The course aims to: - make the student understand the phenomena of transport, diffusion and reaction that influence the contaminants introduced into a groundwater system - discuss the current remediation techniques, study the evolution of contamination situations and set up the design of protection and / or reclamation interventions In order to develop critical skills and independent judgement capabilities based on the acquired knowledge, and to promote the development of professional communication skills, the students will be asked to prepare short technical reports.
Course Prerequisites
Students are expected to have basic knowledge in chemistry, geology, geomechanics, hydraulics, calculus, and more in general in the fundamental courses of engineering.
Teaching Methods
The course is carried out through lectures supplemented by exercises.
Assessment Methods
The exam consists of: - 3 reports on specific topics communicated during the course, to be submitted before the final exam; - a final written test with multiple-choice and open-ended questions on theoretical topics. The final grade is assigned based on the accuracy and completeness of the answers to the questions, as well as the ability to elaborate on the topics presented during the lectures.
Texts
A pdf copy of the slides of all the lessons will be uploaded on the student portal. Additional material or further additions on selected topics will always be uploaded to the student portal. Students can also refer to the following books (which are not compulsory, and cover the same topics included in the course slides): - Schnoor G., Environmental Modeling, Wiley, NY, 1999 - Zheng C. & G.D. Bennet, Applied Contaminant Transport Modeling, Van Nostrand Reinhold, NY, 1995 - Spitz K. & J. Moreno, A Practical Guide to Groundwater and Solute Transport Modeling, Wiley, NY, 1996 - Fetter C.W., Contaminant Hydrogeology 2nd Ed., Prentice Hall, NJ 1999 - Domenico P.A. & F.W. Schwarz, Physical and Chemical Hydrogeology, Wiley, NY, 1990 - Sethi R., Di Molfetta A. Groundwater engeneering, Springer, 2019
Contents
- Aquifer chacterization - Legislation and environmental risk analysis - Aquifer storage and release capacity, Darcy's law - Groundwater flow equations and analytical solutions - Groundwater contaminants and their chemical, physical and toxicological classification - Contaminant transport in aquifers - Mass transport equations for conservative and reactive solutes - Analytical solutions to the differential equation of mass transport - Groundwater remediation technologies: natural attenuation, containment systems, active restoration
