waste - sofadcours1.sofad.qc.ca/ressources/fichiers/5709_sco_act1.pdf · hydrocarbons are...

WASTE M A N AG E M E N T

TSC - 4 0 6 4 - 2

Sco red A c t i v i t y 1

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TSC-4064-2 – WASTE MANAGEMENT

© SOFAD

This scored activity was produced by the Société de formation à distance des commissions scolaires du

Québec (SOFAD).

Production Team

Project coordinator for the English version: Jean-Simon Labrecque

Project coordinator for the French version: Alain Pednault (SOFAD)

Author: Judith Sévigny

Illustrations: Marc Tellier

Content revision: Gilles St-Louis

Translation: Claudia de Fulviis

Layout and computer graphics: Daniel Rémy (I. D. Graphique inc.)

Proofreading: Claudia de Fulviis

Alain Pednault (SOFAD)

Despite the following statement, SOFAD authorizes adult education centres using the related learning guide to

reproduce this scored activity.

This work is financed by the Ministère de l’Éducation, du Loisir et du Sport du Québec. Part of this financing

comes from the Canada-Quebec bilateral agreement related to minority language education and second

languages instruction.

© SOFAD, 2013

All rights for translation and adaptation, in whole or in part, are reserved for all countries. Any reproduction by

mechanical or electronic means, including micro-reproduction, is prohibited without the written permission of a duly

authorized representative of the Société de formation à distance des commissions scolaires du Québec (SOFAD).

SCORED ACTIVITY 1

3© SOFAD

Most education centres require that students obtain

an average mark of 60% or higher in order to write the official examination.

Scored Activity 1 covers the subject matter in learning sequences 1 and 2 of the Waste Management

learning guide. Once you have completed this activity, send it to your tutor together with any related

documents.


4 © SOFAD

Instructions

• Fill in the “Identification” section.

• Carefully read each question before answering it.

• Write your answers in the appropriate spaces and give complete solutions, as

applicable.

• The weighting for each question is indicated to the right of each section of the

scored activity.

• You may use a calculator.

SCORED ACTIVITY 1

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Scored Activity 1 /100 points

Submit

After learning sequences 1 and 2.

Essential knowledge covered

Ecological footprint, ecotoxicology, contamination (soil, water, air), wastewater

treatment, biodegradation of pollutants, phosphorus cycle, soil depletion, buffering

capacity of the soil, drainage basin, eutrophication, prevailing wind

A. Explicit Evaluation of Knowledge

1. Multiple-choice questions /15 points

1. Which of the following actions can help to reduce your ecological footprint.

a) Reusing recyclable materials

b) Composting

c) Buying only disposable batteries

d) Using a bike for short distances

2. What is the difference between bioconcentration and bioaccumulation?

a) In bioconcentration, food is the source of the contaminant that accumulates.

b) In bioconcentration, the contaminant is accumulated through direct contact with the environment.

c) In bioconcentration, the contaminant does not come from the environment.

d) In bioconcentration, the source of the contaminant is both food and the environment.

3. Identify the air contaminant in the list below.

a) Aerosols

b) Dead organic matter

c) Heavy metals

d) Persistent organic products

4. Complete the following sentence: "A drainage basin is the geographic area drained by ."

a) a river

b) a river system

c) a lake

d) a glacier


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5. Which of the organisms below are used for soil remediation?

a) Earthworms

b) Bacteria and plants

c) Rodents

d) Algae

6. Select the best term to complete the following sentence: "Soil depletion involves a decrease in soil

associated with a decline in organic matter and nutrients."

a) pH

b) permeability

c) fertility

d) humidity

7. True or false? A contaminant is an agent that alters the physical properties of an environment or an

organism.

a) True

b) False

8. Hydrocarbons are contaminants that affect which type(s) of environment?

a) Only the air

b) Only the soil

c) Water and soil

d) Water, air and soil

9. Is the following statement true? "The eutrophication of a lake is a natural process that results in a

gradual increase in the amount of nutrients available in the water."

a) Yes

b) No

10. Which of the following processes is not part of the pretreatment of wastewater?

a) Screening

b) Sedimentation

c) Flocculation

d) Oil removal

11. True or false? The buffering capacity of a soil is its ability to limit temperature fluctuations.

a) True

b) False

SCORED ACTIVITY 1

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12. The toxicity threshold is the minimum quantity of a substance that:

a) has an appreciable deleterious effect on an organism.

b) causes a genetic mutation.

c) can kill an organism fast.

d) modifies the colour of an organism.

13. The phosphorus present in the hydrosphere comes from:

a) soil erosion and leaching.

b) sedimentation of aquatic waste.

c) the decomposition of dead animals.

d) nutrients taken up by plants.

14. Indicate whether the following statement is true: "Antibiotics and synthetic hormones can contaminate

water."

a) Yes

b) No

15. In Québec, the prevailing winds come from what direction?

a) From the northwest

b) From the south

c) From the west

d) From the southwest


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2. Short-answer questions /10 points

16. What role does the clay-humus complex play in soils?

17. What does it mean if a population has an ecological deficit?

18. Name two soil contaminants and indicate their main source.

19. Nitrogen and sulphur oxides cause the formation of acid deposition. How is it that forests in the Lower

St. Lawrence region show such negative effects from acid deposition when there is very little industry

there?

Québec

OttawaMontréal

Québec City

Rimouski

Sept-Îles

Lower St Lawrence

SCORED ACTIVITY 1

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20. Explain how biomagnification occurs.

