SubjectsSubjects(version: 978)
Course, academic year 2025/2026
  
Geochemistry - B240008
Title: Chemie geosféry
Guaranteed by: Department of Environmental Chemistry (240)
Faculty: Faculty of Environmental Technology
Actual: from 2022
Semester: winter
Points: winter s.:4
E-Credits: winter s.:4
Examination process: winter s.:
Hours per week, examination: winter s.:2/1, C+Ex [HT]
Capacity: unlimited / unlimited (unknown)
Min. number of students: unlimited
Qualifications:  
State of the course: taught
Language: Czech
Teaching methods: full-time
Level:  
Guarantor: Kroužek Jiří Ing. Ph.D.
Is interchangeable with: AB240008
Examination dates   Schedule   
This subject contains the following additional online materials
Annotation -
This course brings the theoretical basis of geochemistry and related branches with focus on environmental chemistry. Students will learn about the chemical description of the pedosphere, its biology and the physical characterization of the soil environment that affects its chemistry. Students will also get acquainted with the main physico-chemical and chemical processes which takes place in the pedosphere including the basic natural geochemical cycles of the most important elements, as well as the anthropogenic soil degradation processes. The course will cover basic aspects of geology and geography. This course will help students to better understand the applied environmental engineering focused on the soil environment. These skills are further developed in the follow-up master's study towards practice.
Last update: Martinec Marek (25.01.2018)
Course completion requirements -

The condition for completing the course and being admitted to the exam is the preparation and presentation of critical overview on a chosen topic.

Last update: Kroužek Jiří (28.08.2025)
Literature -

Recommended:

  • White, William M.. Geochemistry. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, 2013, s. ISBN 978-1-119-43805-2.
  • Fetter, C. W.. Applied hydrogeology. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Prentice Hall, 2001, s. ISBN 1-4786-3709-9.
  • Ryan, Peter Crowley. Environmental and low temperature geochemistry. : John Wiley & Sons, 2014, https://vufind.techlib.cz/Record/001877501 s. ISBN 9781119568582.
  • Hillel, Daniel, Rosenzweig, Cynthia, Baker, Ralph S., Warrick, Arthur W.. Environmental soil physics. : Academic Press, 1998, https://vufind.techlib.cz/Record/000976517 s. ISBN 0-12-348525-8.

Last update: prepocet_literatura.php (19.12.2024)
Requirements to the exam -

Credit will be awarded on the basis of a test with calculations of several examples.

The examination consists of a written and an oral part. The written part is based on a test with 40 questions, each with one correct answer. The maximum number of points is 100. Grading: 100 - 90 points - A, 89 - 80 points - B, 79 - 70 points - C, 69 - 60 points - D, 59 - 50 points - E, less than 50 - F. The oral part can be taken after obtaining at least 50 points in the written part. The oral part takes the form of a dialogue with the teachers. The overall assessment of the subject is the average of the test and the oral part of the examination.

Last update: Kroužek Jiří (28.08.2025)
Syllabus -

1. Fundamentals of geology – composition of the Earth, structural geology, endogenous and exogenous geological processes, geological structure of the Czech Republic

2. Fundamentals of geography – geographical and astronomical coordinates, calculations on a sphere, GPS and coordinate systems, geological maps

3. Pedosphere – soil, soil-forming factors, conditions and processes, soil profile and classification, soil regimes

4. Soil mineralogy – crystalline structure, crystal chemistry, mineralogy, soil minerals, rocks, soil analysis

5. Physical properties of soil – soil grain size, soil structure, soil porosity, colloidal system, thermal conditions in soil, soil erosion

6. Organic component of soil – soil organic matter, its components, interaction with minerals, transformation and analysis, issues of organic matter degradation

7. Soil biota - organisms and biological activity in soil, decomposition processes

8. Chemical and phase equilibria in soil - thermodynamics, kinetics, equilibrium constant, soil solution, phase transformations, redox and complexation reactions

9. Adsorption and ion exchange – characteristics, mechanisms, isotherms, soil sorption complex, adsorption of contaminants

10. Geochemical processes – cycles and geochemistry of C, N, S, P, and metals, transformation processes of their compounds in soil, soil acidification, and other degradation processes

11. Soil pollution – classification of contaminants, heavy metals, inorganic contaminants, organic pollutants, micropollutants

12. Fundamentals of hydrogeology – flow in saturated and unsaturated zones, types of groundwater collectors, Darcy's law, heat in soil, atmogeochemistry

13. Fate of contaminants in soil – sources of contamination, transport processes, decontamination technologies

14. Environmental threats to soil – climate change, carbon sequestration, application of fertilizers, pesticides, sludge or biochar in agriculture, metallurgical or mining waste, PCP and PFAS pollution, groundwater sources

Last update: Kroužek Jiří (28.08.2025)
Learning outcomes -

After completing the course, students will be able to

• Describe the formation of common rocks and soils, identify their basic characteristics, and analyze their relationship to engineering-relevant properties and processes.

• Identify key physical, chemical, and biological properties of soil, such as texture, structure, composition, cation exchange capacity, biochemical activity, or pH, describe measurement principles, and interpret data for various applications

• Explain the principles of basic physicochemical processes in soil, such as adsorption, ion exchange, precipitation, or redox reactions, determine their significance for individual substances present in soil, and compare the geochemical behavior of these substances in different types of environments.

• Calculate the equilibrium distribution of soil components between phases and speciations in a specific system, interpret basic geochemical data, such as pe-pH diagrams, etc., and analyze key factors affecting the equilibrium of the system

• Describe the main geochemical cycles of key elements, clarify the role of individual environmental components, including soil biota, and assess the extent of their anthropogenic influence.

• Formulate the principles of groundwater flow, work with key hydrogeological concepts such as aquifers, hydraulic head, and groundwater level, and calculate the basic characteristics of groundwater flow.

• Characterize the main processes that influence the transport of contaminants in the subsurface and analyze geochemical data from contaminated sites to identify possible sources and main transport pathways and mechanisms of pollution.

• Explain the geochemical mechanisms of common environmental threats to soil quality, such as erosion, acidification, salinization, or contamination from various sources, and propose and compare possible remediation solutions.

Last update: Kroužek Jiří (29.08.2025)
Registration requirements -

General and Inorganic Chemistry I

Physical Chemistry I

Recommended: Environmental Chemistry or Environmental Engineering, Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry

Last update: Martinec Marek (25.01.2018)
Teaching methods
Activity Credits Hours
Účast na přednáškách 1 28
Práce na individuálním projektu 0.5 14
Příprava na zkoušku a její absolvování 2 56
Účast na seminářích 0.5 14
4 / 4 112 / 112
 
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