Corporate Training By Zack Academy - Fundamentals of Contaminant Chemistry

Why Should You Take This Fundamentals of Contaminant Chemistry and Applications in Subsurface Contaminant Transport and Remediation course?

This Fundamentals of Contaminant Chemistry and Applications in Subsurface Contaminant Transport and Remediation course includes an overview/refresher of key chemistry concepts associated with environmental contamination, provides a foundation for understanding contaminant transport, fate and remediation, and delivers an overview of key concepts essential for understanding soil & groundwater contamination and the selection of appropriate remediation approaches.

The Fundamental Environmental Chemistry overview/refresher takes place on the first day of the course, and is followed by a review of chemical naming rules (e.g., understanding what 1,1,1-TCA is, etc) and how to use chemical structure to predict molecular geometry and environmental behavior.

On the second day, the material covered expands into the overview of key concepts essential for understanding soil and groundwater contamination and the selection of appropriate remediation approaches. In the second half of Day 2, participants will use spreadsheet models to predict behavior of chemical using simplified examples. Major uncertainties and limitations of modeling approaches will also be discussed.

Who Is The Intended Audience For This Fundamentals of Contaminant Chemistry and Applications in Subsurface Contaminant Transport and Remediation course?

This subject matter is useful for non-modelers who would like to better understand modeling results and the uncertainties associated with them, as well as for individuals who are well versed in modeling but could use a further background in chemistry to improve their skills in interpreting modeling results. The course material will greatly enhance on-the-job training and is also recommended for project managers seeking a more thorough understanding of contaminant behavior. This course is designed for environmental professionals who require a fundamental understanding of chemistry principles for their work, and is recommended for anyone working with contaminated soil and groundwater who seeks a thorough review of essential topics.

Prerequisites: Some college level chemistry is required (even if it was a long time ago).

Topics To Be Covered Include:  Please see the syllabus for a detailed description of course topics

Important: 

• Please bring a calculator, pen or pencil and notepad
• Drinks and snacks will be provided throughout the day
• Please wait to receive a course confirmation email (roughly one month prior to the class) before making any travel arrangements

Syllabus

Day I: The goal for the first day of the course is to provide a refresher of chemistry concepts that are needed to assess contaminant fate and transport. Participants will understand the structure of major contaminants and an gain an understanding of the chemical properties that can be used to predict chemical behavior. The course will also cover sources of chemical property data and approaches to assessing data quality.

Specific topics covered:
• Elements, Compounds and Chemical Mixtures
• Isotopes, Ions, and Chemical Bonds
• Predicting Molecular Geometry and Behavior
• Empirical, Chemical, and Structural Formulas
• Organic Molecules and IUPAC Nomenclature
• Overview of Physical and Chemical Properties: Molecular Weight, Melting point, Boiling point, Solubility, Vapor pressure
• Mass-Based and Molar-Based Concentrations
• Chemical reactions: precipitation, oxidation-reduction , acid-base
• Stoichiometry (balancing reactions)
• Chemical Equilibrium and Limiting Reactants
• Major contaminant groups (e.g., BTEX, PAHs, PCBs, dioxins, halogenated compounds, pesticides)
• Contaminant partitioning and mass transfer
• Non-aqueous phase liquids (NAPLs)
• Contaminant mixtures (e.g., gasoline, coal tars)
• Properties of fluids: Density, Viscosity, and Interfacial tension

Day 2: The goal of the second day is to build upon the material from Day 1 to be able to understand the movement of contaminants in environmental systems. A key goal of Day 2 is to give participants more familiarity with modeling concepts and to be able to use simple models to make predictions of contaminant behavior.
• Hydrogeology Review
• Groundwater Transport
• Retardation and Solute Velocity Calculations
• Contaminant Transport

• Advection, Mechanical Dispersion, Diffusion (Chemical Dispersion)
• Adsorption and Absorption (Kd, Koc, foc)
• Advection-Dispersion-Reaction Equations
• Impact of heterogeneity

• NAPLs - Residual Saturation Calculation
• Vapor Transport
• Overview of Natural Attenuation Processes
• Biodegradation Pathways for Common Contaminants
• Case studies of contamination (e.g., gasoline, manufactured gas plants, dry cleaning solvents, metals)
• Overview of risk-based screening levels