Bioremediation

The course aims to provide the students with the elements to know, understand, measure and remediate, using plants and microorganisms, organic and inorganic contamination in different environmental compartments (water, air, soil, plants).
The course is organised as an interdisciplinary laboratory, in which professors from different disciplines (environmental chemistry, environmental microbiology, and plant physiology) guide students in carrying out a project based on a real case study by integrating lectures, fieldwork, laboratory work, and data analysis.
This laboratory gives students the possibility, while learning specific concepts and skills related to bioremediation, to acquire transversal skills, such as working in a group, discussing results, communicating concepts, and critically evaluating and using literature sources.

At the end of the course, the student should:
· know and understand the causes of environmental contamination;
· know, understand and use the main methods to determine the distribution of organic and inorganic contaminations in different environmental compartments (water, air, soil, plants);
· know, understand and utilize analytical techniques for environmental monitoring;
· know and understand the role of plants and microorganisms in environmental processes and bioremediation, and the main bioremediation techniques;
· be able to propose a bioremediation plan;
· be able to apply statistical analysis of environmental data.
· be able to frame the contamination cases in terms of the environmental legislation in force.
Students will acquire practical skills in the use of analytical instruments for the quantification of: organic and inorganic compounds, microflora connected to environmental processes, physiological state of plants.
Students will also be able to independently evaluate methods to monitor and analyse contamination problems, and to evaluate the remediation interventions needed.
They will also be able to independently find and evaluate literature sources about bioremediation to update their knowledge.
Students will develop soft skills such as public speech, teamwork, and critical discussion of scientific data.
The skills acquired in environmental remediation, waste treatment and material recovery technologies will allow students to interact with professionals working in the environmental restoration sector.
The students will come into contact with external stakeholders thanks to the organization of seminars with environmental management experts, and they will develop communication skills thanks to the application of flipped learning methods.