UMass Amherst College of NRE
PLNTSOIL 597O Organic Contaminants in Soils, Waters and Sediments
Instructor: Dr. Stephen Simkins
Semester: Fall, even years
Lecture: TuTh 1:00-2:15 Laboratory: None
Credits: 3
Course description:
Transport and fate of man-made compounds in natural and managed environments: abiotic and biotic effects including partitioning, interfaces, concentration, biodegradation and biotransformation. Examination of specific examples of compounds and classes of contaminants in affected environments, such as pesticides, petroleum products, and common solvents in soil and ground water, and methods for their remediation.

Course schedule:
Week: Discussion topic:
1 Introduction & Chemicals of concern-classes and uses
2 Abiotic Phenomena: partitioning and ionization
3 Abiotic techniques for fuel spill remediation
4 Aerobic hydrocarbon degradation
5 In-situ BTEX and fuel bioremediation
6 Surfactants and other remediation tools.
7 Oxygenases and cometabolism, esp. of chloroorganics
8 Ligninolytic systems and cometabolism
9 EH, pH, and alternative electron acceptors
10 Thermodynamics of C-Cl bond clevage
11 Biotic and abiotic reductive dehalogenation
12 Bioremediation of chlorophenols and other chloroorganics
13 PCBs in sediments
14 Bioaugmentation and phytoremediation

Required Work:
Preparation and brief, in-lecture presentation of two, literature-derived case studies.
Two hour exams
Final Exam

Exam dates for Spring 2000.
First exam: Tuesday, February 29
Second exam: Thursday, April 6
Final exam: Monday, May 15, 10:30 A.M., Stockbridge 114
Hour exams are held in class at the usual time and place for lectures.
 
 



 
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