
takes over reducing the biodiversity of the envrionment. The blooms form a
sort of scum on the suface of the water which accumulates down wind and can
get blown on to the shore. This means that even more species are killed off.
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- Anaerobic digestion
- A resource recovery process which digests kitchen waste and
other organic waste into compost and a biogas.
- Anoxic
- Lack of life sustaining oxygen.
- Atmospheric emissions by waste/landfill
sites
- Emissions into the atmosphere produced by the processing of
waste in landfill, or by resource recovery and waste combustion systems.
Emissions are subject to EC and national guidelines set to ensure the
minimum pollution to the environment. Control of emissions from large scale
waste combustion processes is by Her Majesty's Inspectorate
of Pollution.
- Avalanche
- Large amounts of snow and ice loosened from a moutainside
falling under the force of gravity into the valley below.
Biogas
- Term used for the gas produced by the breakdown of organic
matter in the absence of oxygen that can be used as a fuel.
- Biowaste
- Waste produced from organic matter eg.food scraps, peelings
etc.
- Bring system of recycling
- The provision of banks or collection points for the public
to deliver their recyclable material.
Calorific Value
- The heat produced by a given weight of fuel on completion
of combustion. These values are expressed in terms of British thermal units
per pound (Btu/lb) or kilojoules per kilogramme (KJ/kg).
1 Btu/lb = 2.33KJ/kg
The calorific value of houshold waste is about one-third that
of coal.
- Carbon monoxide (CO)
- This gas results from the incomplete burning of fuel.In the
UK road traffic produces 90% of all CO, which can have direct health
effects. When inhaled, CO reduces the oxygen carrying capacity of the blood
and can cause headaches, fatigue, stress, respiratory problems and - at very
high levels- death.
- Carbon dioxide (CO2)
- This gas is produced when anything organic is burned, and
has no direct health effects - in fact the human body produces it when you
breath out. However CO2
plays an important role in adding to the greenhouse
effect, which keeeps the earth warm. In turn this is adding to global
warming. By burning fuel, road vehicles produce 19% of the UK's man-made
CO2 emissions.
- Cartel
- An association of independent buisinesses formed to
monopolise and control production, distribution and prices.
- Catalytic converter
- A device which can be fitted to a vehicle which converts
harmful hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide to carbon dioxide and water vapour.
- C.I.T.E.S.
- Convention on international trade in endangered species;its
purpose is to control the trade in wild plants and animals
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- Commercial waste
- Waste from premises used maimly for the purposes of trade
or business or for sport, recreation or entertainment.
-
- Condense
- When a gas such as water vapour (steam) changes to liquid
it is condensing, when it has become water it has been condensed.
- Coniferous forest
- Forest containing only cone bearing softwoods
- Conservation
- The careful management and preservation of natural
resources and environment.
- Convection Cycle
- The movement of large air currents in the atmosphere which
are the basis for the Rain/Water cycle.
Deforestation
- Permanent clearance of trees and woodland.
- Desertification
- Process by which areas of desert are created by natural
forests or the activities of man.
- Desalination
- Process of removing salt from water. It involves heating
the salt water and collecting the steam. The steam is then condensed, this
is pure water ready for using. The drawback to this process is the expense
so it is only used when there is no cheaper alternative
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- Developed
- Country which has become culturally and socially advanced
and is fully exploiting its resources.
- Developing
- Formerly underveloped country which is now in the process
of becoming a developed country.
- District heating
- The use of waste hot water used in energy production to
heat hospitals, schools, homes, etc., by pumping through pipe network
system.
- DNA
- Molecules in our body which tell the cells how to grow - a
bit like an instruction manual for our bodies. If the DNA is damaged, the
instructions become messed up.
- Domesday Book
- Record of a survey of the land of England carried out by
the commissioners of William I, 1086.
- Drought
- Prolonged period with little or no rainfall.
- Ecosystem
- A system involving the interactions between living
organisms and the physical environment.
Efficiency
- A measure of the body's performance - the ratio of output
over input.
- Electrical Energy
- The energy of a body due to the its electronic
configuration (atomic level).
- Electromagnetic Radiation
- Radiation consisting of an electric and magnetic field at
right angles to each other and to the direction of propagation.
- Electromagnetic Spectrum
- The compete range of of electromagnetic
radiation, from the longest radio wave to the shortest gamma radiation.
- Energy from waste
- The harnessing of energy in the form of electricity or heat
released from waste combustion.
-
- Environmental Impact Assessment(EIA)
- The assessment of the environmental impacts likely to arise
from a major action(i.e. legislation, a policy, a programme or project)
significantly affecting the environment.
-
- Environmental Impact Statement
- The 1988 EEC directive requires an EIS as part of the
developing control prcedure.(A statement of results from the EIA). It must
include:
- a description of the project;
- a description of the environment affected;
- assessment of the important effects of the project on
environment;
- justification of the project from alternative biews;
and
- a non-technical summary.
