CPCB - Environmental Science and Engineering Syllabus

### **Section 1: Environmental Chemistry**

#### **Fundamentals of Environmental Chemistry**
- Covalent and ionic bonding
- Chemical equations, concentration and activity
- Structure and chemistry of organic molecules
- Radioactivity of elements
- Chemical equilibria
- Thermodynamics and kinetics of chemical reactions

#### **Principles of Water Chemistry**

- Water quality parameters and their measurement
- Acid-base equilibria
- Buffer solution
- Carbonate system
- Solubility of gases in water
- Complexation, precipitation, and redox reactions
- Inorganic and organic contaminants in water and their speciation

#### **Soil Chemistry**

- Organic matter
- Nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium
- Cation exchange capacity
- Base saturation
- Sodium absorption ratio

#### **Atmospheric Chemistry**

- Composition of the atmosphere
- Reactivity of trace substances in the atmosphere
- Urban atmosphere—smog and particulate pollution
- Chemistry of ozone formation
- Chemistry of the stratosphere

### **Section 2: Environmental Microbiology**

#### **Microorganism Characteristics & Classification**
- Prokaryotic and eukaryotic microorganisms
- Characteristics of diverse groups of microorganisms
- Classification of microorganisms
- Microbial diversity
- Plant-microbe and soil-microbe interactions

#### **Microbial Metabolism**

- Anabolism and catabolism phosphorylation
- Glycolysis
- TCA cycle
- Electron transport chain
- Fermentation and anaerobic respiration
- Energy balances
- Enzymes and enzyme kinetics

#### **Growth & Control of Microorganisms**

- Bacterial nutrition and growth
- Specific growth rate and doubling time
- Monod’s model
- Types of culture media
- Batch and continuous culture
- Effects of environmental factors on growth
- Control of microbes using physical and chemical methods

#### **Microbiology & Health**

- Pathogens and modes of transmission
- Indicator organisms
- Quantification of coliforms using MPN and membrane filtration techniques

### **Section 3: Water Resources and Environmental Hydraulics**

#### **Global Water Resources**
- Structure, properties, and distribution of water
- Water quality
- Threats to water resources
- Water conservation

#### **Surface Water Resources**

- Hydrological cycle and water balance
- Precipitation, infiltration, evapotranspiration, runoff
- Flow hydrographs and unit hydrographs
- Stage-discharge relationship
- Reservoir capacity and channel routing
- Surface run-off models
- Surface water management
- Rainwater harvesting and storage

#### **Groundwater Resources**

- Geologic formations as aquifers
- Vadose and saturated zones
- Confined and unconfined aquifers
- Aquifer parameters: porosity, permeability, transmissivity, storage coefficient
- Darcy’s law and applications
- Steady-state well hydraulics

#### **Environmental Hydraulics**

- Mechanics concepts
- Fluid properties and pressure measurement
- Hydrostatic force on surfaces
- Buoyancy and flotation
- Laminar and turbulent flow
- Pipe networks and flow measurement
- Boundary layer theory and forces on immersed bodies
- Channel hydraulics and hydraulic jumps
- Rapid and gradually varied flow

### **Section 4: Water & Wastewater Treatment and Management**

#### **Water & Wastewater Quality Parameters**
- Eutrophication and thermal stratification in lakes
- River pollution—Oxygen sag curve

#### **Water Treatment Methods**

- Screening, sedimentation (with and without coagulation)
- Filtration, desalination, disinfection
- Water distribution and storage

#### **Wastewater Sources & Sewer Design**

- Point and non-point sources of wastewater
- Population forecasting methods
- Design of sewer and stormwater sewers
- Sewer appurtenances

#### **Industrial Effluents & Treatment Methods**

- Sources and characteristics of industrial effluents
- Common Effluent Treatment Plants (CETP)
- Wastewater recycling and zero liquid discharge

#### **Kinetics & Reactor Design**

- Mass and energy balance
- Order and rate of reactions
- Batch reactors, completely mixed flow reactors, plug flow reactors

### **Section 5: Air and Noise Pollution**

#### **Air Pollution Sources & Effects**
- Structure of the atmosphere
- Natural and anthropogenic sources of pollution
- Atmospheric sources, sinks, transport
- Indoor air pollution
- Effects on health and environment

#### **Particulate & Gaseous Pollutants Control**

- Primary and secondary pollutants
- Air quality indices, visibility
- Control of particulate air pollutants
- Control of gaseous contaminants (absorption, adsorption, condensation, combustion)

#### **Automotive Emission Controls**

- Fuel quality
- Diesel particulate filters
- Catalytic converters

#### **Air Quality Management**

- Point, line, and area sources
- Inventory & meteorology influence (wind rose diagrams, stability, mixing height, topography)
- Dispersion modeling and monitoring

#### **Noise Pollution: Sources, Effects & Control**

- Sources and health effects
- Standards and measurement
- Control methods
### **Section 6: Solid and Hazardous Waste Management**
#### **Integrated Solid Waste Management**
- Waste hierarchy
- Rules and regulations for solid waste management in India

#### **Municipal Solid Waste Management**

- Sources, generation, characteristics
- Collection and transportation
- Waste processing and disposal methods

