ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMISTRY

Course objectives

Lessons in the classroom have the aim of providing students with the elemental conceptual means by which they can evaluate the environmental impact, understand the environmental chemical processes and the interaction/evolution of pollutants in the environment, considering both natural and anthropogenic emissions, either accidental or intentional. Also, the problems involved in the retrieval use of natural resources, in particular water, will be discussed. Dublin Descriptor 1: at the end of the course the student is provided with the basic knowledge on environmental equilibria and dynamics related to the different environmental compartments (atmosphere, aquifer systems, rivers, lakes, and soil). The students will deliver new knowledge on global pollution (such as global warming and ozone hole), including the involved chemical mechanisms. The students will acquire basic knowledge on aquatic chemistry involving multicomponent/multi-phase equilibria. They will understand as chemical speciation affects pollutant danger, effects and distribution. References to international Environmental Legislation/Protocols aimed to reduce anthropogenic impact on the environment will be provided, as well as basic knowledge on instrumental analytical techniques for main environmental pollutants monitoring. Dublin Descriptor 2: The student is enabled to understand and practically deal with phenomena related to environmental problems both for the pollution evaluation and for the evolution of chemical compounds in the environment. They will acquire ability to find the scientific and legislative literature concerning a defined environmental problem; ability to select the most appropriate analytical techniques for the monitoring. Dublin Descriptor 3: The student will develop the capability of critically evaluating an environmental problematic. Such capacity is developed by educational examples explained during lectures (Mount Pinatubo explosion, heavy metal poisoning in Minamata Bay, Black Sea in the Gulf of Mexico, Chernobyl disaster, London smog, oxidizing smog in Los Angeles). Dublin Descriptor 4: at the end of the course the student has developed the capacity of communicating, by written reports or oral communication, the knowledge acquired using the appropriate language, a logical exposure sequence and displaying synthesis capacity, also by using graphical presentation. Dublin Descriptor 5: The student is stimulated to further delve into the investigated topics, also creating links among different subjects. Ability to extrapolate form the environmental scientific literature information to deal with new problems.

Channel 1
LORENZO MASSIMI Lecturers' profile

Program - Frequency - Exams

Course program
ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMISTRY (6 CFU, 48 hours) PART I (6 hours) - Introduction to environmental chemistry: concepts and definitions. Sources and types of pollution. Natural and anthropogenic pollutants. Inorganic and organic environmental pollutants: origins and effects on the environment and health. Description of the chemico-physical characteristics of pollutants that cause their environmental behavior: solubility in water and in solvents, volatility, reactivity, bioaccessibility, persistence, biodegradability. PART II (10 hours) - Classes of pollutants of environmental interest and their chemico-physical characteristics. Inorganic pollutants: salts, metals, metalloids and heavy metals. Organic pollutants: hydrocarbons, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, dioxins, polychlorinated biphenyls, chlorinated solvents, fluorinated substances, flame retardants, pesticides. For each class of pollutants, the chemico-physical characteristics will be described and examples of environmental case studies will be presented. PART III (4 hours) - Biogeochemical cycles and the involvement of environmental compartments. Carbon cycle, nitrogen cycle, phosphorus cycle, sulfur cycle, water cycle. Interpretation of environmental behavior and effects on living organisms of chemicals: toxicity, bioaccumulation, biotransformation. PART IV (12 hours) - Atmospheric Chemistry. Chemical composition of the air, chemical and photochemical reactions in the atmosphere, global warming and greenhouse gases, atmospheric pollutants, emission sources and diffusion of airborne pollutants, chemical and physical characteristics of airborne particulate matter, introduction to air quality monitoring techniques. Presentation of an environmental case study. PART V (10 hours) - Soil Chemistry. Chemical and physical properties of soils, acid-base and ion-exchange reactions; macro- and micro-nutrients, classification of humic substances, absorption and biodegradation processes of organic matter, dynamics of pollutants in soils, erosion and degradation phenomena of soils, introduction to techniques for sampling, analysis and remediation of contaminated soils. Presentation of a case study. PART VI (6 hours) - Water Chemistry. Water classification, phase interactions, water pollution, pollutant solubility, hydrolysis, oxidation-reduction, complexation and chelation reactions, water alkalinity and hardness, nutrients and eutrophication, drinking water parameters, introduction to methods for water sampling analysis and purification.
Prerequisites
The teaching requires basic knowledge of general and inorganic chemistry and of organic chemistry, provided by teachings delivered in the first year of the degree program.
Books
Slides presented in the classroom provided on the e-Learning platform. Connell, D. W., Vowles, P. D., Warne, M. S. J., Hawker, D. W. Basic concepts of environmental chemistry. CRC/Taylor & Francis. Ed. 2005. Manahan, S. E. Environmental chemistry. CRC/Taylor & Francis. Ed. 2017. Campanella Luigi, Conti Marcelo. L'ambiente: conoscerlo e proteggerlo. Percorsi di chimica ambientale. Ed. 2010.
Teaching mode
Learning methods include lectures. Lectures give students a comprehensive understanding of the main topics covered in this teaching. During the lectures, several environmental case studies are examined to provide students with practical examples of the issues addressed. Mainly traditional lectures, i.e., in the classroom, or distance teaching if necessary.
Frequency
Attendance at classroom lessons is not mandatory but strongly recommended.
Exam mode
The exam consists of an oral test in which the candidate will be required to demonstrate that he/she has acquired and understood the topics of this teaching.
Bibliography
Connell, D. W., Vowles, P. D., Warne, M. S. J., Hawker, D. W. Basic concepts of environmental chemistry. CRC/Taylor & Francis. Ed. 2005. Manahan, S. E. Environmental chemistry. CRC/Taylor & Francis. Ed. 2017. Campanella Luigi, Conti Marcelo. L'ambiente: conoscerlo e proteggerlo. Percorsi di chimica ambientale. Ed. 2010.
Lesson mode
Learning methods include lectures. Lectures give students a comprehensive understanding of the main topics covered in this teaching. During the lectures, several environmental case studies are examined to provide students with practical examples of the issues addressed. Mainly traditional lectures, i.e., in the classroom, or distance teaching if necessary.
  • Lesson code97585
  • Academic year2024/2025
  • CourseEnvironmental Sciences
  • CurriculumSingle curriculum
  • Year2nd year
  • Semester1st semester
  • SSDCHIM/12
  • CFU6
  • Subject areaAttività formative affini o integrative