- Environmental Protection Act(EPA) 1990
- The law to make provision arising from certain industrial
and other processes; to re-enact the provisions of the Control of Pollution
Act 1974 relating to waste on land with modifications regarding the
functions of the regulatory and other authorities concerned in the
collection and disposal of waste and to make further provision in relation
to such waste.
Or in plain English: The EPA is a law which stops people from
dumping their waste where they shouldn't and also makes sure the local
council provides adequate facilities for the disposal of waste.
- Erosion
- Wearing away of the land by the action of water,ice or
wind.
-
- Eutrophication
- This is when a water body, i.e. a lake or river, is so rich
in nutrients that it supports a dense plant population which ultimately
kills animal life by depriving it of oxygen.
-
Famine
- A severe shortage of food leading to malnutrition and
starvation.
-
- Ferrous metals
- Metals containing iron. They can be magnetically removed
from the waste stream for recycling in resource recovery plants.
-
- Flash boiler
- A vessel in which the pressure is below the point at which
boiling occurs for the liquid entering it. This therefore vapourises (boils)
(click
here for an explanation of the effect of pressure on boiling point).
-
- Fly ash
- The product residue resulting from the cleaning gases from
incineration process.
- Food chain
- A chain of organisms along which energy , in the form of
food passes. An organism feeds on the preceding link and is in turn prey for
the suceeing link.
- Fossil fuel
- Naturally occuring carbon or hydrocarbon fuel eg. coal,
natural gas and oil, formed by the decomposition of pre-historic organisms.
Gasification
- Waste treatment process where waste is heated to produce a
combustible gas that can be burned in excess air to generate heat. The
process is not yet developed to a production stage.
- Geothermal
- Relating to the heat generated in the centre of the earth.
- Gigawatt
- 1000 Million watts.
- Global warming
- Worldwide warming of the atmosphere due to increases in the
amount of carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous
oxide and other gases being released into the atmosphere by the burning
of fossil fuels.
- Greenhouse gas
- Gases e.g. methane, carbon dioxide, CFC'c emitted from a
variety of sources and processes, said to contribute to global warming by
trapping heat between the earth and the atmosphere. Methane produced at
landfill sites is a major contributor.
- Greenhouse effect
- Phenomenan in which the atmosphere stops the heat radiated
from the surface of the earth escaping, resulting in higher than normal
temperatures. The main cause of this is thought to be carbon
dioxide.
Habitat
- Environment which can support and promote the existence of
living organisms.
- Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Pollution
- The government agency resposible for regulating prescribed
industrial processes, including waste combustion plants, to prevent
pollution of land, water and air.
- Household waste
- Waste from domestic property, caravan, residential home,
educational establishment or premises forming part of a hospital or nursing
home.
- Household Waste Recycling Centre (HWRC)
- A site provided in accordance with section 51(i)(b) of the Environmental
Protection Act to which the public may deliver household waste. A range
of materials(e.g. metals, paper, glass, engine oil) is recycled at these
sites.
- Hydrocarbons (HC)
- Hydrocarbons are compounds made of of hydrogen and carbon;
these include petrol, diesel, gas and some solvents. Road traffic is
responsible for 41% of HC emissions in the UK. About two thirds of the total
comes from vehicle exhasts as unburnt fuel and the remainder from
evaporation through the vehicles fuel system. HCs react with nitrogen
oxides in sunlight to produce a number of harmful compunds called
photochemical oxidants. These include peroxacetyl nitrate(PAN) and ozone,
both of which are irritating to humans and cause plant damage. Ozone also
contributes to acid rain and the greenhouse
effect. Concern is now being expressed about the hydrocarbon benzene - a
natural part of petrol - which can cause cancer.
- Hydrological Cycle
- This is the term given to describe the cycle taken by water
as it moves through the environment. It includes falling to the ground as
rain and snow, flow through and over the land and then back up into the
atmosphere via evaporation.
Ice cap
- Permanent covering of ice over a large area.
- Industrial waste
- Waste from any factory or premise used for the provsion of
public transport, public utility or poastal services.
- Information Technology
- The use of modern technology to handle information - it
basically means using a computer to do stuff.
- Integrated Waste Management
- A strategy for the management of waste utilising a range of
environmentally sound systems and processes. Typically if would include the
promotion of waste minimisation material recycling, resource recovery and
landfill.
- Internal Combustion
- Internal Combustion engines are those which burn fuel to
create hot gases, these are used to create mechnical energy. Steam engines
are examples of external combustion engines; the hot burnt gases are not
used to directly create mechanical energy, they heat water which acts to
produce energy.
