73517 - Industrial And Environmental Biotechnologies M

Learning outcomes

To provide the fundamentals of applied biochemistry, microbiology and technology required for the development, conduction and optimization of biotechnological processes for the production of microbial starters and enzymes, food ingredients, pharmaceuticals, fine chemicals, chemical building blocks, biopolymers and biofuels from dedicated feed-stocks and biomass and/or biomass processing by-products and waste, along with the biotechnological background for the implementation, conduction and optimization of bioremediation processes for the  ex-situ  and  in-situ  clean-up of contaminated soils, sites, wastewater and sediments.

Course contents

INDUSTRIAL & ENVIRONMENTAL BIOTECHNOLOGIES  I (6 CFU)

 

Cell types and major cell constituents. Enzymes and Nucleic acids: their structure and functions.

 

Metabolism of biogenic compounds. Anabolic and catabolic pathways.

Aerobic respiration of organic compounds: glycolysis, Krebs cycle and oxidative phosphorylation. Examples and main features of industrial and environmental relevant microorganisms respiring aerobically biogenic organic compounds.

Anaerobic metabolism of organic compounds: nitrate-reduction, Fe(III)-reduction, sulphate-reduction, HCO3— reduction (methanogenesis and acetogenesis).

Main features of major industrially and environmentally relevant microorganisms using such respiration routes.

Fermentation of carbohydrates and proteins: fermentation pathways of major relevance for industrial and environmental processes and main features of microorganisms responsible for them.

Anaerobic digestion of organic matter and biowaste and its industrial and environmental relevance.

Biotransformation pathways for inorganic compounds in aerobic habitats, such as  nitrification, S° or S= -oxidation, Fe(II) oxidation, and main features of microorganisms responsible for them. Industrial bioleaching of metals.

Basics of CO2 autotrophic fixation and of anoxygenic and oxygenic photosynthesis.  

The occurrence of the different microbes and microbial processes in the major aquatic and terrestrial natural habitats.

Major organic and inorganic xenobiotic pollutants entering the environment: their sources and fate in soils, sediments and waters. Microorganisms mainly involved in their biotransformation and detoxification, the biochemical-molecular basis associated with their adaptation to the pollutants and their potential industrial exploitation.  Main biodegradation/detoxification pathways for aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons, including chlorinated derivatives, in aerobic and anaerobic polluted environments. Basics on biotransformation on heavy metals in polluted sites.

 

Nutritional requirements of chemoorganotrophic industrial and environmental relevant micro-organisms and cultural media employed for their growth.  Mixed cultures, co-cultures and pure (axenic) cultures and conventional and molecular procedures for their characterization and improvement.  Conservation of microbial cultures.

 

Microbial growth under batch, fed-batch and continuous conditions and kinetics describing the processes. Physical and chemical agents affecting/controlling the microbial growth. Sterilization procedures adopted at the laboratory and industrial level.  

 

Scientific/technological and economical features of traditional and innovative industrial biotechnology processes.

Strategies and operative phases associated with development of an industrial biotech process (i.e., strain selection and improvement, cultural medium selection and preparation, inoculum preparation, medium and reactor sterilization, upstream stage,  fermentation stage and down stream stage).  Techniques and strategies for intensifying the process via enzymes and whole cells immobilization. Main features and applications of immobilized biological systems in the modern biotech industry.              

 

Biochemical, microbiological and technological aspects associated with the production of industrial microbial starters, microbial proteins, amino acids, vitamins, organic acids, flavours, antibiotics and enzymes from conventional fermentation media. Bioconversion processes of relevance for the food, biochemical, pharmaceutical and chemical industry (i.e., production of chiral compounds, etc) from conventional media. 

 

 

 

INDUSTRIAL & ENVIRONMENTAL BIOTECHNOLOGIES II (3 CFU)

 

 

White Biotechnology for the modern chemical, textile, pharmaceutical, cosmetic and bioenergy industry and multipurpose and integrated biomass and biowaste-based Biorefineries: 

basics, applications and environmental and economical implications.

 

Feed-stocks for white biotechnology processing: agricultural and forest biomass, and agro-food industry by-products, effluents, waste and surplus.

 

White biotechnology for the production of biofuels such as bioethanol (I and II generation), biomethane, biohydrogen and biodiesel from dedicated biomass and/or agrofood byproducts and wastes.

 

White biotechnology for the production of biobased fine-chemicals and materials via biomass and by-products/waste pre-treatment and enzymatic/microbial conversion of the obtained constituents.

Production of biopolymers and microbial polymers from biomass and/or agrofood industry byproducts and wastes.

 

Biorefineries in Europe: state-of-the-arts and trends.

 

Environmental biotechnology for the sustainable remediation of contaminated sites. Hydrogeology of a contaminated sites and contaminant transportation and fate at the site (soil and groundwater). 

 

Approaches to the management of contaminated sites: main remediation technologies and types of ex-situ and in situ interventions. 

 

Basis and specific microbiological and technological aspects related to bioremediation ex-situ and in situ of soils, aquifers and lands contaminated by organic xenobiotic compounds. Basis of myco-, phyto- and rhizo-remediation. Bioremediation of contaminated sediments. 

 

Basis and major microbiological and technological issues associated with treatment of wastewater of the chemical industry.

Readings/Bibliography

Madigan M.T. Martinko J.M., Parker J. (2002) Brock: Biology of Microorganisms.10th Edition, Prentice Hall International, Inc . New Jersey, USA

 

Ratledge C., Kristiansen B. (2006) Basic Biotechnology, III Edition, Cambridge University Press, London

 

Glazer A.N.,  Nikaido H.  (1997) Microbial Biotechnology- Fundamentals of Applied Microbiology. 2nd Edition. WH Freeman and Company, New York.

 

Ulber R., Sell D. (2007) White Biotechnology, Vol. 105 of the series Advances in Biochemical Engineering / Biotechnology, Springer, EU and USA.

Rittmann B.E., McCarty P.L. (2001) Environmental Biotechnology: principles and applications. McGraw-Hill Higher education, New York, USA

Teaching methods

class lectures

Assessment methods

The exam consists in an oral interview in order to assess the methodological and critical skills acquired by the student. The student will be invited to discuss the topics covered during the lessons. The achievement of an organic vision of the issues addressed during the classes and their critical use, which demonstrate ownership of a mastery of expression and specific language, will be assessed with marks of excellence. Mechanical and / or mnemonic knowledge of matter, synthesis and analysis of non-articulating and / or correct language but not always appropriate will lead to discrete assessments; training gaps and / or inappropriate language - although in a context of minimal knowledge of the material - will lead to votes that will not exceed the sufficiency. Training gaps, inappropriate language, lack of guidance within the reference materials offered during the course will lead to failed assessments

Office hours

See the website of Lorenzo Bertin