Information Sheet 1.

1-3
GREEN TECHNOLOGY

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

After reading this INFORMATION SHEET, YOU MUST be able to:

1. Understand the impact of technology on the environment
2. Learn principles and methods for constructing
environmentally sustainable buildings
3. Familiarize the methods to optimize energy consumption and
reduce wastage in various systems and processes.

Materials/Resources

 Paper
 Ballpen
 PowerPoint projector
 Laptop/PC
 Activity sheets

What Do You Need To Know?

Read the Information Sheet 1.1-3 very well then find out how much you
can remember and how much you have learned by doing the Self-check
1.1-3.
In consequence of spiraling global
environmental concerns such as global warming,
climate change and depleting energy resources,
green technology has emerged as an important
trend and development in the 21st century. It is
believed that the development will lead to global,
sustainable and macro-economic powers that
impact economics, societies, cultures and way of
Date Developed: Document No. DWNHS-ACP II-017
NOVEMBER 2023 Issued by:
AGRICULTURAL Date Revised:
CROPS DWNHS Page 1 of 10
PRODUCTION NC II Developed by:
RAHIB S. SAMAYATIN
Revision # 00
life in the future. In actual fact, perspectives from current green
technological advancement have indicated prospects of intense
innovation and changes in daily life of similar magnitude to the
"information explosion” in the 1960s. While predictions on economics
and potential outlook for green technology are promising, green
technology development must be sustainable, and environmental
challenges and growths need to be addressed in a mutually
reinforcing manner. Its impacts should be carefully analyzed, taking
into consideration both environmental effectiveness and economic
efficiency.
Green technology is the
application of the environmental
science and technology for the
development and application of
products, equipment and systems to
conserve the natural resources and
environment, as well as to minimize or
mitigate the negative impacts on the
environment from human activities.
While ‘Green Technology’ is trendier terminology, it carries meaning
no other than ‘Clean Technology’ or the more traditionally used
‘Environmental Technology’. The field of green technology
encompasses a continuously evolving group of environmentally
friendly methods and materials, from techniques for generating non-
conventional energy source such as solar power to management tools
that help in auditing greenhouse gas emissions. Green technology
development must be sustainable, meaning “balancing the fulfillment
of human needs with the protection of the natural environment and
resources so that these needs can be met not only in the present, but
in the indefinite future”. Scheme of sustainable development can be
fulfilled at the confluence of three key dimensions, viz. environment-
social-economic, thus satisfying ‘bearable’ environment and social
impact, ‘equitable’ social and economic solutions, and ‘viable’
economic and environmental options.
Conventional green technologies have been applied in the fields
of water and wastewater treatment, air pollution control,
environmental remediation, waste treatment and management, and
energy conservation. The following sections discuss some basic
knowledge and applications of green technologies in these fields.