21. What is the name given to the waste produced during primary and secondary treatment of wastewater?

22. Explain how deforestation contributes to soil depletion.

23. What contaminants can promote the accelerated eutrophication of a body of water?

24. What unit is used to measure a population's ecological footprint and what does it mean?


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25. During a highway accident, some sulphuric acid was spilled in the location shown by a star on the map

below.

Yellow River

Green River

Black River

White River

Blue Lake

Indicate the body of water or bodies of water that will be affected by this spill.

SCORED ACTIVITY 1

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B. Evaluation Sequence: Refinery Disaster!

Goal • To apply problem-solving skills and knowledge of ecology and the lithosphere,

hydrosphere and atmosphere, in order to assess sources of contamination following an

explosion at an oil refinery

You are woken by the telephone ringing in the middle of the night. You are informed that there has been

an explosion at an oil refinery in your region. Fortunately, no one has been injured. However, officials are

concerned about the risk of an environmental disaster, particularly since the site is very close to a major

river. You have been called to the site to prepare an environmental emergency response plan.

Your task

You will prepare an environmental emergency response plan following the refinery

explosion. To this end, you will:

• identify the contaminants that could affect the soil, water and air;

• detail the possible impacts of these contaminants on the environment and human

health;

• suggest actions that will make it possible to reduce the impact of the disaster on the

environment and the population.

Identification of contaminants /15 points

On your way to the refinery site, you find out that the explosion occurred in the area where the refined

petroleum is stored. The explosion has severely damaged a refined petroleum storage tank and a propane

pipeline. A fire has been raging ever since, and a thick plume of smoke is rising from the site.

Here is a list of contaminants.

1. Aerosols

2. Hydrocarbons

3. Persistent organic products

4. Furans

5. Nitrous and sulphur oxides

6. Carbon dioxide

7. Organochlorinated compounds

8. Heavy metals

Which of these contaminants are likely to affect the following environmental components in the wake of the

disaster?

a) The lithosphere:

b) The hydrosphere:

c) The atmosphere:


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The impacts of contamination /30 points

All these contaminants can have deleterious effects. They affect animals and humans the same way.

a) Explain how the previously identified water and soil contaminants can be harmful for the health of

animals and humans.

b) Air contaminants have an effect similar to smog. Explain how smog represents a threat for humans.

The map below shows a plan of the refinery and the surrounding area. The main agglomerations are shown

on the map, along with watercourses.

City D

City A

City B

City C

V

River

N

Re�nery

c) On the map, draw the trajectory in the soil, air and water that certain contaminants could follow from

the site of the explosion.

SCORED ACTIVITY 1

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d) Explain your reasoning for the spread of the contaminants you just illustrated on the map.

The emergency response plan /30 points

Now that you have all the relevant information, you can draft an environmental emergency response plan.

a) What are the three steps you must take immediately at the refinery site to put out the fire and limit the

environmental impact of the disaster?

b) While the fire is raging, what priority action should be taken immediately in order to protect the people

living near the refinery?


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c) Once the fire has been brought under control, what are the two main actions to be taken to minimize the

environmental impact of the catastrophe?

Do you have any other recommendations to make?

SCORED ACTIVITY 1

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Review of competenciesWhat is a competency? A competency is defined as the development of a set of skills, knowledge,

perceptions and attitudes needed to be able to effectively deal with relatively complex situations. In this

course, you will develop three types of competencies that you will be able to apply not only in this subject,

but also in other academic subjects as well as in your everyday life.

They are:

• Seeks answers or solutions to scientific or technical problems

• Makes the most of his/her knowledge of science and technology

• Communicates using the languages of science and technology

The third competency is not evaluated separately, but as part of the other two competencies.

With regard to learning sequences 1 and 2, which you have completed, indicate whether you were able to

develop the following key features of the competencies.

Activity competency Key feAtures developed yes no in pArt

1.1

My Ecological

Footprint

Makes the

most of his/her

knowledge

I learned about the assignment to be done in

this activity.

I gave a definition for an individual's ecological

footprint and described a way to measure it.

I gave my opinion on the possibility of

evaluating a community's ecological footprint.

I identified the links between an individual's

footprint and a community's footprint.

I described and ranked actions that can have an

impact on the ecological footprint.

I drafted an action plan to reduce my ecological

footprint.


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1.4

Remediation of

Contaminated Land

Seeks answers or

solutions

I learned about the assignment to be

done in this activity.

I identified the soil contaminants

that needed to be removed.

I ruled out the company whose

soil remediation method was not

suitable.

I recognized the advantages and

drawbacks of the proposed soil

remediation methods.

I selected the remediation project

with the best ecological footprint.

I showed that the selected soil

remediation method was suitable for

the remediation project at hand.

SCORED ACTIVITY 1

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2.3

Cyanobacteria

Makes the most of

his/her knowledge

I learned about the assignment to be

done in this activity.

I described how human activities

can disrupt the phosphorus cycle.

I identified household products

containing phosphates.

I identified the contaminants that

can contribute to accelerating the

eutrophication of a lake.

I applied the concept of drainage

basin to explain the leaching of soil

contaminants into watercourses.

I identified the potential sources

of contamination of the lake and

proposed solutions for reducing the

contamination.


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Activity competency Key feAtures developed yes noin

pArt

2.4

Smog

Seeks answers

or solutions

I learned about the assignment to be done in

this activity.

I determined the different sources of

atmospheric contamination and the

associated contaminants.

I described what smog is and I identified the

causes.

I described how the prevailing winds

influence the movement of atmospheric

contaminants.

I explained how regulations pertaining to

wood stoves could help to improve the air

quality in cities.


Student's questions or comments

Tutor's remarks

5709-07 September 2013

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