ENGINEERING TRIPOS PART IIB - 2012/2013

Module 4D14 - Contaminated Land and Waste Containment

AIMS

This module aims to provide an in-depth look at aspects of contaminated land and waste containment including sources of contamination, characterisation of waste, assessment, containment, remediation and sustainable regeneration. The module starts with an overview of contaminated land and waste containment and a review of contaminants in the ground and methods of groundwater analysis. This is followed by l ectures on disposal of waste in the ground to develop an understanding of the safe design of landfill sites for disposal of waste materials. Finally the module looks at contaminated land remendiation, management and aspects of sustainable regeneration

LECTURE SYLLABUS

1. Introduction to contaminated land and waste containment (1L, Dr A Al-Tabbaa)

• Introduction and overview of contaminated land remediation and waste and its containment;
• Introduction to relevant legislation

2. Disposal of waste in the ground (5L, Dr SPG Madabhushi; 1 example class)

• Characterisation of waste materials;
• Estimation of landfill size, cost of waste disposal, Landfill Tax
• Design of barriers: grout curtain, slurry wall, geomembranes;
• Constructed facilities: design of landfill and hazardous waste repositories

3. Contaminants and analysis in soil and water (2L, Dr R J Lynch)

• Contamination in the environment, introduction of inorganic and organic contaminants, and their analysis;
• Demonstration of pollutant analysis in soils and water

4. Contaminated land remediation and regeneration (6L, Dr A Al-Tabbaa, 1L Guest Speaker)

• Land contamination and remediation, sources and solutions including case studies;
• Sustainable remediation of contaminated land;
• Decision support tools including cost-benefit analysis, life cycle assessment and multi-criteria analysis;
• Sustainable brownfield land management and regeneration

SITE VISIT

We may visit a landfill site near Cambridge in one of the afternoons

COURSEWORK

Cost-benefit analysis of remediation techniques at a contaminated site.

OBJECTIVES

On completion of the module, students should be able to:

• Develop an appreciation of current and future problems and legislations related to contaminated land and waste containment;
• Develop good understand of contaminated land remediation options and selection decisions;
• Develop an understanding of decision support tools for contaminated land management
• Identify potentially hazardous chemicals and sources of contamination;
• Appreciate the crucial stages in dealing with and managing contaminated land
• Assess the risk of pollution hazards from buried wastes;
• Appreciate the legal, technical and health constraints on the design of waste repositories;
• Discuss the design of appropriate containment facilities.

REFERENCES

Please see the Booklist for Group D Courses for references for this module.

Last updated: September 2012