18-Env-B5 Industrial & Hazardous Waste Management · December 2016
Nivaar worked solution (AI-drafted; not reviewed by a licensed engineer)
Reference texts: Nemerow & Dasgupta, Industrial and Hazardous Waste Treatment, 2nd ed.; Metcalf & Eddy, Wastewater Engineering: Treatment and Resource Recovery, 5th ed.; Davis & Cornwell, Introduction to Environmental Engineering, 6th ed.; LaGrega, Buckingham & Evans, Hazardous Waste Management, 2nd ed.; CCME, Guidelines for the Management of Biomedical Waste in Canada (1992); Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA), 1999; Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes (1989); Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) regulations on radioactive waste; provincial hazardous waste regulations (e.g. BC's Environmental Management Act and Hazardous Waste Regulation).
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.
The purpose of sampling is to obtain a small, representative subset of a waste stream that can stand in for the characteristics of the whole stream over the period of interest, at a practical analytical cost. It is physically and economically impossible to analyze 100% of a continuous waste stream, so a properly designed sampling program (correct location, frequency, method and preservation) is the only practical way to obtain statistically defensible data on flow, concentration and variability. That data then underpins every downstream decision — treatment process design and sizing, permit-compliance demonstration, surcharge billing, and early detection of an upset or non-compliant discharge — so if the sample is not truly representative, every decision built on it is compromised.
