Catalogue of courses
fields of study: Environmental Protection, Environmental Engineering

Autumn semester 2019/2020

1.Technologies of water treatment (autumn semester, ECTS 2). Objectives and tasks of water management. Water cycle. Water resources and water balance in a global, European and Polish context. Water management in various sectors of the national economy. Flood and drought risk, water retention. Climate change impacts on freshwater. The implementation of the Water Framework Directive and the Floods Directive. Threats, degradation and protection of natural resources.

2.Informative technologies in environmental engineering (autumn semester, ECTS 2). During the course, student learns the basics of utilizing software tools such as CAD (Computer Aided Design). Elements of programming - communication with the program, types of coordinates and units, model space and sheet, drawing borders. Creating 2D objects, precise drawing (characteristic points, tracking, base point), deleting objects, transforming objects. Editing the properties of objects. Commands from range of object changes. Operations on layers: lines and styles, text entry, text styles. Operations on blocks. Dimensioning of objects and drawing scale. Basics of creating 3D objects, viewports, views. Setting print parameters. Three-dimensional modeling - edge, planar, solid.

3.Air protection (autumn semester, ECTS 3). Sources of air pollution - natural and anthropogenic (point, line and surface). Methods, technologies and equipment to dust and gas pollution removal. Technologies to reduce emissions: sulfur dioxides, nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, volatile organic compounds, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, furans and dioxins. Calculation of emission standards for installation. The conversion of the exhaust gas concentrations as a mole fraction, percent by volume, the mass concentration, molar concentration, ppm concentration, partial pressure. Calculation of the emissions on the basis of indicators, based on measurements and mass balance. Calculation of the quantity and composition of the exhaust gases during the combustion of gaseous fuels with different characteristics, coal and liquid fuels.

4.Environmental biotechnology (autumn semester, ECTS 2,5). Evaluation of effectiveness of municipal wastewater treatment in low loaded reactors with a continuous flow. Organics removal and nitrification efficiency in rotating biological contactors (RBCs). Organics removal and nitrification efficiency in moving-bed biofilm reactors (MBBRs). Organics and nutrients removal in SBRs. Determination of the technological parameters of biogas production on the basis of experimental studies. Physical-chemical characterization of compost from sewage sludge and evaluate its  usefulness as a fertilizers.

5.Sewage sludge management (autumn semester, ECTS 4). Directions of sewage sludge management, legal status. The production of sludge in wastewater treatment systems. Processing methods of sewage sludge. Basis for selection of the methods of disposal of sewage sludge. Directions for use of sewage sludge outside agriculture. Sewage sludge as a source of biomass. Sludge drying technologies. Thermal disposal of sewage sludge. Alternative technologies that use wet oxidation processes, gasification and pyrolysis. Solidification of sewage sludge. Calculating the amount of sewage sludge produced during wastewater treatment, using the ATV method. Design tasks on sludge thickening, anaerobic digestion, aerobic stabilization, conditioning and dewatering of sewage sludge. 

6.Sewage systems (autumn semester, ECTS 5). Sewerage system types – combined and separate sewers. Sewage flows, cross-sections, hydraulic calculation of channels. Design of sewer systems. Sewer materials and appurtenances. Low pressure and vacuum sewer systems. Pumping stations. Construction of sewer networks. Trenchless technologies in the construction and renovation of the network. The legal basis for the operation of sewerage systems. Reliability of sewerage systems. Operating procedures, maintenance, health and safety. Environmental aspects of construction and operation of sewerage systems.

7.Alien species in Polish aquatic ecosystems (autumn semester, ECTS 2). Phyto and zoogeographic regions. Non-indigenous and invasive species. Geographical barriers. Features of expansive aquatic organisms that predestines them to settle new areas. The pace of biological invasions in the past and now. Ways of dyspersial. The role of humans in the spread of species. The main vectors for introducing non-native taxons to Polish aquatic ecosystems. Consequences of the presence of alien and invasive species for the native biota. Methods for assessing the degree of biosimulation. Review of selected alien species of domestic fauna and flora of inland and marine water ecosystems: primary occurrence area, morphology, species biology, pathway and human-mediated vectors, assessment of impact on ecosystems and native species.

8.Sanitary  microbiology (autumn semester, ECTS 2). Waterborne infections. Indicatory  bacteria (total coliforms, fecal coliforms, enterococci, Clostridium perfingens). Drinking water treatment-health safety.  Sanitary and bacteriological aspects of sewage purification. Microbiological pollution of the atmospheric air at the WWTP area, municipal waste dumps  and its surroundings. Chemical control of microorganisms- halogens (chlorine, chloramines, jodophors), phenol and phenolic compounds, alcochols, ethylene oxide, hydrogen peroxide.

9.Soil pollution and remediation (autumn semester, ECTS 2). 

