18-Env-A6 Solid Waste Engineering and Management · December 2014
Nivaar worked solution (AI-drafted; not reviewed by a licensed engineer)
Reference texts: Tchobanoglous, Theisen & Vigil, Integrated Solid Waste Management: Engineering Principles and Management Issues; Vesilind, Worrell & Reinhart, Solid Waste Engineering; Davis & Cornwell, Introduction to Environmental Engineering (6th ed.); CCME, Guidance Document on Landfill Gas Management; Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999.
This paper prints marks IN FRONT of the question number on every line (e.g. "5 1. What are the elements…", "4 16. All 29 questions are answered in full.
Question text not reproduced: the examination questions are © Engineers and Geoscientists BC. Open the official past paper (linked at the top of this page) to read the question, then follow the worked solution below.
Three standard methods are used: (1) load-count analysis — recording the number of loads and their approximate volume (or a known average weight per load type) delivered to a facility over a period; (2) weight–volume analysis — recording both the volume and, for a representative subset, the weight of loads to establish an average density, then converting all volumes to weight; (3) mass balance (material balance) analysis — a full accounting of material inputs and outputs for the system or an individual facility/process, used where waste is generated, stored or processed within a defined boundary. Of these, the weight–volume method, using direct weighing (a certified scale) rather than volume alone, is the most accurate, because as-discarded and compacted densities vary considerably between loads and load-counting or volume-only methods carry much larger error.
