Practical Applications of Petroleum Hydrocarbon Chemistry
Note: This is a NEW course and the first time offered in CT. The CT State Board of Examiners of Environmental Professionals has approved this course for 8.0 hours of continuing education credits (CTLEP-384). The MA LSP Board has approved this course for 8.0 Technical Credits (LSP Course #1522).
TIME AND LOCATION:
This seminar will be held on May 14, 2015 and runs from 8 AM - 5 PM at the University of Hartford, Gray Conference Center - Wilde Auditorium, 200 Bloomfield Avenue, West Hartford, CT.
INSTRUCTORS:
Jack Duggan, Wentworth Institute of Technology, Boston, MA
Jim Occhialini, Alpha Analytical, Westborough, MA
Richard Rago, Haley & Aldrich, Rocky Hill, CT
COURSE FEE:
EPOC Members: $225, Non-members: $275, Gov't Employee/Student Members: $112.50
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This full-day seminar will include lecture and case-studies which illustrate the composition of commonly encountered petroleum products at impacted sites, their degradation products in soil and groundwater, and methods used to detect and monitor their presence in soil and groundwater. A brief review of key organic chemistry principles and processes will be made at the start of the seminar. It is suggested that attendees have working experience in investigations at petroleum-contaminated locations. This course builds upon concepts presented in a previously offered introductory organic chemistry course entitled, “Fundamentals of Organic Chemistry”; however, attendance at that seminar is not a pre-requisite for this program.
In addition to the lecture portion of the program, four case studies will be presented to attendees on the following topics: Solubilization; Volatilization and Vapor Mobility; Data Interpretation and QA/QC Review; and Biological Degradation. For each, a brief presentation of background information and site data will be presented. The attendees will then be asked to apply course concepts and their professional experience to evaluate the information and conclusions presented in the case study.
For further details about topics covered in this seminar, see: EPOC Petroleum Hydrocarbon Seminar details.pdf
SPEAKER BIOS
Jack Duggan is a Registered Environmental Engineer and Certified Soil Evaluator in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. He has earned a B.S. in chemical engineering from Clarkson University, an M.S. in civil engineering from UMASS Lowell and a Ph.D. in chemistry from UMASS Lowell. He is a Professor and Chair of Civil Engineering and Technology at Wentworth Institute of Technology in Boston, MA and has been on Wentworth’s faculty since 1997. Prior to Wentworth, Jack was an environmental engineer for 14 years with the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Waste Site Cleanup.
Jim Occhialini is a vice president of technical sales with Alpha Analytical and he serves as the product line manager for the laboratory’s ecological/human health risk assessment and dredging project applications. Jim has over 35 years of environmental analytical and consulting experience working on a wide range of project applications. Jim is very active with a number of regulatory workgroups and industry associations. Prior to joining Alpha, Jim was a principal scientist and laboratory manager for a large environmental engineering firm where he had 20 years of service.
Richard Rago serves as a Haley & Aldrich Lead Scientist and is based out of their Rocky Hill, CT office. Since joining Haley & Aldrich in 1991, Mr. Rago has long been recognized for contributions to regulatory agencies and professional organizations, including for his original support for Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection’s development and implementation of the VPH and EPH petroleum analytical methods, subsequent participation of the Data Quality Enhancement Program committee, and contributions to numerous other state and federal guidance documents. Mr. Rago has also directed independent research studies in support of improved environmental characterization, including false positives in analytical quantitation of metals, potential bias in petroleum hydrocarbons measurements, indoor air sampling intervals, soil gas long term temporal stability, and indoor air background.
