FROGS
According to the 2021 study by Zeitler and colleagues, what effect does treated wastewater have on the growth of Southern leopard frogs compared to pond water?
A) Increased growth in treated wastewater
B) Decreased growth in treated wastewater
C) No difference in growth
D) Initial increase followed by a decrease
A) Increased growth in treated wastewater
According to the 2023 study by Lancaster and colleagues, why is monitoring mercury levels in flue gas desulphurization (FGD) wastewater particularly important for environmental health?
A) Mercury compounds break down easily in wastewater and therefore are lost from the food chain.
B) Mercury has no significant biological magnification in aquatic food chains.
C) Reducing mercury in wastewater directly impacts the reduction of mercury bioaccumulation in wildlife.
D) Mercury levels in wastewater are consistently low and aquatic species need Hg to survive.
C) Reducing mercury in wastewater directly impacts the reduction of mercury bioaccumulation in wildlife.
According to the 2022 study by Heng Chen and colleagues, why is controlling mercury (Hg) emissions important during the wastewater evaporation process in coal-fired power plants?
A) It decreases energy production.
B) It enhances the evaporation efficiency.
C) It reduces the risk of environmental pollution.
D) It simplifies wastewater treatment.
C) It reduces the risk of environmental pollution.
Which process in coal-fired power plants is primarily responsible for the production of flue gas desulfurization (FGD) wastewater, a target of recent EPA regulatory proposals aimed at reducing toxic wastewater emissions?
A) The process of cooling the plant's machinery and equipment
B) The treatment process for removing sulfur dioxide from exhaust flue gasses
C) The process of managing ash after coal combustion
D) The leaching process that occurs in landfills containing combustion residuals
B) The treatment process for removing sulfur dioxide from exhaust flue gasses
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), what are the health impacts of being exposed to heavy metals such as arsenic, mercury, and lead, commonly found in wastewater from coal plants?
A) Increased presence of bloodborne pathogens
B) Decrease in reflexes
C) Variability in individual health outcomes without clear patterns
D) Increased risk of cardiovascular, oncological, and neurodegenerative conditions
D) Increased risk of cardiovascular, oncological, and neurodegenerative conditions
According to the 2021 study by Zeitler and colleagues, how did the survival rates of frogs from treated wastewater compare to those from pond water?
A) Higher in treated wastewater
B) Lower in treated wastewater
C) The same
D) Varied with species
B) Lower in treated wastewater
According to the 2023 study by Lancaster and colleagues, why is it important to have lower detection limits for mercury in wastewater treatment processes?
A) To enhance the effectiveness of water filtration systems
B) To facilitate a more comprehensive assessment of water quality
C) To ensure compliance with updated environmental discharge regulations
D) To advance the technological capabilities of wastewater treatment facilities
C) To ensure compliance with updated environmental discharge regulations
According to the 2022 study by Heng Chen and colleagues, how does the evaporation temperature affect mercury release during the wastewater evaporation process?
A) Lower temperatures eliminate mercury emissions completely.
B) Constant temperature ensures stable mercury compounds.
C) Higher temperatures facilitate the reduction of mercury stability.
D) Temperature has no significant effect on mercury emissions.
C) Higher temperatures facilitate the reduction of mercury stability.
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), what is the primary goal of their 2023 new proposal regarding wastewater emissions from coal plants?
A) To increase energy production efficiency
B) To promote the use of renewable energy sources
C) To reduce polluted wastewater generated from coal-fired power plants
D) To lower operational costs for coal plants
C) To reduce polluted wastewater generated from coal-fired power plants
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), what is flue gas desulfurization (FGD) technology primarily used for in coal-burning power plants?
A) To increase the efficiency of power generation
B) To remove sulfur dioxide from exhaust emissions
C) To produce additional energy from waste heat
D) To reduce noise pollution from plant operations
B) To remove sulfur dioxide from exhaust emissions
According to the 2021 study by Zeitler and colleagues, what was a similarity in frog development between secondary and tertiary treated wastewater?*
A) Both improved survival rates
B) Frogs developed faster in both
C) Similar morphological outcomes
D) Both completely negated negative effects
C) Similar morphological outcomes
According to the 2023 study by Lancaster and colleagues, how does the online analyzer manage to achieve low detection limits for mercury in FGD wastewater?
A) By ignoring sample matrix variations
B) By increasing the volume of wastewater samples
C) Through gold amalgamation and atomic fluorescence spectrometry
D) By simplifying the chemical composition of wastewater
C) Through gold amalgamation and atomic fluorescence spectrometry
According to the 2022 study by Heng Chen and colleagues, what effect do chloride (Cl-) and sulfite (SO32-) ions in wastewater have on the form and emission of mercury during the evaporation process?
