78578 - Environmental Impact Assessment of Waste Treatment and Production Plants M

Learning outcomes

Understanding Emission Estimation Principles:

• Recognize the sources and types of pollutants commonly encountered in environmental impact assessments.
• Comprehend the principles and methodologies for estimating emissions of pollutants to air and surface water.

Technical Proficiency in Environmental Modelling:

• Demonstrate proficiency in using environmental modelling software and tools for air and surface water quality assessment.
• Develop skills in selecting and applying appropriate models for predicting the dispersion and fate of pollutants.

Course contents

Models for estimating emissions from source categories: storage tanks, petroleum product loading operations, landfills, waste water purification: descriptive and construction elements, physical phenomena involved and basic equations.

Predictive models for media contamination.

Transport phenomena (advection, diffusion, dispersion, ...) and chemical reactions (kinetics and equilibria).

Air and pollution phenomena: the advection and dispersion equation. Recalls of meteorology. The Gaussian dispersion model, dry and wet deposition phenomena, air-water and soil interfacial processes. Contents and use of specific software: AERMOD.

Water and pollution phenomena. Toxic organic substances in lakes, rivers and estuaries. Redox reactions, heavy metals and their migration into the soil. Recalls of a simple model: Streeter – Phelps. Balance equations and use of a specific model: QUAL2K.

Notes on ecotoxicology: methodology for assessing Environmental and Human Health Risk (EHHRA)

Readings/Bibliography

J.L. Schnoor, Environmental Modeling, John Wiley & Sons, NY, 1996.

European Community, Reference documents on Best Available Techniques

EPA AP-42AP-42: Compilation of Air Emissions Factors from Stationary Sources

Teaching methods

Classroom lessons and ongoing exercises in the computer room. There are 8-9 practice classes of 2.5-3 hours each to familiarize oneself with the tools and carry out problems with the help of the teacher, and therefore to carry out an assigned problem as independently as possible.

Assessment methods

Practical calculator test with open books, in which you will be asked to independently solve an assigned exercise using computer tools and an oral test.

The oral test must be carried out in the same session as the practical one

Teaching tools

Copy of the slides presented in class.

Example input files for the different software used.

Dedicated space on the virtual.unibo.it platform

Office hours

See the website of Giacomo Antonioni