B028780 - FOUNDATIONS OF CHEMISTRY FOR THE ENVIRONMENT

italian

Environmental chemistry: definitions
Brief review of general/inorganic/organic chemistry key topics
Environmental spheres
Biogeochemical cycles
Tropospheric air pollution
Stratospheric air pollution
Soil pollution
The issue of the urban and industrial wastes: environmental aspects
The issue of the energy production and use: environmental aspects
Supramolecular chemistry for the monitoring and removal of pollutants
X-ray diffraction and X-ray fluorescence for environmental monitoring

Stanley E. Manahan, Environmental Chemistry, ninth Edition, CRC Press
Colin Baird, Michael Cann, Chimica Ambientale, 2013, Zanichelli

Aim of the course is to contribute to the scientific background of the students by providing a knowledge of the chemical processes which play a relevant role in the environmental chemistry. In particular the course provides a basic chemical knowledge to understanding properties, fate and effects of the main pollutants produced as a result of the human activities (agro-food industry, manufacturing industry, urban and industrial wastes, etc.) and of the energy use and production (transportation, domestic heating, fossil fuel, nuclear fuel, etc.).
The final part of the course is devoted to present some relevant applications of the supramolecular chemistry for the monitoring and removal of pollutants and to illustrate the use of X-ray diffraction and X-ray fluorescence for the characterization of substances relevant for the environment.
Students will acquire:
Knowledge and understanding of the relevant chemical processes which take place in the environment and that contribute to the pollution problem.
Student will be able to:
Applying the acquired chemical knowledge to understand and deal with some environmental issues and to use this knowledge in further engineering application.

Basic concepts and laws of general chemistry and their applications

Lectures

The slides of the course are available on the e-learning platform Moodle

Students can choose between three different modalities:
- conventional oral exam
- written & oral examination based on a program topic (chosen by the student)
- analysis, contextualization and discussion of one or more scientific articles (on a topic chosen by the student)
In all cases the student must demonstrate i) a good knowledge of the topics covered; ii) exposure skills and specialized lexicon at least sufficient; iii) a good ability to apply the acquired knowledge good ability to apply the knowledge acquired to address environmental issues.

Pollution, pollutant (natural / anthropogenic origin, degradable / biodegradable / non-biodegradable, primary / secondary, quantitative / qualitative), contaminant, types of polluting sources (point and non-point sources), pollution classification (based on the polluted site, the pollutants or the origin); transport and fate of pollutants.
Units of measurement in chemistry and environmental chemistry.
Review of general and inorganic chemistry key topics.
Review of basic elements of organic chemistry.
Toxic organic molecules: pesticides, polychlorinated dibenzodioxins, polychlorinated biphenyls, polychlorinated dibenzofurans, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.
Environmental spheres (anthrosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, geosphere, biosphere)
Biogeochemical cycles (water, carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, sulfur and phosphorus)
Stratosphere chemistry. The ozone layer depletion.
Air pollution: photochemical smog, emissions based on sulfur, particulates and acid rain.
The greenhouse effect. Fossil fuels. Biofuels.
Radioactivity and nuclear energy.
Heavy toxic metals.
Urban and industrial wastes: disposal, reduction, recycling. Hazardous waste.
Soil.
Supramolecular chemistry to monitor and remove pollutants.
Use of X-rays techniques (X-ray diffraction, X-ray fluorescence) for environmental monitoring.