The Environmental Engineering Laboratory (EEL) in the Department of Civil Engineering at the School of Engineering of the University of Patras functions with a prime objective to facilitate teaching and to promote research in the field of Environmental Engineering. The Laboratory is a leading research group in Greece, promotes basic research and services to governments and other institutions, industry and international organizations in the fields of Environment, Water Resources, River & Coastal Management and Integrated Regional Development.
• advance scientific knowledge in aquatic environment by investigating the physical, chemical and biological conditions of the water environment
• contribute to rational development and use of water resources and engineering works
• contribute to the protection of the lakes and rivers and their living and non-living resources
• set priorities and environmental regulations and cooperate with the government for the implementation of scientific knowledge in the legislative framework
It is equipped with high quality laboratory and field instrumentation and samplers and numerous pilot plant units and has available major analytical-research equipment for all the areas that serves. The staff includes three faculty members, four post-doctoral researchers, four doctoral candidates, several graduate students, and numerous undergraduate students conducting their diploma thesis. The advanced research topics, either experimental or theoretical, which are recently elaborated or presently processing in the EEL, belong to the following four major areas:
<aside> 💡 Modeling and restoration of eutrophication. The particular topics are a) the development and use of ecological models that describe the trophic state dynamics of hypoxic/anoxic aquatic ecosystems, and b) the development of an ecosystem restoration technology by producing a novel low-cost composite material of bentonite and phosphorus named BephosTM, which is very efficient for simultaneous phosphorus and ammonium removal from water at a wide range of pH values.
</aside>
<aside> 💡 Water resources management. The particular topics concern the optimization of water allocation and agriculture future scenarios under uncertain system conditions in a river basin using stochastic models.
</aside>
<aside> 💡 Modeling pollutant emissions in stagnant environments.
</aside>
<aside> 💡 Treatment of water and wastewater. The particular topics are a) the use of microalgae to treat wastewater and their long-term toxic effects due to zinc content, and b) the use of biochar based sorbents for the treatment of water and wastewater.
</aside>
Ierotheos Zacharias, Professor
Irene Biliani Msc, Civil Engineer
Bill Kiousis, Civil Engineer
Andoniki Tourlouki, Civil Engineer