GE1717

ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMISTRY

Types of Pollutants
1. STOCK POLLUTANTS are materials from the environment that have low absorptive capacity (e.g. persistent
synthetic chemicals, non-biodegradable plastics, and heavy metals). Over time, stock pollutants build
up in the environment. As more pollutants are produced, the damage they cause increases and
continues as the pollutant builds up. Stock pollutants can affect the future generations by passing on
the damage that continues.
2. FUND POLLUTANTS are materials from the environment that have some absorptive capacity. Fund
pollutants do not cause damage to the environment unless the production rate exceeds the receiving
environment's absorptive capacity (e.g. carbon dioxide, which is absorbed by plants and oceans). Fund
pollutants are not destroyed but converted into less harmful substances or diluted/dispersed to non-
harmful concentrations instead.

Forms of Contamination
1. Point source - contaminant is released directly into water sources.
2. Non-point source - contaminant seeps into water supplies and onto the atmosphere as rain.

Kinds of Contaminants
1. ORGANIC CONTAMINANTS are carbon-based chemicals which can get into water through runoff from
croplands or discharges from factories.
2. INORGANIC CONTAMINANTS are mineral-based compounds such as metals, nitrates, and asbestos; they
are naturally-occurring in some water, but can also get into water through farming, chemical
manufacturing, and other human activities.
3. ACID / BASE CONTAMINANTS are water-contaminating chemicals that significantly affect water’s pH levels.
4. RADIOACTIVE CONTAMINANTS are deposits of radioactive substances on surfaces (or within solids),
liquids, or gases where the radioactive components of an unstable substance must not be there.

Contamination Testing
Environmental Markers
 DISSOLVED OXYGEN - the amount of oxygen measured in waterforms (e.g. streams, rivers, lakes)
 BIOLOGICAL OXYGEN DEMAND (BOD) – measures oxygen used by microorganisms to decompose
organic wastes
 CHEMICAL OXYGEN DEMAND (COD) – measures amount of organic compounds present in water
𝒂 𝒃 𝟑 𝒂 𝟑
𝑪𝒏 𝑯𝒂 𝑶𝒃 𝑵𝒄 + (𝒏 + − − 𝒄) 𝑶𝟐 → 𝒏𝑪𝑶𝟐 + ( − 𝒄) 𝑯𝟐 𝑶 + 𝒄𝑵𝑯𝟑
𝟒 𝟐 𝟒 𝟐 𝟐
 TOTAL DISSOLVED SOLIDS
 PH
 NITRATES, PHOSPHORUS , AND PESTICIDES
 HEAVY METALS
 RADIOACTIVITY

Turbidity – measures the solution’s opacity (sometimes called murkiness), which is caused by suspended
materials (e.g. clay, silt, organic materials)

Common Contaminants
Compound Found in / as Toxic Levels (in parts per million / ppm)
Playground soil 10.0
Arsenic
Mine Tailings 1320.0
Diethyl ether Liquid 400.0
Trihalomethane 0.10
Liquid (Water)
Nitrate 10.0

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Nitrite 1.0
Silver 0.05
Cadmium 0.005
Mercury 0.002

Geologic Activities
Global Warming – a phenomenon where excess greenhouse gases trap heat, warming the surface of the
Earth, resulting in polar icecaps melting, sea levels rising, and changing the migration patterns and range of
some species.

Substances Released in a Volcanic Eruption

Volcanic Gas Average Percentage of Total Gases
Water Vapor
90 - 95
Carbon dioxide
Sulfur dioxide
Nitrogen
Less than 1
Hydrogen
Carbon monoxide
Sulfur Less than 0.5
Chlorine Less than 0.2

Hydrometeorological Activities
Acid Rain – precipitation (i.e. rain, snow, etc) whose pH levels are lower than the average rainwater pH in
nature (i.e. pH 5.0 - 5.6)
– caused by sulfur dioxide (𝑆𝑂2 ) and nitrogen oxide compounds (𝑁𝑂𝑋 ), which comes from:
 Natural emissions from volcanoes
 The burning of fossil fuels
o Electric power plants
o Vehicles
o Heavy equipment
o Manufacturing, refineries, and other related industries
– forms in two (2) ways:
 Wet Deposition – deposition in moisture, forming acid rain.
 Dry Deposition – deposition in absence of moisture; may deposit to surfaces (water bodies,
vegetation, buildings) quickly or may react during atmospheric transport to form larger particles
that can be harmful to human health. When the build-up of acids are washed off a surface by
the next rain, this acidic water flows over and through the ground and can harm plants and
wildlife, such as insects and fish.

Nutrient Leaching – the addition of hydrogen ions to the soil reacting with already-existing minerals, resulting
to the decrease of important soil nutrients (e.g. calcium, magnesium, potassium, etc.).

