NSCPHD1031 Environmental Soil Chemistry
Volume 2014/2015
Content
This course comprises the
various processes affecting the composition, reactions and quality
of the soil solution and solid phases, and the bioavailability of
natural and anthropogenic pollutants. Main focus is on reactions at
the solid-solution interfaces in soil and sediment systems, in
particular sorption, degradation and dissolution processes. The use
of equilibrium computation and other types of estimation tools and
modelling is trained.
Part of the course comprise lectures and exercises from the MSc course "Soil and Water Pollution - concepts and theories" taught in the same block. In addition to these lectures and exercises, tutorials with only the PhD students attending and with focus on paper reading is performed. Papers are selected depending on the interests of the course participants. The papers are discussed in plenum and summarized by the course participants.
Part of the course comprise lectures and exercises from the MSc course "Soil and Water Pollution - concepts and theories" taught in the same block. In addition to these lectures and exercises, tutorials with only the PhD students attending and with focus on paper reading is performed. Papers are selected depending on the interests of the course participants. The papers are discussed in plenum and summarized by the course participants.
The main topics of the course are:
- Structure of geosorbents (metal oxides, silicates, humic matter)
- Description of processes at surfaces of geosorbents (minerals, organic matter, bacteria)
- Microbial populations and microbial degradation of pollutants
- Equilibrium models for speciation, and for sorption of ionic and non-ionic pollutants (e.g. pesticides, petrochemicals, PAH's/PCBs, trace metals, natural toxins) including surface complexation models.
- Kinetics of sorption and degradation processes incl. diffusion.
- Redox processes - degradation and mobility of pollutants.
- Sorption and activity of biological macromolecules (enzymes, proteins, DNA, biodetergents) at mineral surfaces
- Particles as transporters of pollutants
- Coupling between abiotic and microbial processes in control of pollutant degradation
- Instrumental methods for characterization of surface chemical reactions.
- Engineered environmental reactive particles to be used for soil and water cleaning
Learning Outcome
- Knowledge on structure of particle surfaces in soil and aquatic environment
- Knowledge on sorption and chemical reactions at the solid-solution interfaces
- Knowledge on prime microbial degraders in soils, microbial degradation reactions and degradation pathways
- Computation of sorption and degradation reactions at particle surfaces
- Computation of speciation and estimation of pollutant chemical and physical properties
- Insight on engineering of particle surfaces for sorption and degradation of pollutants
Literature
Literature
- Hansen, HCB (ed)(2014): Soil Pollution – Biogeochemistry and Modelling. Approx. 400 pp.
- Schwarzenbach et al. (2003) Environmental Organic Chemistry. Selected papers.
- Pepper et al. (2014) Environmental Microbiology.
- Journal articles (distributed at the course)
- Equilibrium computation software (VMINTEQ) and other software (e.g. EpiSuite and chemical drawing programs). To be downloaded from the internet
Academic qualifications
Should have basic insight
in chemistry, soil chemistry, and microbiology
Teaching and learning methods
Seven to 12 tutorials each
with a duration of 3 - 4 hours
Workload
- Category
- Hours
- Preparation
- 120
- Project work
- 100
- Theory exercises
- 30
- Total
- 250
Sign up
Contact course responsible Hans
Christian Bruun Hansen (haha@plen.ku.dk)
Exam
- Credit
- 8 ECTS
- Type of assessment
- Written assignmentWritten report or poster on topic agreed with the course teacher. Preferably to be completed within one month after termination of the tutorials.
- Marking scale
- passed/not passed
- Censorship form
- No external censorship
- Exam period
- Time for hand-in of report to be agreed between course responsible and the ph.d. student
Course information
- Language
- English
- Course code
- NSCPHD1031
- Credit
- 8 ECTS
- Level
- Ph.D.
- Duration
- Min 5, max 12 lectures, Min 3 tutorials, 2 computer modelling and lab exercises
- Placement
- Block 1
The course runs from start of September and the following 8 weeks
- Schedule
- To be determined
- Price
- Free of charge for PhD-students under the Open Market for
Postgraudate Courses in Denmark and from NOVA-partners.
Costs to cover photocopies (about 150 Dkr) - Study board
- Natural Sciences PhD Committee
Contracting department
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences
Course responsibles
- Hans Chr. Bruun Hansen (4-6b646b6443736f6871316e7831676e)
Hans Chr. Bruun Hansen, haha@plen.ku.dk,
Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Phone: 353-32418 or
mobile: 24942607
Lecturers
Hans Christian Bruun Hansen (chemistry), Kristian Kofoed Brandt (microbiology)
Saved on the
04-02-2015