#### **Hazardous Waste Management**

- Characteristics and generation
- Fate of materials in the environment
- Treatment and disposal

#### **Biomedical, Plastic & E-waste Management**

- Sources, generation, and characteristics
- Storage, collection, and transfer

### **Section 7: Global and Regional Environmental Issues**

#### **Global Air Pollution Effects**
- Greenhouse gases, global warming, climate change, urban heat islands, acid rain, ozone hole

#### **Ecology & Ecosystems**

- Biodiversity
- Factors influencing population growth, energy consumption, environmental degradation

### **Section 8: Environmental Management and Sustainable Development**

#### **Environmental Management Systems**
- ISO14000 series
- Environmental auditing (EIA, LCA, human health risk assessment)

#### **Environmental Laws & Policies**

- Polluter pays principle, Precautionary principle
- Water and Air Acts with amendments
- Environment (Protection) Act 1986
- National Green Tribunal Act 2010
- National Environment Policy
- International Law and treaties

#### **Energy & Environment**

- Renewable and non-renewable energy sources
- Energy-Environment nexus

#### **Sustainable Development Goals**

- Concepts and definitions
- Hurdles to sustainability
- Environment and economics
#### Also
Broad areas of : Environmental chemistry, environmental microbiology, Hydrology and Water Resources, air and noise pollution,
wastewater, solid and hazardous waste management, global and regional environmental issues, Environmental Chemistry,
Climate Change, risk assessment, Climate Change, Environmental and Resource Economics, Pollution and Health, Natural and
Urban Ecosystems, Biodiversity and Conservation, India and International Environmental Law, Soil Biology, Eco-toxicology,
Environmental Biotechnology, Environmental Geology, Modelling

### **1. Environmental Chemistry**

- Chemical bonding and reactions
- Water and soil chemistry
- Atmospheric chemistry and pollution
- Chemical equilibrium and kinetics

### **2. Environmental Microbiology**

- Microbial classification and diversity
- Microbial metabolism and growth
- Role of microbes in biogeochemical cycles
- Microbiology in wastewater treatment and bioremediation

### **3. Hydrology and Water Resources**

- Global and regional water resources
- Surface water hydrology (precipitation, runoff, infiltration)
- Groundwater hydrology (aquifers, flow dynamics)
- Water resource management

### **4. Air and Noise Pollution**

- Sources and effects of air pollution
- Particulate and gaseous pollutant control methods
- Air quality standards and meteorology effects
- Noise pollution sources, effects, measurement, and control

### **5. Wastewater Management**

- Water and wastewater treatment techniques
- Sewer system design and management
- Industrial effluents and zero liquid discharge
- Advanced treatment and recycling processes

### **6. Solid and Hazardous Waste Management**

- Municipal solid waste management (collection, disposal, recycling)
- Hazardous waste classification and treatment
- Biomedical and E-waste management
- Landfilling and energy recovery techniques

### **7. Global and Regional Environmental Issues**

- Climate change and greenhouse gas effects
- Urban heat islands and ozone depletion
- Ecology, biodiversity, and conservation
- Environmental degradation due to population and energy demands

### **8. Climate Change**

- Causes and impacts of climate change
- Mitigation and adaptation strategies
 - International climate policies and agreements
- Role of ecosystems in climate regulation

### **9. Risk Assessment**

- Environmental risk assessment techniques
- Human health risk assessment
- Impact assessment frameworks (EIA, LCA)
- Risk management and mitigation strategies

### **10. Environmental and Resource Economics**

- Economic valuation of natural resources
- Environmental cost-benefit analysis
- Sustainable resource management
- Environmental policies and market mechanisms

### **11. Pollution and Health**

- Environmental pollutants and toxicity
- Health effects of air, water, and soil pollution
- Epidemiological studies and environmental diseases
- Pollution control technologies and strategies

### **12. Natural and Urban Ecosystems**

- Components and functions of ecosystems
- Urban environmental challenges and solutions
- Land-use planning and sustainable cities
- Ecological restoration techniques

### **13. Biodiversity and Conservation**

- Biodiversity classification and hotspots
- Endangered species and conservation policies
- Ecosystem services and human well-being
- Climate change impact on biodiversity

### **14. India and International Environmental Law**

- Environmental laws in India (Water Act, Air Act, EPA, NGT Act)
- Principles of international environmental law
- Global environmental treaties and protocols
- Legal frameworks for sustainable development

### **15. Soil Biology & Eco-toxicology**

- Soil microbial communities and nutrient cycles
- Toxicity testing and environmental fate of pollutants
- Soil contamination and bioremediation approaches
- Effects of contaminants on ecosystem health

### **16. Environmental Biotechnology**

- Biotechnological applications in pollution control
- Microbial processes in waste treatment
- Genetic engineering for environmental solutions
- Bioenergy and sustainable bioprocessing

### **17. Environmental Geology**

 - Geological processes and environmental implications
- Natural hazards and mitigation techniques
- Geochemistry of contaminants in soil and water
- Land-use planning and geological risk assessment

### **18. Environmental Modelling**

- Mathematical and computational environmental models
- Air and water pollution dispersion modeling
- Ecological and climate change models
- Applications in environmental impact prediction