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Chapter 2
CHEMISTRY AND THE ANTHROSPHERE: ENVIRONMENTAL
CHEMISTRY AND GREEN CHEMISTRY

E4

Environmental Chemistry, 9th Edition

Stanley E. Manahan
Taylor and Francis/CRC Press
2010
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2.1 Environmental Chemistry
Environmental chemistry is the study of the sources,
reactions, transport, effects, and fates of chemical
species in the hydrosphere, the atmosphere, the
geosphere, and the anthrosphere and the effects of
human activities thereon
See Figure 2.1 (next slide) for an illustration of this
definition as exemplified by pollutant sulfur dioxide
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Major Categories of Environmental Chemistry
• Aquatic Chemistry deals with chemical phenomena in the
hydrosphere
• Biochemical processes are particularly important
• Atmospheric chemistry deals with chemical processes in the
atmosphere
• Many of these are photochemical
• Geochemistry and soil chemistry
• Toxicological chemistry
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2.2 Matter and Cycles of Matter

Biogeochemical cycles, often elemental cycles involving
• Carbon • Oxygen • Nitrogen • Sulfur • Phosphorus
•
Carbon Cycle 6
Nitrogen Cycle 7
The Oxygen Cycle (Chapter 9, Figure 9.11) 8
The Phosphorus Cycle 9
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The Sulfur Cycle
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2.3 The Anthrosphere and Environmental Chemistry
Anthrosphere : That part of the environment made or modified
by humans and used for their activities
Impact of humans
• Early impact was low, but not insignificant
• Impact in last 200 years has been enormous
• The anthropocene in which human activities predominate in
determining Earth’s environment
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The anthrosphere is categorized by the ways in which
humans do things and includes
• Dwellings
• Structures used for manufacturing, commerce, education, other
• Utilities such as water, fuel, electricity distribution systems
• Transportation systems such as railroads
• Components used for food production, processing, distribution
• Machines of all kinds
• Communications structures and devices
• Structures and machines used for extractive industries
• Mining • Petroleum production
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Fig. 2.7 Key Components of the Anthrosphere
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2.7 Effects of the Anthrosphere on Earth (Fig 2.8)
Figure 2.9 Evolution of anthrosphere to more 15
environmentally compatible state
Green Chemistry 16
Green chemistry is the sustainable, safe, and non-polluting
practice of chemical science and manufacturing in a
manner that consumes minimum amounts of materials and
energy while producing little or no waste material
Twelve principles of green chemistry
1. Prevent wastes
2. Use all materials
3. Avoid hazardous substances
4. Minimize toxicity
5. Minimize auxiliary substances
6. Minimize energy consumption
7. Use renewables
8. Minimize protecting groups
9. Maximize reagent selectivity
10. Degradability of products released
11. Monitor and carefully control processes
12. Avoid extremes
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Some Specific Aspects of Green Chemistry
1. Chemical transformations under mild conditions
2. Green catalysts
3. Solventless processes
4. Less dangerous, less polluting solvents
5. Use supercritical fluids (carbon dioxide)
6. Intensify processes, such as with small-volume reactors
7. Use electrons as mass-less reagents for oxidation and
reduction
8. Renewable feedstocks
9. Design for degradability of products released to the
environment
10. Use biodegradable polymers such as those synthesized
biochemically
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Three undesirable characteristics of chemicals
1. Those that are persistent
2. Those that undergo bioaccumulation
3. Those that are toxic
Persistence/bioaccumulation/toxicity characteristics of common
chemicals (PBT)
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency PBT Profiler on the
following website
http://www.epa.gov/oppt/sf/tools/pbtprofiler.htm
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Green Chemistry and Environmental Chemistry

Green chemistry’s goal of environmental protection can best be
accomplished by the implementation of green chemistry