10.English language in environmental engineering (autumn semester, ECTS 2). Work on scientific publications about environmental engineering. Translation of texts from English to Polish and from Polish to English. Preparation of short presentations in the area of environmental engineering. Development of various language skills (writing, listening, speaking). Watching materials (movies etc.) concerning environmental engineering. Preparing of reports, e-mail letters, presentations.

11.English language in environmental sciences (autumn semester, ECTS 2). The student has the knowledge to understand and communicate in English in field of ecological engineering. After the course the student is able to use basic terminology and vocabulary in field of ecological engineeringand to translate specialized articles.

12.Instrumental analysis (autumn semester, ECTS 2). Students get the knowledge and ability to work in laboratory in the field of quantitative and qualitative determinations of water, sewage and air samples with the use of specialized analytic equipment. They use selected instrumental methods: chromatography (GC – of air analysis, IC: for ions determination), spectrophotometry (UV range: humic substances; VIS range: algae dyes, e.g chlorophyll) and electroanalytical techniques (voltammetry: of metals speciation, multiparametric probe with different electrodes: dissolved oxygen, pH, conductivity). 

13.Hydrogeochemistry (autumn semester, ECTS 2). Students get the knowledge and ability to determination of physical and chemical parameters in various types of groundwater, including those used for drinking and in medicine. They know parameters indicating groundwater pollution and parameters used in monitoring of water. They are able to present the results of research in properly way and determine the quality of waters and make conclusions about possible deviation from the norms. They use different chemical and analytical technics.

14.Biotechnology of solid waste (autumn semester, ECTS 2). Sources of waste. Quantity and morphological composition of municipal waste. Mechanical-biological processing with aerobic bio-stabilization. Composting of selectively collected organic waste in two-stage system: biological reactor and turned windrows. Mechanical-biological processing of waste with anaerobic bio-stabilization. Stabilization of organic fraction of waste using the fermentation process in energetic piles. Calculation of the amount of biogas produced using models and on the basis of the operational data. Definitions of recovery and disposal of solid waste. Properties of solid waste. The development of mechanical-biological systems (MBP) for the bio-stabilization of solid waste. Technical and technological solutions applied in MBP waste. Composting of solid waste. Anaerobic stabilization of the organic fraction of solid waste.

Spring semester 2019/2020

1.English language support (spring semester, ECTS 2). The establishment and development of language skills, such as listening, reading, speaking and writing, allowing students to express themselves on everyday life and professional topics.

2.Writing scientific papers (spring semester, ECTS 2). How to read, write and publish scientific papers. Variety of publications. Planning. Organizing the paper. Writing the first draft. How to prepare the abstract. How to write the introduction. How to write materials and methods section. How to write the results. How to write the discussion. How to state the acknowledgements. Journal „Impact Factor” (IF). Diagrams, photographic figures. Charts and tables. Slides. Posters.

3.English terminology in environmental sciences (spring semester, ECTS 2). General chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Genetics, Biotechnology in Environmental Protection, Toxicology, Techniques of Genetic Engineering, Biological Wastewater Treatment, Analytical Methods in Biological Systems, Biotechnology in Environmental Protection. Terms and conditions of examination of exercises. Students master the vocabulary (for each lecture is developed English-Polish dictionary with phonetic transcription). Each exercise is opened by written test knowledge of vocabulary. Each student prepares a few-minute presentation on any topic (PowerPoint) and speaks in English. Eager students prepare a few-minute presentation on a topic related to the subject of masters (preferably with master's thesis) (PowerPoint), and presented in English.

4.Techniques of genetic engineering (spring semester, ECTS 3). Introduction to genetic engineering and molecular biology of microorganisms. The basic tools of genetic engineering.  Molecular methods (RISA, DGGE, T-RFLP) of microbial diversity analysis.  Indices of biodiversity. Methods of bacterial activity measurement (mRNA and bioreporter strains). Microbial activity during bioremediation processes. DNA extraction from bacterial communities. Amplification of catabolic gene fragment by PCR. Detection of catabolic genes. Ribosomal Intergenic Spacer Analysis. Estimation of microbial community biodiversity using molecular approaches.Polyacryloamide gel electrophoresis. Quantification of the catabolic genes. Analysis of DNA fingerprints. Plasmid isolation from E. coli. Plasmid restriction analysis. Agarose gel electrophoresis of digested plasmids. 

5.Environmental statistics (spring semester, ECTS 2). The role of statistics in environmental science. Environmental sampling. Models from data. Drawing conclusions from data. Impact assessment. Time series analysis. Spatial data analysis. Censored data. Risk assessment.   