1.1. Water Treatment

Water treatment is the
process of removing undesirable
Date Developed: Document No. DWNHS-ACP II-017
NOVEMBER 2023 Issued by:
AGRICULTURAL Date Revised:
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PRODUCTION NC II Developed by:
RAHIB S. SAMAYATIN
Revision # 00
chemical, physical and biological contaminants from raw or
contaminated water. The purpose is to produce water suitable for a
specific application. Water treatment may be designed for a variety of
applications, including meeting the requirements of human
consumption (potable water), medical and pharmacology, chemical
and industrial applications.
The common stages of treatment include pre-chlorination,
coagulation and flocculation, sedimentation, filtration, disinfection,
post-chlorination and fluoridation. The main purpose of pre-
chlorination is to remove odor, taste and smell of raw water in
particularly those containing organic substances such as humid
acids. Coagulation and flocculation and chemical process that
removing fine and suspended solids in the water. The flocculated
solids are removed via the sedimentation tank.
Fines particulates that escape the coagulation-flocculation-
sedimentation process will be trapped in the downstream sand filter
beds. Some modern treatment plants adopt unconventional green
technology to increase the filtration efficiency, such as the use of
membrane filtration. The water after filtration needs to be disinfected
using chlorination to eliminate pathogenic microorganisms such as
parasites, bacteria, algae, viruses, fungi. Because of the concern of
formation of carcinogenic trihalomethane in drinking water arising
from the use of chlorination, more and more treatment plants are
switching to ozonation as the disinfection method, albeit ozonation is
relatively more expensive in the first and running costs.
As ozone is highly unstable and it reverts to oxygen soon after it
is produced, it has no residual disinfection effect as chlorination does.
To provide residual disinfection capability, post-chlorination is still
being practiced in many treatment plants. To complete the water
treatment process, the last step of treatment is fluoridation with an
objective of preventing teeth decay of the population.
The standards for drinking water quality are typically set by
governments or by international standards such as the World Health
Organization. It is not possible to tell whether a water sample is of an
appropriate quality by visual examination. Chemical analysis, while
expensive, is the only way to obtain the information necessary for
deciding on the appropriate method of treatment.
According to a 2007 World Health Organization report (WHO
2007), 1.1 billion people lack access to an improved drinking water
supply, 88% of the 4 billion annual cases of diarrheal disease are
attributed to unsafe water and inadequate sanitation and hygiene,
and 1.8 million people die from diarrheal diseases each year.
The WHO estimates that 94% of these diarrheal cases are
preventable through modifications to the environment, including
Date Developed: Document No. DWNHS-ACP II-017
NOVEMBER 2023 Issued by:
AGRICULTURAL Date Revised:
CROPS DWNHS Page 3 of 10
PRODUCTION NC II Developed by:
RAHIB S. SAMAYATIN
Revision # 00
access to safe drinking water. Simple green technologies for treating
water at home, such as chlorination, filters, and solar disinfection,
and storing it in safe containers could save a huge number of lives
each year (WHO 2005). It appears that reducing deaths from
waterborne diseases is a major public health goal in many developing
countries.

1.2. Wastewater Treatment

Wastewater treatment is the
process of removing contaminants from
wastewater and household sewage, both
industrial effluents and domestic. It
includes a series of green technologies
to remove physical, chemical and
biological contaminants with an
objective to produce an
environmentally-safe treated effluent
stream.
The purpose of wastewater treatment is to prevent water
pollution of the receiving watercourse. Before discharging wastewater
back into the environment, it is necessary to provide some degree of
treatment or purification in order to protect public health and
environmental quality. This is achieved by wastewater treatment
plants designed to:
• reduce dissolved biodegradable organics
• remove most of the suspended solids
• destroy pathogenic microorganisms
When effluents are discharged into sensitive areas which may
intermittently suffer eutrophication, they must also comply with
nutrient standards. Two additional important parameters are total
phosphorus and total nitrogen. Disinfection, usually with chlorine,
serves to destroyed most pathogens.
Wastewater treatment processes are often divided into four stages:
• Pre-treatment • Secondary treatment
• Primary treatment • Tertiary or advanced treatment

Date Developed: Document No. DWNHS-ACP II-017

NOVEMBER 2023 Issued by:
AGRICULTURAL Date Revised:
CROPS DWNHS Page 4 of 10
PRODUCTION NC II Developed by:
RAHIB S. SAMAYATIN
Revision # 00
 A schematic diagram of a typical wastewater treatment plant is
shown in Figure 2. The preliminary and primary treatment processes
involve separating the floating and suspended solids from the
wastewater. This separation is usually accomplished by screening and
sedimentation.
The effluent from primary treatment will usually contain a
considerable amount of organic material with a relatively high
biochemical oxygen demand (BOD). Secondary treatment involves
further treatment of the primary effluent. Removal of the organic
matter and the residual suspended material is generally accomplished
by biological processes.

