Remediation of Contaminated Soils

Catalog description

Basic principles and technical aspects of remediation of contaminated soils. SOILS 420 Remediation of Contaminated Soils (3) Remediation of contaminated soils is an introduction to the basic principles and techniques of remediation. Upon completion of this course, students will be able to determine what type of remediation technology needs to be used in real-world conditions depending upon the chemical nature and extent of contamination and learn about protocols for soil sampling and leach testing. They will learn about regulatory background and many different types of wastes that will be encountered in contaminated soils. Students gain knowledge of various cationic and anionic species of metal contaminants and how best to fix these using chemical fixation and solidification technique, which is an established remediation technology. In addition, they will learn about other established technologies such as on-site and off-site incineration and innovative technologies such as bioremediation, phytoremediation, vacuum extraction, thermal desorption, soil washing, solvent extraction, ex-situ supercritical oxidation, in-situ vitrification etc. They will be able to determine which technology is cost-effective for a particular contaminated soil. Students are evaluated through written testing of their understanding of basic remediation concepts and an oral presentation about a novel remediation technology through literature search. Soils 420 has no laboratory component.