ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMISTRY
Elective paper for Fifth Semester BA/B.Sc./BCom.
Environmental chemistry is the study of chemical processes that occur in water, air, terrestrial and living environments, and the effects of human activity on them, which is an interdisciplinary science that includes atmospheric, aquatic and soil chemistry, environmental disasters as well as environmental laws being related to environmental and other areas of science. Environmental chemistry involves first understanding how the uncontaminated environment works and also how air, soil and water will be polluted by the effect of contaminant, what are the chemicals and in what concentrations they are present in nature and how it work with atmosphere. Without this particular branch of chemistry it would be impossible to accurately study the effects humans have on the environment through the release of pollutants and chemicals. It is very useful subject in our day to day life, for example sampling and measurement of water quality, water quality standards and also waste management, storage and disposal; Waste Reduction, Recycling and Recovery of materials, Plastics and recycling of plastics etc.
Open Course for Other Majors (Syllabus)
Semester-V Credit-2 Course Code -CH1551.3
Module -I Environmental Components: 9 hrs
Structure and composition of the, Atmosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere and Lithosphere – composition of atmosphere
Module -II Water pollution: 9 hrs
Sources, its effect and control; Sampling and measurement of water quality and their analysis, water quality standards, BOD and COD Hard water – soft water .Eutrophication and restoration of lakes.
Module -III Air Pollution: 9 hrs
Types and sources of air pollution, Common Air Pollutants – Effects of air pollution; Smog – ozone layer depletion – green house effect – acid rain
Module –IV Soil Pollution: 9 hrs
Sources, types, effects and control of: Land pollution, Marine pollution, Thermal Pollution and Radioactive pollution. Waste separation, storage and disposal ; Waste Reduction, Recycling and Recovery of materials., Plastics and their misuses.
Module -V Major environmental disasters 9 hrs
Major environmental disasters – – mercury poisoning in Minamata, Japan ,Itaiitai disease due to cadmiumpoisoning in Japan – Love Canal toxic waste site, Seveso disaster chemical plant explosion – Bhopal disaster -Chernobyl incident,
Module -VI Major environmental laws: 9 hrs
Environment (Protection Act) – The Air (Prevention and control of pollution) Act – The water (Prevention and control of pollution) Act – The wild life protection Act – Forest conservation Act – The Ozone Depleting Substances (Regulation and Control) Rules – The Plastic Waste (Management and Handling) Rules – Rio declaration- Montreal protocol, Kyoto protocol Introduction to Green chemistry (elementary ideas only)
Reference
1. S. K. Banerji, “Environmental Chemistry”.
2. K. De “Environmental Chemistry – An introduction”
3. B. K. Sharma “Air Pollution”.
4. V. K. Ahluwalia “Environmental Chemistry”
5. G.W. vanL oon and S. J. Duffy “Environmental Chemistry: A global perspective”