ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMISTRY - 2

Building on Environmental Chemistry Module 1, this course equips professionals with multidisciplinary skills to address environmental pollution issues through prevention, diagnosis, and operational solutions. This aligns with the general educational objectives of the Bachelor's Degree in Environmental Sciences. in some detail, the objective of the course is to provide students with the necessary skills for understanding the dynamic (primary and secondary sources, transport, transformation and ultimate fate) of chemicals occurring in the environment. Special attention will be devoted to persistent, toxic and bioaccumulative substances and materials. Finally, the chemical aspects, strategies and technologies for the prevention and abatment of chemical pollution will be presented.

Attendance and active participation in the training activities proposed by the course (lectures, thematic seminars, laboratory) and individual study will allow students to acquire:
- Knowledge and understanding
The student will acquire the knowledge and understanding of chemical and chemical-physical properties of main classes of environmental hazardous chemicals, chemodynamic, chemical aspects of environmental changes at local-to-global scales, prevention measures and abatement technologies. He will be instructed to carry out appropriate internet search.
- Ability to apply knowledge and understanding
The student will acquire the ability to assess quantitatively the occurrence and behavior of chemical substances in the environment, and will benefit from wealth of information available on the Internet (worldwide web).
- Judgment skills
The student will acquire the ability to evaluate how to address issues related to environmental chemistry, developing a critical analysis approach towards possible solutions.
- Autonomy of judgment
The student will acquire independent judgment on the evaluation of exposure to environmental chemicals by the integrated knowledge concerning their input, behavior and effects.
- Communication skills
The student will acquire adequate skills e.g. appropriate terminology, for oral and written communication on the occurrence and behavior of environmental chemicals
- Learning ability
The student will develop the ability to use the scientific method as a working tool.

It is strongly recommended that students have acquired knowledge of inorganic, organic, analytical, and environmental chemistry through courses taught in previous years of the three-year degree program in Environmental Sciences. Specifically, the essential courses for understanding the contents of this course are: GENERAL AND INORGANIC CHEMISTRY - COURSE 1 [CT0410]; ORGANIC CHEMISTRY [CT0443]; ANALYTICAL AND LABORATORY CHEMISTRY - LABORATORY MOD. [CT0366]; ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMISTRY - MOD. 1 [CT0590]; GENERAL PHYSICS [CT0583].

This module represents a continuation of the contents introduced in Module 1. The topics covered include:
- Geosphere and soil chemistry: chemical composition and physicochemical processes in soils: acid-base and ion exchange reactions; macro- and micro-nutrients and absorption and biodegradation processes of organic matter.
- Atmosphere and chemistry of the atmosphere: energy and matter transfers, chemical composition and physicochemical processes in the atmosphere;
- Chemical contaminants in the environment: Persistent, Bioaccumulative, Toxic (PBT) substances in air, waters and soil. Primary and secondary sources, and inventory of emissions. Physico-chemical properties of main classes of priority and emerging chemicals (e.g., micorplastics, nanomaterials); general degradation pathways of aliphatic and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, surfactants, and halogenated substances; speciation of metals and metalloids.
- Interpretation of environmental behavior and effects on living organisms of chemicals (toxicity, bioaccumulation, biotransformation) considering structure, properties and functions of major biomolecules: proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, nucleic acids, enzymes and membranes.
- Chemodynamics in waters and air. Chemical potential, fugacity and partitioning of chemicals among environmental media. Bioaccumulation and overall redistribution of chemicals and hazardous materials.
- Environmental chemistry of global changes: greenhouse effect; ocean acidification;
- Prevention and treatment of pollutants in waters, soil and air; regulatory aspects. Removal of contaminants by physical and biological treatments of waters: potabilization; primary-secondary-tertiary treatments of municipal and industrial wastewaters; treatment and fate of chemicals in sludge from sewage treatment plants.
Some of the content will also be covered through practical laboratory activities.

Mandatory: Slides presented in class and made available by the instructor on the Moodle platform, covering all topics included in the "Contents" section.
Books (available in the scientific library at the Biblioteca Area Scientifica - BSA, Campus Scientifico via Torino 155, 30173 Venezia Mestre):
- Stanley E. Manahan, Chimica Ambientale, Piccin, 2nd edizione italiana sull'XI in inglese, 2024.
- David L Nelson Michael M Cox, Introduzione alla biochimica di Lehninger, Settima edizione italiana, 2023.
- Colin Baird & Michael Cann, Chimica Ambientale, Zanichelli, 2013.

Written examination.
Written exam will consist of four open-ended questions related to the course topics covered in class, to be completed in two hours. One question will relate to one of the topics explored in depth in the laboratory experience. The maximum score for the award of honors is 32/30. The exam evaluation criteria that contribute to the final grade are:
(1) knowledge of the topics
(2) clarity of presentation
(3) use of appropriate scientific language
The final grade for this module will be derived from the answers to the 4 questions (80%) and the laboratory report (20%) in the ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMISTRY - MOD. 3 [CT0590] section. The final grade for the ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMISTRY [CT0590] exam will be calculated as the arithmetic mean of the grades obtained in Module I and Module II, rounded up (when >0.5).

written

The exam will be graded from 0 to 30 cum laude (regardless of whether the student is attending or not attending), with a passing threshold of 18 points.
The exam will be evaluated based on the completeness and clarity of the answers, and the use of appropriate language and terminology. The overall score will be based on the written exam (80% of the total grade) and the lab report (Module 3, 20% of the total grade), and a minimum score of 18/30 is required for each question.
The 4 open questions in the written test will be graded with a maximum of 8 points each, where 8 corresponds to excellent, 7 to very good, 6 to good, 5 to sufficient, 4 to insufficient and 3 to seriously insufficient.

For the overall grade of the paper:
Scores in the 18-21 range: superficial knowledge of the topics covered in class; unclear presentation and lacking in technical terminology;
Scores in the 22-25 range: not always in-depth knowledge of the topics covered in class; orderly presentation but not always with correct use of technical terminology;
Scores in the 26-27 range: good knowledge of the topics covered in class; fair ability to organize and present information; familiarity with technical terminology;
Scores in the 28-30 range: excellent command of the topics covered in class; ability to prioritize information and correct use of appropriate technical terminology.
Honors will be awarded in the presence of knowledge and understanding applied in reference to the program, judgment and communication skills, excellent.

Classroom lectures, seminars, laboratory (3 experiences of 4 hours each, carried out in small groups) that will allow to delve deeper into some topics covered in class through the analysis and interpretation of the results and classroom discussion.

Accommodations and Support Services for Students with Disabilities or Specific Learning Disabilities: Ca' Foscari applies Italian law (Law 17/1999; Law 170/2010) to support and accommodation services available to students with disabilities or specific learning disabilities. If you have a motor, visual, hearing, or other disability (Law 17/1999) or a specific learning disability (Law 170/2010) and require support (classroom assistance, technological aids for exams or individualized exams, accessible materials, note-taking, specialized study support, interpreters, or other assistance), please contact the Disability and DSA Office: disabili@unive.it.

This subject deals with topics related to the macro-area "Natural capital and environmental quality" and contributes to the achievement of one or more goals of U. N. Agenda for Sustainable Development