07418 - Environmental Chemistry

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course, the student will have a basic knowledge of the structure and the main chemical-physical processes that characterise the atmosphere, hydrosphere and pedosphere. The student will also acquire the fundamental notions necessary to assess the fate of pollutants and their impact on the environment, with references to emerging environmental issues and current legislation.

Course contents

Cross-Cutting Topics

Introduction to environmental chemistry. Environmental sustainability.

The complexity of the environmental processes: biogeochemical cycles.

Pollution and pollutants: definitions, major environmentally relevant physicochemical properties, and behaviour in the environment. Overview of the main regulatory limits for pollutants.

Atmospheric Chemistry

Structure and physicochemical characteristics of the atmosphere.

Stratospheric ozone and mechanisms inducing the “ozone hole” phenomenon.

Greenhouse effect, greenhouse gases, global warming and climate change.

The troposphere and the planetary boundary layer. Sources, reactions and effects of the main inorganic and organic compounds in the troposphere (OH radical, sulfur and nitrogen compounds, tropospheric ozone, VOC, PAHs, dioxins, PCBs, metals). Photochemical smog. Atmosferic particulate matter: classification, formation processes, chemical composition, environmental and health effects. Overview of the main legal limits for atmospheric pollutants.

Atmospheric depositions.

Water Chemistry

Properties of water, the hydrosphere and the hydrological cycle. Characteristics and stratification of water bodies.

Gas exchange with the atmosphere: Henry’s law and stagnant film model. Oxygen and carbon dioxide in the water bodies. Oxygen availability, BOD and COD. Carbonate equilibria in water.

Alkalinity, acidity and hardness. Metals in aquatic systems.

Solid substances in water (dissolved, suspended and settleable solids).

Major organic and inorganic pollutants in water: sources, reactions and effects.

Soil

The geosphere and the soil system. Introduction to the physicochemical weathering of rocks. Processes and factors governing soil formation. Soil horizons and their main characteristics.

Inorganic components of soil; structure and properties of clay minerals.

Organic components of soil: humic and non-humic substances.

Main physical and chemical properties of soil (texture, ion-exchange capacity, soil reaction/pH).

Major organic and inorganic contaminants: sources and interactions with soil components.

Prerequisites

Elementary functions; basic physical quantities, their relationships, and the corresponding units of measurement.

Physical transformations of pure substances; gas laws; concentration units and conversion between them.

Nomenclature, classification, and reactivity of inorganic and organic compounds, including the principal functional groups in organic chemistry.

Chemical and photochemical reactions; chemical equilibrium; pH; acids, bases and buffer solutions; complex formation.

Readings/Bibliography

Course materials and any supplementary resources are made available to enrolled students in electronic format through the Virtuale platform (https://virtuale.unibo.it/ ). Any passwords required to access the documents will be provided by the teacher.

The resources made available are not normally sufficient, on their own, for complete preparation and should therefore be supplemented by attendance at lectures, personal notes, and, where appropriate, consultation of the reference texts listed below.

Recommended Texts

To consolidate and further develop the topics covered in class, students are encouraged to consult one or more of the texts listed below. Please note that the course syllabus does not correspond in its entirety to any single text: the books provide complementary references and also include topics that are not covered in the course.

Colin Baird, Michael Cann, “Chimica ambientale”, Zanichelli, Ed 2013 o successive (English version "Environmental Chemistry", Freeman, 2012 Ed. or later)

Grady Hanrahan, Key concepts in environmental chemistry, Elsevier 2012

Gary W. vanLoon and Stephen J. Duffy, Environmental chemistry: a global perspective, Oxford Press, 4th Edition

Stanley E. Manahan, Environmental Chemistry, 11th Ed. o successive (versione italiana “Chimica ambientale” Piccin, 2025).

Teaching methods

The course is delivered through face-to-face lectures supported by presentation slides, videos, and the illustration of schemes and reactions on the board. Free smartphone applications are also used for questioning and self-assessment activities.

Exercises and group activities may be included as part of the topics covered in the syllabus.

Regular attendance plays a fundamental role in understanding the topics addressed in the course, as well as their interconnections and environmental implications.

The course may be supplemented by guest lectures on specific topics delivered by external experts.

This course is part of the University's teaching experimentation initiative.

Assessment methods

Assessment is based solely on the final examination, which is designed to verify the level of achievement of the expected knowledge and skills:

• knowledge of the structure and the main physicochemical processes characterizing the different environmental compartments: air, water, and soil;
• knowledge of the major pollutants, their sources, and their behaviour in the environment;
• ability to apply the acquired knowledge to evaluate the potential interactions between pollutants and the environment, as well as the environmental issues associated with human activities.

The final examination consists of a written test with a maximum duration of 2.5 hours. The test comprises up to 10 open-ended, closed-ended, and/or multiple-choice questions covering the topics addressed during the course.

The use of textbooks, lecture notes, and electronic devices is not permitted during the examination.

The use of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) is prohibited. Any use of AI constitutes a violation of academic integrity.

Each question is assigned a weight (communicated at the beginning of the examination) reflecting both its difficulty and the level of learning to be assessed. For open-ended questions, the following aspects are taken into account in the evaluation: relevance of the answer to the question, clarity, completeness and coherence of the response, explicit discussion of cause-and-effect relationships, ability to critically process and apply the acquired knowledge, use of appropriate scientific terminology, and ability to synthesize information when required.

Grades are expressed on a scale of 30 points, and a minimum score of 18/30 is required to pass the examination. Honors (“lode”) may be awarded for outstanding performance. Students who fail to attend an examination session without withdrawing from the registration list will be recorded as having withdrawn ("ritirato"). Once a student takes a subsequent examination session, any previously passed examination result becomes void.

Registration through AlmaEsami (https://almaesami.unibo.it/ ) is mandatory in order to sit the examination and must be completed by the deadline specified for each examination session. Deadlines are available under the “Exam Sessions” of the course website and are generally set approximately one week before the examination date. Students are therefore strongly advised to check the registration deadline and ensure that their registration has been successfully completed before the list closes, so that any issues can be reported and resolved in due time.

For examination sessions with fewer than four registered students, the teacher may decide to conduct the final examination in oral form. The oral examination follows the same structure and assessment criteria as the written examination.

The publication of written examination results is communicated via the University e-mail system, together with information and deadlines regarding the review of corrections and the formal recording of grades. In the absence of a response from the student within the specified deadlines, the principle of tacit consent shall apply and the grade will be officially recorded in accordance with University regulations.

Students with specific learning disorders (SLD) or temporary or permanent disabilities are encouraged to contact the relevant University office in a timely manner (https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en/for-students). The office will be responsible for proposing any necessary accommodations for the students concerned. Such accommodations must, however, be submitted to the instructor for approval at least 15 days in advance. The instructor will assess their appropriateness, taking into account the learning objectives of the course.

Teaching tools

PC, projector, whiteboard, the University's Virtual Learning Environment ("Virtuale") for teaching materials, and free smartphone applications.

AI can be a useful tool to support independent study through additional explanations, summaries, and self-assessment activities.

Students with specific learning disorders (SLD) or temporary or permanent disabilities may contact the University of Bologna Service for Students with Disabilities and Specific Learning Disorders (https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en) and the Department contact person (Prof. Giorgio Bencivenni, giorgio.bencivenni2@unibo.it [mailto:giorgio.bencivenni2@unibo.it] ), or the course teacher, in order to agree on the most appropriate arrangements for accessing teaching materials and attending face-to-face lectures.

Office hours

See the website of Elena Bernardi