1.3. Air Pollution Control

Air pollution is the introduction of
chemicals, particulate matter, or
biological materials that cause harm or
discomfort to humans or other living
organisms, or cause damage to the
natural environment or built
environment, into the atmosphere.
To destroy contaminants or
remove them from an exhaust stream before it is emitted into the
atmosphere, pollution control devices are commonly used by industry
or transportation devices to control particulates, NOx, acid gas/SO2,
volatile organic carbon, mercury, dioxin, furan and other air toxins.
Our concern on air pollution has been escalating.
Concentrations of pollutants emitted from many of man’s activities
arising from urbanization and industrialization thus built up to levels
which override those caused by natural phenomena, and are sufficient
to have adverse effects on our living environment. Of growing concern
is the greenhouse gas emissions which have been identified as the
main culprit for global warming and climate change. The greenhouse
effect is a phenomenon whereby greenhouse gases create a condition
in the upper atmosphere causing a trapping of heat and leading to
increased surface and lower troposphere temperatures. Carbon
dioxide emissions from combustion of fossil fuels are a main source of
greenhouse gas emissions. Other greenhouse gases include methane,
hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons, chlorofluorocarbons, nitrogen
oxides, and ozone.
This effect has been understood by scientists for about a
century, and technological advancements during this period have
helped increase the breadth and depth of data relating to the
phenomenon. Currently, scientists are exploring new green technology
to mitigate greenhouse gas emission such as development of fossil
Date Developed: Document No. DWNHS-ACP II-017
NOVEMBER 2023 Issued by:
AGRICULTURAL Date Revised:
CROPS DWNHS Page 5 of 10
PRODUCTION NC II Developed by:
RAHIB S. SAMAYATIN
Revision # 00
fuels replacement fuels like biofuels, renewable energy, carbon dioxide
sequestration and many other ways and means to reduce emission of
greenhouse gases.
1.4. Waste Management
Waste management is the
purification, consumption, reuse,
disposal and treatment of solid waste
that is looked after by the government
or the ruling bodies of a city/town.
The term ‘solid waste’ usually relates
to materials produced by human
activity, and is generally undertaken
to reduce their effect on health, the
environment or aesthetics. Waste
management can involve solid, liquid, gaseous or radioactive
substances, with different methods and fields of expertise for
each. In some instances, green waste management is also
carried out to recover resources from it.
Green waste management practices differ for developed
and developing nations, for urban and rural areas, and for
residential and industrial producers. Management for
nonhazardous waste residential and institutional waste in
metropolitan areas is usually the responsibility of local
government authorities, while management for non-hazardous
commercial and industrial waste is usually the responsibility of
the generator.

1.5. Environmental Remediation

Environmental remediation
deals with the removal of pollution or
contaminants from environmental
media such as soil, groundwater,
sediment, or surface water for the
general protection of human health
and the environment or from a
Brownfield site intended for
redevelopment. Environmental remediation is the removal of
pollutants or contaminants for the general protection of the
environment. This is accomplished by various chemical,
biological, and bulk movement methods, in conjunction with
environmental monitoring. Remediation is generally subject to
an array of regulatory requirements, and also can be based on
assessments of human health and ecological risks where no
legislated standards exist or where standards are advisory.
Various remediation technologies have been developed
which can be categorized into ex-situ and in-situ methods. Ex-
Date Developed: Document No. DWNHS-ACP II-017
NOVEMBER 2023 Issued by:
AGRICULTURAL Date Revised:
CROPS DWNHS Page 6 of 10
PRODUCTION NC II Developed by:
RAHIB S. SAMAYATIN
Revision # 00
 situ methods involve excavation of effected soils and subsequent
treatment at the surface, In-situ methods seek to treat the
contamination without removing the soils. The more traditional
remediation approach consists primarily of soil excavation and
disposal to landfill "dig and dump" and groundwater "pump and
treat". In situ technologies include Solidification and
Stabilization and have been used extensively.

