The course of Microbial Biotechnology for the Environment falls within the scope of the biology and fermentation chemistry training activities of the bachelor degree in Sciences for the Protection of Nature and Environmental Sustainability. The main educational goals of the course are: acquisition of knowledge on the use of microbial biotechnologies for the resolution of environmental problems generated by anthropic activities, with particular reference to industrial productions with low environmental impact, production of non-fossil green fuels, biodegradation of toxic substances, environmental bioremediation, waste-water treatment and bio-fertilizers; acquisition of applied knowledge for drafting, executing and analysing experiments aimed at identifying environmental microorganisms with beneficial impact on agriculture or capable of degrading pollutants; acquisition of knowledge to retrieve and critically analyse scientific publications related to microbial biotechnologies. The expected learning outcomes are the increase of the student theoretical knowledge in the field of microbial biotechnologies for environmental sustainability, of his/her practical skills for the design and execution of laboratory experiments, and of his/her critical ability to search and evaluate scientific literature data.
teacher profile teaching materials
- knowledge about the use of natural and engineered microorganisms, and enzymes/molecules of microbial origin, for the resolution of environmental problems generated by human activities;
- basic methods for the selection, identification and exploitation of microorganisms with beneficial impact on environmental sustainability.
The course will cover the following topics:
• Introduction to microbial biotechnologies
• Microbial bioremediation
• Microbial waste water treatment
• Air biofiltration
• Organic waste composting
• Microbial leaching and mineral recovery
• Sustainable production of biofuels, chemicals and enzymes
• Plastics degradation and bioplastics production
• Agricultural and industrial waste recycling
• Microbial biosensors for environmental monitoring
• Microbial biotechnologies for sustainable agriculture
• Exploitation of microorganisms for carbon neutrality
Innovative teaching will be promoted by cloud-sharing of power-point presentations illustrating the main topics of the course. Moreover, students will be encouraged to make use of web-based resources and databases to autonomously increase their knowledge on specific advanced topics.
Students will be received at the best of their convenience if an appointment has been fixed at the end of the lessons or by email.
Programme
The course aims at providing to the student:- knowledge about the use of natural and engineered microorganisms, and enzymes/molecules of microbial origin, for the resolution of environmental problems generated by human activities;
- basic methods for the selection, identification and exploitation of microorganisms with beneficial impact on environmental sustainability.
The course will cover the following topics:
• Introduction to microbial biotechnologies
• Microbial bioremediation
• Microbial waste water treatment
• Air biofiltration
• Organic waste composting
• Microbial leaching and mineral recovery
• Sustainable production of biofuels, chemicals and enzymes
• Plastics degradation and bioplastics production
• Agricultural and industrial waste recycling
• Microbial biosensors for environmental monitoring
• Microbial biotechnologies for sustainable agriculture
• Exploitation of microorganisms for carbon neutrality
Core Documentation
Selected topics will be available on suggested Microbiology and Microbial Biotechnology books, as indicated in the following reference list. Specific research papers and experimental protocols will be provided during theoretic lessons on advanced research topics and laboratory practices.Innovative teaching will be promoted by cloud-sharing of power-point presentations illustrating the main topics of the course. Moreover, students will be encouraged to make use of web-based resources and databases to autonomously increase their knowledge on specific advanced topics.
Students will be received at the best of their convenience if an appointment has been fixed at the end of the lessons or by email.
