Solid and Haz Waste
- Thread starter jritter58
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If you check out the NCEES site, they don't even list solid or hazardous waste as a topic for testing.
http://www.ncees.org/exams/professional/pe..._exam_specs.pdf
http://www.ncees.org/exams/professional/pe..._exam_specs.pdf
http://www.ncees.org/exams/professional/pe..._exam_specs.pdf
http://www.ncees.org/exams/professional/pe..._exam_specs.pdf
Oh there are some quantitative questions. For solid waste, the sample problems cover the garbage composition and quantifying types of questions pretty well - those are relatively straightforward, but just make sure you don't get all twisted up in them. Practice makes perfect. The hazwaste stuff crosses over with the air stuff a little on incinerator type questions, and you may get some chemistry-related quantitative questions (again, I think the sample problems from NCEES and PPI cover it well), but yeah, generally speaking, it's mostly qualitative questions with those subjects...
I heard the same thing, but that there will possibly be a few quantitative ones, like a groundwater contamination problem or an incineration question or even a radioactive waste problem. Fortunately, HW is really only about 10% of the test (so only 10 questions!). Of that, I imagine only a couple would be quantitative.
Thanks for the tip. Since MSW will also be another 10%, there should be at least a few quantitative solid waste problems, I would think. It seems like it would be tougher to come up with qualitative questions for that topic.
RIP - VTEnviro
His Memory Eternal
He speaks the truth!
Make sure you read up on those waste to energy type problems too. The ones where they give you the composition breakdown and heat of commbustion for each component. I had a tough time with those! The calculating garbage collection routes are also a little rough.
Know your landfill calcs and the different layers in RCRA type C and D landfills.
A lot of the haz waste stuff is qualitative. 40 CFR XYZ defines 'hazardous goo' as...you see more of the quantitative problems regarding that stuff in the risk assessment/public health section. Bioaccumulation factors, risk of cancer from exposure to TCE in the water, radiation doses, etc.
As for the AQ problems, they are pretty formulaic for the treatment device calcs. They're so empirical that other than knowing which equation to use, its mostly plug and chug. How many bags are needed in a baghouse and so on.
The tough quantitative one in AQ is the dreaded and seemingly inevitable plume from a stack question. If the stack is 50 m high, wind speed is 4 m/s, stability is class D, and an inversion exists at 250 m, what is the concentration of NOx at ground level.
FLBuff PE
Multi-disciplinary engineer
I found these to be relatively easy. To each his own, I guess. Make sure you are using the right equation, though! There are specific ones listed for concetrations along the centerline of the plume, and at ground level, etc. Maybe after three tries I had done enough prctice problems of this type that they were no longer difficult for me. UNITS, UNITS, UNITS!
