Degree | Type | Year | Semester |
---|---|---|---|
2502444 Chemistry | OT | 4 | 0 |
No previous requirements
The goal is to get the fundamentals of environmental chemical processes and pollution chemistry. Also, the student will gain skills for the assessment of the behavior and the fate of chemical substances and anthropogenic pollutants in the environment.
The hydrosphere
1. Water chemical properties
Water properties. Water cycle. Chemical composition of natural waters. Natural water types. Dissolved gases. Hardness and alkalinity. Main chemical processes in water: redox processes.
2. Sea water chemistry
Salinity. Chemical composition. Minority inorganic elements. Organic compounds. Marine pollution.
3. Polluted water treatment
Toxic substances and bioaccumulation. Types of toxic substances. Heavy metals. Classification of polluted waters. Water quality indexes. Drinking water treatment. Municipal wastewater treatment. Industrial wastewater treatment.
Soil Chemistry
4. Soil chemistry
Soil formation and weathering. Aluminosilicates. Soil texture and properties. Humus. Soil vertical profile. Soil fluid phase. Phyisisorption and cationic exchange. Soil pH. Soil acidification. Reclamation of acid soils. Soil salinization. Reclamation of salty soils. Soil remediation techniques.
The atmosphere
5. Introduction
Historical precedents. Previous concepts and nomenclature. Measurement units. Earth atmosphere special features. Carbon, oxygen, nitrogen and sulfur closed cycles. Halogens and noble gases in the atmosphere. Atmospheric pressure profile. Atmosphere energy balance. Temperature profile and atmospheric layers.
6. Stratosphere chemistry
The ozone layer. Chapman cycle. Ozone depletion catalytic cycles. Stratosphere study techniques. Anderson’s experiments. Perturbations of the ozone layer. Chlorofluorocarbons. Antarctic ozone hole.
7. Troposphere chemistry
Greenhouse effect: the IPCC data. Urban pollution. Hydroxyl radical and photochemical smog. NO3 radical. Urban pollution consequences. Tropospheric sulfur chemistry: Planetary thermostat hypothesis and Gaia hypothesis. Acid rain. Indoor atmosphere pollution.
8. Atmosphere pollution control
Particle retention. Chemical retention. Car exhaust control. Control of inmission levels (XVPCA).
Sustainability an Green Chemistry
9. Risk assessment.
Risk, hazard and the basic risk assessment equation. Green Chemistry. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of chemical reactions. The REACH system.
10. Fugacity models.
Pollutants distribution in the environment. Phase distribution equilibrium constants. Fugacity model level I. Environmental risk characterization. Fugacity model level II. Examples of application. Quantitative structure-activity relationships.
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Title | Hours | ECTS | Learning Outcomes |
---|---|---|---|
Type: Directed | |||
Exercise Classes | 11 | 0.44 | 1, 2, 4, 24, 25, 18, 19, 20, 17, 22, 23, 11, 27, 29, 28 |
Theoretical classes | 36 | 1.44 | 1, 2, 10, 4, 6, 7, 8, 30, 15, 3, 25, 18, 20, 17, 21, 23, 29, 28, 9 |
Type: Supervised | |||
Tutorials | 5 | 0.2 | 10, 24, 14, 15, 12, 3, 25, 16, 18, 19, 20, 22, 31, 9 |
Type: Autonomous | |||
Study, Exercise Resolution, Reading, and Data Gathering | 90 | 3.6 | 1, 2, 13, 10, 5, 6, 7, 8, 30, 14, 15, 12, 3, 16, 18, 19, 20, 17, 21, 22, 23, 26, 11, 31, 27, 28, 9 |
The last chance exam includes the whole course. Thus, in the case of students that failed just one of the midterm exams, it will be mandatory to complete the whole final course exam.
In order to take the last chance exam the student need to have been previously evaluated in a set of evaluation activities that amount two thirds of the totals course (one of the midterm exams and the two individual homeworks, or the two midterm exams).
Title | Weighting | Hours | ECTS | Learning Outcomes |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 Midterm exam | 45% | 2 | 0.08 | 2, 4, 6, 8, 30, 3, 25, 18, 19, 20, 17, 23, 29, 28, 9 |
2 Individual Homeworks | 10% | 2 | 0.08 | 1, 2, 13, 10, 4, 5, 24, 7, 14, 15, 12, 25, 16, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 26, 11, 31, 27, 29, 28 |
2 Midterm exam | 45% | 2 | 0.08 | 2, 4, 6, 7, 8, 30, 25, 18, 19, 20, 17, 22, 23, 11, 29, 28, 9 |
Last Chance Exam | 90% | 2 | 0.08 | 2, 4, 6, 8, 30, 15, 25, 18, 19, 20, 17, 22, 23, 11, 29, 28, 9 |
Basic Textbooks
X.Domènech, J. Peral, Química Ambiental de Sistemas Terrestres. Reverté. 2006.
Complementary Textbooks
C. Orozco y otros, Contaminación Ambiental. Una visión desde la Química. Thomson. 2003.
C. Orozco y otros. Problemas resueltos de Contaminación Ambiental. Thomson. 2003.
C. Baird, Química ambiental. Reverté. Barcelona. 2001.
R.H. Tan, Soil Chemistry. Marcel Dekker. 1993.
R.P Wayne, Chemistry of theAtmospheres. Clarendon Press. 1993.