Chemical Solutions to Environmental Issues

Learning Outcomes

Transferable and Generic Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• Be able to extract key information and themes from numerical and literature sources.

Subject Specific Intellectual and Research Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• Contrast the environmental impact, and properties of synthetic and naturally organic polymer materials, and discuss in which circumstances biodegradable polymers or recycling are useful.
• Design experiments to solve common chemical problems relating to environmental issues.
• Evaluate the benefits, and long-term viability, of different carbon capture, storage and utilisation procedures.
• Interpret a range of chemical data and sources to develop theories and hypothesis on environmental issues.
• Describe the biological mechanisms of action of common pesticides and herbicides.
• Analyse numerical data to identify and optimise key environmental trends.

Knowledge and Understanding

Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:

• Discuss the main technological advances in carbon dioxide capture, storage and utilisation.
• Describe the synthesis, processing and properties of polymers and main methods of analysis.
• Recognize the need and environmental impact of common food production compounds.

The course focuses on three linked themes of agrochemicals for food production, plastic production and mitigating carbon dioxide release. During this we will cover:

1.Environmental pollution, crop protection and man

• Introduction to herbicides and pesticides
• Organochlorines and biological targets
• Pyrethroids and neonicotinoids
• Organophosphates and carbamates
• Synthetic auxins and phenylureas
• Triazines and glyphosate
• Analytical techniques for characterisation of trace pollutants

2.Production and properties of polymer and plastics

• Synthesis and production of common polymers
• Determining polymer properties
• Environmental impacts of microplastics
• Polymer recycling
• Synthetic and naturally occurring polymers
• Biopolymers

3.Carbon dioxide capture, storage and utilisation

• The growth of atmospheric carbon dioxide
• Post-combustion and direct air capture techniques
• Designing carbon dioxide sorbents
• Influence of impurities (H2O, SOx, NOx)
• Carbon dioxide storage possibilities, natural and synthetic
• Carbon dioxide as a polymer and fuel feedstock

Teaching methods include:

Lectures with worked examples and chemical case studies

Set questions with worked examples

• Delivery of face-to-face lectures
• Problem sessions

Learning activities include:

• Directed reading
• Individual and group work on examples
• Coursework based on experimental design, data analysis and use of literature sources

If a purely distanced learning approach is required, the lecture material will be recorded by staff and made available to the students, along with suggested timelines for viewing. Coursework assessments will be unchanged. If required in-class tests will be moved online.

Summative

This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.