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Prof. Carmine Fallico
Department of Civil Engineering, University of Calabria, Rende(CS) 87036, Italy

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Research Keywords & Expertise

0 Artificial recharge of aquifers
0 Aquifer characterization
0 Scaling analysis
0 Grain size analysis
0 Remediation of contaminated aquifers

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Laboratory and field tests
Scaling analysis
Aquifer characterization
Grain size analysis
Remediation of contaminated aquifers
Reactive substances for heavy metals

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Journal article
Published: 04 June 2021 in International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
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The most common reactive material used for the construction of a permeable reactive barrier (PRB) is zero valent iron (ZVI), however, its processing can generate corrosive effects that reduce the efficiency of the barrier. The present study makes a major contribution to understanding new reactive materials as natural and synthetic, easy to obtain, economical and environmentally friendly as possible substitutes for the traditional ZHV to be used as filters in the removal of three transition metals (Zn, Cu, Cd). To assess the ability to remove these pollutants, a series of batch and column tests were carried out at laboratory scale with these materials. Through BACH tests, four of seven substances with a removal percentage higher than 99% were prioritized (cabuya, natural clinoptilolite zeolites, sodium mordenite and mordenite). From this group of substances, column tests were performed where it is evidenced that cabuya fiber presents the lowest absorption time (≈189 h) while natural zeolite mordenite shows the highest time (≈833 h). The latter being the best option for the PRB design. The experimental values were also reproduced by the RETRASO code; through this program, the trend between the observed and simulated values with respect to the best reactive substance was corroborated.

ACS Style

Celia Mayacela-Rojas; Antonio Molinari; José Cortina; Oriol Gibert; Carlos Ayora; Adalgisa Tavolaro; María Rivera-Velásquez; Carmine Fallico. Removal of Transition Metals from Contaminated Aquifers by PRB Technology: Performance Comparison among Reactive Materials. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 2021, 18, 6075 .

AMA Style

Celia Mayacela-Rojas, Antonio Molinari, José Cortina, Oriol Gibert, Carlos Ayora, Adalgisa Tavolaro, María Rivera-Velásquez, Carmine Fallico. Removal of Transition Metals from Contaminated Aquifers by PRB Technology: Performance Comparison among Reactive Materials. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2021; 18 (11):6075.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Celia Mayacela-Rojas; Antonio Molinari; José Cortina; Oriol Gibert; Carlos Ayora; Adalgisa Tavolaro; María Rivera-Velásquez; Carmine Fallico. 2021. "Removal of Transition Metals from Contaminated Aquifers by PRB Technology: Performance Comparison among Reactive Materials." International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 18, no. 11: 6075.

Journal article
Published: 01 January 2021 in International Journal of Hydrology Science and Technology
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Groundwater management or remediation requires the knowledge of the main hydrodynamic parameters of the hydrological system. The aim of the study focused on the investigation of the reliability of the methods used for the estimation of these important parameters. Several pumping and slug tests were performed in the Hydraulics Laboratory of University of Calabria, where a high controlled experimental apparatus was designed and constructed. The data collected during the experiments have been used to estimate the hydraulic conductivity and the storage coefficient of the porous medium. The analysis was carried out both through classical analytical methods and by the development of an ad hoc three-dimensional finite element model of the apparatus working in transient conditions. An extreme variability in the results was observed but the estimates obtained by the inverse numerical modelling were the ones returning, on average, the best outcomes among all the characterisation methods.

ACS Style

Francesco Chidichimo; Michele De Biase; Carmine Fallico; Samuele De Bartolo; Mario Ianchello; Salvatore Straface. Assessing the effectiveness of analytical and numerical inverse modelling approach for slug tests interpretation. International Journal of Hydrology Science and Technology 2021, 11, 282 .

AMA Style

Francesco Chidichimo, Michele De Biase, Carmine Fallico, Samuele De Bartolo, Mario Ianchello, Salvatore Straface. Assessing the effectiveness of analytical and numerical inverse modelling approach for slug tests interpretation. International Journal of Hydrology Science and Technology. 2021; 11 (3):282.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Francesco Chidichimo; Michele De Biase; Carmine Fallico; Samuele De Bartolo; Mario Ianchello; Salvatore Straface. 2021. "Assessing the effectiveness of analytical and numerical inverse modelling approach for slug tests interpretation." International Journal of Hydrology Science and Technology 11, no. 3: 282.

