Conditions and restrictions of the technologies for the environmental remediation of water and soils
Introduction
Welcome to this session of practical cases where we will analyze the implementation of technologies for the decontamination of environmentally impacted sites. For this class, we have selected some materials (scientific articles and web pages of interest related to the subject) so that you can introduce yourself in case studies under controlled laboratory conditions that allow you to distinguish the effects of the different factors on the response variables of interest, fundamentally, the elimination of the pollutant In-situ.
We are halfway through the course; we encourage you to continue and successfully conclude the UDA!
Content developement
Case study and analysis
The development of technologies for decontamination has required the detailed study of biotic and abiotic factors under controlled conditions.
Since it is important to have experimental approaches before the implementation of these technologies, it is essential to start with the reading, analysis, and discussion of scientific articles where methodologies are evaluated to eliminate specific pollutants and under controlled conditions.
In the following scientific articles or reviews, you must carry out the following activities, as the case may be:
- Assess the reason or reasons why the research is important in the global, national or local context
- Identify the type of pollutant or pollutants to be eliminated, degraded, or contained
- The environmental matrix or matrices in which the pollutant or pollutants are present
- The biotic and abiotic components found in the system under study
- The parameters determined in the experiment, as well as the procedures used
- The treatments established to decontaminate the site
- The response variables of the established treatments
- The principle by which technology works
- The requirements for successful application of the technology understudy
- Technology applicability at different scales
Below you will find suggested documents to read and reflect on the questions before asked in these articles.
- Bioremediation of Heavy Metals from Soil and Aquatic Environment
- Electrochemical treatment of wastewater
- CLEAN Soil Air Water
- Use of Nanotechnology for the Bioremediation of Contaminants: A Review
- Desalination and Water Treatment
- Electrokinetic oxidant soil flushing
Each case study represents different contexts and conditions. Soil and water pollution can be approached from different methodological perspectives to attack the environmental pollution problem, however, for each case, it is necessary to have the necessary knowledge to understand the environmental decontamination process.
This is the moment to identify the crucial aspects in understanding a problem of environmental contamination in soil or water. At this moment you can identify more than one element present in the case studies, for example, the interactions between the elements of the environmental system, the type of pollutant and its possible effects, the requirements to start with a decontamination proposal, the type of treatment used and the reasons for the proposal, the methods to determine the concentration values of the pollutant and the physical and chemical characteristics of the water or soil.
As you can see, it has been a journey that has been worth it. We have systematically and harmoniously advanced in the contents so that we can identify clear concepts that allow us to analyze environmental processes and propose treatment alternatives.
Conclusion
The analysis of cases of environmental decontamination allows the development of skills necessary in professional training, for example, systemic, analytical, and critical thinking, the ability to synthesize and analyze the components that are part of the problem.
These skills are used in the same way to address problems in the field, where there is no control of external factors and more than one pollutant is present. In addition, it is important to mention that in environmental sciences, academic updating is as necessary as constant practice, so the exercises of reviewing primary articles (evaluation of specific experiments) and secondary articles (scientific reviews) are fundamental to comply with what previously mentioned.
Information sources
- [Khan, F. I., Husain, T., & Hejazi, R. (2004). An overview and analysis of site remediation technologies. Journal of environmental management, 71(2), 95-122.
- [Bhandari, A., Surampalli, R., Champagne, P., Tyagi, R. D., Ong, S. K., & Lo, I. (2007). Remediation technologies for soils and groundwater.
- Pichtel, J. (2019). Fundamentals of site remediation. Rowman & Littlefield.
- de Albergaria, J. T., & Nouws, H. P. (Eds.). (2016). Soil Remediation: Applications and New Technologies. CRC Press.
- Ok, Y. S., Rinklebe, J., Hou, D., Tsang, D. C., & Tack, F. M. (Eds.). (2020). Soil and Groundwater Remediation Technologies: A Practical Guide. CRC Press.
- Einschlag, F. S. G., & Carlos, L. (Eds.). (2013). Wastewater: Treatment Technologies and Recent Analytical Developments. BoD–Books on Demand.