Upon successful completion of this course the students will acquire new knowledge and specific skills on the following subjects:

• Will gain knowledge on: Soil and groundwater bioremediation technologies, rehabilitation technologies of marine ecosystems from oil spills, phytoremediation systems and slurry bioreactors for soil treatment.
• Will be able to understand: The conditions that require in situ or ex situ remediation techniques.
• Will be able to use: Necessary tools for calculating the remediation time for contaminated sites.
• Can recognize: The type of pollution, the ease of degradation by biological processes, as well as their risk.
• Can analyse: Polluted areas with regard to existing pollutants and their alternative remediation processes.
• Can evaluate: The effectiveness of bioremediation processes.

• Decision making
• Work autonomously
• Project design and management
• Adaptation ability
• Review, analyse and synthesise data and information, with the use of necessary technologies

Design of in situ and ex situ remediation systems for contaminated soil and groundwater with organic compounds (chlorinated and non-chlorinated). Design of subsurface barriers (in situ reactive walls). SBR operation of bioreactors for ex situ bioremediation. Natural attenuation. Phytoremediation technologies for decontamination of soils and groundwater from heavy metals and organics. Air biofilter technology. Predicting the byproducts from bioremediation of organic compounds. Field applications.

• Introduction to bioremediation technologies
• In-situ & ex-situ soil and underground water bioremediation technologies polluted with hydrocarbons
• In-situ & ex-situ soil and underground water bioremediation technologies polluted with chlorinated organic compounds
• Design of in situ reactive walls (subsurface barriers, funnel & gate systems)
• Design and operation of slurry bioreactors and sequencing batch reactors (SBR)
• Landfarming technique
• Composting technique
• Rehabilitation of marine ecosystems from oil spills
• Environmental natural attenuation
• Phytoremediation  of soils and groundwater  polluted with organic chemical substances
• Phytoremediation of soils and groundwater  polluted with heavy metals
• Design of air biofilters for odor control and VOCs
• Bioremediation mechanisms of organic substances:
  • Alkanes
  • Alkenes
  • Cycloalkanes
  • Aromatic hydrocarbons (BTEX)
  • Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons ( PAHs)
  • Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)
  • Asphaltenes and resins
  • Explosives (TNT, RMX, HMX)
• Field applications.

Use of Information and Communication Technology

• Power point presentations
• E-class support

Assessment Method

I. Closed-book written final examination: 100 % of the grade.
- Questions of theoretical knowledge.
- Theoretical problems to be resolved.

ΙΙ. Group and autonomous assignments (bonus): 10% of the grade.

• "Biodegradation and Bioremediation”, Martin Alexander, 2nd Edition, Academic Press, London UK (1999).
• “Bioremediation Principles”, JB Eweis, SJ Ergas, DPY Chang & ED Schroeder, McGraw-Hill, Boston MA (1998).