Water Chemistry for Environmental and Ecological Engineering

CE 55401

Credit Hours:

3

Instructor:

Inez Hua

Learning Objectives:

  1. Describe the unique properties of water, and the relevance to natural and engineered systems.
  2. Explain fundamental principles of chemical equilibrium and kinetics and apply principles to calculations in water chemistry systems.
  3. Classify chemical reactions and mass transfer, and deduce which categories are present in a particular system.
  4. Evaluate technological approaches to reduce environmental impacts of anthropogenic activities.

Course Description:

Principles of chemistry applied to the analysis and distribution of the chemical composition of natural waters and engineered water systems. Course topics include acid/base, complexation, precipitation/dissolution, sorption and redox reactions in the context of environmental and ecological engineering. Case studies focus on water chemistry in research and practice, such as lead in drinking water, recovery of valuable products from wastewater, chemistry of engineered carbon dioxide capture, and engineered treatment of surface waters. Case studies vary each year.

Topics Covered:

Inorganic Composition of Natural Waters; Thermodynamic Basis for Equilibrium Chemistry; Fundamentals of Kinetics; Ionic Equilibrium; Acid-Base Systems; Complexation Reactions; Metal Ion Speciation; Solubility: Reactions of Solid Phases with Water; Redox Equilibria and Kinetics; oxidants/disinfectants in water treatment; Nutrient cycles and the chemistry of nitrogen and phosphorous; fundamentals of photochemistry

Prerequisites:

Recommend one year of college chemistry

Web Address:

https://mycourses.purdue.edu

Web Content:

Syllabus, grades, lecture notes, homework assignments, solutions and quizzes.

Homework: 50%
Projects: 35%
Class participation and in-class work: 15%

In this class, grades reflect the sum of your achievement throughout the semester. You will accumulate points as described above. At the end of the semester, final grades will be calculated by adding the total points earned (there will be no partial points or rounding).

Textbooks:

Official textbook information is now listed in the Schedule of Classes. NOTE: Textbook information is subject to be changed at any time at the discretion of the faculty member. If you have questions or concerns please contact the academic department.

Tentative Textbook Listing:

  • Brightspace course pages
  • Required textbook: Water Chemistry, Patrick L. Brezonik and William A. Arnold, 2011 (ISBN 978-0-19-973072-8).  
  • Readings from the primary literature (e.g., journal papers)
  • Companion website for Water Chemistry: http://global.oup.com/us/companion.websites/9780199730728/

Computer Requirements:

MS Office products – Microsoft Excel, Word, Powerpoint