- Ions
- Ions are atoms with an electrical charge. This charge comes
from either losing or gaining electrons. If the atom has lost electrons, it
will be desparate to get some more, and if it has extra electrons it will be
desparate to lose them, as atoms like to be electrically neutral. This means
that ions will react with most things, possibly damaging them.
Kinetic Energy
- The energy a body has due to its relative motion.
- Kilowatt
- 1000 watts of power.
Landfill gas
- A by-product from the digestion of anaerobic bacteria of
decaying matter in waste deposited in landfill sites. The gas is
predominantly methane(65%) together with carbon dioxide(35%) and trace
concentrations of a range of vapours and gases.
- Landfill tax
- A tax or levy being considered by the government. It could
be incurred for all waste to be landfilled in an attempt to make it a more
expensive option and thus make alternative options more attractive.
- Lead
- Lead has been used for many years as an additive to petrol
to improve engine performance. When the petrol is burnt lead is emitted from
the exhaust, and concern has focused on the possible healt effects. Lead is
known to be a poison which builds up in the body and may affect the
development of children. Action has now been taken to reduce the amount of
lead in petrol and as a result unleaded petrol was produced.
- Life expectancy
- Average number of years a newly born child can expect to
live.
-
- Liquor
- Concentrated liquid, maybe toxic, produced as a result of
the decomposition of organic waste. If contaiminated, e.g.from a landfill
site, it is referred to as leachate.
Magma
- Molten rock which exists below the earth's crust; it
solidifies to form igneous rocks on the earth's surface.
- Malnutrition
- Undernourishment due to insufficient food /unbalanced diet.
-
- Materials Recovery Facility(MRF)
- Site where mixed, recyclable waste, is either mechanically
or manually, separated, baled and stored prior to reprocessing. Systems
exists in the US for separation of recyclable materials from the mixed waste
stream but these are not fully utilised in the UK..
- Megawatt
- Million watts.
- Migration
- Movement from one place or country to settle in another.
-
- Minerals and Waste Local Plan
- Strategy document produced by County Planning Authority to
set out detailed policies and guidance on minerals and waste development.
- Monsoon
- A seasonal wind in southeast Asia which in summer is
southwesterly and brings in heavy rain;in winter it is cold, dry wind from
the northeast.
-
National Recycling Target
- Government-set national target to local authorities to
recycle 25% of all household waste by the year 2000. This is equivalent to
half of the recyclable waste.
- Natural Fertiliser
- This is the term used to describe a variety of products
which contain nutrients which are useful for plant growth. They carry out
the same job as normal fertiliser but do not damage the environment. The
most common type is made up of manure and straw.
- Non Fossil Fuel Order
- An arrangement for requiring regional electricity companies
to purchase energy from non-fossil fuel sources such as waste. The
provisions were introduced by the government to encourage the production of
energy from renewable fuels.
- Nitrogen oxides (NOx)
- These are produced whenever fuel is burned. Road traffic is
the biggest producer of NOx in the UK - 51% of the total. As well as
reacting with hydrocarbons NOx emissions are further
oxidised in the atmosphere contributing to the production of acid
rain.
- Noise pollution
- The largest producer of noise in most areas is from road
traffic. The large volume of traffic on the roads today can make life
unbearable for those living nearby.
- North
- Ageneral term for the rich developed countries of the
northern hemisphere, Australia and New Zealand.
O.P.E.C.
- Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries.
- Outfalls
- These are large pipes which transports the sewage, treated
or untreated out to the sea. More recent ones are longer, a few kilometres,
but the older ones were only 500m. Recent regulations are trying to phase
out this disposal of sewage.
- Oxygenation
- Incorporating more life sustaining oxygen into the body.
- Ozone
- Oxygen with molecules containing three rather than the
normal two atoms; in the upper atmosphere it absorbs harmful ultraviolet
radiation.
- Ozone depletion
- Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), halons and chlorinated solvents
react with and destroy the stratospheric ozone layer.
- Ozone layer
- Layer of ozone which protects the Earth's surface from
excess ultraviolet light.
Parabolic reflector
- A curved reflector which focuses all the incoming light
(from any angle) to one specific point called the focal point. eg A torch
has a parabolic reflector with the light buld situated at the reflector's
focal point
- Particulate matter (smoke)
- This comes from partly burned fuel. Road vehicles,
especially diesel engines, are now the largest source of smoke in the UK.
There is now concern that some of the chemicals contained in smoke may cause
cancer.Tell
me more...
- pH
- pH is a measure of how acidic a substance is. Acidity is
caused by hydrogen ions in a liquid, with more hydrogen ions making the
liquid more acidic. However, the concentration of hydrogen ions can range
from just a few ions per litre to many billions of ions per litre of liquid,
so the pH scale has been designed to make the numbers a bit more manageable.
pH numbers range from 1 to 14, with 1 being very acidic, and 14 being very
alkaline (the opposite of acidic) with neutral solutions (such as distilled
water) having a pH of 7.
