Microbiology and environmental biotechnology
The BIOGEOC Microbiology team carries out research aimed to harness and exploit the natural microbial potential hosted on pristine or polluted matrices of different origins, in order to develop biotechnological tools that will improve existing technology in the fields of Bioremediation, Cultural Heritage and Bioenergy. The outcome contributes to develop knowledge-based approaches. Researches are carried out through interdisciplinary bio-geo-chemical studies and impact some related disciplinary areas, especially biodiversity, due to an extensive bioprospection activity, that meets the need to extend our understanding of the microbial world on Earth. Classical and high-throughput molecular and phenotype techniques are used to explore microbial communities under critical conditions. As a result, an original laboratory collection of biotechnological products has been established , consisting of approximately 500 individual strains, microbial products and tailor-made bacterial formulas to face targeted issues. The most critical issues so far addressed include: co-contamination by heavy metals and organic pollutants; microbially-assisted phytoremediation for mining areas recovery, development of selective and safe biocleaning and biorestoration procedures for Cultural Heritage; development of knowledge-based anaerobic digestion processes for biomass transformation.
Biodegradation: from model ecosystems (microcosms of soil carrots) to the field (extracting area of Ingurtosu, Sardinia)
Bioresisting: removing pastes from historic paperwork (left) and bio-cleaning (right) through selected bacteria
Research topic: