Advanced Chemistry and Thermodynamics for Environmental Systems

Catalog description

This course provides students with an advanced concepts of chemical thermodynamics for understanding critical geochemical and biogeochemical environmental process affecting natural and engineered systems, e.g. impacts of climate change on surface and groundwater resources, water and soil remediation designs, water and wastewater treatment unit operations, green chemistry, circular economy, exposure and risk analysis, ecosystem function, design of climate-resilient infrastructure. The course covers equilibrium chemistry principles for both organic and inorganic compounds with environmental relevance. Students develop predictive models for the fate of xenobiotic compounds based on partitioning principles, chemical structure and physical properties, and the environmental system properties. Principles of chemical equilibrium, including acid-base equilibria and buffering; solid precipitation and dissolution; and oxidation and reduction reactions are presented for inorganic chemicals of environmental interest. 2 CIT Course Proposal Form reactions are presented for inorganic chemicals of environmental interest.