Environment, Chemistry and Sustainable Development

Author: Xu Qun
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-08-01
Features: This book is suitable for senior undergraduate and graduate students in chemistry and chemical engineering at universities, as well as environmental chemists and social science professionals. It can also serve as a reference for education in science, engineering, agriculture, and medicine. The book discusses environmental science by dividing it into several aspects: research on soil, air, water, and biological environments, as well as the impact of technology. Chapter 1 provides a general explanation of environmental science, offering a comprehensive overview of the relationship between environmental science, technology, and chemistry. Chapter 2 introduces the impact of human activities such as housing, transportation, communication, agriculture, and manufacturing on human health and the surrounding environment. It summarizes the role of the human activity circle on the Earth and the entire environment and introduces the basic concepts of industrial ecology. Chapter 3 covers the atmosphere and atmospheric chemistry, discussing the composition, physical properties, energy and material transfer, and chemical reactions in the atmosphere. Chapter 4 explains the impact of human activities on the atmosphere, analyzing the causes and hazards of greenhouse gases, global warming, acid rain, ozone layer depletion, photochemical smog, and nuclear winter, while reflecting and proposing corresponding countermeasures. Chapter 5 discusses water pollution and water treatment, introducing various natural and human-made water pollutants (trace elements, radioactive elements, metals, inorganic substances, organic pollutants, and pesticides) and their destructive effects on water quality. It elaborates on the purification, treatment, and recycling technologies for natural water, urban water, and industrial water. Chapter 6 covers soil environmental chemistry, including soil and agriculture, the nature and composition of soil, etc. Chapter 7 introduces industrial ecology and its implementation, aiming to improve environmental quality while reducing the consumption of non-renewable resources and energy. Chapter 8 discusses waste minimization and explores methods for handling unavoidable waste. In the final two chapters, environmental protection measures in foreign countries and related sustainable development content are introduced.