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ESM 222 Fate and Transport of Pollutants

Course Objective

The course is designed to provide an understanding of the physical, chemical and biological processes that govern the distribution of contaminants through the environment, as well as the processes that are involved in the transformation/degradation of a contaminant. Knowledge of these processes is essential for designing pollution prevention, control, monitoring and remediation strategies, and for risk assessment. We will cover the distribution of pollutants in air, water, soil and biological tissues, with particular emphasis on toxic organic pollutants.

Textbooks and other readings

The textbook for the class is:

Hazardous Wastes: Sources, Pathways, Receptors. By Richard Watts. John Wiley & Sons (1998). ISBN 0-471-00238-0.

To supplement the material in the textbook, I have provided additional readings, available in the ESM 222 section of the Bren School Library. In particular, I recommend Schwarzenbach et al. (1993) as a very good reference book, with very clear and understandable explanations. Some of the readings will be provided as class handouts. Some of the reading material may be too detailed for the purposes of this course; it is provided for students who are interested in going further in a particular subject (e.g. toxicology, bioaccumulation, bioavailability). For exams and homeworks, we will in general use material presented in lecture and the textbook. Since this is a graduate level course, it is up to you to decide what level of knowledge you are interested in, and how much extra reading you want to do.

Lectures

Title

Reading

(See Bren Library for Readings)

Related links

1

Introduction

Watts 1-41

2

Classification of pollutants

Watts 48-139

 

3

Physicochemical Properties

Watts 155-204 Schwarzenbach 56-58, 63-66, 76, 82-83, 90-97, 130-134

Chemical Structure and Molecular Mass

 

4

Equilibrium distribution of pollutants

Watts 254-328 Schwarzenbach 109-123, 157-163, 255-328

 

5

Mass balances at equilibrium

Watts 212-215, Schwarzenbach 547-554

 

6

Structure of environmental media #1

 

7

Structure of environmental media #2

Ramaswami et al. (Integrated Environmental Modeling, Ch. 3)

 

8

Movement of pollutants (advection & dispersion)

Watts 405-437

 

9

Movement of pollutants (retardation)

Fetter 400-415 (copy available in Bren lib)

 

10

Fate and Transport of Oil Spills in Ocean

 

 

 

Midterm Friday

 

11

Multiphase flow

Fetter 202-243; Mercer & Cohen, 1990 (copies available in Bren lib)

 

12

Colloid transport

 

13

Rate limited distribution of pollutants #1

Schwarzenbach 215-227, 241-242, 328-341

 

14

Rate limited distribution of pollutants #2

Ramaswami et al. (Integrated Environmental Modeling, Ch. 4)

 

15

Transformation of pollutants #1

Watts 333-392,
Schwarzenbach 342-344, 377-383, 399-403, 451-453,
Mackay 133-138

 

16

Transformation of pollutants #2

Watts 333-392,
Schwarzenbach 342-344, 377-383, 399-403, 451-453,
Mackay 133-138

 

17

Biological degradation

Watts 366-392

Biodegradability

18

Fate & transport: putting the pieces together

 

 

19

Case studies

 

 

20

Addressing Pollution & Final Review

 

 

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Lab Sessions

General Information on ESM 222 Lab

Lab Groups and Meeting Times 2008

Week

Topic

Lab 1

Safety Video, tour of lab, lab group assignments

Lab 2

Physicochemical Properties

Lab 3

Equilibrium distribution of pollutants - experimental

Lab 4

Equilibrium distribution of pollutants – modeling

Info for PCBs in San Francisco Bay exercise

Lab 5

Midterm - no lab

Lab 6

Experiments on advection & dispersion

Lab 7

Modeling Rate limited distribution of pollutants

Water Quality info for SF Bay

SF Bay Watershed

Lab 8

Modeling fate and transport with reactions

Biochlor model (Manual)

Lab 9

No lab

Lab 10

No lab

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Assignments

 

Topic

Additional material

Assignment #1

Classification and Properties

Gibraltar Reservoir

Assignment #2

Equilibrium Distribution & Mass Balances

  

Assignment #3

Transport of Pollutants

Beyond "A Civil Action"...

Assignment #4

Rate of Mass Transfer

  

Assignment #5

The Whole Enchilada...

Info on Ziram

More info on Ziram

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FAQs

What are the prerequisites?

Most students in ESM 222 have taken ESM 202 and 203, and I would assume you know the material. It is also useful if you have taken Groundwater Hydrology, although not essential.

Is the lab required?

Yes, the ESM222 Lab is required, so that you can have hands-on experience. Relatively short lab reports are required.

Times and places?

Classes are MW 8:30-9:45 in BH 1424. Lab is M 12:25-2:15 PM in the Watershed Teaching Lab (1st floor Lab Wing, BH 1027). You will probably only be in the lab 1-1:15 hours each week. We do meet in the lab the first week of classes.

How many assignments and how is the course graded?

There will be 5 problem sets, one midterm and one final exam. The final grade will be weighed based on 40% homework, 20% lab work, 15% midterm and 25% final. You should do your homeworks individually to get the most out of the course and prepare for the exams and your future career. Homework is due in class unless otherwise noted.

Presentation counts (remember that you are preparing to be professionals); poor presentation will be marked down. You don’t have to do type your calculations, but your answer should be easily readable. In terms of numerical answers, I give partial credit for using the right method, but answers that are incorrect by orders of magnitude will be marked down significantly.

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Textbook
Lectures
Lab Info
Assignments
FAQs
Arturo A Keller
School website