Environmental Engineering Laboratory

The Environmental Engineering Laboratory of the Department of Civil Engineering of the University of Patras operates with the main purpose of promoting teaching and research in the field of Environmental Engineering with emphasis on the areas of water and air quality characterization, water purification, wastewater treatment and disposal, air pollution and solid waste management, and environmental statistics.

Research

The main specific topics of the research activity of the Laboratory are as follows:

  • Direct anaerobic treatment of low and high-strength wastewater
  • Quality characterization of water and wastewater
  • Inland and coastal water quality measurements using satellite data
  • Transport of pollutants into environmental systems
  • Simulation of pollutants transport into water bodies
  • Soil rehabilitation using acoustic waves
  • Wastewater treatment with solar-powered reactors
  • Monitoring, simulation and prediction of air quality
  • Watershed management
  • Design of systems for the disposal of liquids, gases and solid wastes
  • Spatial time monitoring of air pollution and network optimization
  • Development of methodologies for rapid monitoring of pollution in catchments
  • Aquatic ecosystem restoration techniques.
  • Inland and coastal water quality classification indicators
  • Eutrophication and anoxia in lakes, reservoirs and coastal areas

Equipment

Laboratory equipment, in addition to basic analyzers and other apparatus, samplers, field instruments and various pilot units, also includes specialized analytical-research instruments such as a microscope and a stereoscopic microscope with an image analyzer, a particle size analyzer Coulter, atomic absorption spectrophotometer with graphite furnice, organic carbon analyzer, HPLC ion chromatograph, gas chromatograph – mass spectrometer system and a station for air pollution measurements equipped with analyzers for suspended particulates and gaseous pollutants. There are also computers with the appropriate software and a rich library in the scientificc areas of the laboratory.

See a detailed presentation of the equipment below:

  • Gas Chromatograph with ECD-FID Detector (GC7890A, Agilent) and Purge & Trap System (OI Analytical 4660)
  • Zetasizer Dynamic Zeta and Particle Size Analyzer, Nano-ZS, Malvern
  • Master Sizer 2000 Device – Hydro µP, Malvern
  • Atomic absorption spectrophotometer with flame (Perkin Elmer 2280) and graphite furnace (Perkin Elmer HGA-300)
  • Fluorescence spectrophotometer Carry Eclipse, Varian
  • Gas Chromatograph (Shimadzu GC-14B) with Mass Detector (Shimadzu -QP2000)
  • Ionic Chromatograph DX500, Dionex
  • Organic Carbon Detector TOC 5000, Shimadzu
  • Ultrasound Device, Multifrequency System MFG, Meinhardt Ultraschalltechnik
  • Acoustic wave transmitters
  • Optical microscope Leica DMLB
  • Stereoscope Leica
  • High temperature oven
  • Deep Freeze Refrigerator Innova U101
  • Incubation chamber
  • Freezer chamber
  • Autoclave Sanyo
  • Packed columns
  • Shallow and deep-water samplers
  • Bottom sediment samplers
  • Submarine sediment core samplers for lakes and seas
  • Physico-chemical parameters sensors for field research
  • Field Acoustic Current Doppler Profiler (ADCP)
  • Methane field sensor up to depths of 70 meters
  • Weighers
  • Water level recorders
  • Propellers
  • Micro-sensors for measuring physico-chemical parameters of water-bottom sediment interface

Personnel

The personnel of the Lab comprise three Faculty Members, one Emeritus Professor, one Administrative staff member, two post-doctoral associates, seven PhD candidates, four postgraduate students and undergraduates working on their diploma theses.

Since 2020, Director of the Laboratory is Professor Ioannis D. Manariotis (tel.: +302610996535, e-mail: idman@upatras.gr)