OVERVIEW

The course introduces students to the principles of civil and/or industrial wastewater treatment, providing them with a regulatory framework of the integrated water cycle (water supply, potabilization, discharges, and treatment) and all the elements needed to carry out a preliminary sizing of a civil or industrial treatment plant or to assess its potential critical issues.

AIMS AND CONTENT

LEARNING OUTCOMES

The course provides the fundamentals of principles and techniques for civil and industrial wastewater treatment, along with an overview of the regulatory and administrative aspects related to discharges into sewage systems and surface water bodies.

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

The aim of the course is to equip students with the tools to manage the most relevant aspects of discharge regulations and wastewater treatment principles and techniques — both civil and industrial — and to enable them to develop independent skills to preliminarily design a treatment plant and/or evaluate the efficiency of an existing treatment plant, identifying potential critical issues.

PREREQUISITES

None

TEACHING METHODS

The course consists of lectures totalling approximately 16 hours, during which theoretical content is presented supported by practical examples and case studies.
Lectures include:
• Slide-supported presentations
• Calculations for the sizing of treatment plants
• Discussion of practical cases and real-world situations
• In-depth study of wastewater treatment technologies (both civil and industrial)

Students who have valid certification of physical or learning disabilities on file with the University and who wish to discuss possible accommodations or other circumstances regarding lectures, coursework and exams, should speak both with the instructor and with Professor Sara Ferrando (sara.ferrando@unige.it), the Department’s disability liaison.

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

The course is structured in three parts:
- Regulatory framework: presentation of water discharge regulations;
- Principles of municipal wastewater treatment and main equations for plant sizing.
- Principles of industrial wastewater treatment and main equations for plant sizing.

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

No specific reference textbook is required. All teaching materials are available on AulaWeb in electronic format, including:
• Presentations used during lectures
• Technical and regulatory reference documents

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

Exam Board

ALESSANDRO GIRELLI (President)

SIMONE DI PIAZZA

MIRCA ZOTTI (President Substitute)

TOMASO MUNARI (Substitute)

LESSONS

LESSONS START

Lectures begin in the second semester according to the academic calendar of the degree programme and are preferentially held on Thursday afternoons and/or Friday mornings.
Please refer to the detailed timetable at the following link:
https://easyacademy.unige.it/portalestudenti/

Class schedule

The timetable for this course is available here: Portale EasyAcademy

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

The examination consists of an oral test during which the following will be assessed:
• Knowledge of fundamental theoretical content
• Ability to critically evaluate the information provided
• Ability to apply knowledge to practical cases
• Command of specific terminology
The oral examination (3 open questions) covers all course modules, with particular emphasis on the integration of acquired knowledge.
Practical examples and analysis of real-world situations may be requested.

ASSESSMENT METHODS

The oral exam verifies the actual achievement of the expected learning outcomes through:
• Specific questions on theoretical content to verify the acquisition of fundamental knowledge
• Assessment of the ability to critically analyse different treatment technologies
• Verification of command of technical language and specific terminology
• Assessment of the ability to apply acquired knowledge to practical cases

FURTHER INFORMATION

The course is open to students from various degree programmes (Environmental and Natural Sciences, Biological Sciences, Marine Ecology, Chemical Sciences) and welcomes Erasmus students. Given the interdisciplinary nature of the course, it is particularly suited to students interested in the environmental, technical, and regulatory aspects of sustainability.
Attendance at lectures is recommended for a better understanding of the topics covered.