Topics

Environmental Natural Cycles

Divisions Hydrologic
Atmosphere Oxygen
Hydrosphere Carbon
Biosphere Nitrogen
Lithosphere Phosphorous
“Better Living Sulphur
through Chemistry” Anthropogenic
Burdens
5.2 Environmental pollution
Air pollution
Water pollution
Land Pollution
5.3 Global warming and Climate Change
Chemistry of greenhouse Gases and their effect on
climate change
5.4 Green Chemistry and Cleaner production
The 12-principles of Green Chemistry
1. Prevention 9. Use of renewable feedstock
2. Atom economy 10. Reduce derivatives
3. Less hazardous chemical synthesis 11. Catalysis
4. Design of safer chemicals 12. Design for degradation
5. Safer solvent and auxiliaries
6. Real time analysis for pollution prevention
7. Design for energy efficiency
8. Inherently safer chemistry for accident prevention
Cleaner production in chemistry
Concept map of environmental science
 Definition
• The word environment has been derived from a French word
‘environner’ meaning to encircle or to surround.
• The surrounding that affects an organism during its lifetime is
collectively known as its environment.
• environment consisted of physical aspects of the planet earth
such as land (lithosphere), air (atmosphere) and water
(hydrosphere) along with biotic communities (biosphere)
 Types
TYPES OF ENVIRONMENT
On the basis of basic structure, the environment
may be divided into:-
1. Physical/abiotic environment
2. Biotic environment
3. Cultural environment
 Sub division

• PHYSICAL/ABIOTIC ENVIRONMENT: - on the basis

of physical characteristics and state,
• abiotic or physical environment is subdivided into:
i. Solid i.e. lithosphere (solid earth)
ii. Liquid i.e. hydrosphere (water component)
iii. Gas i.e. atmosphere (gaseous component)
 Cont.
• BIOTIC ENVIRONMENT-: biotic environment
consists of flora and fauna including man as an
important factor. Thus the biotic environment
may be divided into:
a. Floral environment(plant life)
b. Faunal environment (animal life)
 Focus of Environmental science
• Environmental science is the study of interactions
between the physical, chemical and biological
components of the environment, including their
effects on all types of organisms.
• Its purpose is to understand and address
environmental issues, such as pollution, climate
change, resource management and conservation.
 Environmental Chemistry
• Environmental chemistry is a branch of chemical science
that deals with the production, transport, reactions,
effects, and fates of chemical species in the water, air,
terrestrial, and biological environment and the effects of
human activities thereon.
 A common pollutant species is used to illustrate the
definition of environmental chemistry. Sulfur in coal is
oxidized to sulfur dioxide gas, which is then released into
the atmosphere. Sulfur dioxide gas can be oxidized to
sulfur trioxide and eventually converted to sulfuric acid in
the atmospheric, then fall back to earth as acid rain,
affect a receptor like plants, and end up in a “sink” like a
body of water or soil.
Simplified schematic diagram that shown fate of
pollutant species in the environment.
 Components of the environment
• The environment consists of 4 compartments:-
atmosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere and
biosphere.
• Or
1. Atmosphere
• Serves as a protective blanket of gas surrounding the
earth (0–50km)
• absorbs infrared (IR) radiation emitted by the sun and re-
emitted from the earth
• controls temperature of the earth(green house effect)
• allows transmission of significant amounts of radiation
from near UV (300 nm) to near IR (2500 nm)
• blocks transmission of damaging UV radiation.
• Source of O2, CO2 and moisture
Chemical reactions occurred in the
atmosphere:
 2. Hydrosphere

In the ocean, there are at least 77 important elements such as sodium and
chlorine, magnesium and bromine, which are commercially exploited from
seawater.
Some examples of chemical reaction in
hydrosphere:
3. Lithosphere

Chemical reaction in the compartment

 4. Biosphere
• It is the realm of living organisms and their
interactions with the environment (i.e., other
compartments).
• This compartment divided into smaller units called
ecosystems. Each ecosystem contains dynamic
interrelationships between living forms and their
physical environment. These interrelations manifest
as natural cycles, such as hydrologic, oxygen,
nitrogen, phosphorous and sulfur.
• The natural cycles operate in a balanced manner
providing a continuous circulation of essential
constituents.
Examples of some chemical reaction in
the biosphere:
Natural Cycles in the Environment
Natural Cycles
Hydrologic
Oxygen
Carbon
Nitrogen
Phosphorous
Sulphur
I. Hydrologic Cycle