This course provides students with basic knowledge of aspects of chemistry and biology relevant to water and waste treatment, pollution, renewable energy and material degradation, so that they can progress to innovative environmental engineering design in later years of the degree programme. The group project also familiarise students with communication to non-scientists and is centered around the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals (or when appropriate a topical relevant global challenge).

Three lectures per week

4 x1 hour tutorials

Some classes will be delivered as a reversed classroom.

None

None

70% Written Exam

20% Report

10% Written Assignment

The aim of this course is to introduce environmental chemistry and biology. This sets the foundations for courses on engineering water and soil for clean up, remediation and delivery of water for all.

By the end of the course students will be able to: ·

■ Understand the energy involved in chemical reactions

■ describe chemical thermodynamic equilibrium;

■ describe the kinetics of a reaction

■ derive oxidation-reduction reactions and calculate the Free Energy associated with them;

■ Explain what pH is and calculate its value in simple chemical systems

■ describe how micro-organisms gain energy for growth;

■ calculate growth rate of microorganisms

■ understand the challenges of science communication

Students must attend the degree examination and submit at least 75% by weight of the other components of the course's summative assessment.

Students must attend the timetabled laboratory classes.

Students should attend at least 75% of the timetabled classes of the course.

Note that these are minimum requirements: good students will achieve far higher participation/submission rates.  Any student who misses an assessment or a significant number of classes because of illness or other good cause should report this by completing a MyCampus absence report.