CEPT University | Environmental Engineering Laboratory.pptx

The CEPT Environmental Engineering Laboratory was established in the year 2015 and upgraded in the year 2016 – 17. The built and ambient environment need to be monitored for pollutant levels as they impact human health. The laboratory is equipped with equipment to analyze water, wastewater and air pollution parameters. The type of tests, which can be performed in water, wastewater, ambient air and stack monitoring is listed below.

1. Environmental Engineering Lab Major Instruments

2. BOD Incubator The BOD incubator provides the required temperature for the growth of microorganisms and allows us to perform the BOD testing. The temperature, humidity, and other environmental conditions can be regulated at optimal levels. Insulation between the inner and outer walls is done with 75mm thick glass wool to prevent any heat loss. The temperature range is from 5˚C to 60˚C. Temperature is maintained with an accuracy of 0.5°C.  

3. COD Digestion Apparatus COD Digestion Apparatus determines Chemical Oxygen Demand of effluents like wastewater, industrial water, and sewage. A working temperature of 150°C and maximum temperature of 250°C can be operated on 230 volts, 50 Hz, and Single phase.

4. High Volume Air Sampler (PM 100 ), HVS-4 The high-volume sampler is used to collect TSP samples. The high-volume sampler draws a large known air volume through a pre-weighed filter for 24 hours. The flow control accuracy is 2% of the set value. It can store data of 10 samples in a non-volatile memory for subsequent retrieval and analysis. The Flow Setting Range is 0.6 to 1.8 m 3 /minute.

5. Respirable Dust (PM 10 ) Sampler APM 460 The respirable dust sampler is used to collect respirable suspended particulate matter up to as small as 0.1 microns in size. It is also used to monitor cement dust, metal fumes, silica and asbestos fibers found in cement plants and factories. The measurement of respirable particulate matter can be done with an accuracy of +/-2.0%. The flow rate is 0.9 to 1.4m 3 /min. A cyclone is used for fractionating the dust into two fractions. PM 10 dust is accumulated on the filter paper while the coarse dust is collected in a cup placed under the cyclone.

6. PM 2.5 Sampler APM 550 Mini Fine particulate matter (FPM) consists of solid particles that are small enough to remain suspended in the atmosphere for extended periods of time. The Fine Particulate Sampler consists of two sections: a. the air inlet and impactor assembly, b. the main instrument case housing the WINS impactor, filter holder, flow meter and pump unit. The lower detection limit of the mass concentration measurement is estimated to be approx. 2μg/m 3 .

7. Gaseous Sampling Attachment APM 411 Gaseous sampling attachment has a few advantages: easy installation of impingers, no heating up of absorbing solutions due to heat from the blower, provision for ice or cold-water bath around impingers for effective absorption of gases, taking in impinger tray directly to the laboratory for safer transit of glass impingers. It has a flow rate of 0.3 to 3 LPM +/-2% accuracy.

8. Turbidity Meter This apparatus is used for measuring the turbidity of a liquid by determining the degree to which particles suspended in the solution decrease the intensity of light lost as a beam is passed through it. It ranges from 0 to 1000 NTU. It has a resolution of 0.01 NTU.

9. Hot Air Oven This apparatus sterilizes the product at a particular time under specific conditions like humidity, pressure, and temperature. It has a double-walled inner chamber SS 304, outer CRC powder coated, 65 mm thick glass wool insulation, and 80/20 nichrome heating elements placed under ribs at the bottom and sides for uniform heat distribution. The temperature range is 50˚C to 250˚C. It has auto-tune dual display digital, forced air circulation.

10. Five Digit Weighing Scale This instrument is used for the accurate measurement of the weight of materials. This weighing scale has built-in calibration features that help ensure accuracy and precision. It has a capacity of 300gm and an accuracy of 0.001gm.

11. Water Bath This apparatus is used for carrying out tests at a constant required temperature. The water bath is made of a stainless steel tank of heavy gauge, soldered at all the joints, and heavily insulated. The temperature ranges between 0°C to 110°C. The temperature accuracy is ± 2.0°C, and the resolution is 0.1°C.

12. UV Spectrophotometer This apparatus is used as a quantitative technique to measure how much a chemical substance absorbs light. It is a microcontroller-based instrument with a wavelength range of 340nm to 990nm. It offers a spectral bandwidth of 5nm over the entire range. Measurement reading of %Transmittance/ Absorbance/ Concentration/ K-factor is displayed digitally as per the selected mode. It provides an accuracy of ± 2.0nm for wavelength. And for photometric the accuracy is ± 0.005Abs at 1.0 Abs.

13. Desiccators The desiccator is used for drying samples under atmospheric pressure or vacuum pressure. These can also protect hygroscopic chemicals, filter papers, beakers and samples from dust and moisture in the air. The desiccator is of 300mm diameter.

14. Lutron Carbon Monoxide Meter Model GCO-2008 These detectors are designed to measure the ambient concentration of carbon monoxide in ppm. The CO range from 0 to 1,000 ppm. The operability temperature range is 0 to 50 °C.

15. Sound Level Meter (SLM 109) This apparatus can be used for acoustic measurements. It is commonly a hand-held instrument with a microphone. The measurement range is 30 dB to 140 dB, with an accuracy of ± 1.0 dB and a resolution of 0.1 dB.

16. Magnetic Stirrer This apparatus is used to agitate liquids to speed up the reactions or enhance mixtures. It has a capacity of 2 liters and works efficiently on voltage of 230V.

17. Low Flow VOC Sampler The VOC sampler can be used to collect air samples in Tedlar bags. It uses a digital flow meter to accurately measure 10 to 500ml/min of low flow rates. The flow control is continuously adjustable with a precision needle valve.

18. pH Meter This instrument is used to measure hydrogen ion activity in solutions. The degree of hydrogen ion activity is ultimately expressed as pH level, which generally ranges from 1 to 14. The pH resolution is 0.01 pH. The pH accuracy is ±0.02 pH. The temperature range is - 5.0 to 80.0°C.

19. Conductivity – TDS Meter The conductivity meter is used to measure the specific conductivity of a solution using a conductivity cell and TDS in ppt. The conductivity measurement range is from 20 µ MHO to 200 m MHO and TDS measurement range is from 2 ppt to 200 ppm. The measurement accuracy is ± 1%.

20. Conductivity – TDS Meter The conductivity meter is used to measure the specific conductivity of a solution using a conductivity cell and TDS in ppt. The conductivity measurement range is from 20 µ MHO to 200 m MHO and TDS measurement range is from 2 ppt to 200 ppm. The measurement accuracy is ± 1%.

21. Muffle Furnace The equipment is used to heat materials to extremely high temperatures whilst isolating them from fuel and the byproducts of combustion from the heat source. The temperature ranges from ambient to 1150°C.