Environmental Chemistry   (519H1)

Academic year:

2019/2020.

Attendance requirements:

102A1 / 301H1

ECTS:

3

Study level:

Study program:

Teacher:

Aleksandar R. Popović, Ph.D.
full professor, Faculty of Chemistry, Studentski trg 12-16, Beograd

Assistants:

—

Hours of instruction:

Weekly: three hours of lectures (3+0+0)

Goals:

The main goal of this course is to introduce students to the basic processes in the environment and their chemical foundation, the characteristics, origin and processes in the atmosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere and biosphere, the most important pollutants and basic chemical reactions responsible for their transformation in the environment.

Outcome:

After successfully completing this course, students will understand the connection between physical and chemical factors on the one hand and the processes in the environment on the other hand.

Teaching methods:

Lectures.

Extracurricular activities:

—

Coursebooks:

Main coursebooks:

• P. Pfendt: Environmental Chemistry - part 1 (in Serbian), Textbook Publishing Co, Belgrade, 2009.
• D. Veselinović, I. Gržetić, Š. Djarmati, D. Marković: Physicochemical foundations of environmental protection - book 1: Conditions and processes in the environment (in Serbian), Department of Physical Chemistry, University of Belgrade, 2005.
• D. Marković, Š. Djarmati, I. Gržetić, D. Veselinović: Physicochemical foundations of environmental protection - book 2: Sources of pollution, consequences and protection (in Serbian), University of Belgrade, 2005.

Supplementary coursebooks:

• R. Wayne: Chemistry of Atmosphere, Oxford University Press, 2002.
• G. W. van Loon, C. J. Duffy: Environmental Chemistry- A Global Perspective, Oxford University Press, 2005.
• C. Baird, M. Cann: Environmental Chemistry, W. H. Freeman and Co., 2005.

Additional material:

—

Lectures:

0 points (3 hours a week)

Syllabus:

1. Pollutants. Thermal pollution of surface waters. Eutrophication. Classification of environmental pollutants.
2. Plants and microorganisms as chemical factors in the environment. Redox conditions of water and soil.
3. Soil formation and composition. Inorganic and organic components of soil. Humic substances.
4. Chemical processes in soil. Classification of soil pollutants.
5. Sources of food and agricultural product pollution. The most important pollutants of food. A chemical barrier. Chemodynamics of pollutants. Bioconcentration and biomagnification.
6. The origin of the Earth’s atmosphere. The structure of the atmosphere. Specific features of atmospheric chemistry. The aerosol.
7. The stratospheric and tropospheric aerosol. The basic chemistry of the ozone layer. Anthropogenic destruction of the ozone layer.
8. Smog. The "green-house" effect. Acid rains.
9. The composition of tropospheric air. Biogenic and geochemical sources of the components of tropospheric air. Atmospheric reactions forming the components of tropospheric air.
10. Interactions of gases and a water aerosol. Carbon dioxide/carbonate equilibrium. Natural sources of air pollution. Self-purification of air.
11. The structure of clean water. Physical properties of clean water. The isotopic composition of natural waters. Other characteristics of natural waters.
12. Water as a dispersion medium. Thermal stratification of waters. Sulfur compounds in waters. Alkalinity and acidity of waters.
13. Iron in waters. The origin of cations in waters. Organic substances in waters. Water as a medium of life. Saprobic levels. The water cycle in nature. Chemodynamics of rain water.
14. The major anthropogenic sources of air pollution. Ecochemical properties of anthropogenic sources of air pollution. The harmful effects of air pollutants on humans, plants and materials. The principles of preventing air pollution. Major anthropogenic sources of air pollution.
15. The classification of water pollutants. The sources of water pollution. General properties of drinking water. The principles of waste water treatment.

Colloquia:

30 points

Written exam:

70 points