OVERVIEW

The course gives specific competences on the main technologies used for polluted site remediation and solid waste treatment (about 50% of the hours per item) trough frontal lessons, case studies analysis and visit to treatment plants. Beside plant design aspect, the course provides competences on process sustainability in order to compare different remediation technologies and different waste treatment plant, finding the better management solution.

AIMS AND CONTENT

LEARNING OUTCOMES

The course aims to provide students with skills on contamination and remediation techniques, principles of risk analysis, treatment of solid waste through incineration, composting, landfill and recycling.

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

On successful completion of this study, through lessons attendance and training activities such as oral lessons, case studies and exercises, the students have specific competences on:

·         knowledge of integrated waste management systems,

·         Life Cycle methodology and circular economy applied to waste management,

·         Use of risk analysis applied to polluted sites remediation,

·         knowledge of main remediation technologies,

·         Further aim is the knowledge of methods and technologies with low environmental impact.

PREREQUISITES

The course has no specific prerequisites. However, for a successful learning, basic knowledge on mathematics, chemical and physics are required.

TEACHING METHODS

The course foreseen oral lessons, exercises, educational field trips, use of simulation software. The presentation of theoretical contents (46 hours) alternates exercises, case studies and visits to plants (14h), aimed at the learning of the topics

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

Main items of the course:

• Solid waste management (4h): regulatory background, environmental politics, waste classification and waste fraction analysis,
• Materials and energy recovery (10h): principles of circular economy, separate collection, recycling, composting, incineration, gassification and pyrolysis, air, liquid and solid flows treatment,
• Landfill (4h): construction and management of a landfill, biogas and leachete treatment,
• Life cycle analisys principles applied to waste management (2h),
• Classroom exercises (6h): analisys (existing plants used as case studies) of 4 solid waste landfills, 1 composting plant, 1 incineration plant,
• Visit to a waste treatment plant (4h),
• Polluted sites remediation: regulatory backgroud, emergency and permanent safety measures (4h)

·         Site charactherisation: physical, chemical and hydrogeological charactheristics of soils and grounwater (6h)

• Risk analysis: identification of sources of contamination and potential receptors, transport of contaminants in environmental matrices and CSRs definition (4h),
• Physical anc chemical treatments: use of consolidated and innovative remediation technologies (8h),

·         Biological treatments: bioremediation, fytodepuration, biopiles (4h),

·         Classroom Exercise: analysis of post remediation area sas case studies (4h).

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

Teaching material and exercises will be available on Aulaweb platform. The following book and standards could be useful a follow-up.

1. CTTC - Bonifica dei terreni contaminati, 2015
2. TUA: National environmental law n.152/2006 section IV
3. ISO Standards 14040-14044 (2006)

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

Exam Board

MICHELA GALLO (President)

ADRIANA DEL BORGHI

LESSONS

LESSONS START

the course takes place in the first semester

Class schedule

The timetable for this course is available here: Portale EasyAcademy

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

The course is passed through an oral, exam consisting in 2 general questions on the soil remediation part and 2 questions on the solid waste part.

Three exam sessions will be foreseen during the winter session (January, February and during the Easter didactic stop of the Polytechnic School) and 3 exam sessions will be foreseen during the summer session (June, July, September and during the fall stop of the Polytechnic School). No extraordinary further exam sessions will be issued outside the regular Polytechnic School periods, with the exceptions of students without didactic activities in their current academic year curriculum.

ASSESSMENT METHODS

Details on the exam preparation and the degree of knowledge of each topic will be given during the lessons. The oral examination usually consists of 2 questions regarding the waste part, one related to treatment plants and one related to the management aspects, also linked to the considered case studies and further 2 questions on the soil remediation, one concerning the site characterization and one concerning the choice of a suitable remediation technique. The exam aims to evaluate skills to apply the learning to specific case studies and to critically analyze processes, demonstrating knowledge of the topics. Quality of the presentation, correct chemical and technical terminology, and critical thinking skills will also be evaluated.