University of Bologna (UNIBO)

The unit of Environmental Biotechnology and Biorefinery of DICAM offers expertise in the isolation and biochemical and taxonomic characterization of aerobic and anaerobic microbes able to degrade low/medium MW organic pollutants and in the development, optimization and assessment, through integrated chemical, microbiological and molecular approaches, of innovative biotechnological processes for the aerobic/anaerobic bioremediation of contaminated soils, sediments, waters and wastes and for the production of bio-based monomers and polymers from agro-industrial and municipal bio-wastes and effluents.
Main tasks in the project

  • Isolation of biosurfactant producing bacteria (WP4) and lab scale production of biosurfactants (WP3)
  • Ex-situ sand treatment with biogenic mobilising agents/biosurfactants (WP4)
  • Enhancement of sediment bioremediation with biogenic mobilising agents/biosurfactants
Fabio Fava - Contact this person by email

Fabio Fava (PhD, Full Professor) is the chairman of the “Environmental Biotechnology” section of the European Federation of Biotechnology (EFB) and chair of the “Industrial & Environmental Biotechnology” section of the Italian Technology Platform on Sustainable Chemistry (SusChem Italy). He is joining the working groups of the Private Public Partnerships (PPP) “Biobased for Growth” and “SPIRE” and he is the Italian Delegate of the Task Forces on “Industrial Biotechnology” and on “Environmental Biotechnology” of the Working Party on Biotechnology of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD, Paris) and of the “Ad-hoc Advisory Group for the Lead Market Initiative for Biobased Products” of the DG-Enterprise and Industry of European Commission (Brussels). He coordinates 2 KBBE projects and coordinated the UNIBO team participating in other 6 FP7 projects.

Giulio Zanaroli - Contact this person by email

Dr. Giulio Zanaroli is Assistant Professor of Environmental and Industrial Biotechnology. He has experience in the aerobic and anaerobic biodegradation of (chlorinated) organic compounds in soils and marine sediments and characterization of the degrading microbial communities, in the enzymatic degradation of polymers and in the biotechnological production of fine chemicals in lab-scale fermenter. He is involved in 5 KBBE and 1 ENV EU-FP7 projects on bioremediation of contaminated matrices and biotechnological treatment and valorization of organic wastes.

Noura Raddadi - Contact this person by email

Dr. Raddadi, PhD, is Assistant Professor of AgroFood Biotechnology and Microbiology. She has expertise in classical and molecular microbiology, molecular biology and biochemistry. Dr Raddadi has been interested in the investigation and selection of microorganisms from non-conventional environments for their exploitation in agriculture and in the biotechnological production of new bio-based fine chemicals, enzymes and biomaterials. She is also working on the isolation, biochemical and taxonomic characterization of aerobic and anaerobic microbes degrading organic pollutants and synthetic polymers. She is involved in three EU-FP7 projects.

Andrea Negroni - Contact this person by email

Andrea Negroni is currently employed as lab Technician at the Department of Civil, Chemical, Environmental and Materials Engineering (DICAM), Faculty of Engineering, University of Bologna. His research activity has been focusing mainly on the monitoring and quantification of aerobic microbial bioconversion in bioreactor and anaerobic biodegradation of organic xenobiotics in marine sediments, making use of integrated chemical, microbiological and molecular biology approaches for the characterization of microbial populations. He has also been involved research activities about microbial ecology, activated sludge nitrification and enzymatic degradation of biogenic compounds and plastics.

Alessandro Zamboni - Contact this person by email

Dr. Alessandro Zamboni holds a post doc position at Department o Department of Civil, Chemical, Environmental and Material Engineering. He got a degree in plant biotechnology in 2003 and in 2007 complete his Ph.D with a thesis on physiological and geneti responses in light-stressed plants. Later moved his activity on FP project writing and managing and recently he comes back to research.