Course Update

New Courses | 2025
Upgrade Your Learning Experience - Click to join now >> JDO Test Series | JDO ENotes | JDO Chapterwise PYQs EBooklet | Join our WhatsApp Channel & Telegram Channel

TNPSC Environmental and Chemical Engineering (Code 393) Syllabus: A Comprehensive Study Guide

TNPSC Environmental and Chemical Engineering (Code 393) Syllabus: A Comprehensive Study Guide

"For aspirants targeting the Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission (TNPSC) examinations in Environmental and Chemical Engineering (PG Degree Standard, Code 393), a clear and detailed understanding of the official syllabus is indispensable. This guide dissects each unit of the Code 393 syllabus, providing a structured overview of key topics and their importance. Effective preparation hinges on covering these areas comprehensively, combined with a strategic approach to problem-solving and conceptual clarity."

"Official Syllabus Breakdown: TNPSC Code 393"

"The following is a detailed representation of the TNPSC Environmental and Chemical Engineering (Code 393) syllabus, as released on 09.01.2023. Each unit is presented with its specified weightage in terms of expected questions, guiding aspirants on proportional study allocation."

"Unit I: Environmental Policy, Environmental Legislations and Environmental Impact Assessment (25 Questions)"

  • "National Environment Policy: Overview and key provisions."
  • "International Conventions and Obligations: International treaties related to Environment."
  • "Key Environmental Acts:
    • "Water (Prevention & Control of Pollution) Act, 1974 (as amended)."
    • "Air (Prevention & Control of Pollution) Act, 1981 (as amended)."
    • "Environmental Protection Act, 1986 (with amendments and associated Rules and Notifications)."
    "
  • "Waste Management Rules under EPA, 1986:
    • "Hazardous Waste (Management, Handling & Transboundary Movement) Rules."
    • "Solid Waste Management Rules."
    • "E-waste (Management) Rules."
    • "Bio-Medical Waste Management Rules."
    • "Plastic Waste Management Rules."
    • "Construction and Demolition Waste Management Rules."
    • "Battery Waste Management Rules."
    "
  • "Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA):
    • "EIA Notification (latest amendments)."
    • "Methodology and models for EIA."
    • "Environmental Monitoring and Management Plan (EMP)."
    • "Public consultations as per EIA Notification."
    "

"Unit II: Environmental Chemistry and Environmental Microbiology (15 Questions)"

  • "Chemical Mass Balance: Principles and emission calculations."
  • "Green Chemistry Principles: Concepts and applications."
  • "Environmental Chemistry: Aquatic Chemistry, Atmospheric Chemistry, and Soil Chemistry."
  • "Sampling and Analysis:
    • "Representative sample collection techniques."
    • "Field and laboratory analysis methods."
    • "Wet chemical and instrumentation methods."
    • "Chemical speciation."
    "
  • "Environmental Microbiology:
    • "Classification and characteristics of microorganisms."
    • "Microorganisms in wastewater and air environments."
    • "Applications of microorganisms in wastewater treatment and soil remediation."
    "

"Unit III: Principles & Design of Physico-Chemical Treatment of Wastewater (20 Questions)"

  • "Water Quality: Criteria and indices."
  • "Wastewater Characteristics: Physical, chemical, and biological parameters."
  • "Unit Operations and Processes:
    • "Principles and design of screens, grit chambers, and skimming tanks."
    • "Flow equalisation and neutralisation."
    • "Aeration and gas transfer mechanisms."
    • "Sedimentation: Types of settling, analysis, and design of sedimentation tanks."
    • "Process and design of filtration systems (e.g., rapid sand filters, slow sand filters)."
    • "Adsorption."
    • "Ion exchange."
    • "Electro-coagulation."
    • "Electrodialysis."
    • "Reverse Osmosis (RO) and RO reject management."
    • "Disinfection methods (e.g., chlorination, UV disinfection)."
    "

"Unit IV: Principles and Design of Biological Treatment of Wastewater (25 Questions)"

  • "Types of Reactors: Batch, Continuous."
  • "Mass Balance Analysis: For biological systems."
  • "Reaction and Reaction Rates: In biological processes."
  • "Suspended Growth Process:
    • "Role of microorganisms."
    • "Growth kinetics, oxidation, and modelling."
    • "Mean Cell Residence Time (mCRT), Food to Microorganism (F/M) Ratio, Bio-kinetic coefficients."
    • "Design of Activated Sludge Process (ASP), Plug Flow Reactor, Aerated Lagoon."
    • "Oxygen Requirement and transfer of oxygen; related equipment."
    • "Secondary Clarifier design and operation."
    • "Sludge Volume Index (SVI) and sludge production."
    • "Operation and maintenance of suspended growth systems."
    "
  • "Attached Growth Process:
    • "Trickling Filter: process, substrate removal, classification, design (NRC, Rankine’s, and Eccenfelder equation)."
    • "Rotating Biological Contactors (RBC)."
    • "Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket (UASB) reactor."
    "
  • "Sludge Digestion and Management: Aerobic and anaerobic digestion."
  • "Advanced Biological Treatment: Sequential Batch Reactor (SBR), Membrane Bioreactor (MBR), Anaerobic Sequential Batch Reactor (ANSBR)."

