Strategies and Technologies for Reducing Atmospheric Pollution

This course is part of the programme
Master’s study programme Environment (second cycle)

Objectives and competences

The main goal is to acquaint the students with the most important sources of air pollution, legislation, and the methods of air pollution control in case of point and other emission sources. The actual problems of air pollution in Slovenia, Europe and the USA shall contribute to the better understanding of the problems and solutions of atmospheric pollution.

Prerequisites

Prerequisite knowledge of general chemistry.

Content

• Characteristics, sources and impacts of atmospheric pollutants
• Legislation pertaining to the strategy for reducing point source pollution
• Legislation pertaining to the strategy for reducing mobile source pollution and a sample strategy of air pollution control in Slovenia
• Fields of environmental protection
• Meteorology of atmospheric pollution and air pollution control

Intended learning outcomes

Knowledge and understanding:
Students understand and can explain basic concepts of (i) characteristics of air pollutants, (ii) standards (they get knowledge about ambient air quality standards and emission standards), (iii) air pollution sources, (iv) effects of various air pollutants, (v) air pollution measurements
(they are acquainted with ambient sampling, source sampling, sample location, gas flow rate, relative humidity, determination of size distribution) (vi) air quality managements (they are inducted into the recent focus, ozone air toxics, green house gasses reduction and industrial ecology approches, environmental laws), (vii) control (they understand about the ways in which emissions diffuse and become diluted in the atmosphere and the methods for controling air pollution emissions).
Through the seminar work students learn to present one of the issues from the topics outlined above and discuss it with other students.

Assessment

• Seminar paper (30 %) • Written examination (60 %) • Oral examination (10 %)

Lecturer's references

Associate professor in the field of physics of the atmosphere at Univeristy of Nova Gorica.

  • DRINOVEC, Luka, MOČNIK, Griša, ZOTTER, P., PREVOT, A. S. H., RUCKSTUHL, C., COZ, E., RUPAKHETI, M., SCIARE, Jean, MÜLLER, T., WIEDENSOHLER, A., HANSEN, Anthony D. A. The "dual-spot" Aethalometer : an improved measurement of aerosol black carbon with real-time loading compensation. Atmospheric measurement techniques, ISSN 1867-1381, 2015, no. 8, str. 1965-1979, ilustr., doi: 10.5194/amt-8-1965-2015.

  • ZOTTER, P., HERICH, Hanna, GYSEL, Martin, EL-HADDAD, Imad, ZHANG, Yanling, MOČNIK, Griša, HÜGLIN, Christoph, BALTENSPERGER, Urs, SZIDAT, Sönke, PREVOT, Andre S. H. Evaluation of the absorption Ångström exponents for traffic and wood burning in the Aethalometer based source apportionment using radiocarbon measurements of ambient aerosol. Atmospheric chemistry and physics, ISSN 1680-7316, 2017, vol. 17, no. 6, str. 4229-4249, doi: 10.5194/acp-2016-621.

  • PLATT, Stephen M., JEŽEK, Irena, DRINOVEC, Luka, MOČNIK, Griša, et al. Secondary organic aerosol formation from gasoline vehicle emissions in a new mobile environmental reaction chamber. Atmospheric chemistry and physics, ISSN 1680-7316, 2013, vol. 13, no. 18, str. 9141-9158, doi: 10.5194/acp-13-9141-2013.

  • INVERNIZZI, Giovanni, RUPRECHT, Ario, MAZZA, Roberto, DE MARCO, Cinzia, MOČNIK, Griša, SIOUTAS, Constantinos, WESTERDAHL, Dane. Measurement of black carbon concentration as an indicator of air quality benefits of traffic restriction policies within the ecopass zone in Milan, Italy. Atmospheric environment, ISSN 1352-2310. [Print ed.], 2011, vol. 45, issue 21, str. 3522-3527, doi: 10.1016/j.atmosenv.2011.04.008.

  • OGRIN, Matej (avtor, fotograf), VINTAR MALLY, Katja, PLANINŠEK, Anton, GREGORIČ, Asta, DRINOVEC, Luka, MOČNIK, Griša, OGRIN, Darko (urednik). Nitrogen dioxide and black carbon concentrations in Ljubljana, (GeograFF, 18). 1st ed. Ljubljana: Znanstvena založba Filozofske fakultete, 2016. 118 str., ilustr. ISBN 978-961-237-816-5.