94277 - ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY

Conoscenze e abilità da conseguire

At the end of the course the student will be aware of the central role of sustainability perspective for the protection and the management of environment. The student will know the relationship between physico-chemical features of substances, their transformation in the environment and their environmental impact. She/he will become aware of the peculiar environmental impact posed by plastic materials. The student is expected to be able to: 1. predict and assess the environmental fate and the modalities of transformation of chemicals; 2. propose and implement methodologies to reduce and remediate the chemical pollution; 3. propose solutions to prevent and reduce pollution from plastic materials.

Contenuti

The course will deal with the relationship between plastics and the environment.

1) The main characteristics of polymers/plastics and their history will be presented, together with the main processes for recycling

2) Some representative examples of bio-based and biodegradable polymers will be explained (starch, polylactic acid, polyhydroxyalkanoates).The differences between bio-based polymers and biodegradable polymers will be examined

3) The environmental fate of plastic materials will be analyzed according to various environmental spheres (water bodies, oceans, soil and sediments, biota)

4) The adverse effects of plastic materials will be presented, analyzing the existing knowledge about the toxicity towards different biological endpoints

Testi/Bibliografia

Scientific literature: reviews and papers

Metodi didattici

4 x 180 min class lectures (with 2 breaks) with power point projection and discussion

Modalità di verifica e valutazione dell'apprendimento

Oral exam

Strumenti a supporto della didattica

Students who need compensatory tools for reasons related to disabilities or specific learning disorders (SLD) can directly contact the Service for Students with Disabilities (disabilita@unibo.it) and the Service for Students with learning disabilities (dsa@unibo.it) to agree on the adoption of the most appropriate measures.

Orario di ricevimento

Consulta il sito web di Chiara Samorì

Consulta il sito web di Laura Tositti

Consulta il sito web di Maria Clara Semedo Da Silva Costa