EEM 602/602A Physicochemical Principles and Processes

Course syllabus and description

Meeting Times and Place: 8:00 - 8:50 am Mon, Fri, 9:00 - 9:50 am Tue
Instructor: Prof. Abhas Singh
Office Hour: By appointment

T 109

FB 306, Civil Eng, 512-259-7665, abhas@iitk.ac.in

Teaching Assistants: Saifi Izhar, saifiizhar5@gmail.com, 9005592235

Jeenu Thomas, jeenut@iitk.ac.in, 7376147212
Course Description: Pollutant mobility, toxicity, and amenability to treatment in the environment
depend on the physical and chemical reactions the pollutant undergoes in the environmental
systems. This course introduces fundamental principles and processes that govern the fate and
transport of these chemicals in pristine and polluted soil, surface, and groundwater environments.
The course examines the equilibrium and kinetics of chemical reactions relevant to environmental
systems. The reactions involve partitioning between phases and chemical transformations.
Partitioning reactions focus on gas-liquid, liquid-liquid, and liquid-solid partitioning of chemical
contaminants. Transformation reactions include hydrolysis, oxidation-reduction, and photolysis
reactions. For each reaction, the fundamental molecular interactions affecting the process are first
examined. The quantitative application of the reaction to environmental behaviour is then
presented.
Topics covered include acids and bases, mineral solubility, carbonate chemistry, chemical
speciation, redox reactions, adsorption and ion exchange, and the speciation, mobility, and toxicity
of metals. Furthermore, the theory and application of the physical and chemical processes of
coagulation, flocculation, sedimentation, softening, filtration, and disinfection in water and
wastewater treatment is presented. Principles that can be used in the analysis and modeling of
environmental engineering processes, including material and energy balances, mass transfer, and
reaction engineering are elucidated.
Course Objectives: After completing this course, students should be able to:

Quantitatively and qualitatively describe equilibrium and kinetics of chemical partitioning

and transformation processes.

Estimate chemical properties based on chemical structure.

Apply knowledge of chemical properties to the interpretation of chemical behaviour in an

environmental system.

Communicate an understanding of physicochemical principles in multiple formats.

Course Responsibilities: Course grades will be determined based on in-class practice problems,
quizzes, HW problem sets, term paper and midterm and final exams:
In-class problems and quizzes:
20-25%
HW Assignments
10%
Term Paper/ Project
15-20%
Exams:
50%
(20% mid-sem; 30% end-sem)
In-class Problems: Typically, 1-2 problems will be discussed on the central theme in every class.
After being told of the steps to do these problems, students will be expected to complete and turn in

these problems for evaluation. Out of the total such evaluations, the worst two scores will be
dropped and the rest of the scores would be considered towards final grade. The idea is to
encourage students to participate and attend classes. It is recommended to maintain a register to file
new or used pages used for solving problems.
5-6 announced/ surprise quizzes will be conducted. Scores of all, except the worst one,
will be considered for final grade.
Problem Sets: Four problem sets will be assigned during the semester, and students will have to
submit them for evaluation by a cut-off date. No late submissions would be acceptable. Late
homework will be accepted until three days after the due date, but the maximum credit would be
scaled down with a penalty of -20% per day (including weekends and holidays). Late homework
must be turned in to the instructor or TA in person unless other arrangements have been made. No
homework will be accepted on weekends and IITK holidays.
Exams: Two exams will be given. Although focused on the most recent material covered,
students will need to recall information from the pre-mid sem portion (~20%) to complete the end
sem successfully.
Term Paper/ Project: Students will prepare a term paper that critically reviews the
physicochemical principles of an environmentally-relevant process. Groups of 3-4 students will be
assigned by the instructor and will be asked to select a topic. The term paper will include
intergroup and intragroup peer evaluations. Details will be provided early in the sem.
Relevant Texts and Readings:
Environmental Engineering Science, 1st ed., Nazaroff, W.W. and Alvarez-Cohen, L.
(2004); reprinted (2011) John Wiley and Sons Inc.
Water Chemistry, 1st ed.; Benjamin, M. (2002); reprinted (2010) Waveland Pr Inc
Environmental Organic Chemistry, 2nd ed., Schwarzenbach, R.P., Gschwend, P.M. and
Imboden, D.M. (2003) Wiley-Interscience
Chemistry for Environmental Engineering and Science, 5th ed., Sawyer, C.N., McCarty
P.L. and Parkin, G.F. (2003) McGraw Hill.
Chemical Fate and Transport in the Environment, 2nd ed.; Hemond, H.F. and FechnerLevy, E.J. (2000) Academic Press, San Diego, California, USA
Additional reading will made available from time to time electronically or in class
Grading: Final grades will be determined by the instructor. There will be relative grading with
respect to peers as well as with respect to the previous years scores. Attendance and regularity
may be used to decide marginal cases between two grades.
Homework Policy: Students are encouraged to discuss the course material, both inside and
outside of the class and can work together on problem sets and in-class problems. However, each
student is expected to turn in his/her own work (verbatim solutions submitted by two or more
students are not acceptable, will get zero credit and face possible disciplinary action)
Exam Policy: Please do not miss an exam. If you miss an exam and provide me with an
acceptable written excuse, I may choose to schedule an oral or written make-up exam or assign
50% of your grade to the other exam.
Academic Integrity: All students are expected to adhere to high standards of academic integrity
of IIT Kanpur. If you have any doubts or questions about the policies, please ask the instructor.