This course comprises the various processes affecting the composition, reactions and quality of the soil solution and solid phases, and the bioavailability of natural and anthropogenic pollutants. Main focus is on reactions at the solid-solution interfaces in soil and sediment systems, in particular sorption, degradation and dissolution processes. The use of equilibrium computation and other types of estimation tools and modelling is trained.

Part of the course comprise lectures and exercises from the MSc course "Soil and Water Pollution - concepts and theories" taught in the same block. In addition to these lectures and exercises, tutorials with only the PhD students attending and with focus on paper reading is performed. Papers are selected depending on the interests of the course participants. The papers are discussed in plenum and summarized by the course participants.


The main topics of the course are:
•Structure of geosorbents (metal oxides, silicates, humic matter)
•Description of processes at surfaces of geosorbents (minerals, organic matter, bacteria)
•Microbial populations and microbial degradation of pollutants
•Equilibrium models for speciation, and for sorption of ionic and non-ionic pollutants (e.g. pesticides, petrochemicals, PAH's/PCBs, trace metals, natural toxins) including surface complexation models.
•Kinetics of sorption and degradation processes incl. diffusion.
•Hydrolysis of metal ions and organic pollutants
•Redox processes - degradation and mobility of pollutants.
•Sorption and activity of biological macromolecules (enzymes, proteins, DNA, biodetergents) at mineral surfaces
•Particles as transporters of pollutants
•Coupling between abiotic and microbial processes in control of pollutant degradation
•Instrumental methods for characterization of surface chemical reactions.
•Engineered environmental reactive particles to be used for soil and water cleaning

Academic qualifications:
Should have basic insight in chemistry, soil chemistry, and microbiology

Course info:
The PhD students following the course will be registered for use of the course info system (Absalon) where all teaching material and info is presented. PhD students should register for that by contacting the course responsible teacher.