- Photolytic
- Using solar radiation to break chemical bonds within
materials at atomic level or to catalyse (speedup) a chemical reaction.
- Photosynthesis
- Photosynthesis is the process by which plants produces
their own food. They use carbon dioxide from the
atmosphere, water from the ground and enrgy from the sun to produce food.
When plants do this they produce oxygen as a waste product which they emitt
back to the atmosphere. Many under water plants do the same thing to
replenish oxygen levels in water.
- Phytoplankton
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- Planning application
- Request for permission to develop an area of land to the
local planning authority.
- Pollution
- Contaimination by poisonous or harmful substances.
- Potential Energy
- The energy of a body due to its relative position within a
gravitational, magnetic or electric field acting around it.
Quality of life
- The level of wellbeing of life style and the physical
conditions in which people live.
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Reboiler
- A clever bit of piping. Dirty steam (containing other
gasses such as carbon dioxide) is brought in on one
side and condensed making the removal of the other
gasses easy. On the other side the water is boiled using the energy fom the
condensing steam to produce allmost clean steam.
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- Recycling
- The collection and separation of materials from waste and
subsequent processing to produce marketable products.
- Reforestation
- The replanting of trees in areas which have been cleared of
woodland.
- Residue
- The resultant volume that is to be disposed of from
incineration. It consists of ash and clinker.(See Fly ash)
-
- Resource recovery
- The recovery of materials, fuel or energy from waste.
- Richter Scale
- A scale of earthquake intensity graded from 1 (very
weak) to 12 (total destruction).
-
- Rotational kinetic energy
- The energy stored in a rotating body.
Seismic
- Shock waves produced within the structure of the Earth -
effects on Earth's surface are known as earthquakes.
- Sewage
- Sewage is the waste water that comes from homes and
industry. It contains vast amounts of water and a diversity of organic and
inorganic matter, such as detergents, pharmaceuticals, petroleum-based oil,
heavy metals and pesticides. It also contains viruses, protozoa, many of
which are pathogenic (disease-causing).
- Sewage needs to be treated before it is discharged. It
contains a number of suspended solids which add to the turbidity of the
water. This, in turn, reduces the amount of sunlight that can get through so
the plants cannot carry out photosynthesis. No photosynthesis means no
oxygen and so eutrophication takes place.
- Sewage Sludge
- This is the waste generated when raw sewage, the waste
water from homes and industry, is treated. It has been classed as a waste
product although there is a lot of interest in it for use as a natural
fertiliser or for use as a means of generating energy.
-
- Smokeless Fuels
- These are special fuels which do not produce much smoke
when they burn. Examples are natural gas, anthracite (a very pure form of
coal) and specially developed fuels such as Coalite.
- Soil erosion
- Wearing away and loss of topsoil, principally by wind and
running water.
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- Soil Conditioner
- Term used to describe the solid product of
aerobic/anaerobic digetion that can be added to soil to enhance its
fertility.
- South
- General term for the poorer developong countries of the
world mainly in the southern hemisphere(except Australia and New Zealand).
- Stratosphere
- Layer of the atmosphere, about 15000-35000 metres above the
earth's surface.
- Sulphur dioxide
- Sulpur dioxide is another greenhouse
gas that is said to promote the greenhouse effect.
- Sustainable
- Resources are sustainable if they cannot be used up. For
instance, oil resources are gradually decreasing whereas the wind can be
harnessed to produce energy continuously..
Terawatt-hours
- Billion (or Million Million) WattHours.
-
- THERMIE Grant
- Grant provided by the EC that has been established for the
promotion, implementation and dissemination of innovative energy saving
technologies.
- Thermodynamics
- The physical science of heat flow. In engineering this is
mainly with respect to heat flow in fluids and fluid processing.
- Tropical rainforest
- Evergreen forest with a dense undergrowth, found in the wet
and hot regions of the world.
- Tundra
- Area in the north of North America and Eurasia where
subartic conditions restrict vegetation to mosses and lichens.
U.N.I.C.E.F.
- United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund.
- Urbanisation
- Changing a predominatly rural area to become more
industrialised and urban
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Waste Collection Authority (WCA)
- Outside Greater London, the council of a district charged
with the responsibility for the collection of household waste.
- Water quality
- Pollution of groundwater, rivers, lakes, estuaries and the
sea - affects natural ecosystems and people dependent on them. Some main
pollutants are; organometallics, other inorganics, nitrates and phosphates.
- Watt
- S.I. unit of power equal to 1 Joule of energy per second.
- Wavelength
- This is the distance between two successive peeks of a
waveform. For example waves in the sea may be spaced about 100m apart. Their
wavelength is therefore about 100m.
- Watt Hours
- The work done by 1 Watt acting for one hour. It is
equivelent to 3600 Joules.
Lidong's
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