Learning objectives
Aims: to provide the basic concepts for the comprehension of: i) sources, reactions, transport and destiny of chemical entities in the atmosphere, water bodies and soil as well as their impacts on human health and on the natural environment, ii) new approaches for the industrial synthesis of chemicals through low impact processes (green chemistry).
Prerequisites
basic knowledge of general, inorganic and organic chemistry
Course unit content
- short historical accounts
- principles of environmental chemistry
- molecular structure and physical-chemical properties relationship
- pollutants from petroleum, PCB’s, dioxins, pesticides, polymers, soaps and detergents
- abiotic transformations and degradation of chemical species through hydrolysis, oxidation, phototransformation and degradation processes: theromodynamic and kinetic aspects.
- chemistry of natural waters and water pollution
- chemistry of the atmosphere and pollution
- soil contamination
- transport and distribution of pollutants in the environment and among the environmental compartments
- comparison between “classical” and “green” industrial processes for the synthesis of chemicals. Ideal reaction, atom efficiency, environmental factor E, use and selection of the better reaction solvent.
- An integral part of the course will be the bibliographic work carried out autonomously by groups (composed by 3-4 elements) of students on assigned topics; the results of these researches will be presented to all the class.
Full programme
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Bibliography
bibliografia consigliata: Des W. Connels: Basic Concepts of Environmental chemistry, Lewis Publishers, N.Y. (1997); Ian J. Tinsley: Chemical Concepts in Pollutant Behaviour, second Edition, Wiley Interscience (2004); Clair N. Sawyer, Perry L. McCarty, Gene F. Parkin: Chemistry for Environmental Engineering and Science, Fifth Edition, Mc Graw Hill (2003).
Teaching methods
frontal lectures and seminars organized by Students
Assessment methods and criteria
oral; the ability of the candidate to access autonomously to primary literature source concerning a specific environmental aspect end to set it in a critical manner through the theoretical concepts of the course will be evaluated
Other information
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