ESC 423 - Fundamentals of Remediation

3 Credits

This course focuses on fundamental aspect of remediation and the use of cost-effective technologies for cleaning up hydrocarbon and metal contaminated soils and groundwaters.  The course applies the fundamental principles of fate and transport, retardation, and transformation to remediation technologies for soil such as: soil vapor extraction (SVE), chemical oxidation, thermal incineration, bioremediation, phytoremediation, and multiphase extraction, and for contaminated ground water: source control, ground water barriers and flow control, pump and treat method and In-situ treatment.

Rationale:
This is a required course for Environmental Conservation and Reclamation major of the Environmental Sciences Diploma program. The course is designed to provide a solid foundation in environmental management, an understanding of the application of underlying principles that dictate contaminant movement in the environment, and the use of various remediation technologies for clean-up of contaminants. The practical aspect applies methods of determining the appropriate remediation technologies, their effectiveness in various scenarios, design, and installation as well as the monitoring process.

Prerequisites: SC 200 , SC 336  
Corequisites: None

Course Learning Outcomes:
 

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to

1. assess the key physical, chemical, and toxicological properties of contaminants (organic and inorganic) and how these influence the choice of an effective remediation technology.
2. determine and be able to defend the appropriate remediation technologies for various soil types, hydrologic conditions, and land uses.
3. support and compare the most common remediation technologies (physical, chemical, and biological) for organic and inorganic contaminants.
4. create and construct cost-effective remedial plans for various scenarios.

Boulding, R., and J.S. Ginn. 2003. Practical handbook of soil, vadose zone, and ground water contamination. 2nd ed. Lewis Publishers, Boca Raton, FL. 691 pages.

Grasso D. 1993. Hazardous waste site remediation: Source control. Lewis Publishers. Boca Raton.

Hillel, D. 1998. Environmental soil physics. Academic Press, San Diego, CA. 771 pages.

Marshall, T.J., J.W. Holmes, and C.W. Rose. 1996. Soil physics. 3rd ed. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 453 pages.

McBride, M.B. 1994. Environmental chemistry of soils. Oxford University Press, New York. 406 pages.

Strawn, D., H.L. Bohn, and G.A. O’Connor. 2015. Soil chemistry. 4^th ed. John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., Chichester, West Sussex. 397 pages.

Conduct of Course:
The course includes 42 hours of lectures and 28 hours of lab work. The lectures cover the fundamental principles of environmental soil physics and chemistry and relate them to common challenges such as movement of pollutants into and through the soil. These principles provide students with the theoretical background in understanding the nature of environmental problems and what role they play in choosing an effective remediation method for specific site conditions. The laboratory section, assignments, guest lectures and possible field trips will provide exposure to various contaminated site scenarios as well as common remediation technologies.

Classroom and laboratory attendance is considered vital to the learning process and as significant to the students’ evaluation as examinations and reports, therefore absenteeism is recorded.

1. Students having a combination of excused and/or unexcused absence of 20 percent or higher for the scheduled course hours can be required to withdraw and would then automatically receive a “RW” (required withdrawal) for the course, regardless of any other evaluation results. (RW is a failing grade).

2. An excused absence is one that is verified with your instructor. Verification should be prior to the absence or the next class day following the absence. Verification of the absence may take the form of a note from your doctor/College nurse regarding illness, or a note from another instructor regarding a field trip or other activity, or authorization by your instructor following an in-person meeting. Be sure to contact your instructor and ask what they will require from you as verification for each absence. An unexcused absence is anything NOT verified by the instructor prior to the absence or the next class day following the absence.

It is the students’ responsibility to know their own absentee record.

Normal hours are 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., with potential for evening courses, exams, or extended field trips. Students are expected to be available for classes during these times.

Content of Course:

Lecture Topics include:

1. Introduction to contaminated site remediation
2. Evaluating Contaminant Conditions and Remedial Options
3. Remediation Technologies for Contaminated Soil

• Soil Vapour Extraction
• Bioventing
• Hydraulic and Pneumatic fracturing
• Bioremediation
• Chemical oxidation
• Multiphase extraction
• Excavation and disposal
• In-situ soil flushing
• In-situ air sparging
• Phytoremediation
• Thermal Incineration   
• Excavation, landfilling, and disposal

4. Remediation of Contaminated Groundwater

• Source control
• Ground water barriers and flow control
• Pump and treat method
• In-situ treatment

5. Application of fundamentals to site specific risk assessment
6. Conceptual site model and remedial endpoints
7. Site Closure Post Remediation

Laboratory/Assignment Component

Laboratory topics may include any of the following dependent on time:

1. Phytoremediation
2. Groundwater
3. Acid mine drainage remediation
4. Site investigation of plan and soils
5. CSM model
6. Final Report (site investigate [GW+Soil] + CSM + Remediation Recommendations)
7. Guest speakers (as available)
8. Term project

Note: The order of presentation of the lecture units may change during the semester to account for labs and field condition. Lab content may vary with available material and lab sections.

Course Assessments:

Note the following requirements in regard to the evaluation and completion of the course.

• Labs are mandatory to obtain full credit for lab assignments
• Credit for this course requires that all the assignments must be completed and handed in or an incomplete or a failing grade is given.
• Late reports, worksheets and assignments are assigned a zero.
• Cheating and plagiarism of any kind, including copying others’ assignments, reports, lab work, or using another person’s ideas for your own are not tolerated. At the very least, a mark of zero is assigned to any assignment or test where this occurs, or the student may receive a zero for the whole course.
• Students who miss lab, excused or unexcused, will be required to complete the lab activity on their own time. Or a student may be required to complete another assignment in lieu of the missed lab.

All reports, assignments and exams are graded on a percentage (%) basis. Then, a total course percentage is calculated using the above weighting values. Finally, the total course percentage is converted to a letter grade basis on the grade scheme below.

Course Pass Requirements:
A minimum grade of D (50%) (1.00) is required to pass this course.

Students must maintain a cumulative grade of C (GPA - Grade Point Average of 2.00) in order to qualify to graduate.