SCV0567 - ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMISTRY

courses

ID:

SCV0567

Duration (hours):

48

CFU:

SSD:

CHIMICA DELL'AMBIENTE E DEI BENI CULTURALI

Year:

2025

Date/time interval

Primo Semestre (22/09/2025 - 19/12/2025)

Course Objectives

The main objective of the course is to provide a solid preparation for understanding the main chemical processes taking place in the environment and the phenomena resulting from man-made alteration of bio-geo-chemical processes. At the end of the course, the student must be able to: • Know and understand the main characteristics of the environmental media • Know and understand the main aspects of chemical contamination in different environmental media and the main organic and inorganic pollutants • Know and understand some examples of remediation strategies for specific environmental issues • Demonstrate autonomy of judgment in the assessment of issues related to chemical pollution

Course Prerequisites

Students should have basic knowledge of general and inorganic chemistry, and organic chemistry in order to understand the chemical processes taking place in the various environmental compartments, acquire the skills necessary to understand the intervention logics in the environmental field, and the functioning of the main strategies for pollutant control and remediation.

Teaching Methods

The course is organized in 48 hours of frontal lectures in Varese. Attendance at the lectures is optional, but recommended, and the final exam will be the same for attending and non-attending students.

Assessment Methods

The learning assessment comprises a written test with open-ended questions (max. 20 points) and quiz (max. 10 points). The assessment of the open-ended answers and the awarding of any honours will take account of the following criteria: - Relevance and correctness of answers. - Ability to present, argue, summarise and, where necessary, link the topics addressed, using appropriate language The examination will be marked in thirtieths. Quiz questions are only correct if a score of at least 10 points is achieved in the open questions. The examination is considered passed on reaching a mark of 18/30. The study based on the slides proposed during the lessons must be accompanied by the consultation of the reference books.

The course is divided into blocks dedicated to the chemistry of water, soil, air and to the study of the main classes of environmental contaminants. These blocks have equivalent weight (approximately 10 hours dedicated to each block), preceded and interspersed with shorter topics. Introduction to environmental chemistry (6h): main issues in chemical pollution. Dynamic interactions of the various environmental compartments: water-soil-air-biota. The REACH legislation. Basic concepts of Green Chemistry. Environmental compartments Water-Soil-Air (30h): The water compartment: Parameters for the classification of the quality of water. Principles of water chemistry. Eutrophication. Water treatment. Groundwater. The soil compartment: the soil and its constituents. Principles of soil chemistry. Partitioning and partitioning constants. The air compartment: structure and composition of the atmosphere. Photochemistry. Reactions of oxygen, nitrogen and nitrogen compounds in the atmosphere. Stratospheric chemistry: stratospheric ozone formation and depletion; chemical agents that cause ozone destruction. Tropospheric chemistry: reactivity of organic substances with the main tropospheric oxidants; photochemical smog; atmospheric particulate matter; acid rain; greenhouse effect and greenhouse gases. Biodegradation: main biotransformations by microorganisms. Principal organic and inorganic pollutants (10h): pesticides, metals, aromatic and aliphatic hydrocarbons, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), dioxins; emerging pollutants (e.g. flame retardants, perfluorinated chemicals, pharmaceuticals and personal care products, nanoparticles). In silico alternatives to Animal experiments (2h): Introduction to alternative methods to animal testing, 3 R strategy, QSAR methodologies with examples of application for prediction of properties and activities of organic environmental pollutants.