Environmental Chemistry Group

The Environmental Chemistry Group (ECG) covers all aspects of chemical behaviour in the environment. The interests of the group include chemical species in water, soil, rock and atmospheric environments, exploring their sources, reactions, transport and fates, and in particular their effects upon each of these environments.  Chemicals may be of natural, anthropogenic, biogenic or geochemical origin.

The group aims to promote the interests and expertise of its members, to facilitate scientific discussion relating to environmental chemistry, and to provide expert advice both within the RSC and externally.  The group is affiliated to the RSC’s Environment, Sustainability and Energy Forum (ESEF), and we are actively involved with the sub-group that oversees RSC's membership of the UK Chemical Stakeholder Forum, a Defra body (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) that advises Ministers.

Our regular activities include publication of the biannual ECG Bulletin, which is provided to all members, and the annual Distinguished Guest Lecture (DGL) & Symposium, at which a number of invited speakers address a specific topic for a general audience, in support of the DGL award to an eminent figure in the field.  Recent DGL topics include The Future of Water, The Science of Carbon Trading, Environmental Chemistry in the Polar Regions, and in 2010, King Coal: future prospects for growth, use and clean technologies.  The group also organises meetings of more specialist interest, such as a Contaminated Land event and the Atmospheric Chemistry Forum for early career researchers.

For more information on the activities of the Environmental Chemistry Group, please see the links on the left of this page. For general enquiries, please contact the Honorary Secretary of the ECG, Jo Barnes using the details on this page.