Journal article
Published: 19 April 2020 in Water
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An accurate measurement campaign, carried out on a confined porous aquifer, expressly reproduced in laboratory, allowed the determining of hydraulic conductivity values by performing a series of slug tests. This was done for four porous medium configurations with different granulometric compositions. At the scale considered, intermediate between those of the laboratory and the field, the scalar behaviors of the hydraulic conductivity and the effective porosity was verified, determining the respective scaling laws. Moreover, assuming the effective porosity as scale parameter, the scaling laws of the hydraulic conductivity were determined for the different injection volumes of the slug test, determining a new relationship, valid for coarse-grained porous media. The results obtained allow the influence that the differences among the characteristics of the porous media considered exerted on the scaling laws obtained to be highlighted. Finally, a comparison was made with the results obtained in a previous investigation carried out at the field scale.

ACS Style

Carmine Fallico; Agostino Lauria; Francesco Aristodemo. Porous Medium Typology Influence on the Scaling Laws of Confined Aquifer Characteristic Parameters. Water 2020, 12, 1166 .

AMA Style

Carmine Fallico, Agostino Lauria, Francesco Aristodemo. Porous Medium Typology Influence on the Scaling Laws of Confined Aquifer Characteristic Parameters. Water. 2020; 12 (4):1166.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Carmine Fallico; Agostino Lauria; Francesco Aristodemo. 2020. "Porous Medium Typology Influence on the Scaling Laws of Confined Aquifer Characteristic Parameters." Water 12, no. 4: 1166.

Journal article
Published: 09 April 2020 in Applied Mathematical Modelling
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We consider the problem of steady pumping of water from a line drain on the surface of a wet ground. Unlike the classical formulation, which regards the conductivity parameter K as uniformly distributed in the domain, the problem here is solved within a stochastic framework in order to account for the irregular (random), and more realistic, spatial variability of K. Due to the linearity of the problem at stake, we focus on the derivation of the mean Green function G. This is computed by means of an asymptotic expansion. The fundamental result is an analytical (closed form) expression of G which generalizes the classical solution. Based on this, we develop an equivalent conductivity Keq which enables one to tackle the problem similarly to the classical one. In particular, it is shown that the equivalent conductivity grows monotonically with the radial distance r from the drain, and it lies within the range Keq(0) ≤ Keq(r) ≤ Keq(∞) < ∞.

ACS Style

Gerardo Severino; Carmine Fallico; Samuele De Bartolo. Average steady flow toward a drain through a randomly heterogeneous porous formation. Applied Mathematical Modelling 2020, 84, 106 -115.

AMA Style

Gerardo Severino, Carmine Fallico, Samuele De Bartolo. Average steady flow toward a drain through a randomly heterogeneous porous formation. Applied Mathematical Modelling. 2020; 84 ():106-115.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Gerardo Severino; Carmine Fallico; Samuele De Bartolo. 2020. "Average steady flow toward a drain through a randomly heterogeneous porous formation." Applied Mathematical Modelling 84, no. : 106-115.

Journal article
Published: 29 July 2019 in Water
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A filtering analysis of hydraulic head data deduced from slug tests injected in a confined aquifer with different porous media is proposed. Experimental laboratory tests were conducted in a large-scale physical model developed at the University of Calabria. The hydraulic head data were deduced from the records of a pressure sensor arranged in the injection well and subjected to a processing operation to filter the high-frequency noise. The involved smoothing techniques are the Fourier transform and two types of wavelet transform. The performances of the filtered hydraulic heads were examined for different slug volumes and four model layouts in terms of optimal fitting of the Cooper’s analytical solution. The hydraulic head variations in the confined aquifer were analyzed using wavelet transform in order to discover their energy contributions and frequency oscillations. Finally, the raw and smoothed hydraulic heads were adopted to calculate the hydraulic conductivity of the aquifer.

ACS Style

Francesco Aristodemo; Agostino Lauria; Giuseppe Tripepi; Maria Fernanda Rivera-Velasquéz; Carmine Fallico; Rivera- Velasquéz. Smoothing of Slug Tests for Laboratory Scale Aquifer Assessment—A Comparison Among Different Porous Media. Water 2019, 11, 1569 .

AMA Style

Francesco Aristodemo, Agostino Lauria, Giuseppe Tripepi, Maria Fernanda Rivera-Velasquéz, Carmine Fallico, Rivera- Velasquéz. Smoothing of Slug Tests for Laboratory Scale Aquifer Assessment—A Comparison Among Different Porous Media. Water. 2019; 11 (8):1569.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Francesco Aristodemo; Agostino Lauria; Giuseppe Tripepi; Maria Fernanda Rivera-Velasquéz; Carmine Fallico; Rivera- Velasquéz. 2019. "Smoothing of Slug Tests for Laboratory Scale Aquifer Assessment—A Comparison Among Different Porous Media." Water 11, no. 8: 1569.

