OVERVIEW

The module of Biochemistry and Environmental Biotechnology, held by Prof. Attilio Converti in the 2nd semester of Master Degree in Environmental Engineering, has total duration of 52 h, including 2 h of exercise in classroom and 12 h of lab activity

The module of Waste Utilisation and Soil Remediation, held by Prof. Michela Gallo in the 1st semester of Master Degree in Environmental Engineering, has total duration of 50 h, including 6 h of exercise in classroom and a 4 h visit to a waste treatment plant, when available

AIMS AND CONTENT

LEARNING OUTCOMES

The module of Waste Utilisation and Soil Remediation offers a broad discussion of the issues of pollution, remediation and purification in the soil, based on the principles of the risk analysis. Beside the management of the polluted sites, the solid waste treatment is also discusssed by analysing several case studies of incenerition, composting plants and landfills.

The module of Biochemistry and Environmental Biotechnology aims at providing the concepts needed for a good knowledge of the biotechnological processes and plants, with specific concern to environmental applications. Particular attention is paid to the principles and technological aspects of new biotechnological applications in the environmental field.

PREREQUISITES

For a successful learning of the module of Biochemistry and Environmental Biotechnology, basic knowledge of biology, biochemistry and mathematics is required, but no formal prerequisites are foreseen.

For a successful learning of the module of Waste Utilisation and Soil Remediation, basic knowledge of chemistry, physics and mathematics is required, but no formal prerequisites are foreseen

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

LESSONS

LESSONS START

https://corsi.unige.it/10720/p/studenti-orario

Class schedule

The timetable for this course is available here: Portale EasyAcademy

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

Module of Biochemistry and Environmental Biotechnology

The final examination consists of passing an oral test, in which the student presents, with the help of a Power Point file, his/her review previously agreed with the teacher and sent by the student to the teacher by e-mail at least one week before, for correction purposes. Since the topic of the review will be only a small part of the module contents, the shortcomings, imperfections or doubts highlighted in the review will be the starting point for a series of questions on the basic principles of environmental biotechnology and on environmental biotechnological processes in general, which will allow the teacher to ascertain the knowledge level achieved by the student. The number of questions is not fixed, in the sense that it will depend on the degree of excellence of the review in terms of consistency of the work carried out with respect to the topic, structure and completeness of work, updating of literature, compliance with general editorial rules, personal conclusions on topic and future perspectives. Nonetheless, at least one question will be asked about each of these criteria, as well as about the topic of lab training activity. Three exam sessions will be available for the ‘winter’ period (December, February and during the Polytechnic School break around the Easter period) and 5 sessions for the 'summer' one [end of May, June, July (2 sessions), September]. No extraordinary sessions will be available outside the periods indicated by the Polytechnic School, except for students who have not included in their study plan learning activities in the current academic year.

Module of Waste Utilisation and Soil Remediation

The exam consists in passing an oral exam.

Three exam sessions will be foreseen during the winter session (December, January and February) and three exam sessions will be foreseen during the summer session and during the fall stop of the Polytechnic School. No extraordinary further exam sessions will be issued outside the regular Polytechnic School periods, with the exceptions of students without didactic activities in their current academic year curriculum

The final mark achieved in the discipline will be the average of the marks awarded in the two modules in which the discipline is divided. Students are kindly invited to consult the individual modules for assessment details.

ASSESSMENT METHODS

Module of Biochemistry and Environmental Biotechnology

Details on how to prepare for the exam along with the deepening degree of each topic will be elucidated to the students during the lessons. The students, at the end of the module, will propose to the teacher to deepen a specific biotechnological application in the environmental field chosen among those explained during lectures and lab training. After agreeing the topic with the teacher, the students, preferentially but not necessarily in pairs, will send the review to the teacher at least one week before the oral exam. The work, after correction by the teacher, will be taken as the main starting point of the oral examination, becoming the subject of at least 5 questions aimed at assessing the learning of the basic principles of biotechnology. The work will be presented by the student with the help of a Power Point file. This part of the exam is aimed to ascertain the student's abilities to discern the relative importance of the different contributions of the scientific literature, to synthesize and to elaborate a review starting from all available sources, all considered essential for future success in the work world. The quality of the exposure, the correct use of technical terminology and the critical reasoning ability will also be assessed. The oral exam will end with a further question related to the topic of lab training, in order to verify the extent of learning.

Module of Waste Utilisation and Soil Remediation

Questions will be asked about both the soil remediation and both the waste management, relating to the topics covered during the module and present in the teaching material provided. The case studies analyzed during lessons can be asked too.

A correct understanding and use of the Risk Analysis and of Life Cycle Methodology is required too during examination.

Regarding the soil remediation, a specific situation of contamination of an environmental matrix will be presented and the student will have to identify the applicable options between the remediation techniques seen during lessons.

Regarding the waste treatment and utilisation, the student has to illustrate what are the options of treatment or matter/energy recovery, applicable to a specific fraction of waste.

​Quality of the presentation, correct terminology and critical thinking skills will also be evaluated.

The final mark achieved in the discipline will be the average of the marks awarded in the two modules in which the discipline is divided. Students are kindly invited to consult the individual modules for assessment details.