ES-301 Energy & Environmental Engineering - Dec 2023 Question Paper

Under each question, How to answer lists the points an answer should cover, outlined by CampusPrep from the syllabus. Check the details against your textbook.

1. 7 Marks
   aWhat are the Primary Goals of Sustainability?
   How to answer

   • Define sustainability and sustainable development
   • Explain the three pillars: environmental, social, and economic sustainability
   • List core goals: resource conservation, climate change mitigation, social equity, economic viability
2. 7 Marks
   bHow can our energy system be more Earth-friendly?
   How to answer

   • Transition to renewable energy sources (solar, wind, hydro, geothermal)
   • Enhance energy efficiency in generation, transmission, and end-use
   • Implement smart grids and energy storage systems
   • Adopt low-carbon transportation and industrial decarbonization
3. 7 Marks
   aWhat are the challenges for the implementation of Geothermal Energy power generation system?
   How to answer

   • High initial exploration and drilling capital costs
   • Site specificity and geographic limitations
   • Risks of induced seismicity (earthquakes)
   • Depletion of subterranean heat reserves over time
   • Corrosive and noxious gases/fluids release (e.g., H2S)
4. 7 Marks
   bExplain in your words how far is research in the field of combined solar panels (PV and Thermal)?
   How to answer

   • Concept of Photovoltaic Thermal (PV/T) hybrid collectors
   • Mechanism: cooling PV cells via working fluids to enhance electrical efficiency while generating useful thermal energy
   • Current research advances: nanomaterials, nanofluids, phase change materials (PCMs)
   • Challenges: cost, thermal-electrical trade-offs, degradation, and commercialization status
5. 7 Marks
   aWhat are the indicators, tools and techniques of diagnosis, prognosis and therapy (treatment) of ecosystem health?
   How to answer

   • Diagnostic indicators: bioindicators, species diversity, pollutant levels, soil/water quality
   • Prognostic tools: ecological modeling, remote sensing, GIS, trend analyses
   • Therapy/treatment techniques: habitat restoration, bioremediation, reforestation, conservation policies
6. 7 Marks
   bA collection of trees is attractive to rainfall. Is it a scientific thought. How to evaluate the economic and social values of a forest?
   How to answer

   • Scientific basis: transpiration, microclimate cooling, cloud condensation nuclei (CCN), and the biotic pump hypothesis
   • Economic valuation methods: direct use (timber, non-timber forest products), indirect use (carbon sequestration, soil retention), contingent valuation
   • Social valuation: cultural heritage, recreation, indigenous livelihoods, aesthetic and spiritual values
7. 7 Marks
   aWhat is the meaning of law of tolerance? Explain how tolerance can increase biodiversity?
   How to answer

   • Definition of Shelford's Law of Tolerance (optimum range, zones of physiological stress, limits of tolerance)
   • Variations in tolerance ranges among different species
   • How differential tolerance allows niche differentiation, resource partitioning, and survival in diverse environmental gradients, thereby promoting species coexistence and higher biodiversity
8. 7 Marks
   bWhy India is called a mega biodiversity Centre? How many hotspots are present in India?
   How to answer

   • Reasons India is a megadiverse country: varied biogeographical zones, high species richness, large proportion of endemic species
   • State the 4 biodiversity hotspots in India: Himalayas, Western Ghats, Indo-Burma, and Sundaland (Nicobar Islands)
9. 7 Marks
   aWhat are the differences between soil pollution and soil contamination? How many horizons are there in soils?
   How to answer

   • Difference: Contamination is the presence of human-made chemicals or substances at higher than normal concentrations without necessarily causing harm, whereas pollution implies harmful effects on human health, ecosystem, or organisms
   • Describe main soil horizons: O (organic), A (topsoil), E (eluviation), B (subsoil), C (parent material), and R (bedrock)
10. 7 Marks
    bHow can chemists, physicists, biologists and other scientists reduce disasters and crises of life?
    How to answer

    • Chemists: green chemistry, pollution abatement, developing eco-friendly materials, water purification
    • Physicists: modeling atmospheric dynamics, earthquake/tsunami early warning sensors, renewable energy technologies
    • Biologists: disease control, preserving biodiversity, ecological restoration, understanding ecosystem resilience
    • Interdisciplinary collaboration for climate adaptation and crisis management
11. 7 Marks
    aWhat impact do humans have on aquatic life zones?
    How to answer

    • Water pollution: agricultural runoff causing eutrophication and dead zones
    • Industrial waste and toxic chemicals, plastics, and microplastics
    • Overfishing and destruction of coral reefs and marine habitats
    • Thermal pollution and ocean acidification due to elevated carbon emissions
12. 7 Marks
    bWhich gas does not cause air pollution? Who had coined the term SMOG?
    How to answer

    • Identify atmospheric gases that do not cause air pollution under standard conditions (e.g., Nitrogen $N_2$, Oxygen $O_2$, Argon $Ar$)
    • State the originator of the term 'SMOG': Dr. Henry Antoine Des Voeux (1905)
13. 7 Marks
    aWhat is a watershed? What is the function of a watershed? Is there a code or symbol for the watersheds in the country?
    How to answer

    • Definition of watershed / drainage basin
    • Key functions: water collection, storage, release, sediment regulation, ecological support
    • National watershed codification system in India (e.g., All India Soil and Land Use Survey / AISLUS watershed atlas with hierarchical alphanumeric codification into water resource regions, basins, catchments, subcatchments, and watersheds)
14. 7 Marks
    bWrite a brief note on Resettlement and rehabilitation of people: Problems and Concerns!
    How to answer

    • Concept of development-induced displacement (e.g., dams, mining, highways)
    • Key problems: inadequate financial compensation, loss of traditional livelihoods and agricultural land
    • Social and cultural issues: fragmentation of communities, psychological trauma, marginalization of vulnerable groups
    • Governance and policy framework: proper R&R policy implementation and participatory planning
15. 7 Marks
    aWhat are the objectives of Wildlife Protection Act? When was Wildlife Protection Act implemented write its features?
    How to answer

    • Enactment year: 1972
    • Primary objectives: protection of wild animals, birds, and plants; ecological security; preventing illegal trade and poaching
    • Key features: establishment of protected areas (National Parks, Wildlife Sanctuaries), six protection schedules varying in penalties, creation of Wildlife Advisory Boards
16. 7 Marks
    bWhat are the main goals of Forest Conservation Act 1980?
    How to answer

    • Restriction on the de-reservation of reserved forests without Central Government approval
    • Restriction on using forest land for non-forest purposes
    • Prevention of indiscriminate deforestation and preservation of forest biodiversity
    • Mandating compensatory afforestation