KE507: Environmental chemistry A (5 ECTS)

STADS: 10000801

Level
Bachelor course

Teaching period
The course is offered in the autumn semester.

Teacher responsible
Email: klr@sdu.dk

Timetable
Show entire timetable
Show personal time table for this course.

Prerequisites:
None.

Academic preconditions:
Students taking the course are expected to have knowledge of general and organic chemistry.

Course introduction
The aim of the course is to give a broad introduction to environmental chemistry and current environmental issues as well as the chemical methods and models used to assess these.

The course builds on the competences acquired in the courses of fundamental chemistry, e.g. FF503.

In relation to the competence profile of the degree it is the explicit focus of the course to:

• Give the competence to participate in cross-disciplinary collaborations within environmental chemistry.
• Give skills how to achieve environmental chemical data and how these data are analysed. How to disseminate environmental issues to colleagues and to the public. How to stay critical to the many contradictory theories within environmental problems by using chemical measurements and methods.  
• Give knowledge and understanding of environmental issues. To understand how chemistry interacts with medical science, economics and politics.

Expected learning outcome
The learning objectives of the course is that the student demonstrates the ability to:

• Describe environmental chemistry issues and their origin
• Explain the models and mechanisms for the conversion pollutants in the atmosphere, water and soil.
• Explain the processes affecting the Earth’s climate and their origin.
• Describe and evaluate solutions to problems of environmental chemical nature
• Search for and critically evaluate environmental chemical information
• Apply chemical knowledge to discuss current environmental problems

Subject overview
The following main topics are contained in the course:

• Atmospheric chemistry and pollution of the atmosphere including destruction of the ozone layer and acid rain.
• Climatic changes e.g. green-house gasses and global warming
• Aquatic chemistry including drinking water, water pollution and remediation as well as the carbonate system, pE and redox reaction.
• Toxic heavy metals and their impact on the environment and health.
• Examples of organic pollutants

Literature

• Colin Baird and Michael Cann: Environmental Chemistry, (5th ed.), Freeman, New York, 2008.

Website
This course uses e-learn (blackboard).

Prerequisites for participating in the exam
None

Assessment and marking:

1. Oral exam, 7-point grading scale, external marking. (5 ECTS). (10000802).

Reexamination in the same exam period or immediately thereafter.

Expected working hours
The teaching method is based on three phase model.
Intro phase: 28 hours
Skills training phase: 14 hours, hereof:
 - Tutorials: 14 hours

Educational activities

Educational form
Activities during the study phase:

• Establish study groups
• Training in making short verbal dissemination of large and complex environmental chemical problems

Language
This course is taught in Danish.

Course enrollment
See deadline of enrolment.

Tuition fees for single courses
See fees for single courses.