Original paper
Published: 12 July 2019 in Stochastic Environmental Research and Risk Assessment
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We deal with the spatial distribution of the hydraulic conductivity K within heterogeneous porous formations where a radial flow (typical of pumping and slug tests) is taking place. In particular, the study provides a wide data-set which is instrumental to corroborate theoretical findings about the stochastic behavior of K in the above flow configuration. Here, K-data pertain to a series of slug tests conducted within a large caisson which was densely instrumented in order to capture the transitional behavior of the conductivity from the near field (close to the pumping well) to the far field (away from the pumping well). For the experiments at stake, it is shown that the apparent conductivity \(K_{\mathrm{app}}\) is a very robust property. In fact, with the exception of a very tiny annulus surrounding the pumping well, \(K_{\mathrm{app}}\) can be used to solve flow (and transport) problems in close analogy to the effective theory approach adopted for a groundwater-type flow. It is hoped that the data-set exploited in the present study will be useful for other researchers who are engaged with similar studies.

ACS Style

G. Severino; S. De Bartolo; G. Brunetti; A. Sommella; C. Fallico. Experimental evidence of the stochastic behavior of the conductivity in radial flow configurations. Stochastic Environmental Research and Risk Assessment 2019, 33, 1651 -1657.

AMA Style

G. Severino, S. De Bartolo, G. Brunetti, A. Sommella, C. Fallico. Experimental evidence of the stochastic behavior of the conductivity in radial flow configurations. Stochastic Environmental Research and Risk Assessment. 2019; 33 (8-9):1651-1657.

Chicago/Turabian Style

G. Severino; S. De Bartolo; G. Brunetti; A. Sommella; C. Fallico. 2019. "Experimental evidence of the stochastic behavior of the conductivity in radial flow configurations." Stochastic Environmental Research and Risk Assessment 33, no. 8-9: 1651-1657.

Journal article
Published: 14 May 2019 in ACI Avances en Ciencias e Ingenierías
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The importance of a law that, for an assigned porous medium, gives the variability of the hydraulic conductivity with the effective porosity is well known. Commonly this variability is represented by a power law at different scales, especially those of laboratory and field. Often it can be useful to have a scaling law valid for a single scale range, comprising both those of laboratory and field. Therefore investigation about the reliability of the laws representing the scaling behavior in the various intervals to which reference was made could be suitable.The purpose of this study is to provide evidence about the reliability of the scaling laws for laboratory, field and global (laboratory plus field) scaling ranges, verifying consistency with the expected proportionality between hydraulic conductivity and effective porosity for each of these. This verification was carried out using power-type scaling laws to two and four parameters respectively, and performing suitable moving averages of original data sets, in an attempt to reduce the inevitable measurement uncertainties. The experimental results, obtained with reference to the confined aquifer of Montalto Uffugo test field, show that there are no significant differences between the scaling laws considered and highlight the need to reduce the measurement uncertainties, which weigh heavily on the reliability of scaling laws. Keywords: Scaling law; Hydraulic conductivity; Effective porosity; Laboratory measurement, Field measurement. INFLUENCIA DE LA AMPLITUD DEL INTERVALO DE ESCALA EN LA DETERMINACIÓN DE LA CONDUCTIVIDAD HIDRÁULICA Y LA POROSIDAD EFECTIVA. EL CASO DE UN ACUÍFERO POROSA DEL SUR DE ITALIA La importancia de una ley que, para un dado medio poroso, describa la variabilidad de la conductividad hidráulica en función de la porosidad efectiva es bien conocida. Frecuentemente esta variabilidad está representada por una ley de potencia a diferentes escalas, especialmente las de laboratorio y de campo. A menudo es útil tener una ley de escalamiento válida para un cierto rango de escala incluyendo los de laboratorio y campo. Por esta razón, es oportuno investigar la confiabilidad de las leyes que representan este comportamiento de escalamiento en los diferentes intervalos a los cuales típicamente se hace referencia. El propósito de este estudio es proporcionar evidencia sobre la confiabilidad de las leyes de escalamiento para intervalos de escala válidos para laboratorio, campo y globales (laboratorio + campo), verificando la consistencia con la proporcionalidad esperada entre la conductividad hidráulica y la porosidad efectiva para cada uno de estos. Esta verificación se llevó a cabo utilizando leyes de escalamiento de potencia para dos y cuatro parámetros respectivamente, y tratando de reducir las inevitables incertidumbres de medición. Los resultados experimentales obtenidos con referencia al acuífero confinado del campo de prueba Montalto Uffugo, muestran que no hay...

ACS Style

Carmine Fallico; Samuele De Bartolo; María Fernanda Rivera-Velasquez; Mario Ianchello. Influence of the scale range width on the determination of the hydraulic conductivity and effective porosity. The case of a porous aquifer in southern Italy. ACI Avances en Ciencias e Ingenierías 2019, 11, 1 .

