Duration
24h Th, 24h Pr, 2d FW, 40h Proj.
Number of credits
| Master of Science (MSc) in Geological and Mining Engineering | 5 crédits | |||
| Master in geology (120 ECTS) | 4 crédits |
Lecturer
Language(s) of instruction
English language
Organisation and examination
Teaching in the first semester, review in January
Schedule
Units courses prerequisite and corequisite
Prerequisite or corequisite units are presented within each program
Learning unit contents
This course teaches the bases of required knwoledge and skills for a soil and groundwater remediation study, from site characterization to cleanup. The course is focused on in-situ remediation technologies (cf. course UEEN002 Urban Recycling: Land & Waste for on site and ex-situ technologies).
The course is organized in 11 lectures.
Lecture 1 describes the general context and the problematics of contaminated sites. Lectures 2 and 3 comes back to the properties and behaviour of organic (in particular non-aqueous phase liquids) and inorganic (in particular metals and inorganic trace elements) pollutants. Lectures 4 to 6 describe investigation methods for characterizing the level of contamination of soil and groundwater and its evolution with time. In particular, lecture 6 consists of a seminar where different contaminated site characterization studies are described (as much as possible with invited speakers). Lecture 7 focuses on procedures for risk assessment (health, ecosystems, water resources) related to the soil / groundwater pollution and on general aspects of in situ remediation technologies.
Lectures 8 to 10 describe and give tools for the main soil and groundwater cleanup technologies. According to available opportunities, some of these lectures will be given by external experts (lecture 11).
Two days of field trip are also planned at the agenda. If possible, they will consist in site visits with specific equipment manipulation. If site access is not available, case studies will be presented.
An assignment based on real data is carried out by the students. This work is part of the final evaluation of the course. Several debriefing sessions are organised during the course, during which each group must present the progress of the work (based on an outline described in the previous debriefing session). At the end of the course, each group has to provide a final report that covers all the steps oof the work done.
The course uses the Walloon context as a referential (Soil decree, reference documents etc); however, the subjects taugth are generic enough to be transposed to other regions or countries. Although the course is given in English, the case studies used for the work come from sites in the Walloon Region, and the materials and information provided in this context are in French.
Learning outcomes of the learning unit
At the end of the course, students will have basis technical knowledge and skills for managing a contaminated site problem, from the characterization phase to cleanup project.
More specifically, students will be capable of:
-developing a conceptual site model, giving a clear view of the pollution level and evolution with time, in relation with the field conditions (soil, groundwater, physical environment ...);
-proposing a programme of investigation to collect data and information required to establish the level of contamination and its evolution
-manipulating risk assessment tools;
-making a selection of appropriate remediation options, taking into account the context established based on the characterization and on the risk assessment study;
This course contributes to the learning outcomes I.1, I.2, I.3, II.1, II.2, II.3, III.2, III.3, IV.3, IV.5, V.1, V.2, VI.2, VI.3, VI.4, VII.1, VII.2, VII.3, VII.4, VII.5, VII.6 of the MSc in geological and mining engineering.
Prerequisite knowledge and skills
A background in EARTH SCIENCES is a prerequisite, at the very least having taken courses in "soil" and/or "groundwater".
Good skills in environmental chemistry is also beneficial.
This course is in the continuation of the course GEOL0277 groundwater quality and pollution. Having attended this course is a clear advantage. However, for those who have not attended, a copy of the lectures is available (pdf). In addition, the first course describes the essential prerequisite with feedback to appropriate components of GEOL0277.
Planned learning activities and teaching methods
vaTheoretical" lessons followed by periods of work and debriefing linked to the project consisting on a real-life situation with a real case study, made by groups of 2 or 3 students and defended individually during the oral exam.
During the debriefing sessions, each group will present the progress of its work using a powerpoint. Interim reports can be submitted for feedback (optional and not graded).
Subject to being able to identify interesting sites to visit and subject to favourable changes in sanitary conditions, 2 field visits will be organised to discover the reality of a contaminated site.
Webinars and external speakers (as much as possible)
Mode of delivery (face to face, distance learning, hybrid learning)
The course is given in English.
In principle the course will be completely face-to-face but with possible adaptations taking into account the covid-19 sanitary context and the possible limitation of the number of students in the classroom.
However, the way in which the course is delivered will be discussed with the students during the first session.
For example, in order to reduce the amount of time spent in the classroom and to devote a significant part of it to practical work, the PowerPoint presentations used during each session will be made available to students in read-only mode, accompanied by pages of comments where an attempt will be made to transcribe all the explanations that will / would be given in the classroom.
It will be possible to organise shorter theoretical sessions, based for example on questions and answers based on a preliminary reading of the day's course by the students.
Recommended or required readings
Powerpoint presentations used during each session will be made available to students in read-only mode, accompanied by commentary pages (pdf) where an attempt will be made to transcribe all the explanations that will / would be given in the classroom.
Reference books + web resources.
Exam(s) in session
Any session
- In-person
oral exam
Written work / report
Continuous assessment
Additional information:
The course is evaluated on the basis of the (group) work and an (individual) oral examination based on a presentation (electronic support such as powerpoint) of the work and questions related to this work and the material seen in the course.
The work consists of investigating a real polluted site on the basis of available data. The work is carried out by groups of 2 or 3 students and is the subject of a report which will be marked. Each student prepares a presentation of the results of the work in a powerpoint format which she/he presents individually during the oral exam.
Work placement(s)
Organisational remarks and main changes to the course
Contacts
Responsible: Serge Brouyère (serge.brouyere@uliege.be)