Reference Bibliography
- Microbiologia ambientale ed elementi di ecologia microbica. Barbieri, Bestetti, Galli, Zannoni. Casa Editrice Ambrosiana. - Brock – Biologia dei Microrganismi. Madigan, Martinko, Bender, Buckley, Stahl. Casa Editrice Pearson. - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/Type of delivery of the course
The course is based on theoretical lessons and laboratory practice. All communications will be sent to students via email and through the Moodle platform (https://scienze.el.uniroma3.it), from which students can also download the slides of the lessons (also available on Microsoft Teams).Attendance
Admission to the final exams is restricted to students that will attend at least 75% of the lessons.Type of evaluation
Theoretical and practical concepts discussed during the lessons will be objects of the oral exam. Particular attention will be given to the ability of the student to apply the knowledge acquired during the course to solve new problems in the biotechnological scenario. Final mark will be attribute as follow: - 20% communication skills; - 40% acquisition of knowledge and understanding; - 20% ability to connect different topics; - 20% capacity to apply the knowledge for problem-solving. Outstanding students will be certified with honours (lode). teacher profile teaching materials
- knowledge about the use of natural and engineered microorganisms, and enzymes/molecules of microbial origin, for the resolution of environmental problems generated by human activities;
- basic methods for the selection, identification and exploitation of microorganisms with beneficial impact on environmental sustainability.
The course will cover the following topics:
• Introduction to microbial biotechnologies
• Microbial bioremediation
• Microbial waste water treatment
• Air biofiltration
• Organic waste composting
• Microbial leaching and mineral recovery
• Sustainable production of biofuels, chemicals and enzymes
• Plastics degradation and bioplastics production
• Agricultural and industrial waste recycling
• Microbial biosensors for environmental monitoring
• Microbial biotechnologies for sustainable agriculture
• Exploitation of microorganisms for carbon neutrality
Innovative teaching will be promoted by cloud-sharing of power-point presentations illustrating the main topics of the course. Moreover, students will be encouraged to make use of web-based resources and databases to autonomously increase their knowledge on specific advanced topics.
Students will be received at the best of their convenience if an appointment has been fixed at the end of the lessons or by email.
Programme
The course aims at providing to the student:- knowledge about the use of natural and engineered microorganisms, and enzymes/molecules of microbial origin, for the resolution of environmental problems generated by human activities;
- basic methods for the selection, identification and exploitation of microorganisms with beneficial impact on environmental sustainability.
The course will cover the following topics:
• Introduction to microbial biotechnologies
• Microbial bioremediation
• Microbial waste water treatment
• Air biofiltration
• Organic waste composting
• Microbial leaching and mineral recovery
• Sustainable production of biofuels, chemicals and enzymes
• Plastics degradation and bioplastics production
• Agricultural and industrial waste recycling
• Microbial biosensors for environmental monitoring
• Microbial biotechnologies for sustainable agriculture
• Exploitation of microorganisms for carbon neutrality
Core Documentation
Selected topics will be available on suggested Microbiology and Microbial Biotechnology books, as indicated in the following reference list. Specific research papers and experimental protocols will be provided during theoretic lessons on advanced research topics and laboratory practices.Innovative teaching will be promoted by cloud-sharing of power-point presentations illustrating the main topics of the course. Moreover, students will be encouraged to make use of web-based resources and databases to autonomously increase their knowledge on specific advanced topics.
Students will be received at the best of their convenience if an appointment has been fixed at the end of the lessons or by email.
Reference Bibliography
- Microbiologia ambientale ed elementi di ecologia microbica. Barbieri, Bestetti, Galli, Zannoni. Casa Editrice Ambrosiana. - Brock – Biologia dei Microrganismi. Madigan, Martinko, Bender, Buckley, Stahl. Casa Editrice Pearson. - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/Type of delivery of the course
The course is based on theoretical lessons and laboratory practice. All communications will be sent to students via email and through the Moodle platform (https://scienze.el.uniroma3.it), from which students can also download the slides of the lessons (also available on Microsoft Teams).Attendance
Admission to the final exams is restricted to students that will attend at least 75% of the lessons.Type of evaluation
Theoretical and practical concepts discussed during the lessons will be objects of the oral exam. Particular attention will be given to the ability of the student to apply the knowledge acquired during the course to solve new problems in the biotechnological scenario. Final mark will be attribute as follow: - 20% communication skills; - 40% acquisition of knowledge and understanding; - 20% ability to connect different topics; - 20% capacity to apply the knowledge for problem-solving. Outstanding students will be certified with honours (lode).