AMA Style

Carmine Fallico, Samuele De Bartolo, María Fernanda Rivera-Velasquez, Mario Ianchello. Influence of the scale range width on the determination of the hydraulic conductivity and effective porosity. The case of a porous aquifer in southern Italy. ACI Avances en Ciencias e Ingenierías. 2019; 11 (2):1.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Carmine Fallico; Samuele De Bartolo; María Fernanda Rivera-Velasquez; Mario Ianchello. 2019. "Influence of the scale range width on the determination of the hydraulic conductivity and effective porosity. The case of a porous aquifer in southern Italy." ACI Avances en Ciencias e Ingenierías 11, no. 2: 1.

Journal article
Published: 01 July 2018 in Journal of Hydrology
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The present paper proposes a smoothing analysis of hydraulic head data sets obtained by means of different slug tests introduced in a confined aquifer. Laboratory experiments were performed through a 3D large-scale physical model built at the University of Calabria. The hydraulic head data were obtained by a pressure transducer placed in the injection well and subjected to a processing operation to smooth out the high-frequency noise occurring in the recorded signals. The adopted smoothing techniques working in time, frequency and time-frequency domain are the Savitzky-Golay filter modeled by third-order polynomial, the Fourier Transform and two types of Wavelet Transform (Mexican hat and Morlet). The performances of the filtered time series of the hydraulic heads for different slug volumes and measurement frequencies were statistically analyzed in terms of optimal fitting of the classical Cooper’s equation. For practical purposes, the hydraulic heads smoothed by the involved techniques were used to determine the hydraulic conductivity of the aquifer. The energy contents and the frequency oscillations of the hydraulic head variations in the aquifer were exploited in the time-frequency domain by means of Wavelet Transform as well as the non-linear features of the observed hydraulic head oscillations around the theoretical Cooper’s equation.

ACS Style

Francesco Aristodemo; Mario Ianchello; Carmine Fallico. Smoothing analysis of slug tests data for aquifer characterization at laboratory scale. Journal of Hydrology 2018, 562, 125 -139.

AMA Style

Francesco Aristodemo, Mario Ianchello, Carmine Fallico. Smoothing analysis of slug tests data for aquifer characterization at laboratory scale. Journal of Hydrology. 2018; 562 ():125-139.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Francesco Aristodemo; Mario Ianchello; Carmine Fallico. 2018. "Smoothing analysis of slug tests data for aquifer characterization at laboratory scale." Journal of Hydrology 562, no. : 125-139.

Comparative study
Published: 14 May 2018 in International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
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A series of experimental batch tests has been carried out with the aim of improving the knowledge of fundamental processes related to the fate and behavior of heavy metals that can be of environmental concern in groundwater. The analysis of contaminants (i.e., Cu, Zn, Cd and Pb) dynamics in different environmental compartments is specifically addressed by comparing the removal efficiencies of different types of reactive materials, three natural (i.e., vegetal fibers, natural limestone and natural zeolite) and one synthetic (i.e., synthetic zeolite). Results stemming from these reactive media has been compared with the outcomes related to the same test performed using zero valent iron which is the reactant usually employed for heavy metals remediation. All tested reactants exhibited important removal percentages, even larger than 90% in most cases, achieved in a contact time ranging between about 12 h and slightly longer than a day (i.e., 30 h). Maximum adsorption percentages are observed for pH ranging between 4 and 8 for all tested materials and contaminants. Our findings provided relevant evidence, to both researchers and technicians, on the competitiveness of the explored alternative mediums with respect to the classical reactants usually employed for heavy metals remediation.

ACS Style

Antonio Molinari; Celia Margarita Mayacela Rojas; Amerigo Beneduci; Adalgisa Tavolaro; Maria Fernanda Rivera Velasquez; Carmine Fallico. Adsorption Performance Analysis of Alternative Reactive Media for Remediation of Aquifers Affected by Heavy Metal Contamination. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 2018, 15, 980 .

AMA Style

Antonio Molinari, Celia Margarita Mayacela Rojas, Amerigo Beneduci, Adalgisa Tavolaro, Maria Fernanda Rivera Velasquez, Carmine Fallico. Adsorption Performance Analysis of Alternative Reactive Media for Remediation of Aquifers Affected by Heavy Metal Contamination. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2018; 15 (5):980.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Antonio Molinari; Celia Margarita Mayacela Rojas; Amerigo Beneduci; Adalgisa Tavolaro; Maria Fernanda Rivera Velasquez; Carmine Fallico. 2018. "Adsorption Performance Analysis of Alternative Reactive Media for Remediation of Aquifers Affected by Heavy Metal Contamination." International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 15, no. 5: 980.