Greenhouse Effect – a phenomenon where atmospheric gases prevent heat from being released back into
space.
Most Abundant Greenhouse Gases
 Water Vapor (𝐻2 𝑂)
 Carbon dioxide (𝐶𝑂2 )
- A natural greenhouse gas, supplied largely by human activities (about 70%). A heavy, colorless gas.
It is the main gas exhaled by aerobic organisms during respiration and respired by plants during
photosynthesis. Current trends show that 𝐶𝑂2 discharges have been on the rise since the 1800s.
Volcanoes release large quantities of trapped 𝐶𝑂2 and water vapor during eruptions. See Carbon
Storage.

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 Methane (𝐶𝐻4 )
- A colorless, odorless, and flammable gas (a hydrocarbon) released during organic decay as well as
in coal formation. Commonly found in oil and coal deposits, it is a by-product of the production,
transportation, and use of natural gas.
 Nitrous Oxide (𝑁2 𝑂)
- A colorless gas which primarily causes smog (a yellow-brown haze) along with other nitrogen oxides
(𝑁𝑂𝑋 ), which doesn’t break down quickly. Aside from burning fossil fuels, lightning and soil sources
produce these during nitrification.
 Ozone (𝑂3 )
- The natural layer of trioxygen gas, located nine (9) to 30 miles up in the atmosphere, protects organic
life from ultraviolet (UV) radiation. It bonds easily with CFCs and nitrogen oxides, reducing the supply.
It is because ozone is less stable than the oxygen diatom (𝑂2 ).
 Chlorofluorocarbon (CFCs)
- A man-made compound, composed only of chlorine, carbon, and fluorine chains that is designed as
refrigerants and as air-conditioning. Also known as Freon, it is phased out as per the Montreal Protocol.
 Hydrofluorocarbon (including HCFCs and HFCs)
- An organic compound, composed of hydrogen and fluorocarbon chains, replaced CFCs as refrigerants
and air-conditioning. Does not harm the ozone layer, but contributes to global warming. Due to global
warming, HFCs are phased out as per the Montreal Protocol.

Other Processes
 NITRIFICATION – conversion of ammonia into nitrate
𝑁𝐻3 + 2𝑂2 → 𝑁𝑂3− + 𝐻3 𝑂+
 NITROGEN FIXATION – conversion of nitrogen gas into nitrogen compounds
𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑟𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑙
𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑟𝑔𝑦
𝑁2 + 𝑂2 → 2𝑁𝑂
2𝑁𝑂 + 𝑂2 → 2𝑁𝑂2
2𝑁𝑂2 + 𝐻2 𝑂 → 𝐻𝑁𝑂2 + 𝐻𝑁𝑂3
 OZONE FORMATION
𝑈𝑉 < 240 𝑛𝑚
𝑂2 → 𝑂+𝑂
𝑂 + 𝑂2 + 𝑀 → 𝑂3 + 𝑀
where 𝑀 = any inert substance in the atmosphere that absorbs any excess energy produced in this
reaction
During UV absorption (UV wavelength must be between 200 and 300 nm),
𝑈𝑉
𝑂3 → 𝑂2 + 𝑂
 ENVIRONMENTAL P H
𝑝𝐻 = − log (𝐻 + )
 CARBONIC ACID FORMATION
𝐶𝑂2 + 𝐻2 𝑂 → 𝐻2 𝐶𝑂3
 DISSOLUTION – chemical wear of an acid to a surface within a long time period
e.g. 𝐶𝑎𝐶𝑂3 + 𝐻2 𝑆𝑂4 → 𝐶𝑎𝑆𝑂4 + 𝐻2 𝑂 + 𝐶𝑂2
 CARBON STORAGE
Carbon Storage Quantity (in billion metric tons)
580 (1700s)
Atmosphere
800 (2000s)
Organic (soil) 1500 - 1600
Ocean 38,000 – 40,000

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Ocean sediments
and sedimentary 66,000,000 – 100,000,000
rocks
Land plants 540 - 610
Fossil fuels 4000

REFERENCES
Chang, R., & Goldsby, K. A. (2016). Chemistry (12th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.
Health Physics Society (n.d.). What is radioactive contamination?. Lifted and modified from
http://hps.org/publicinformation/ate/faqs/radcontamination.html
Mirion Technologies (n.d.). Radiation vs. contamination. Lifted and modified from
https://www.mirion.com/introduction-to-radiation-safety/radiation-vs-contamination/
South Dakota Department of Environment & Natural Resources (n.d.). Definitions. Lifted and modified from
https://denr.sd.gov/des/dw/Definitions.aspx
Types of pollutants (2010). Lifted and modified from http://sarahmanzoor.50webs.com/pollutants.html
United States Environmental Protection Agency (n.d.). What is acid rain? Lifted and modified from
https://www.epa.gov/acidrain/what-acid-rain
Williams, L. D. (2011). Chemistry DeMYSTiFied (2nd ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.

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