A) They stabilize all forms of mercury, preventing emissions.
B) Cl- ions convert mercury into more stable forms, while SO32- ions have no effect.
C) Cl- and SO32- ions play a crucial role in converting mercury into more volatile forms.
D) Only Cl- ions contribute to the formation of solid mercury compounds, reducing emissions.
C) Cl- and SO32- ions play a crucial role in converting mercury into more volatile forms.
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), how does the EPA's proposal for reducing wastewater emissions from coal plants particularly benefit society?
A) By creating more jobs in the coal industry
B) By significantly reducing electricity costs for consumers
C) By potentially improving health and environmental conditions in impacted communities
D) By promoting the global export of coal
C) By potentially improving health and environmental conditions in impacted communities
According to the EPA's proposal, how much would the annual compliance costs for coal plants decrease?
A) $50 million
B) $175 million
C) $2 billion
D) $3 million
B) $175 million
According to the 2021 study by Zeitler and colleagues, how does the presence of common duckweed affect frogs in treated wastewater?
A) Negatively affects growth
B) Has no effect
C) Positively affects growth
D) Increases survival rates
C) Positively affects growth
According to the 2023 study by Lancaster and colleagues, what is the primary function of UV-assisted bromination in mercury analysis for FGD wastewater?
A) To enhance the precision of detecting various mercury compounds
B) To facilitate the conversion of mercury into a detectable form for accurate measurement
C) To improve the sensitivity of the analyzer to low concentrations of mercury
D) To stabilize mercury compounds for more consistent analysis results
B) To facilitate the conversion of mercury into a detectable form for accurate measurement
What does the 2022 study by Heng Chen and colleagues identify as the primary consequences of unchecked mercury emissions from coal-fired power plants on the environment and society?
A) Acid rain
B) Increase in obesity
C) Decrease of water quality and increase bioaccumulation in the ecosystem
D) Decrease in carbon sequestration capabilities of forests
C) Decrease of water quality and bioaccumulation in the ecosystem
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), what technology does the EPA propose as the best available technology (BAT) to control pollutants discharged in flue gas desulfurization wastewater?
A) Solar evaporation
B) Chemical precipitation followed by membrane filtration
C) Biological treatment processes
D) Coal washing and reuse
B) Chemical precipitation followed by membrane filtration
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), what feedback did environmental groups provide regarding the EPA's proposed rule?
A) The proposal would significantly improve public health and environmental protection
B) The proposal prioritizes industry profits over public health and environmental safeguards
C) There is unanimous support for the proposal from all environmental and public health organizations
D) The proposed rule will eliminate all forms of water pollution from coal plants
B) The proposal prioritizes industry profits over public health and environmental safeguards
According to the 2021 study by Zeitler and colleagues, what long-term consequence might result from frogs developing in treated wastewater?
A) Improved adult fitness
B) Enhanced reproductive success
C) Reduced terrestrial survival rates
D) Reduced biodiversity in wetlands
C) Reduced terrestrial survival rates
According to the 2023 study by Lancaster and colleagues, what challenge does the variable composition of FGD wastewater present to mercury analysis, and how does the online analyzer address it?
A) Simplifies the analysis, requiring no adjustments
B) Makes detection impossible due to complexity
C) Requires frequent recalibration of the analyzer for each sample
D) Necessitates robust methods to handle interference from various components
D) Necessitates robust methods to handle interference from various components
According to the 2022 study by Heng Chen and colleagues, which strategy is effective in mitigating mercury emissions during the wastewater evaporation process in coal-fired power plants?
A) Increasing the wastewater volume to dilute mercury concentration.
B) Injecting activated carbon to adsorb mercury from the gas phase.
C) Elevating evaporation temperatures to ensure complete mercury removal.
D) Reducing chlorine and sulfite ion concentrations in wastewater.
B) Injecting activated carbon to adsorb mercury from the gas phase.
According to the EPA's estimates, what are the annual social costs and benefits of implementing the new wastewater emission standards for coal plants?
A) $200 million in costs but $1.5 billion in benefits
B) $100 million in costs but $2 billion in benefits
C) $30 million in costs but $1.5 billion in benefits
D) $50 million in costs but $500 million in benefits
A) $200 million in costs and $1.5 billion in benefits
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), what new flexibility does the EPA's proposed rule introduce for managing bottom ash transport water?
A) Mandatory recycling of all wastewater within the plant
B) A requirement to use only advanced oxidation processes
C) An exception allowing plants to "purge" up to 10% of the water used for flushing bottom ash
D) A ban on the use of water for flushing bottom ash
C) An exception allowing plants to "purge" up to 10% of the water used for flushing bottom ash