"Unit V: Air and Noise Pollution Control (15 Questions)"

  • "Air Pollution:
    • "Sources and Effects."
    • "Classification of air pollutants."
    • "Photochemical reactions."
    • "Atmospheric Stability: Lapse Rates, Inversions."
    • "Plume Behaviour and Pollutant Dispersion."
    • "Emission Standards and Air Quality Standards (e.g., National Ambient Air Quality Standards - NAAQS)."
    • "Air Quality Index (AQI)."
    • "Methods of Pollutant Sampling and Measurement."
    • "Continuous emission and air quality monitoring."
    • "Control Methods for Particulate Emissions (e.g., cyclones, ESPs, fabric filters)."
    • "Control Methods for Black Carbon and Gaseous Pollutants (e.g., scrubbers, adsorption)."
    • "Indoor Air Pollution: Sources and control."
    • "Automobile Pollution: Emission Norms (e.g., Bharat Stage norms) and Control Techniques (e.g., catalytic converters)."
    • "Source apportionment studies."
    "
  • "Noise Pollution:
    • "Source and Effects."
    • "Standards for noise levels."
    • "Measurement and Control Measures."
    • "Industrial Noise Measurement and control strategies."
    "

"Unit VI: Solid and Hazardous Waste Management (25 Questions)"

  • "Solid Waste:
    • "Sources, generation rate, classification, and characteristics."
    • "Source segregation and storage."
    • "Methods of collection and transportation; route optimisation."
    • "Treatment Technologies: Incineration, Pyrolysis, Composting, Mechanical Biological Treatment (MBT)."
    • "Landfilling: Design and operation, dumpsite rehabilitation."
    • "Bioremediation and Bioaccumulations."
    • "Disposal methods: Coprocessing."
    • "Centralised and de-centralised processing."
    "
  • "Management of Specific Wastes:
    • "Hazardous Waste."
    • "Biomedical Waste."
    • "Plastic Waste."
    • "Construction and Demolition (C&D) Wastes."
    • "E-waste."
    "
  • "Resource Recovery: Recycle, reuse, and product development from waste."

"Unit VII: Statistical Approach and Modelling of Environmental Systems (15 Questions)"

  • "Environmental Modelling: Principles, model building, types of environmental models."
  • "Statistical Approach:
    • "Data Sampling."
    • "Distributions (e.g., normal, log-normal)."
    • "Inference, Estimation, Hypothesis Testing."
    "
  • "Model Validation: Calibration, Validation, and Sensitivity Analysis."
  • "Types of Models:
    • "Air quality models: dispersion and emission models."
    • "Chemical and ecological models."
    • "Pollutant and nutrient dynamics models."
    • "Operational control models of wastewater treatment processes."
    • "Microbial dynamics calculations."
    • "Surface and ground water modelling."
    "

"Unit VIII: Industrial Pollution Prevention and Cleaner Production Technologies (25 Questions)"

  • "Industrial Manufacturing Process Descriptions: Understanding key processes in various industries."
  • "Wastewater Characteristics: From highly polluting industries."
  • "Pollution Control Measures for Highly Polluting Industries:
    • "Paper and Pulp."
    • "Sugar."
    • "Distillery."
    • "Chemical Plants (including Metal Finishing)."
    • "Iron and Steel."
    • "Fertiliser."
    • "Meat Packing and Poultry Plants."
    • "Automobile."
    • "Thermal Power Plants."
    • "Cement Plants."
    • "Textile Dyeing."
    • "Tanneries."
    • "Pharmaceutical."
    • "Pesticides."
    • "Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals."
    "
  • "Pollution Prevention Strategies:
    • "Source reduction."
    • "Treatment and disposal methods."
    • "Addressing emerging contaminants."
    • "Integrated Waste Management for zero discharge."
    "
  • "Cleaner Production Process: Including process modification and raw material substitution."
  • "Waste Management Hierarchy: Recycle and reuse of waste."

"Unit IX: Environmental Safety and Risk Assessment (15 Questions)"

  • "Health and Safety Systems: In workplaces."
  • "Occupational Health Risks: Hierarchy of control measures."
  • "Accident Analysis: Causes of accidents, mechanical and electrical hazards, and preventive steps."
  • "Personal Protective Equipment (PPE): Role and selection criteria."
  • "Human Factors: Significance in establishing emergency preparedness."
  • "Risk Assessment:
    • "Qualitative and quantitative risk assessment."
    • "Hazard identification and control."
    • "Hazard assessment."
    • "Overall risk contours for different failure scenarios."
    "
  • "Disaster Management Plan: Components and implementation."
  • "Safety Measures Design: In process operations."
  • "Ergonomics: Effects on humans."
  • "Safety Management: Inspections and audits, safety policies, Environmental, Health, and Safety (EHS) issues."

"Unit X: Sustainable Development, Environmental Management and Economics and Global, Regional and Local Environmental Issues (20 Questions)"

  • "Sustainable Development: Principles, International Conventions and treaties, Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Indicators."
  • "Environmental Management Systems: ISO 14001, ISO 19000 series."
  • "Environmental Auditing: Principles and types."
  • "Eco-labelling: Concepts and significance."
  • "Life Cycle Assessment (LCA): Methodology and applications."
  • "Design for Environment (DfE): Principles."
  • "Environmental Economics:
    • "Economics of pollution prevention."
    • "Cost-Benefit Analysis (CBA)."
    • "Circular economy concepts."
    • "Economic instruments for environmental protection: Pollutant tax, emission trading."
    • "Natural resource economics."
    "
  • "Green Building Concepts: Principles and certification."
"Important Note for Aspirants: This detailed syllabus is provided to facilitate structured preparation. It is crucial to use this as a framework while consistently referring to updated official notifications from the Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission for any revisions or clarifications regarding the Code 393 examination. Thorough conceptual understanding and diligent practice of numerical problems, along with the application of precise technical facts, will be key to success."

"Aspirants are encouraged to develop a robust study plan that allocates time proportionally to each unit, considering the indicated question weightage. Focus on mastering the fundamental principles, practising previous year's questions, and staying abreast of current environmental regulations and technologies. Success in the TNPSC Environmental and Chemical Engineering (Code 393) examination is achievable through consistent effort and a well-structured approach."