The competences acquired in the course will allow students to:

- Apply methodologies in order to perform environmental impact assessment studies.

- Apply environmental technologies, sustainable solutions, and pollution remediation technologies in different environmental media (air, water, waste, and soils).

The theoretical and practical contents comprise six modules and eleven topics:

Module I. Fundamentals of environmental engineering.

Topic 1. Environmental engineering. Environmental pollution and sustainability. Environmental chemistry: Units of concentration, equilibrium processes, material and energy balances.

Module II. Water

Topic 2. Water pollution. Water uses and demands. Water pollution. Quality indicators. Regulation

Topic. 3. Urban and industrial wastewater treatment technologies. Wastewater characterization: urban and industrial wastewater. Municipal and industrial wastewater treatment plants. Water and sludge lines. Municipal wastewater treatments: pretreatment, primary, secondary, and advanced treatments. Industrial wastewater treatments. Sludge treatments. Treated wastewater reuse.

Module III. Air

Topic 4. Atmospheric Pollution. Introduction to air pollution: concepts, scales, structure and composition of the atmosphere. Energy balance. Main atmospheric pollutants: sulfur, nitrogen, carbon, and halogenated compounds. Pollutants' sources and adverse effects. Dispersion of air pollutants. Atmospheric stability. Air quality and regulation. Noise pollution.

Topic 5. Industrial emission control and reduction technologies. Characterization and reduction of industrial emissions. Equipment: cyclones, baghouses, electrostatic precipitators, scrubbers.

Module IV. Waste

Topic 6. Waste management and characterization. Waste types and regulation. The European Waste Catalogue. Municipal waste characterization and management. Industrial waste. Hazardous wastes.

Topic 7. Waste treatment technologies. Municipal waste treatment: biological treatment (composting), thermal treatments (incineration, pyrolysis, gasification), and landfills. Industrial waste treatment. Hazardous waste treatment. Construction and demolition waste.

Module V. Soil

Topic 8. Soil pollution. Context. Soil characterization. Soil pollutants: heavy metals, acid rain, salinization, phytosanitary products (insecticides, herbicides, fungicides), mining activity, organic products (pesticides). Regulation.

Topic 9. Recovery of polluted soils. Containment techniques: barriers and sealing. Confinement techniques: physical-chemical stabilization, injection of solidifiers, vitrification. Decontamination techniques: physical-chemical, biological, thermal, and mixed treatments.

Module VI. Environmental Management

Topic 10. Environmental Impact Assessment. Basic concepts. Environmental Impact Assessment. Regulation.

Topic 11. Environmental Management Systems and Environmental Audits. Sustainable development. ISO 14001 standard and EMAS regulation. Environmental Audits.



Practice in the field include three visits to industrial facilities:

Session 1. 1.1.- Storm tank, 1.2.- BTB - Construction and demolition waste valorization plant.

Session 2. 2.1. Zabalgarbi – Municipal waste thermal valorization plant. 2.2. Mechanical and biological treatment plant

Session 3. 3.1. Artigas municipal waste landfill - Leachate treatment plant of the Artigas Urban Waste Landfill. 3.2. Bizkaiko konpostegia - Composting plant.

The course will be delivered by means of:

- Lectures (MC), which will be used to explain core contents in order to develop students' knowledge and understanding of these concepts.

- Classroom practices (CP), which will be used to solve practical activities, problems, etc.

- Practice in the field (FP), which will be used to visit industrial facilities.



If the health situation avoids the development of any teaching or evaluation activity, a non-presential alternative will be used and the students will be promptly informed.

CONTINUOUS ASSESSMENT is used in both ordinary and extraordinary sessions.



Written exams comprising theory and problems (multiple choice test, theoretical questions and exercises)

- Three mid-term exams (eliminatory for students with a minimum grade of 5.0/10 and passing at least two or more mid-term exams).

- A final exam, if the student does not pass two or more mid-term exams: 80 % (mid-term exam of one part, with its corresponding grade).

- Practical face-to-face activities: 12 %

- Practice in the field: 8 %



Notes:

Students will withdraw from the ordinary session by default if they do not take the ordinary final exam.

Any student wishing to waive continuous evaluation and wishing to be marked by FINAL ASSESSMENT instead by continuous assessment in the ordinary session should request this in a written document from the lecturer responsible for the course before the ninth week after the course starts.

Materials required to follow the sessions will be shared with the students though eGela virtual platform:
- Lecture materials and documents,
- Problems' wordings and instructions for practical activities.
- Links to useful websites and reports.

Basic bibliography

This section contains a basic bibliography in English (resources in Spanish are included in the corresponding guide).

- Baird, C. (2005). Environmental chemistry (3rd ed.). W.H. Freeman.

- Kiely (1996) Environmental Engineering, McGraw-Hill College.

- Manahan, S. E. (2001). Fundamentals of environmental chemistry (2th ed.). Lewis. –

- Metcalf & Eddy (2003) Wastewater Engineering: Treatment and Reuse, McGraw-Hill Science Engineering.

- Tchobanouglous (1993) Integrated Solid Waste Management: Engineering Principles and Management Issues, McGraw-Hill Science Engineering.

In-depth bibliography

- Dullien, F.A.L. (1989). Introduction to Industrial Gas Cleaning. Academic Press.
- Kreith, F., Tchobanoglous, G., & Kreith, F. (2002). Handbook of solid waste management (2nd ed., Ser. Mcgraw-hill handbooks). McGraw-Hill.
- Seinfeld, J.H. (1986). Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics of Air Pollution. John Wiley & Sons.
- Seinfeld, J.H. y Pandis, S.N. (1998). Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics. From Air Pollution to Climate Change. John Wiley & Sons.
- Stern, A.C. (Editor) (1986). Air pollution. Academic Press.
- Tchobanoglous, G. and Kreith, F. (2002) Handbook of Solid Waste Management. McGraw-Hill.
- Tchobanoglous, G., Burton, F. L., Stensel, H. D., Burton, F. L., & Metcalf & Eddy. (2003). Wastewater engineering: treatment and reuse (4th ed. /, Ser. Mcgraw-hill series in civil and environmental engineering). McGraw-Hill.
- Vallero, D. (2008). Fundamentals of Air Pollution. Elsevier.
- Wallace, J.M., Peter V. H. (2006) Atmospheric Science. An Introductory Survey. Editorial Elsevier.
- Wentz, C.A. (1995). Hazardous Waste Management. McGraw-Hill.

Journals

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