Environmental Chemistry

Looking at the topic “Environmental chemistry,” you might be thinking about the connection between the two. Well, there are a lot of links. Earth is made up of multiple minute particles and substances involved in a reaction that leads to new ones. Therefore, the earth is termed a closed system whereas, the energy enters and leaves the planet. Different elements present on the earth are recycled regularly within the atmosphere. 

Imagine that an oxygen molecule in the environment at one point might be somewhere else the next very moment. Researchers and scientists are responsible for studying these cycles. 

What is Environmental Chemistry?

Environmental chemistry is the study of several chemical processes in water, air, and the living environment. Also, human activities drastically affect the environment. Primarily, chemistry majorly deals with the study of sources, reactions, effects, transport, and the chemical species fate present in water, soil, and environment. In simple terms, environmental chemistry can be described as the scientific study of chemical phenomena and biochemicals in natural places. It is a study of soil, air, and water. 

Several techniques of fields like genetics, biology, maths, engineering, toxicology, hydrology, etc., are used to find reliable answers to ever-evolving questions regarding environmental chemistry and the environment. Environmental chemistry also holds multiple aspects of physical chemistry, analytical chemistry, inorganic and organic chemistry, and more diverse areas, including public health, epidemiology, biology, biochemistry, and toxicology. Environmental researchers and chemists are mainly responsible for finding out how the unpolluted environment occurs. 

Applications of Environmental Chemistry  

Here are the applications of environmental chemistry. Let’s have a look- 

• Environmental chemistry includes studying several emerging risk factors related to chemicals in-depth to get reliable solutions to protect the environment in the future. 

• Environmental chemistry is primarily applied for studying multiple new products and the effects they leave on the environment. 

• Environmental chemistry is used in the protection method and using groundwater which might be polluted because of dust, waste particles, and soil. 

• It is required to protect the surface water with the help of processes such as bacteriological, radiation, and sedimentation. 

• The soil quality is protected by environmental chemical methods, including the use of indicators such as chemicals and ecotoxicological. 

• Impervious surfaces in the cities such as rooftops, roads, and parking lots are prone to building up unwanted pollutants, including gasoline, nutrients, motor oil, sediment (soil), metals, and hydrocarbon compounds. 

• It is widely applied in the cleaner production and management of waste. 

What is contamination? 

When some unwanted chemical particles or substances are present in the atmosphere, it is known as contamination. Moreover, environmental chemistry primarily deals with the study of unwanted substances and their respective effects on the overall environment. Here are some significant contaminants of the environment. These are as follows- 

• Small contaminants – They are metal particles that are measured or controlled easily. Through the process of fatigue, silting, and abrasion, these metal particles can be measured appropriately.  

• Chemical Contaminants – The chemical contaminants are the pollutants that appear because of chemical reactions. They contaminate soil and water, including fluoride, arsenic, nitrate, iron, manganese atoms, etc.

• Gaseous contamination – As gaseous pollution increases in the atmosphere, gaseous contamination takes place. It occurs due to several components, including chlorine, bromine, sulphur, etc.

• Microbial contamination – Microbial contamination is dangerous contamination as it directly affects the environment and the entire living system. It takes place due to several microbes. These include mould, fungi, yeast, bacteria, virus, toxins, by-products, and protozoa. 

Environmental chemistry key facts 

Aluminium can be recycled continuously forever. Imagine recycling one aluminium can save energy to the extent that it can constantly run a TV for three hours. Humans use 80 trillion aluminium cans every year—generally, the chemical industry associates with the polluted waste fluxes. 

However, several other sources of water chemical pollution are readily present. These include power plants, transport, agriculture, and household chemicals such as detergents! The waste of chemical industry streams is now treated and controlled strictly before entering the environment. 

Chemical weathering can be defined as the degradation or the chemical transformation that generally takes place if the chemical is released into the environment. When talking about air, weathering occurs because of a combination of processes that usually results in air concentration of pollutants reduction. 

Several long-term problems occur due to Chemical water contamination. However, certain consequences such as chemical emissions on air are mostly short-term, but these can be harmful. 

Conclusion 

Environmental Chemistry is one of the most crucial topics of chemistry class 11th syllabus. This topic mostly talks about environmental chemistry that might sound a little intimidating. However, it’s an exciting topic. Today, in this article, we discussed the definition of Environmental Chemistry along with the applications of Environmental Chemistry. 

Apart from this, we briefly discussed contamination, what it is, and several types of contamination. Lately, we mentioned some of the critical facts about Environmental Chemistry that are important to remember. We hope this study material on Environmental Chemistry must have helped you understand this concept clearly.