Environmental Degradation of Contaminants, 7.5 ECTS
Second levelFacts
No available factsSyllabus
Description
Learn how pollutants are broken down in the environment! Most of the chemicals that we release to the environment are degraded there. Without environmental degradation processes, our chemical society would not be possible as we would soon be living in a sea of waste.
On the other hand, not all chemicals are broken down quickly, which can lead to chemicals accumulating in the environment and becoming problematic pollutants. Also, sometimes chemicals are not completely degraded but are instead transformed into substances that are even more problematic.
In this course, you will learn how chemicals are broken down in air, water, sediment and soil, and how sunshine and microbes facilitate their breakdown. Our goal will be to understand how the structure of a chemical influences whether and how it can be degraded in the environment, and how this degradation is influenced by environmental conditions.
Topics covered include:
basic principles of transformation reactions
hydrolysis
redox reactions
direct photolysis
indirect photolysis
biodegradation
chemical persistenceThe course includes lectures, workshop exercises, presentations and discussions.
Area of interests: Science and Mathematics
Science and mathematics help us understand how the world around us is connected – from the origin and structure of the universe, to the development and function of humanity and all other organisms on earth. Scientific knowledge makes it possible to critically examine the credibility of information in different areas of everyday life, society, and the media. As a scientist or mathematician, you will be attractive on a large job market that covers all parts of society and includes everything from pure technology companies to environment and healthcare, as well as research.
Subject
Environmental Science
Climate changes, environmental pollutants, ozone depletion, poor air and water quality, changes in landscape, waste disposal, depletion of natural resources, loss of ecosystem services, resilience and biological diversity, etc. The list of environmental problems is long as we humans use the resources nature has to offer without knowing or paying attention to the consequences. Environmental Science is a multi-disciplinary subject which applies knowledge from both the natural and social sciences to identify, understand, prevent, and deal with environmental problems caused by human activities. The Bachelor and Master Programs in Environmental Science offer an education in a natural science with environmental relevance and a background to the societal aspects of environmental problems. The programs apply a systems approach to the study of environmental problems and to man’s relationship to his environment. More information can be found at the ITM homepage www.itm.su.se.