6.Toxicology (spring semester, ECTS 3). Toxic chemical risk. Environmental pathways of toxic chemicals. The body's defenses against chemical toxicity. Mechanisms of chemical disease. PCR-based protocols in molecular toxicology. Part I: Analysis of gene expression after exposure to model toxic substance (a case study). Isolation of Total RNA using modified Chomczyński method. Assessment of quantity and integrity of the isolated RNA samples. Elimination of genomic DNA. Reverse transcription (cDNA synthesis). Introduction to nonparametric statistical tests. Designing the experiment: GenBank querries and PCR primers design. Semi-quantitative PCR. Agarose gel electrophoresis. Densitometric analysis of the PCR products. Real-time qPCR. Melting curve analysis. Calculations on raw values obtained from SQ-PCR and qPCR. Statistical analysis of the obtained results. Overview of the current scientific literature available online related to the main topic of the laboratory report. Part II. Polymorphism analysis of GST genes. Isolation of genomic DNA from cheek swab. PCR setup. Agarose electrophoresis.

7.Analytical training (spring semester, ECTS 2). Analysis of water indicators. Analysis of wastewater indicators. Analysis of heavy metals in soils. Determination of the PAHs concentrations in solid and liquid samples. Determination of critical micelle concentration (CMC) of the surface active agents.

8.Water and wastewater treatment (spring semester, ECTS 4). Water treatment: iron and manganese removal by filtration, hardness removal by ion exchange, turbidity and color removal by membrane filtration; determination of operating parameters of the processes. Evaluation of the effectiveness of wastewater treatment depending on the composition of wastewater. Technological parameters of the conventional activated sludge in totally mixed activated sludge reactors integrated with a membrane module. Nitrogen balance in wastewater treatment systems. Presentation of the biomass cultivation technologies in wastewater treatment systems including activated sludge, biofilm and aerobic granular sludge. Enzymatic activity of the biomass. The role of extracellular polymers in formation of complex microbial structures. Evaluation of the abundance and diversity of nitrogen-converting microorganisms using molecular biology methods, depending on the composition of the wastewater. Theoretical bases of high-throughput sequencing (pyrosequencing). Sewage sludge digestion (primary and excess sludge). Respirometric test (GP21) used in determination of the biogas production during anaerobic processes.

9.Design of processes in environmental biotechnology (spring semester, ECTS 2). Sewage sludge composting – rules of feedstock preparation. Composting technologies and compost characterization. Technologies for a biodiesel production. Systems for the production of agricultural biogas. Anaerobic digestion of wastewater from agricultural and food industry. Bioremediation of soils contaminated with petroleum. Design of composting dewatered sewage sludge with lignocellulosic materials as amendments. Technological concept of biodiesel production in continuous flow high pressure system. Production of agricultural biogas  – technological concept. Technological calculations for biogas production from agricultural and food industry wastewater. Calculations of process requirements for bioremediation of soils contaminated with petroleum in biopile system. 

10.Monitoring of aerobic stabilization of municipal solid waste (spring semester, ECTS 1). Real-time observation of a municipal waste stabilization process in passive aeration conditions. Setting up a testing reactor in laboratory conditions. Studying the methods of performing basic physico-chemical analyses connected to the field of municipal solid waste biotreatment technologies. Determination of selected parameters of the stability of municipal waste during the process of stabilization. Control and assessment of the level of waste stability based on the results obtained. 

11.Biotechnology in environmental protection (spring semester, ECTS 3.5). Technological strategies for biodegradable polymers – production of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) using pure and mixed microbial cultures. Techniques of remediation and bioremediation of soils contaminated with heavy metals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Types and properties of biosurfactants used in soil bioremediation. The use of biosorption for removing dyes from wasterwater. The effect of  carbon to nitrogen ratio (C/N) in the culture medium on the efficiency of PHAs accumulation in activated sludge. The use of biosurfactants of plant and microbial origin for heavy metals removal from soils. The effect of operational conditions for removal on PAHs from soils using biosurfactants.

12.Biological wastewater treatment (spring semester, ECTS 3.5). Wastewater characteristics. Technical and microbial aspects of activated sludge process. Single, two and three   stage activated sludge  processes.  Removal of organic carbon by activated sludge. Nitrification.  Denitrification.  Technological systems for nitrogen removal. The single reactor system for nitrogen removal . Mechanism of biological phosphorus removal. Technological system for phosphorus removal.   Co-removal of emerging contaminants. Membrane Bioreactors. Typical wastewater treatment plant configuration. Technological parameters of biological stage of wastewater treatment. Designing the activated sludge system for carbon removal  processes with nitrification.  Interaction between biological reactors and final clarifiers. Designing  step –feed denitrification process. The technological and technical parameter pre-anoxic zone denitrification.  Denitrification with external organic carbon.  The technological and technical parameters for biological phosphorus  removal systems. Chemical methods for phosphorus removal from  wastewater.    

13.Equipment for water and wastewater treatment (autumn semester, ECTS 3).