This book presents and integrates all aspects of fate and transport: chemistry, modeling, various forms of assessment, and the environmental legal framework. It approaches each of these topics initially from a conceptual perspective before explaining the concepts in terms of the math necessary to model the problem. The only pre-requisites for understanding the concepts covered in this book are a basic knowledge of algebra and first-year college chemistry, although calculus and partial differential equation derivations and solutions are given.
The first third of the book is dedicated to the relevant aspects of chemistry behind the fate and transport processes. Relatively simple examples and problems are provided to teach these principles. The second third of the book is based on the conceptual derivation and the use of common models to evaluate the importance of model parameters and sensitivity analysis. Computer exercises and available simulators teach and enforce the concepts and logic behind fate and transport modeling. The last third of the book is focused on various aspects of assessment (toxicology, risk, benefit-cost and life cycle) and environmental legislation in the US, Europe, and China. The book closes with a set of laboratory exercises that illustrate chemical and fate and transport concepts covered in the text, with example student results for most experiments. The purpose of this approach is to better prepare students for support jobs in the environmental arena surrounding the chemical industry and Superfund sites.
In addition, the authors include simple, user-friendly simulators, pC-pH® and Fate-2016®, which uses basic models to predict chemical speciation and the fate and transport of pollutants in lake, river, groundwater, and atmospheric systems. Fate-2016® can be an effective teaching and learning tool, as discussed in the "How to Use Fate" section of the introductory materials. Fate includes two basic fate and transport models (a pulse and step input) for river, lake, groundwater, and atmospheric systems. Within Fate-2016®, each model contains a background section explaining the concepts and mathematics behind the model, a worked sample problem for every calculation used in the model, a summary of appropriate pollutant degradation rate constants, mixing parameters (dispersion, eddy diffusion, etc.), sorption parameters, and conversion factors. Three companion movies, Water (a tour of modern drinking water treatment plant), Wastewater (a tour of a modern domestic wastewater treatment plant), and Global Issues are also available. Several of the laboratory exercises (in English and Spanish) are simulated in the alkalinity, hardness, dissolved oxygen, biochemical oxygen demand, and total dissolved solids computer simulators. All software is available at https://sites.google.com/a/whitman.edu/frank-dunnivant-webpage/environmentalsoftware.
