Chemistry of Environmental Pollution
** available as of 01/01/2026
** available as of 01/01/2026
Prerequisites: ENVS 137, CHEM 160, MATH 118, and SES Major.
Environmental Chemistry is the study of how materials move through the environment and interact within different environmental systems, including the atmosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere, and biosphere. In this course, we will use this approach to better understand the chemical and physical reactions that influence the transport and fate of chemical pollutants in our environment. This course will identify major sources of environmental pollutants and technologies for source pollution control as well as understanding how pollutants move through the environment to potentially impact ecosystems and human health. The course will cover pollutants in all environmental compartments including air pollution from combustion sources, water quality issues and water treatment, and soil pollutants with a focus on agrochemicals and their impact on both soil environments and groundwater.
Outcomes: Apply key equations, concepts, and physical laws relevant to environmental chemistry to analyze how pollutants move through and between different environmental compartments (atmosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere, biosphere); Describe underlying chemistry of technologies and policies that would address key sources of major pollutants; Be able to utilize physical chemical properties of pollutants as a tool for assessing their persistence and potential to do harm in natural ecosystems.
Environmental Chemistry is the study of how materials move through the environment and interact within different environmental systems, including the atmosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere, and biosphere. In this course, we will use this approach to better understand the chemical and physical reactions that influence the transport and fate of chemical pollutants in our environment. This course will identify major sources of environmental pollutants and technologies for source pollution control as well as understanding how pollutants move through the environment to potentially impact ecosystems and human health. The course will cover pollutants in all environmental compartments including air pollution from combustion sources, water quality issues and water treatment, and soil pollutants with a focus on agrochemicals and their impact on both soil environments and groundwater.
Outcomes: Apply key equations, concepts, and physical laws relevant to environmental chemistry to analyze how pollutants move through and between different environmental compartments (atmosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere, biosphere); Describe underlying chemistry of technologies and policies that would address key sources of major pollutants; Be able to utilize physical chemical properties of pollutants as a tool for assessing their persistence and potential to do harm in natural ecosystems.