GEOL 5290 - Contaminant Geochemistry

Provides students with knowledge of the chemical principles and processes involved in the generation and movement of contaminants. It will give students an understanding of the sources, fate, and chemical behavior of some of the most important classes of chemical pollutants.

Requisites:
Credit Hours: 4
Repeat/Retake Information: May not be retaken.
Lecture/Lab Hours: 3.0 lecture
Grades: Eligible Grades: A-F,WP,WF,WN,FN,AU,I
Learning Outcomes:

Graduate students will write a term paper about a topic assigned by the instructor or a field report about some additional field work assigned only to graduate students.
Apply chemical equilibrium and kinetics concepts to the solution of problems involving gases, water, soil and sediments.
Know how solid waste is disposed and the effects of landfills and incinerators in the environment.
Know how sorption and cation exchange reactions affect the concentration of contaminants in soils and sediments.
Know the chemical principles and processes involved in the generation and movement of contaminants.
Know the more important metallic contaminants and their effect in the environment.
Know the more important non-metallic contaminants and their effect in the environment.
Understand how contaminants are transported in air and how gaseous contaminants accumulate indoors.
Understand how contaminants are transported in surface and ground water and the biochemical processes affecting its fate.
Understand the origin and effect of organic contaminants in the environment
Understand the origin and effect of radioactive contaminants in the environment
Understand the sources, fate and chemical behavior of some of the most important types of chemical pollutants.