Air pollution

Summary

A survey course describing the origins of air pollution and climate change

Content

Keywords

Atmospheric chemistry, meteorology, emissions, air quality, air pollution, aerosols, data analysis

Learning Prerequisites

Recommended courses

Physics and Chemistry of the Atmosphere (ENV-320) or equivalent

Important concepts to start the course

• Differential, integral, and vector calculus
• Linear algebra
• Chemistry (reaction rates, chemical thermodynamics)
• Programming concepts

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the course, the student must be able to:

• Identify compounds recognized as pollutants and regulated in various countries
• Categorize emission or production sources and removal mechanisms of various pollutants.
• Compare methods and practical issues concerning measurement of gas, particles, and meteorological variables.
• Describe challenges in modeling atmospheric phenomena.
• Explain the dependence of air quality on emissions, meteorology, and atmospheric chemistry.
• Assess / Evaluate the impacts of human activity on air pollution.
• Describe potential mitigation strategies as possible solutions to air pollution problems.
• Interpret atmospheric observations
• Assess / Evaluate the contribution of primary and secondary sources to observed pollution levels

Transversal skills

• Access and evaluate appropriate sources of information.
• Plan and carry out activities in a way which makes optimal use of available time and other resources.
• Assess one's own level of skill acquisition, and plan their on-going learning goals.

Teaching methods

Lectures and assignments (quantitative and programming)

Expected student activities

Lecture attendance, assignments

Assessment methods

40% assignments, 60% final exam

Resources

Bibliography

Atkins, Peter, and Julio de Paula. Physical Chemistry. W. H. Freeman, 2006.

Cooper, C. David, and F. C. Alley. Air Pollution Control: A Design Approach. Waveland Press, Inc, 2011.

Denbigh, Kenneth George. The Principles of Chemical Equilibrium: With Applications in Chemistry and Chemical Engineering. Cambridge University Press, 1981.

Finlayson-Pitts, Barbara J., and James N. Pitts Jr. Chemistry of the Upper and Lower Atmosphere: Theory, Experiments, and Applications. Academic Press, 1999.

Flagan, R. C and Seinfeld, J. H. Fundamentals of Air Pollution Engineering, Prentice Hall, Inc., New Jersey, 1988. http://authors.library.caltech.edu/25069/

Friedlander, Sheldon Kay. Smoke, Dust, and Haze: Fundamentals of Aerosol Dynamics. Oxford University Press, 2000.

Hinds, William C. Aerosol Technology: Properties, Behavior, and Measurement of Airborne Particles. Wiley, 1999.

Jacob, Daniel. Introduction to Atmospheric Chemistry. Princeton University Press, 1999. http://acmg.seas.harvard.edu/people/faculty/djj/book/

Kulkarni, Pramod, Paul A. Baron, and Klaus Willeke. Aerosol Measurement: Principles, Techniques, and Applications. John Wiley & Sons, 2011.

Prausnitz, John M., Rudiger N. Lichtenthaler, and Edmundo Gomes de Azevedo. Molecular Thermodynamics of Fluid-Phase Equilibria. Pearson Education, 1998.

Seinfeld, J. H. & Pandis, S. N. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics: From Air Pollution to Climate Change. John Wiley & Sons, New York, 2006.

Wark, Kenneth, Cecil Francis Warner, and Wayne T. Davis. Air Pollution: Its Origin and Control. Addison-Wesley, 3rd ed., 1998.

Ressources en bibliothèque

• Atkins. Physical Chemistry
• Cooper. Air Pollution Control
• Denbigh. The Principles of Chemical Equilibrium
• Finlayson-Pitts. Chemistry of the Upper and Lower Atmosphere
• Flagan. Fundamentals of Air Pollution Engineering
• Wark. Air Pollution
• Jacob. Introduction to Atmospheric Chemistry
• Kulkarni. Aerosol Measurement
• Prausnitz. Molecular Thermodynamics of Fluid-Phase Equilibria
• Friedlander. Smoke, Dust, and Haze
• Seinfeld. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics
• Hinds. Aerosol Technology, 3rd ed.

Moodle Link

• https://go.epfl.ch/ENV-409