2.

2 | Physical Chemistry Although the SI units are now used throughout

PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY ENGINEERING DIMESIONS
and UNITS
Engineering dimensions and units
 A fundamental dimension is a unique
quantity that describes a basic characteristic,
such as force (F), mass (M), length (L), and
time (T).
 Derived dimensions are calculated by an
arithmetic manipulation of one or more
fundamental dimensions.
o For example, velocity has the
dimensions of length per unit time (L/T),
and volume is L3    In the SI system, the base unit for density is kg/m3
o Dimensions are descriptive but not
numerical. They cannot describe how
much; they simply describe what.
 Units and the values of those units are
necessary to describe something
quantitatively.
o For example, the length (L)
dimension maybe described in units as
meters, yards, or fathoms.
 Adding the value, we have a complete
description, such as 3 meters (M), 12.6 yards
(yd), or 600 fathoms (fth).
the world, most contemporary American
engineers still use the old system of feet, pounds
(mass), and seconds, with force expressed as
pounds (force).
Density
The density of substance is defined as its mass
divided by a unit volume,    or
ρ = M/V
Where ρ = density
M = mass
V = volume
Water in the SI system has a density of
1x103 kg/m3 which is 1 g/cm3.
Concentration
The derived dimension concentration is usually
expressed gravimetrically as the mass of a
material A in a volume consisting of material A
and some other material B.
The concentration of A in a mixture of A and B is
CA = MA/VA + VB

Where:
Three systems of units are in common use:
CA = concentration of A
 SI system, the American engineering
system, and the cgs system. MA = mass of material A
 Developed in 1960 in an international VA = volume of material A
agreement, the SI system (for System
International d’Unites) is based on meter for VB = volume of material B
length, seconds for time, kilogram for mass,
In the SI system the basic unit for concentration is
and Kelvin for temperature. Force is expressed
kg/m3. However, the most widely used
in Newtons.
concentration term in environmental engineering
is milligrams per liter (mg/L), which is also the unit
The tremendous advantage of the SI system over
we will use.
the older English (and now the American) system
is that it works in decimal basis.
Applied physical chemistry procedures is used to
solve common environmental engineering
problems.
Physical Chemistry - is a combined science of
physics, chemistry, thermodynamics,
electrochemistry and quantum mechanics. It
functions to provide molecular level interpretation
of observed macroscopic phenomena; typically,
changes in temperature, pressure, volume and
heat in the liquid solid and gas phase and
correlates to microscopic atomic and molecular
interactions.
Properties of Gasses
 Indefinite volume .
 Indefinite shape .
 Take the shape and volume of container
 .Particles are far apart
 .Particles move fast .
 High Kinetic Energy - particles can
separate and move throughout container..
Henry’s Law
It states that the amount of gas that dissolves in a
liquid is proportional to the partial pressure that
the gas exerts on the surface of the liquid.
CA = KHPA
Where CA = concentration of A [mol/L] or [mg/L]
KH = Henry’s Law constant [mol/L.atm] or
[mg/L.atm]
PA = partial pressure of A [atm]
Air Stripping
Air stripping is a common method of removing
dissolved gasses from water and wastewater.
Gasses commonly removed include ammonia,
carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfide.
The only gasses with appreciable partial pressure
in air are nitrogen and oxygen.
Other gasses represent only 1% of the total
pressure. Thus , since the equilibrium
concentration of a dissolved gas is proportional to
the partial pressure of the gas on the liquid
surface, any gas except nitrogen and oxygen can
be air stripped to relatively low concentration by
bringing it into intimate contact with air.
This is normally accomplished by aerating the
water, spraying it into the air or trickling the water
through a tower with large surface area This
method bring a large surface area of water in
contact with atmosphere, thus increasing the gas
transfer rate.
Ideal Gas Law
PV = nRT
Where:  P = absolute pressure [atm] V = volume
[L]
n = number of moles [mol]
T = absolute temperature [K
R = gas constant [0.0821 L.atm/mol.K]
Note:  The universal value of STP is 1 atm
(pressure) and 0o C. Note that this form
specifically stated 0o C degree, not 273 Kelvin,
even though  you will have to convert into Kelvin
when plugging this value into the Ideal Gas
equation or any of the simple gas equations.
Dalton’s Law of Partial Pressure
The total pressure of a mixture of gases is equal
to the sum of the partial pressures of the gases in
a mixture
Ptotal = PA + PB + PC + …..Pi
Stoichiometry
It deals with numerical relationships between
reactants and products in chemical reactions.
Stoichiometric analysis can be used to determine
the product yield for a given amount of reactant
converted.
Theoretical Oxygen Demand (ThOD)
An environmental engineering application of
stoichiometry is the estimation of the amount of
oxygen, a known organic chemical will consume
as it is converted to C02 and H20.
This is frequently termed as Theoretical Oxygen
Demand or ThOD.
It is simply the amount of oxygen required to
convert the material to carbon dioxide and water.
In situations where the organic matter contains
amine compounds (-NH2), the end produuct of
the nitrogen is ammonia (NH3)
Activated carbon is a highly porous, amorphous
solid consisting of microcrystallites with a graphite
lattice, usually prepared in small pellets or a
powder. It is non-polar and cheap.
Activated carbon can be used to remove toxic
organics from both water and air. It is commonly
used in aquarium filters.
It is used in some potable water plants to remove
organics before or after chlorination, in industrial
wastewater treatment to remove a variety of
organics, and occasionally to remove residual
organics following conventional wastewater
treatment.

Adsorption It is used in air pollution control to remove

organic contaminants from contaminated air
It is a surface phenomenon in which a solute before discharge.
(soluble material) concentrates or collects at a
surface. This contrasts with ABSORPTION, which a
substance penetrates the material.

Adsorption is a process that occurs when a gas or

liquid solute accumulates on the surface of a solid
or a liquid (adsorbent), forming a film of
molecules or atoms (the adsorbate).

Adsorbent Characteristics

They must have high abrasion resistance, high

thermal stability and small pore diameters, which
results in higher exposed surface area and hence
high surface capacity for adsorption.

The adsorbents must also have a distinct pore

structure which enables fast transport of the
gaseous vapors.

Adsorbents are used usually in the form of

spherical pellets, rods, moldings, or monoliths
with hydrodynamic diameters between 0.5 and 10
mm.

Silica gel is a chemically inert, nontoxic, polar and

dimensionally stable (< 400 °C) amorphous form
of SiO2. Zeolites are natural or synthetic crystalline
aluminosilicates which have a repeating pore
network and release water at high temperature.