SCV0880 - SUSTAINABLE USE OF PLANT RESOURCES AND BIOMASSES

The ‘Sustainable use of plant resources and biomasses’ course represents necessary curricular completion for the student who wants to understand how a plant-based approach can ensure that economic and social development takes place within a context respectful of the most important biological and ecological principles. In particular, the course is based on theoretical lessons concerning the use of plants for (i) the restoration of severely polluted (phytoremediation) and degraded (bioengineering) ecosystems, and (ii) the production of biofuels. Practical activities will be carried out to acquire the ability to measure morpho-chemical plant biomass characteristics. This course, therefore, aims to offer both the biological, molecular, and ecological mechanisms that allow plant organisms to be applied for the purposes described above, and an overview of the various types of application, production techniques, and specifications of some primary and secondary products. At the end of the course, the student will be able to: - Design and illustrate recovery and restoration processes of degraded environments using plant organisms; - Know and discuss the processes for the production of fuels from plant material as well as secondary derivative products; - Discuss in an integrated way some fundamental elements of plant biology, environmental problems, and traditional techniques, and understand the biological-molecular-ecological basis relating to the two previous points; - Critically understand a scientific text that deals with anatomical, and physiological properties of plant species to be used for biotechnological applications.