510884 - GEOCHEMISTRY FOR ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT AND REMEDIATION

courses

ID:

510884

Duration (hours):

52

CFU:

SSD:

GEOCHIMICA E VULCANOLOGIA

Year:

2025

Date/time interval

Secondo Semestre (02/03/2026 - 12/06/2026)

Course Objectives

The course aims at providing the tools for understanding and quantifying the geochemical processes occurring during pollution. The main pollution problems affecting the different environmental compartments (atmosphere, soils, surface and groundwater) by organic and inorganic substances are described, with particular emphasis on the induced geochemical perturbations and the main principles used by remediation techniques. The primary objective of the course is to raise the awareness about the environmental consequences of anthropogenic activities, at local to global scale. Whenever possible, specific reference is made to the Sustainable Development Goals defined by the United Nations in the 2030 Agenda. In addition, at the end of the course, the student will be able to recognise and deal with environmental pollution problems such as those commonly encountered by geologists in their professional activity.

Course Prerequisites

Basic notions of Mathematics, Chemistry and Geochemistry, as provided in the Degree courses of Earth Sciences. In particular, students should be familiar with the chemical elements and their properties.

Teaching Methods

The course comprises lectures, seminars dedicated to relevant environmental issues (e.g. microplastic pollution (SDG#14)) and scientific visits (e.g. the nuclear reactor of the LENA laboratory, the water treatment station of Pavia).

Assessment Methods

For students attending the course, two partial assessments are planned. Each consists in 4-5 open questions to check the preparation on the course subjects. Alternatively, students can take a final oral examination where, besides the knowledge of the course subjects, their capability to face methodologically and technically a common environmental pollution problem will be tested.

Texts

M.K. Hill (2010) Understanding environmental pollution. Cambridge University Press van der Perk M. (2006) Soil and water contamination. Taylor and Francis, London Global change instruction program http://www.ucar.edu/communications/gcip/index. Materials and slides provided during lectures

Elemental cycles and atmospheric pollution - Introduction: flow diagrams, steady state and anthropogenic perturbations. Phosphorus, carbon, nitrogen, sulphur, oxygen and metal cycles. Processes that regulate the stability of the Earth system and the planetary boundaries framework. Atmospheric structure, atmospheric pollution (gases and particulate matters), main consequences (atmospheric deposition, acid rains, greenhouse effects, climate change) (SDG#7). Hydrocarbon geochemistry. Main advantages and disadvantages of fossil fuels (SDG#7). Introduction to pollution phenomena - Types of pollutants and perturbations induced, sources, main inorganic and organic pollutants, movement in soils and groundwater, advection and diffusion, delay, solid-liquid-gas partition coefficients. Pollution phenomena - Urban waste disposals: genesis and composition of leachate and biogas, groundwater pollution (SDG#12). Soil pollution: contaminant retention, detection of the anthropogenic input, heavy metals, organic compounds, remediation techniques (SDG#15). Surface water pollution and eutrophication (SDG#15). Sea water composition and marine pollution (SDG#14). Groundwater pollution (SDG#6): inorganic and organic compounds, remediation techniques (reactive barriers, bioremediation). Underground pollution and radioactive waste management (SDG#7). The course includes scientific visits to the nuclear reactor of the University of Pavia (LENA) (SDG#7) and if possible to the city wastewater treatment plant (ASM) (SDG#6).