Article
Published: 19 April 2018 in Hydrological Processes
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The dependence of the soil water content ϑ upon the matric potential ψ is studied within a fractal approach which regards the water retention curve (WRC) as a sequence of well defined fractal regimes. Each of such regimes accounts for a given functional dependence ϑ ≡ ϑ(ψ), that in turn is characterized by a fractal dimension. The difference between the double (observed into sandy soils) and multi (observed into clay soils) fractal regimeis explained by recalling that, for a sandy soil, the transition from saturated to dry conditions is driven by a steep reduction of ψ. To the contrary, for a clay (where the change from the highest water contents to the smallest ones is characterized by a large range of the matric potential) the multi-fractal behavior is observed. These results are also confirmed by the analysis of experimental data. In particular, we show that the intermediate regime, generally accounting for the fractal multi-modality is, due to the sandy nature of the soil at stake, practically immaterial. Finally, we demonstrate that our model can be also regarded as the straightforward generalization of that of Millán and González-Posada (2005).

ACS Style

Samuele De Bartolo; Carmine Fallico; Gerardo Severino. A fractal analysis of the water retention curve. Hydrological Processes 2018, 32, 1401 -1405.

AMA Style

Samuele De Bartolo, Carmine Fallico, Gerardo Severino. A fractal analysis of the water retention curve. Hydrological Processes. 2018; 32 (10):1401-1405.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Samuele De Bartolo; Carmine Fallico; Gerardo Severino. 2018. "A fractal analysis of the water retention curve." Hydrological Processes 32, no. 10: 1401-1405.

Article
Published: 05 February 2018 in Hydrological Processes
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The spatial distribution of the hydraulic conductivity κ is modeled by a power-law, and we present a methodological approach to quantify the exponent (crowding index) of such a law as detected within a well-type flow configuration. Based upon the out-come of several pumping tests conducted into a caisson (mesoscale), we identify the crowding index as function of the volumetric flow rate. Hence, we develop a simple (although approximated) procedure to assess whether the spatial distribution of κ can be characterized by a power law. We demonstrate that, even at the mesoscale, the conductivity κ can not be regarded as a formation's property (non locality), in agreement with the recent developments on the theory of flows into radial configurations.

ACS Style

Carmine Fallico; Mario Ianchello; Samuele De Bartolo; Gerardo Severino. Spatial dependence of the hydraulic conductivity in a well-type configuration at the mesoscale. Hydrological Processes 2018, 32, 590 -595.

AMA Style

Carmine Fallico, Mario Ianchello, Samuele De Bartolo, Gerardo Severino. Spatial dependence of the hydraulic conductivity in a well-type configuration at the mesoscale. Hydrological Processes. 2018; 32 (4):590-595.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Carmine Fallico; Mario Ianchello; Samuele De Bartolo; Gerardo Severino. 2018. "Spatial dependence of the hydraulic conductivity in a well-type configuration at the mesoscale." Hydrological Processes 32, no. 4: 590-595.

Journal article
Published: 24 June 2017 in International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
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The Zero Valent Iron (ZVI) is the material most commonly used for permeable reactive barriers (PRB). For technical and economic reasons, hoter reactive substances usable in alternative to ZVI are investigated. The present study takes into account a vegetable fibers, the cabuya, investigating its capacity to retain heavy metals. The capacity of the cabuya fibers to adsorb heavy metals was verified in laboratory, by batch and column tests. The batch tests were carried out with cabuya and ZVI, using copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb). The results obtained by the cabuya fibers showed a very high adsorption capacity of heavy metals and resulted very similar to those obtained for the broom fibers in a previous study. The high value of the absorption capacity of the cabuya fibers was also confirmed by the analogous comparison made with the results of the batch tests carried out with ZVI. Column tests, using copper, zinc and cadmium, allowed to determine for the cabuya fibers the maximum removal percentage of the heavy metals considered, the corresponding times and the time ranges of the release phase. For each metal considered, for a given length and three different times, the constant of degradation of cabuya fibers was determined, obtaining values very close to those reported for broom fibers. The scalar behavior of heavy metal removal percentage was verified. An electron microscope analysis allowed to compare, by SEM images, the characteristics of the cabuya and broom fibers. Finally, to investigate the chemical structure of cabuya and broom fibers, the FTIR technique was used, obtaining their respective infrared spectra.

ACS Style

Celia Margarita Mayacela Rojas; María Fernanda Rivera Velásquez; Adalgisa Tavolaro; Antonio Molinari; Carmine Fallico. Use of Vegetable Fibers for PRB to Remove Heavy Metals from Contaminated Aquifers—Comparisons among Cabuya Fibers, Broom Fibers and ZVI. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 2017, 14, 684 .

