Environmental Biotechnology

Code:

BIOL/AMB4010

Acronym:

BIOL/AMB4010

Keywords
Classification	Keyword
OFICIAL	Biology/Environment

Instance: 2024/2025 - 2S

Active?	Yes
Responsible unit:	Department of Biology
Course/CS Responsible:	Master in Ecology and Environment

Cycles of Study/Courses

Acronym	No. of Students	Study Plan	Curricular Years	Credits UCN	Credits ECTS	Contact hours	Total Time
M:EA	14	Study plan since academic year 2024/2025.	1	-	6	42	162

Teaching language

Portuguese

Objectives

To provide essential knowledge on Biotechnological processes applied to environmental issues, at the level of theoretical fundamentals, applications and methodologies.

Learning outcomes and competences

At the individual aptitude level it is aimed the development in the students of a general view on Environmental Biotechnology, exploring its transversality, rapid development and the new challenges posed by environmental questions.

It is also aimed to promote their capacity of structuring and presenting assays in this field. This way it is developed the ability to critically analyse experiments and to interpret experimental data, and to communicate scientific ideas and discoveries to diversifyed audiences.

Working method

Presencial

Program

1 – Environmental Biotechnology: Introduction. Principles and Applications.

2 - Microbiology and Environmental Biotechnology. Identification and classification of microbial communities in the environment

2.1 - Traditional and molecular methods for identification and typing of bacteria. Polyclonal and monoclonal sera. Miniaturized multitest systems API and BIOLOG. Molecular methods used to study microbial communities (Overview). Cultures by dilution to extinction.

2.2 - Evaluation of the diversity of bacterial communities. Bacterial diversity. Bacterial genome. Methodologies to detect alterations in microbial communities. Bacterial Isolation. Methodologies independent of cultivation. Nucleic acid extraction. DNA amplification. Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). 

 3 – Examples of Environmental Biotechnology Intervention

3.1 – Bioremediation: General concepts. Microbial metabolism and biodegradation. Phytoremediation as a biotechnological process; definition, contexts of application, some results and difficulties.  Brief notes on heavy metal and xenobiotic phytoremediation. Concept of "phytomining". Practical procedure related to phytoremediation.

3.2 - Biological Treatment of Wastewater, Gases and Solid Wastes. Conventional Treatment Systems, and their main characteristics and application. Use of Biofilms. 

 3.3 – Environmental Monitoring: Sensors, Biosensors and Microbiosensors. Characterization. Advantages and disadvantages.

3.4 – Microalgal Biotechnology and environmental applications. The concept of Biorefinery. Main species used, products, uses (especially environmental applications), growth characteristics. Methods of biomass production, harvest and processing.

3.5 – Bioenergy: Biofuels (Bioethanol, Biodiesel, Biogas), Bioelectricity (MFC and PMFC), Biohydrogen.

Mandatory literature

Lima Nelson 340; Biotecnologia. ISBN: 978-972-757-197-0
Hurst Christon J. 340; Manual of environmental microbiology. ISBN: 978-1-55581-199-0
Tchobanoglous George 675; Wastewater engineering. ISBN: 978-0-07-112250-4 0-07-112250-8
Evans, GM, Furlong, JC; Environmental Biotechnology. Theory and Application, Wiley-Blackwell, 2011. ISBN: ISBN 978-10-4370-68418-4 (Recent library acquisition)
Scragg Alan; Environmental biotechnology. ISBN: 0-19-926867-3
Drinan Joanne E.; Water and wastewater treatment. ISBN: 978-1-4398-5400-6
Lodish Harvey F. 070; Molecular cell biology. ISBN: 978-0-7167-2380-6

Complementary Bibliography

Peter Schröder and Christopher D. Collins; Organic xenobiotics and plants: From mode of action to ecophysiology. , Springer, London, 2011. ISBN: ISBN 978-90-481-9851-1

Comments from the literature

Relevant scientific papers will be provided.

Teaching methods and learning activities

This course is organized in intensive thematic blocks of knowledge, including also the interpretation, discussion and presentation of specific works. Practical exercise related to phytoremediation will be done.

Exposition and discussion of case studies, eventually by researchers of different areas, will consolidate the lectured subjects.

Theoretical issues are presented using multimedia resources and elements for consultation are provided through FCUP web platform. Additional tutorial support is given for the elaboration of the work.

Evaluation Type

Distributed evaluation with final exam

Assessment Components

designation	Weight (%)
Exame	40,00
Trabalho escrito	60,00
Total:	100,00

Amount of time allocated to each course unit

designation	Time (hours)
Frequência das aulas	42,00
Total:	42,00

Eligibility for exams

Frequency of classes of the Discipline according to the Legislation and Regulations in force.

Calculation formula of final grade

Assessment components: A – Assays with Oral presentation + Discussion – 60%; B – Final exam – 40% (to be performed at the normal examination terms, score improvement possible).

Final grade will be calculated based on the expression: Final grade = A x 0.60 + B x 0.40 .

Approval with a grade ≥ 9.5 (Scale 0-20).

These rules apply in any examination term.

Special assessment (TE, DA, ...)

Assessment special cases: The assessment for special cases is made by a final exam (100% score), in the periods legally stated for each situation. This criterion is applied in all examination periods.

Classification improvement

Final score improvement only possible to the exam component. The grade obtained with the assays will be used to calculate the final score.

Observations

Students that do not speak Portuguese may be subjected to alternative forms of evaluation.

Professor for contact in case of need: Maria Teresa Martins Borges