1.6. Energy Efficiency

Energy efficiency refers to
the goal of efforts to reduce the
amount of energy required to
provide products and services. It
involves the use of green
technologies and devices that
require smaller amounts of energy
in order to reduce the consumption
of electricity. Energy efficiency can be achieved through
increased efficient energy use, in conjunction with decreased
energy consumption and/or reduced consumption from
conventional energy sources.
There are various motivations to improve energy
efficiency. Reducing energy use reduces energy costs and may
result in a financial cost saving to consumers if the energy
savings offset any additional costs of implementing an energy
efficient technology. Reducing the use of electricity through
energy efficiency causes less fossil fuels to be burned and hence
contribute to greenhouse gas emissions mitigation. Energy
efficiency can result in increased financial capital,
environmental quality, national security, personal security, and
human comfort. Individuals and organizations that are direct
consumers of energy choose to conserve energy to reduce energy
costs and promote economic security. Industrial and
commercial users can increase energy use efficiency to
maximize profit.

2. Emerging Green Technologies

For populations to achieve
sustainable living on this planet,
conventional technologies may no
longer able to tackle emerging
environmental issues arising from
wasteful energy policies, overuse of
resources, water supply shortages, climate change, global
warming and deforestation. Advancement in science and
technology has contributed to the development of emerging
Date Developed: Document No. DWNHS-ACP II-017
NOVEMBER 2023 Issued by:
AGRICULTURAL Date Revised:
CROPS DWNHS Page 7 of 10
PRODUCTION NC II Developed by:
RAHIB S. SAMAYATIN
Revision # 00
 green technologies that might help to solve some, if not all, of
the environmental issues that we are facing. As we move
towards technological advancement, we will be positively
affected with the new economy. This section discusses emerging
green technologies that will propel our economy in the near
future.

How Much Have You Learned?

Date Developed: Document No. DWNHS-ACP II-017
NOVEMBER 2023 Issued by:
AGRICULTURAL Date Revised:
CROPS DWNHS Page 8 of 10
PRODUCTION NC II Developed by:
Self-Check 1.1-3 RAHIB S. SAMAYATIN
Revision # 00
MULTIPLE CHOICE: Read and understand the statements. Write
your
answer on the space provided before the number.

______1. The application of the environmental science and technology

for the development and application of products, equipment and
system.
a. Critical thinking c. Problem Solving skills
b. Green technology d. Waste diversion
______2. The process of removing undesirable chemical, physical and
biological contaminants from raw or contaminated water.
a. Air pollution control c. Waste management
b. Water treatment d. Waste water treatment
_____3. The process of removing contaminants from wastewater and
household sewage both industrial and domestic.
a. Air pollution control c. Water treatment
b. Environmental remediation d. Wastewater management
_____4. The introduction of chemicals, particulate matter, or biological
materials that cause harm or discomfort to humans or other
living organisms.
a. Air pollution control c. Energy Efficiency
b. Environmental remediation d. Waste management
_____5. Refers to the goal of efforts to reduce the amount of energy
required to provide products and services.
a. Air pollution control
b. Emerging green technologies
c. Energy Efficiency
d. Environmental remediation

Let Us Check!
Date Developed: Document No. DWNHS-ACP II-017
NOVEMBER 2023 Issued by:
AGRICULTURAL Date Revised:
CROPS DWNHS Page 9 of 10
PRODUCTION NC II Developed by:
RAHIB S. SAMAYATIN
Revision # 00
 Answers Key: 1.1-3

1. B
2. B
3. D
4. A
5. C

Reference:
http://www.eolss.net/Eolss-sampleAllChapter.aspx
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING – Green Technology – Kuan-Yeow Show
©Encyclopedia of Life Support Systems (EOLSS)

Date Developed: Document No. DWNHS-ACP II-017

NOVEMBER 2023 Issued by:
AGRICULTURAL Date Revised:
CROPS DWNHS Page 10 of 10
PRODUCTION NC II Developed by:
RAHIB S. SAMAYATIN
Revision # 00