Material Cycle in

the Environment
Advanced Chemistry
Wednesday 17 April 2013
Aim of class:
Understanding the concept of
biogeochemical cycle in the environment
and the impact towards civil engineering
What does it consist of?
Define compartments




Define Environment
What does it consist of?





How does it work?
How does it regulate itself?
Define Environment
What happens to
anything in the
environment?
Interaction in the environment:
Every material is involved in a cycle inside the different compartments
Interaction in the environment


Abiotic Compartments:
Atmosphere
Hydrosphere
Lithosphere/Geospher
e
Interaction in the environment


Biotic Compartments:
Anthrosphere
Ecosphere
Something is then exchanged within
the different compartments

Every material is involved in a cycle inside the different
compartments

What kind of material? (hint: chemistry class)



What is exchanged?
Abiotic Elements:
Crustal Abundance
Source: CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics
Biotic Elements:
Human body abundance
Source: Wikiipedia
Exchange of biotic-relevant
element throughtout all the
compartments
Material cycle in the
environment
What do they
have in
common?

Destruction due
to acidity (H+)

Sulfur cycle in the
environment
Sulfur vs Acidity
Impact of sulfur for
buildings
SO2 + OH HSO3
HSO3 + O2 SO3 + HO2
SO3 + H2O H2SO4

or direct transformation to sulfate ions
SO2 + O2 (dissolved) + H2O2 H+ + SO42-
Impact of sulfate Impact of acidity
Sulfur vs Acidity
Impact of sulfate
CaCO3+ H2O Ca2+ +
CO32- Ca2+ + SO42- CaSO4
(more soluble)
CaCO3 solubility 0,0013 g/100 ml
CaSO4 solubility 0,21 g/100 ml


Formation of ettringite
SO
4
2-
+ Ca(OH)
2
CaSO
4
.2H
2
O
(Gypsum) + 2OH
-


C
3
A + H
2
O + CaSO
4
.2H
2
O
C
6
AS
3
H
32
(Ettringite)


Ettringite causes microcracks and
gives access of other pollutants and
oxygen to reinforcement steel
2Fe
(s)
+ O
2(g)
+ 2H
2
O
(l)
2Fe
2+
+ 4OH
-
(aq)
4Fe
2+
+ O
2
+ (4+n) H
2
O 2Fe
2
O
3
.nH
2
O + 8H
+



Sulfur vs Acidity
Impact of acidity
CaCO3+ H2O Ca2+ +
CO32- Ca2+ + SO42- CaSO4
(more soluble)
CaCO3 solubility 0,0013 g/100 ml
CaSO4 solubility 0,21 g/100 ml


Destruction of Zinc Coating
Zn+H20 ZnOH +H+ + CO2 + H2O
ZnCO3 (insoluble)
in low pH ZnCO3 becomes soluble
exposing the iron underneath

Destruction due to acidity (H+)
Higher availability of Al and other metals

The end