AMA Style

Celia Margarita Mayacela Rojas, María Fernanda Rivera Velásquez, Adalgisa Tavolaro, Antonio Molinari, Carmine Fallico. Use of Vegetable Fibers for PRB to Remove Heavy Metals from Contaminated Aquifers—Comparisons among Cabuya Fibers, Broom Fibers and ZVI. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2017; 14 (7):684.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Celia Margarita Mayacela Rojas; María Fernanda Rivera Velásquez; Adalgisa Tavolaro; Antonio Molinari; Carmine Fallico. 2017. "Use of Vegetable Fibers for PRB to Remove Heavy Metals from Contaminated Aquifers—Comparisons among Cabuya Fibers, Broom Fibers and ZVI." International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 14, no. 7: 684.

Journal article
Published: 01 October 2016 in Journal of Contaminant Hydrology
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A series of experimental tracer tests were performed to explore the implications of the change in the pressure status of a heterogeneous bimodal aquifer for scale-dependent dispersion and mass-transfer processes. The sandbox was filled with sands and gravel channels and patches to form an alluvial-like bimodal aquifer. We performed multiple injections of a conservative tracer from 26 different locations of the sandbox and interpreted the resulting depth-integrated breakthrough curves (BTCs) at the central pumping well to obtain a scale-dependent distribution of local and field-integrated apparent longitudinal dispersivity (respectively, αL(loc) and αL(app)). We repeated the experiments under confined (CS) and unconfined (UNS) pressure status, keeping the same heterogeneous configuration. Results showed that αL(loc)(associated with transport through gravel zones) was poorly influenced by the change in aquifer pressure and the presence of channels. Instead, αL(app)(i.e. macrodispersion) strongly increased when changing from CS to UNS. In specific, we found αL(app)≈0.03r for the CS and αL(app)≈0.15r for the UNS (being r the distance from the well). Second-to-fourth-order temporal moments showed strong spatial dependence in the UNS and no spatial dependence in the CS. These results seem consistent with a "vadose-zone-driven" kinetic mass-transfer process occurring in the UNS but not in the CS. The vadose zone enhances vertical flow due to the presence of free surface and large contrasts in hydraulic conductivity triggered by the desaturation of gravel channels nearby the pumping well. The vadose zone enhances vertical mixing between gravel and sands and generates BTC tailing. In the CS vertical mixing is negligible and anomalous transport is not observed.

ACS Style

D. Pedretti; A. Molinari; Carmine Fallico; S. Guzzi. Implications of the change in confinement status of a heterogeneous aquifer for scale-dependent dispersion and mass-transfer processes. Journal of Contaminant Hydrology 2016, 193, 86 -95.

AMA Style

D. Pedretti, A. Molinari, Carmine Fallico, S. Guzzi. Implications of the change in confinement status of a heterogeneous aquifer for scale-dependent dispersion and mass-transfer processes. Journal of Contaminant Hydrology. 2016; 193 ():86-95.

Chicago/Turabian Style

D. Pedretti; A. Molinari; Carmine Fallico; S. Guzzi. 2016. "Implications of the change in confinement status of a heterogeneous aquifer for scale-dependent dispersion and mass-transfer processes." Journal of Contaminant Hydrology 193, no. : 86-95.

Journal article
Published: 06 March 2016 in Hydrological Processes
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We study the scale-dependence of the saturated hydraulic conductivity Ks through the effective porosity ne by means of a newly developed power-law model (PLM) which allows to use simultaneously measurements at different scales. The model is expressed as product between a single PLM (capturing the impact of the dominating scale), and a characteristic function k⋆ accounting for the correction due to the other scale(s). The simple (closed form) expression of the k⋆-function enables one to easily identify the scales which are relevant for Ks. The proposed model is then applied to a set of real data taken at the experimental site of Montalto Uffugo (Italy), and we show that in this case two (i.e. laboratory and field) scales appear to be the main ones. The implications toward an important application (solute transport) in Hydrology are finally discussed.

ACS Style

Carmine Fallico; Samuele De Bartolo; Massimo Veltri; Gerardo Severino. On the dependence of the saturated hydraulic conductivity upon the effective porosity through a power law model at different scales. Hydrological Processes 2016, 30, 2366 -2372.

AMA Style

Carmine Fallico, Samuele De Bartolo, Massimo Veltri, Gerardo Severino. On the dependence of the saturated hydraulic conductivity upon the effective porosity through a power law model at different scales. Hydrological Processes. 2016; 30 (13):2366-2372.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Carmine Fallico; Samuele De Bartolo; Massimo Veltri; Gerardo Severino. 2016. "On the dependence of the saturated hydraulic conductivity upon the effective porosity through a power law model at different scales." Hydrological Processes 30, no. 13: 2366-2372.

