701-1240-00L Modelling Environmental Pollutants
| Semester | Spring Semester 2021 |
| Lecturers | M. Scheringer, C. Bogdal |
| Periodicity | yearly recurring course |
| Language of instruction | English |
Courses
| Number | Title | Hours | Lecturers | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 701-1240-00 G | Modelling Environmental Pollutants The course will initially start online. Further details have been sent by e-mail. The room reservation remains in place if face-to-face teaching is possible after the Easter break. | 2 hrs |
| M. Scheringer, C. Bogdal |
Catalogue data
| Abstract | Modeling the emissions, transport, partitioning and transformation/degradation of chemical contaminants in air, water and soil. |
| Objective | This course is intended for students who are interested in the environmental fate and transport of volatile and semi-volatile organic chemicals and exposure to pollutants in environmental media including air, water, soil and biota. The course focuses on the theory and application of mass-balance models of environmental pollutants. These models are quantitative tools for describing, understanding, and predicting the way pollutants interact with the environment. Important topics include thermodynamic and kinetic descriptions of chemical behavior in environmental systems; mechanisms of chemical degradation in air and other media; novel approaches to modeling chemical fate in a variety of environments, including lakes and rivers, generic regions, and at the global scale, and application of mass balance modeling principles to describe bioaccumulation of pollutants by fish and mammals. |
| Content | Application of mass balance principles to chemicals in a system of coupled environmental media. Measurement and estimation of physico-chemical properties that determine the environmental behavior of chemicals. Thermodynamic and kinetic controls on the behavior of pollutants. Modeling environmental persistence, bioaccumulation and long-range transport potential of chemicals, including a review of available empirical data on various degradation processes. Current issues in multimedia contaminant fate modeling and a case study of the student's choice. |
| Lecture notes | Material to support the lectures will be distributed during the course. |
| Literature | There is no required text. The following texts are useful for background reading and additional information. D. Mackay. Multimedia Environmental Models: The Fugacity Approach, 2nd Ed. 2001. CRC Press. R. P. Schwarzenbach, P. M. Gschwend, D. M. Imboden. Environmental Organic Chemistry. 2nd Ed. 2003, John Wiley & Sons. M. Scheringer. Persistence and spatial range of environmental chemicals: New ethical and scientific concepts for risk assessment. 2002. Wiley-VCH. |
Performance assessment
| Performance assessment information (valid until the course unit is held again) | |
Performance assessment as a semester course | |
| ECTS credits | 3 credits |
| Examiners | M. Scheringer, C. Bogdal |
| Type | session examination |
| Language of examination | English |
| Repetition | The performance assessment is offered every session. Repetition possible without re-enrolling for the course unit. |
| Mode of examination | written 120 minutes |
| Written aids | Calculators (non-programmable and non-communicating). |
| This information can be updated until the beginning of the semester; information on the examination timetable is binding. | |
Learning materials
| No public learning materials available. | |
| Only public learning materials are listed. |
Groups
| No information on groups available. |
Restrictions
| Places | 50 at the most |
| Priority | Registration for the course unit is until 26.02.2021 only possible for the primary target group |
| Primary target group | Environmental Engineering MSc (127000)
Atmospheric and Climate Science MSc (661000) Environmental Sciences MSc (736000) Doctorate Environmental Sciences (739002) |
| Waiting list | until 05.03.2021 |
| End of registration period | Registration only possible until 05.03.2021 |
