2023-2024 / SCER0010-1

Atmospheric pollution - monitoring and fate

Duration

32h Th, 16h Ex.

Number of credits

 Executive Master in Sciences and Management of the Environment (certificate organised abroad)10 crédits 

Lecturer

Angélique Léonard, Nguyen Thi Lan Binh, Anne-Claude Romain

Coordinator

Anne-Claude Romain

Language(s) of instruction

English language

Organisation and examination

All year long

Schedule

Schedule online

Units courses prerequisite and corequisite

Prerequisite or corequisite units are presented within each program

Learning unit contents

Partim A. Léonard
This course deals with the atmospheric pollution in a wide way by approaching at the same time aspects connected to the production of pollutants, to the prevention of their emission (primary methods) or to the treatment of the pollution (secondary methods). The techniques of flue gases cleaning are presented for large installations of combustion as well as for vehicles.
The end of the course bends over the advanced technologies of electricity production from gasification of biomass or coal.
Main studied pollutants: carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, sulphur oxides, oxidized organic compounds, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, soots and ashes.
Primary methods: modification of the energy mix, reduction of the quantity of consumed primary energy, fuel cleaning, optimization of the operating conditions , ...
Secondary methods: flue gas cleaning (desulfurization, denitrification, dust removal, CO2 capture, two-way and three-way catalytic converter).
Partim B. A-C Romain
The first part presents atmospheric pollution -composition, structure and chemistry of atmosphere -main pollutants, their origin and their impacts, associated vocabulary, regulation, measurement network in Belgium, standards The second part presents major measurement techniques of gaseous pollutants -operating principle (chemical sensors, spectroscopy, detectors) -instrument selection according to different criteria

Learning outcomes of the learning unit

Partim. A Léonard
At the end of the course, the student will be able
1) to show his understanding of the theoretical concepts seen in the course;
2) to realize the inventory of main pollutants of combustion, to explain their mechanisms of production, and to explain the allowing means and technologies either to prevent their emission, or to eliminate them from flue gases
3) to realize a calculation of flow and composition of flue gases during the combustion of a fossil fuel realized in excess of air including the determination of the required quantity of air as well as the check of the contents in sulphur and nitrogen oxides in comparison with the current regulation.
Partim B. A-C Romain
The student will be able to understand the operating procedure of instruments, to select the measurement technique in regards to the various variables of the problematic and to discuss the results in the context of environmental regulation

Prerequisite knowledge and skills

Bachelor degree including a course of basic chemistry. Notions of thermochemistry and of the kinetics of fossil fuel combustion are helpful.

Planned learning activities and teaching methods

Partim A
The course is based on 'video-conferences' lectures, one of them being devoted to the calculation of flue gas composition during combustion of fossil fuels.
Partim B
A visit of a laboratory followed by a seminar concerning the air pollution measurment in industrial stacks is organised.

Mode of delivery (face to face, distance learning, hybrid learning)

Face-to-face lectures
Videoconferences to Vietnam

Recommended or required readings

Partim A:
Slides used during the lectures are given by email.
Partim B : Lecture notes (ppt + documentation)

A written exam is organized in January and September.
Partim A (50% of the final score):
Partim B (50% of the final score)

Work placement(s)

Organisational remarks and main changes to the course

Organization to be defined with partners from HUI.

Contacts

Prof. Angélique LEONARD Dpt of Chemical Engineering PEPs - Products, Environment, Processes Quartier Agora Institut de Physique, B5a, Bureau 1/51 Tél. 04/366.44.36 A.Leonard@ulg.ac.be

Anne-Claude ROMAIN Département des Sciences et Gestion de l'Environnement Université de Liège-Campus d'Arlon Avenue de Longwy, 185 B-6700 ARLON Belgium Tel: 32 (0) 63 23 08 59 Fax: 32 (0)63 23 08 00 acromain@ulg.ac.be

Association of one or more MOOCs