Journal article
Published: 30 December 2015 in ACI Avances en Ciencias e Ingenierías
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El estudio de la variabilidad espacial de específicas magnitudes que caracterizan el suelo no saturado es muy importante para la evaluación de los fenómenos de contaminación. La Geoestadística es una herramienta útil para la estimación de la variabilidad espacial de los parámetros considerados. El objetivo de este estudio es mejorara la comprensión de la variabilidad espacial de la dimensión fractal en las curvas de retención de agua, mostrando de esta manera el comportamiento de este parámetro en los puntos muestreados y de manera particular en los puntos donde no existen muestras. La evaluación de la dimensión fractal se calculó por el análisis de escalamiento obtenido a partir de algunos modelos fractales y la posterior comparación entre los resultados correspondientes.

ACS Style

Samuele De Bartolo; Carmine Fallico; María Fernanda Rivera-Velasquez; Massimo Veltri. Variabilidad Espacial de Dimensiones Fractales en Curvas de Retención de Agua. ACI Avances en Ciencias e Ingenierías 2015, 7, 1 .

AMA Style

Samuele De Bartolo, Carmine Fallico, María Fernanda Rivera-Velasquez, Massimo Veltri. Variabilidad Espacial de Dimensiones Fractales en Curvas de Retención de Agua. ACI Avances en Ciencias e Ingenierías. 2015; 7 (2):1.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Samuele De Bartolo; Carmine Fallico; María Fernanda Rivera-Velasquez; Massimo Veltri. 2015. "Variabilidad Espacial de Dimensiones Fractales en Curvas de Retención de Agua." ACI Avances en Ciencias e Ingenierías 7, no. 2: 1.

Journal article
Published: 01 December 2015 in Journal of Hydrology
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Highlights•Incorporate mechanical loading in a stream–confined aquifer model.•Assess the impact of mechanical loading to confined aquifer hydraulic head response.•Test the effects of river stage rise/mechanical loading in real aquifer heads.•Alert for the mistake of not invoking mechanical loading in confined aquifer studies. SummaryThe response to river stage fluctuation of a drilled well penetrating a confined aquifer was simulated using a stream–aquifer interaction algorithm. Because the confined aquifer is overlaid by a water table aquifer, the algorithm was coupled with formulae used to correct the heads for mechanical loading. The coupling of stream–aquifer interaction and mechanical loading models was tried for the first time in this study. The test site was a drilled well installed on the Montalto Uffugo aquifer located at the Calabria University groundwater test field (Calabria region, south of Italy). This aquifer comprises a 44 m-thick sand bank bounded on bottom and top by clay layers and covered by a 7 m-thick sandy conglomerate, being adjacent to the Mavigliano River. Overall, the head changes caused by a river stage raise represented a contribution of 49.3–57.8% to the total head, while mechanical loading accounted for the remaining 50.7–32.2%. The loading was triggered by a sequence of short-spaced rainfall events lasting for a total of 167 days, which caused recharge to the unconfined aquifer thickening the water column by some 3.1 m.

ACS Style

F.A.L. Pacheco; C. Fallico. Hydraulic head response of a confined aquifer influenced by river stage fluctuations and mechanical loading. Journal of Hydrology 2015, 531, 716 -727.

AMA Style

F.A.L. Pacheco, C. Fallico. Hydraulic head response of a confined aquifer influenced by river stage fluctuations and mechanical loading. Journal of Hydrology. 2015; 531 ():716-727.

Chicago/Turabian Style

F.A.L. Pacheco; C. Fallico. 2015. "Hydraulic head response of a confined aquifer influenced by river stage fluctuations and mechanical loading." Journal of Hydrology 531, no. : 716-727.

Journal article
Published: 26 July 2015 in Water Resources Research
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We analyzed the behavior of convergent flow tracer tests performed in a 3‐D heterogeneous sandbox in presence of connected gravel channels under laboratory‐controlled conditions. We focused on the evaluation of connectivity metrics based on characteristic times calculated from experimental breakthrough curves (BTCs), and the selection of upscaling model parameters related to connectivity. A conservative compound was injected from several piezometers in the box, and depth‐integrated BTCs were measured at the central pumping well. Results show that transport was largely affected by the presence of gravel channels, which generate anomalous transport behavior such as BTC tailing and double peaks. Connectivity indicators based on BTC peak times provided better information about the presence of connected gravel channels in the box. One of these indicators, β, was defined as the relative temporal separation of the BTCs peaks from the BTCs centers of mass. The mathematical equivalence between β and the capacity coefficient adopted in mass transfer‐based formulations suggests how connectivity metrics could be directly embedded in mass transfer formulations. This finding is in line with previous theoretical studies and was corroborated by reproducing a few representative experimental BTCs using a 1‐D semianalytical bimodal solution embedding a mass transfer term. Model results show a good agreement with experimental BTCs when the capacity coefficient was constrained by measured β. Models that do not embed adequate connectivity metrics or do not adequately reproduce connectivity showed poor matching with observed BTCs.

