Environmental Chemistry and Microbiology

The objective of the course is to provide students with basic concepts from environmental chemistry and microbiology for understanding and solving environmental problems. Major topics that will be covered in environmental chemistry are: review of basic concepts in chemistry, concept of chemical equilibria, equilibrium constants and activity, reaction kinetics, acid and basis, polyprotic acids and bases, acidity, alkalinity, carbonate system, pH-Ct, buffers, and solubility reactions, nuclear chemistry, nitrogen chemistry and chlorination.Major topics that will be covered in environmental microbiology are: Introduction, the bacteria, the fungi, the algae, protozoa and other higher forms, viruses, pathogens and disease, microbial growth and enumeration, control of microorganisms, microbial diversity and metabolic pathways for remediating contaminated water, solid and hazardous waste, and soil. INTENDED AUDIENCE :Master’s degree students of any of the Civil Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Mining Engineering, Geology and Geophysics, and Bioengineering/BiotechnologyPREREQUISITES : Basic chemistry – Class XIIINDUSTRIES SUPPORT :Environmental consulting firms, Coal India, Thermal power plants

Week 1:Concepts of acids, bases and salts, strengths of acids and bases, buffers, acid-base indicators, choice of indicatorsWeek 2:Concept of chemical equilibrium, solubility and solubility product, activity, Le Chatelier principle Week 3:Reaction kinetics, rate and order of a reaction, determination of order Week 4:Reaction mechanism, rate determining step, catalysts, activation energy
Week 5:Radioactivity and nuclear chemistryWeek 6:Nitrogen chemistry and chlorination Week 7:Introduction and overview of environmental applications; major groups of microbes: bacteria, fungi, algae, protozoa and virus. Week 8:Cell chemistry, biology and microscopy
Week 9:Microbial MetabolismWeek 10:Microbial Growth and ControlWeek 11:Pathogens and diseases, metabolic diversity-1Week 12:Metabolic Diversity-2 and Biogeochemical Cycles