The student must know:

1. indicators and indices, according to the OECD scheme (pressure, state and response) or EEA (driving forces, pressure, state, impact, response).
2. the main phenomena of pollution of freshwater bodies (lakes and rivers), atmospheric pollution at different scales, soil contamination, and waste characterization;
3. how to apply material balances, with particular reference to the examples described throughout the course and in the numerical classwork sessions.

and the student must be able to:

- describe the main environmental pollution prevention and treatment technologies to be applied to gaseous, liquid and solid matrices to protect air, water and soil environment;
- outline the preliminary design of some treatment technologies, according to the methodologies described during classworks.

1. Pollution measurement 

Introduction: concepts of environment, pollution, development and sustainable development. Indicators and Indices: sustainability indicators (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, OECD: PSR; European Agency for the Environment (EEA: DPSIR); short hints on sanitary risk assessment. Microbiology: pathogenic and other microorganisms (heterotrophic, autotrophic, aerobic, anaerobic) and their importance in the phenomena of pollution and pollution management. Water pollution: outline of the most common analytes (specific and aspecific) and analytical methods. River water pollution phenomena (oxygen balance, Streeter and Phelps model, introduction to water quality criteria). Lake pollution: eutrophication, acidification, notes on recovery interventions). Air pollution: structure of the atmosphere, air pollutants, emissions from stationary and mobile sources; emission factors. Scale of pollution phenomena. Waste characterization: production and composition, chemical-physical analyses. Hints on integrated waste management systems. Soil pollution: Contaminated Sites (extent and causes of the problem), soil and its physical, chemical and biological characteristics, soil-contaminant interaction.

Handouts of the Course will be available on the beep website: https://beep.metid.polimi.it

2. Pollution management 

Pollution management

The course provides an overview of decontamination and remediation technologies, with some specific insights on the most common ones. The aim of the course is to illustrate the principles on which these technologies and processes are based, as well as to address the main parameters that govern their design and operation. More specifically, the course will describe processes and technologies applied to: wastewater treatments, remediation of contaminated soils, the management and treatment of municipal and industrial solid wastes; the treatment and decontamination of gaseous effluents.

Wastewater treatments: unit operations (classification, description and function), treatment trains and selection criteria. Biological and physical chemical treatments. Disinfection. Sludge treatments: aerobic and anaerobic stabilization, thickening and dewatering.

Solid waste management:  the hierarchy of waste management technologies; selective collection and recycling. Treatment technologies: composting, anaerobic digestion, incineration, sanitary landfilling.

Treatments of gaseous effluents: applicable remediation technologies (dust removal, absorption, adsorption, thermal and catalytic oxidation).

Remediation of contaminated sites: in-situ, onsite and off-site methodologies; biological, physical and chemical methods.

Students are required to know the fundamentals of mathematics, chemistry and physics.

The examination will be a written test with one or two numerical exercises to be solved with a hand calculator and three or four open questions to fill in.

Course slides and reading material, published and available on Beep and see the detailed modules.