The objective of the teaching subject is to provide operational information on the chemical and biological mechanisms impacted by soil pollution, and that can be modified under climate change, Students learn how to analyze the impacts of pollution and climate change on key soil processes responsible for soil fertility, and apprise the sustainable remediation options in both fields. Teaching course shares class lectures and laboratory practice in soil analysis.
P. Nannipieri (a cura di). Ciclo della sostanza organica nel suolo: aspetti agronomici, chimici, ecologici e selvicolturali. Editore: Pàtron, EAN: 9788855522434, ISBN: 8855522434
P. Sequi, Chimica del suolo. Patron Editore, Bologna, 1989
D.L. Sparks. Environmental Soil Chemistry Academic Press, 2003.
D.L. Winegardner. An Introduction to Soils for Environmental Professionals. CRC Press, 1995.
Swartjes F. (a cura di). Human Health and Ecological Risk Assessment related to polluted soils. Springer, The Netherlands.
G. Certini, R. Scalenghe. Soils: Basic Concepts and Future Challenges. Cambridge University Press ISNB-13 978-0-521-85173-2.
Additional documents will be assembled and distributed as course pack by the teacher.
Learning Objectives
The subject aims at provide students with knowledge on soil as a natural system, the importance and main drivers of the biogeochemical cycles of elements, interactions between soils and climate, and the role of soil in the equilibria of natural ecosystems and in agricultural production. The subject will also highlight the key soil properties and processes of responding to climate change, and considered in bio-economy estimations and in environmental legislation.
The subject will introduce to students the problems related to soil pollution, impacts of soil pollution on the biogeochemical cycles of elements and repercussions on ecosystem functioning and on agro-forestry production. Legislative implications of soil pollution will be shown. The subject will also illustrate to students the current chemical, biological and biotechnological approaches in risk assessment.
The subject will train the students on the principles of environmental toxicology and pollutant chemistry, and the constituents of the soil system and environmental equilibria for site characterization environmental pollution and risk assessment. Current models in risk assessment and ecotoxicology, ecotoxicological tests, and biotechnologies for soil analysis will be explained in detail, including the potentials and current limitations of the biosensor technology and, its application to the analysis of contaminated soils and of agricultural soils.
The subject will illustrate to students the current technologies and biotechnologies available for remediation of polluted soils, with specific focus on the potentials of phytoremdiation as sustainable management of contaminated soils and sites, through the illustration of real case studies, and the main implication of soil remediation technologies in environmental legislation and in bioeconomy.
The subject will train students on the impact of agricultural practice on soil processes and on implications of change of soil properties on climate change. Impact of climate change on soil biogeochemical cycles, and the current models used for in soil assessment and remediation will be explained to students. Moreover, the students will be also trained on the evaluation of emissions of gas and volatile compounds from soil, of their role in the ecosystems functioning, and assessment of their impacts on atmosphere quality. Finally, an overview on the existing soil technologies for atmosphere protection and climate change mitigation will be provided to students, with illustration of the outcome from real case studies.
The subject will also share practical laboratory activities mainly on the current methodologies of soil analysis, with specific focus on analysis of soil pollution, risk assessment, and on effectiveness of soil remediation by using phytotechnologies. The laboratory activity can be also interdisciplinary in collaboration with other teachers of the study course.
Specific seminars will be also organized in collaboration with specialists of environmental modelling for the illustration of the current trends in climate change and mitigation measures, and in modelling of impacts of soil pollution agricultural productions. Further practical activities, including topical seminars and technical visits, will be also offered to students in relation to the availability of companies working in the field of soil and environmental analysis, application of soil remediation technologies, and in sustainable management of contaminated soils and sites. Students will have the possibility to perform apprenticeship and final thesis projects on specific aspects of the teaching programme
Prerequisites
Courses required: none
Courses recommended: all subjects of first semester
Class attendance: not compulsory, but strongly recommended
Teaching tools: Video projector, PC, black board, chemistry laboratories
Teaching Methods
CFU: 6
Total hours of the course 48
Hours for private study and other personal formative activities: 96
Lecture hours 32
Laboratory hours: 12
Seminar hours: 4
Stages: 0
Intermediate examinations: 0
Type of Assessment
Final oral examination on the course topics
Course program
The soil as natural system. Soil abiotic and biotic components. Soil inorganic solid phases: skeleton, sand, silt, clay minerals, (hydro)-oxides. The soil organic matter: chemical composition, fractions, processes and functions. Soil structure: aggregate formation and water infiltration.
Soil biotic components: soil fauna, soil fungi, soil bacteria, soil viruses. Key soil determinants for environmental legislation and bioeconomy.
Soil biotic functions and processes in natural and agro-forestry ecosystems: soil enzyme activity, organic matter decomposition and nutrient mineralization, biogeochemical cycles of elements. The concept of bioavailability in soil. Chemical methods of soil analysis and soil processes.
Gas exchange between soil and atmosphere: methodologies for measurement, relation between microbial activity and diversity and soil emissions of gas and volatile compounds.
Soil pollution: load and fate of organic and inorganic pollutants. Synthetic agrochemicals and atmospheric fall out. Analytical methodologies for determining load and fate of main pollutants in soil. Effects of pollution on soil processes and fertility: chemical methods for the analysis of soil pollution on soil biota and soil biological processes, impact on soil fertility and soil ecosystem functions. Standard ecotoxicological tests and use of biosensors as biotechnological tests for assessing soil quality and potential impact soil pollution. Use of chemical and ecotoxicological data for risk assessment.
Technologies and biotechnologies for remediation of polluted soils: potentials and current limitations of current technologies and biotechnologies for sustainable management of contaminated soils and sites. Phytoremediation: principles and applications. Examples of implication of polluted soil remediation technologies in environmental legislation and in bioeconomy.
Effects of land management on the impact of soil on atmosphere. Impact on land use change and soil management and implications on climate change. Impact of climate change on soil biogeochemical cycles: assessment and current models for long-term estimations. Soil technologies for atmosphere protection and climate change mitigation: sustainable management of organic residues use and biochar application.
Laboratory activities: official method soil analysis for the assessment of soil fertility and soil pollution. Eco-toxicological tests for assessment of ecological risk and of efficiency of soil remediation by using phytotechnologies.
Seminari (compatibilmente col regolare svolgimento della didattica): modellistica ambientale per l’analisi delle attuali tendenze degli stock e dei flussi di carbonio nel suolo e relazione con i cambiamenti climatici. Modellistica degli impatti dell’inquinamento del suolo sulle produzioni agricole.
Seminars (depending on the regularity of the teaching course): environmental modelling for the analysis of current trends in carbon stocks and fluxes and relation with climate change. Modelling of impacts of soil pollution agricultural productions.
Technical visits (depending on the availability of companies and on the regularity of the teaching course): topics will be i) environmental analysis, ii) practical application of soil remediation technologies, iii) and in sustainable management of contaminated soils and sites.