Environmental Biotechnology

The course is an introduction to environmental biotechnology and focuses on the utilization of microbial processes in waste and water treatment, and bioremediation. Topics included are microbial energy metabolism, microbial growth kinetics and elementary chemostat theory, relevant microbiological processes, microbial ecology, approaches for studying microbial communities, and basic principles in bioremediation and biological water and waste treatment.

By the end of the course, the student should be able to

• Classify microbes according to energy source and carbon source and evaluate energy outcome of the energy metabolism according to electron acceptor and electron donor usage
• Apply Monod's kinetics and basic chemostat theory to determine microbial growth rates, biomass yield, and substrate concentration and removal rates
• Carry out an experiment with nitrification in a continuous lab-scale bioreactor for ammonia removal
• Describe suitable methods for characterizing the diversity and composition of microbial communities
• Define basic concepts in microbial ecology, such as carrying capacity, succession, r- and K-selection, ecological niches
• Outline the principles of methods for quantification of organic carbon in wastewater and calculate the theoretical oxygen demand (ThOD) for simple organic compounds
• Explain the microbial processes and growth requirements undelaying the activated sludge process, nitrification, denitrification, enhanced phosphorus removal, and anaerobic digestion
• Evaluate alternative process schemes for combined biological nutrient removal (BNR)
• Evaluate the potential for biodegradation of organic pollutants, taking microbial and physical/chemical environments, as well as the chemical structure of the compound itself, into consideration

Lectures, laboratory project, calculatory exercises, and one all-day excursion. Compulsory attendance on exercises and laboratory project will take place on scheduled exercise sessions. The laboratory project takes place over a 5-6 weeks period, and requires more attendance, but at flexible times.