ACS Style

Antonio Molinari; D. Pedretti; Carmine Fallico. Analysis of convergent flow tracer tests in a heterogeneous sandy box with connected gravel channels. Water Resources Research 2015, 51, 5640 -5657.

AMA Style

Antonio Molinari, D. Pedretti, Carmine Fallico. Analysis of convergent flow tracer tests in a heterogeneous sandy box with connected gravel channels. Water Resources Research. 2015; 51 (7):5640-5657.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Antonio Molinari; D. Pedretti; Carmine Fallico. 2015. "Analysis of convergent flow tracer tests in a heterogeneous sandy box with connected gravel channels." Water Resources Research 51, no. 7: 5640-5657.

Journal article
Published: 01 March 2015 in Geomorphology
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ACS Style

Samuele De Bartolo; Carmine Fallico; Ennio Ferrari. Simple scaling analysis of active channel patterns in Fiumara environment. Geomorphology 2015, 232, 94 -102.

AMA Style

Samuele De Bartolo, Carmine Fallico, Ennio Ferrari. Simple scaling analysis of active channel patterns in Fiumara environment. Geomorphology. 2015; 232 ():94-102.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Samuele De Bartolo; Carmine Fallico; Ennio Ferrari. 2015. "Simple scaling analysis of active channel patterns in Fiumara environment." Geomorphology 232, no. : 94-102.

Research article
Published: 07 August 2014 in The Scientific World Journal
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To describe flow or transport phenomena in porous media, relations between aquifer hydraulic conductivity and effective porosity can prove useful, avoiding the need to perform expensive and time consuming measurements. The practical applications generally require the determination of this parameter at field scale, while most of the empirical and semiempirical formulas, based on grain size analysis and allowing determination of the hydraulic conductivity from the porosity, are related to the laboratory scale and thus are not representative of the aquifer volumes to which one refers. Therefore, following the grain size distribution methodology, a new experimental relation between hydraulic conductivity and effective porosity, representative of aquifer volumes at field scale, is given for a confined aquifer. The experimental values used to determine this law were obtained for both parameters using only field measurements methods. The experimental results found, also if in the strict sense valid only for the investigated aquifer, can give useful suggestions for other alluvial aquifers with analogous characteristics of grain-size distribution. Limited to the investigated range, a useful comparison with the best known empirical formulas based on grain size analysis was carried out. The experimental data allowed also investigation of the existence of a scaling behaviour for both parameters considered.

ACS Style

Carmine Fallico. Reconsideration at Field Scale of the Relationship between Hydraulic Conductivity and Porosity: The Case of a Sandy Aquifer in South Italy. The Scientific World Journal 2014, 2014, 1 -15.

AMA Style

Carmine Fallico. Reconsideration at Field Scale of the Relationship between Hydraulic Conductivity and Porosity: The Case of a Sandy Aquifer in South Italy. The Scientific World Journal. 2014; 2014 ():1-15.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Carmine Fallico. 2014. "Reconsideration at Field Scale of the Relationship between Hydraulic Conductivity and Porosity: The Case of a Sandy Aquifer in South Italy." The Scientific World Journal 2014, no. : 1-15.

Journal article
Published: 01 January 2014 in Applied Mathematics
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A fractal analysis of the soil retention and hydraulic conductivity curves is presented. The retention process is modeled by a two fractal regimes: one pertaining to high water content values, and another accounting for the low water content data. This significantly improves the physical insight of the retention process as compared with the case of one-fractal models. The fractal dimensions characterizing the two regimes are estimated by fitting the retention curve model upon real data, and subsequently they are used to determine the hydraulic conductivity which for the retention curve models of Mualem and Burdine, is obtained in closed form. The reliability of the model is tested against independent conductivity data collected in a field-scale campaign.

ACS Style

Samuele De Bartolo; Carmine Fallico; Gerardo Severino; Massimo Veltri. Two Fractal Regimes of the Soil Hydraulic Properties. Applied Mathematics 2014, 05, 1773 -1779.

AMA Style

Samuele De Bartolo, Carmine Fallico, Gerardo Severino, Massimo Veltri. Two Fractal Regimes of the Soil Hydraulic Properties. Applied Mathematics. 2014; 05 (12):1773-1779.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Samuele De Bartolo; Carmine Fallico; Gerardo Severino; Massimo Veltri. 2014. "Two Fractal Regimes of the Soil Hydraulic Properties." Applied Mathematics 05, no. 12: 1773-1779.