Research Area: Environmental Chemistry

 
Unit I: Introduction to the Environment
Definition, scope and importance, need for public awareness, institutions of the environment,
people in the environment, sustainable utilization and development, productive, aesthetic, option
and recreation values, biogeographical classification of India, Relationship between human and
the environment, Water & Waste water control, Industrial and Hazardous waste, Air pollution
Global environmental change, Introduction to water resources, sources of pollution, chemical
pollutants, biological pollutants, pollution in rivers, lakes and ocean shores, control of pollutions,
primary and secondary treatments, sewage treatment.
 
Unit II: Environmental Chemistry
Solutions, equilibria, activity and activity coefficient, redox potential, binary mixtures, ternary
mixtures, chemical kinetics, adsorption, vapor pressure, electro chemistry, thermodynamics,
color reactions, conductivity, turbidity, colorimetric spectroscopic analyses, titration,
colorimetric and gravimetric analyses, principles of spectroscopy (UV-Vis., IR, AAS, flame
photometer) and chromatography (TLC, GC, and HPLC), Inorganic pollutants: Major cations
and anions, trace toxic metal ions, Organic pollutants: Normal hydrocarbons, polynuclear
aromatic hydrocarbons, biphenyls, phenols, dyes, pesticides, plasticizers, perfumes and drug
residues, Nuclear pollutants: Characteristics of alpha, beta and gama radiations, their sources,
radioactive wastes, nuclear reactors in India.
 
Unit III: Water and Waste Water Analyses 
Method of determination, interpretation and application of color data, Measurement of
pH, Sources and nature of acidity, Significance of CO2 and mineral acidity, Method of
measurement and application of acidity data, Method of determining and expressing
of alkalinity, Carbon dioxide, Alkalinity, pH relationship in natural water, Application of
alkalinity data, Causes and sources of Hardness, Public health significance, Methods
of determination, types of hardness, Biological oxygen demand, Rate of biochemical oxidation,
Discrepancy between L0 and theoretical demand Value, Application of BOD data, Chemical
Oxygen Demand, COD test, COD determination, inorganic interferences, application of COD
data, Elemental analysis (anions, cations and trace metals).
 
 
Unit III: Water Treatment by Adsorption Technique
 
Introduction, Adsorbates and adsorbents, Mono-layer and multilayer adsorption, Adsorption
isotherms (Langmuir, BET and Freundlich isotherm), Correlation analysis and prediction of
adsorption equilibria, Kinetics of adsorptions, Adsorption separation processes, Applications of
adsorption.
 
Unit IV: Water Treatment by Electrochemical Methods
 
Classification of electrochemical methods, Potentiometric methods of Analysis, Electrode
systems, Direct potentiometric measurements, Potentiometric titrations, Null-point
potentiometry, Applications of potentiometry, Coulometry at constant potential, Coulometric
titrations, Quantitative applications of coulometric titrations, Polarography, Stripping
voltammetry and amperometric techniques, Diffusion currents, Half-wave potentials,
Characteristics of the DME, Quantitative Analysis, Modes of operation used in polarography,
Dissolved oxygen electrode and biochemical enzyme sensors, Amperometric titrations,
Applications of polarography and amperometric titrations, Conductometric titrations, Ionic
conductance.