On successful completion of this module students should be able to:
Enabling Objectives :
After studying this module you should:
appreciate the diversity of xenobiotic organic contaminants;
be aware of the sources of various classes of organic contaminant;
understand the nomenclature system for organic compounds and be familiar with the chemical structure of various organic compounds;
understand the basic chemical reactions that organic compounds undergo in the environment and how such reactions affect the toxicity and persistence of organics:
appreciate the uncertainty involved in the prediction of risk as presented by organic contaminants;
understand the various factors that influence contaminant persistence in the environment and, in particular, the effects on the biodegradability of the contaminants;
appreciate the requirement for standardised analysis techniques for organic contaminants;
be able to apply your knowledge of the factors that affect biodegradability of a contaminant to the manipulation of a treatment environment in order to maximise the rate and efficiency of a biodegradation;
appreciate the diversity, strengths and limitations of various innovative technologies and be able to suggest a reclamation system that incorporates various reclamation techniques for a given problem.
Terminal objective :
To understand the factors affecting the persistence of organic contaminants and to be able to manipulate the environment in order to maximise their biodegradation, removal or attenuation. In addition you should be aware of the various reclamation options for the remediation of organic contamination. You should not have turned into an organic chemist!
Content
This module contains seven chapters. The introductory chapter aims to demonstrate the diversity of organic contaminants and their sources and to give you a glimpse of some of the issues that will be covered in more detail later in the module. The second chapter describes the structures of the compounds and the convention for naming them. It also indicates the ways in which chemical structure affects the persistence of organic contaminants in the environment. The third chapter explains the physical behaviour and basic chemical reactions to which contaminants are subject in the natural environment, including degradation reactions. The fourth chapter describes the factors affecting the rate of biodegradation in the natural environment.
The reasons for concern over organic contamination are detailed in chapter five. Emphasis is placed on the uncertainties involved in predicting the risk and toxicity that organic contaminants present to targets.
The difficulties in analysis are outlined in chapter six along with a description of the most commonly used separation and detection systems for organic contaminants.
In the final chapter the options for remediation are covered. The chapter is split into sections, each dealing with a particular generic type of remediation technology. The generic categories covered include biological systems, chemical systems, thermal systems solidification systems and physical systems. This chapter concentrates on innovative technologies for remediation but is must not be forgotten that more traditional approaches are also valid. We will be covering such approaches, including cover and barrier systems, in a later module.