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Prof. vincenzo torretta
University of Insubria, Department of Theoretical and Applied Sciences

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0 Waste Management
0 Wastewater Treatment
0 Sustainability Environmental
0 waste valorization

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Journal article
Published: 10 July 2021 in Sustainability
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To date, energy recovery from biological sewage sludge (BSS) by anaerobic digestion has been very popular. However, it can often happen that anaerobic reactors are volumetrically undersized, thus reducing performance in terms of biogas production. A continuous-flow pilot-scale plant was used to investigate, for the first time, the effects of mesophilic anaerobic co-digestion (MACoD) of sewage sludge and aqueous residue (AR) from a biosolids treatment plant (BTP) on methanogenic activity under low hydraulic retention time (HRT) conditions (to simulate the undersizing of the reactor). The results showed that the digestate is always more rapidly biodegradable than the matrices fed, while particulate COD hydrolyzed (12 ± 1.3%) is independent of the quantity of AR dosed. Feeding over 35% of soluble OLR, the total VFAs in the system strongly decreased, despite the low HRT. In correspondence with higher dosages of AR, the percentage of CH4 increased up to 77–78% and the CO2 CH4−1 ratio decreased to 0.25 ± 0.2. Specific methane production increased from 0.09 ± 0.01 m3CH4 kgCODremoved−1 with BSS alone to 0.28 ± 0.01 m3CH4CH4 kgCODremoved−1 in the case of BSS co-digested with AR. Moreover, co-digestion with AR from a BTP allowed continuous specific methanogenic activity to be enhanced from 1.76 ± 0.02 m3CH4 tVSS−1 d−1 to 6.48 ± 0.88 m3CH4 tVSS−1 d−1. Therefore, the MACoD of BSS and AR from a BTP could be a good solution to enhance methanogenic activity in a volumetrically undersized anaerobic digester with reduced HRT.

ACS Style

Vincenzo Torretta; Athanasia Tolkou; Ioannis Katsoyiannis; Francesca Caccamo; Marco Miino; Marco Baldi; Maria Collivignarelli. Enhancement of Methanogenic Activity in Volumetrically Undersized Reactor by Mesophilic Co-Digestion of Sewage Sludge and Aqueous Residue. Sustainability 2021, 13, 7728 .

AMA Style

Vincenzo Torretta, Athanasia Tolkou, Ioannis Katsoyiannis, Francesca Caccamo, Marco Miino, Marco Baldi, Maria Collivignarelli. Enhancement of Methanogenic Activity in Volumetrically Undersized Reactor by Mesophilic Co-Digestion of Sewage Sludge and Aqueous Residue. Sustainability. 2021; 13 (14):7728.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Vincenzo Torretta; Athanasia Tolkou; Ioannis Katsoyiannis; Francesca Caccamo; Marco Miino; Marco Baldi; Maria Collivignarelli. 2021. "Enhancement of Methanogenic Activity in Volumetrically Undersized Reactor by Mesophilic Co-Digestion of Sewage Sludge and Aqueous Residue." Sustainability 13, no. 14: 7728.

Research article
Published: 21 May 2021 in Environmental Technology
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This research aimed to identify a tool to objectively analyse the performance and the environmental contextualization of sewer systems (SwSs) and wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). This procedure performs assessment by calculating performance indices which could be subsequently applied to SwSs and WWTPs with different characteristics. The proposed tool can be applied conveniently over the years by managers of integrated urban water management systems for the analysis of different realities also allowing the evaluation of the effects of upgrades carried out during the management phases. The proposed analysis allows the optimization of SwSs and can profitably guide the choice and the priority among possible interventions for the sewerage infrastructure and WWTPs providing a a verification and evaluation protocol as well as a financial planning tool. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT

ACS Style

Maria Cristina Collivignarelli; Sara Todeschini; Alessandro Abbà; Paola Ricciardi; Marco Carnevale Miino; Vincenzo Torretta; Elena Cristina Rada; Fabio Conti; Giacomo Cillari; Silvia Calatroni; Giuseppe Lumia; Giorgio Bertanza. The performance evaluation of wastewater service: a protocol based on performance indicators applied to sewer systems and wastewater treatment plants. Environmental Technology 2021, 1 -18.

AMA Style

Maria Cristina Collivignarelli, Sara Todeschini, Alessandro Abbà, Paola Ricciardi, Marco Carnevale Miino, Vincenzo Torretta, Elena Cristina Rada, Fabio Conti, Giacomo Cillari, Silvia Calatroni, Giuseppe Lumia, Giorgio Bertanza. The performance evaluation of wastewater service: a protocol based on performance indicators applied to sewer systems and wastewater treatment plants. Environmental Technology. 2021; ():1-18.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Maria Cristina Collivignarelli; Sara Todeschini; Alessandro Abbà; Paola Ricciardi; Marco Carnevale Miino; Vincenzo Torretta; Elena Cristina Rada; Fabio Conti; Giacomo Cillari; Silvia Calatroni; Giuseppe Lumia; Giorgio Bertanza. 2021. "The performance evaluation of wastewater service: a protocol based on performance indicators applied to sewer systems and wastewater treatment plants." Environmental Technology , no. : 1-18.

Journal article
Published: 03 May 2021 in Waste Management
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The life cycle assessment (LCA) of municipal solid waste (MSW) systems in developing countries is a matter of research. Obtain reliable results is challenging since field data and local databases are not always available. The research presented in this paper explores this issue in La Paz (Bolivia), where six environmental impact categories were assessed. The LCA, related to the formal MSW management system of the city, involves a sensitivity analysis of ten parameters and the scenario assessment in relation to the increase of the recycling rate. Results report that the environmental impacts are mostly sensitive in relation to landfill gas collection efficiency, use of plastic bags, the transportation distances of collected waste, and the replacement rate of virgin materials. Global warming potential is the impact category most variable (341.38–551.95 kg CO2-eq tMSW−1), although it is not considerably reduced by recycling, which contributed mostly to the human toxicity and freshwater aquatic ecotoxicity. Doubling the amount of MSW recycled, from 235 t to about 473 t per year, human toxicity potential reduces of about 18% while freshwater aquatic ecotoxicity of about 12%. This research contributes for evaluating the most sensitive parameters in an MSW–LCA and to support policymakers towards waste recycling and sustainable development in Latin America developing cities.

ACS Style

Navarro Ferronato; Luca Moresco; Gabriela Edith Guisbert Lizarazu; Marcelo Antonio Gorritty Portillo; Fabio Conti; Vincenzo Torretta. Sensitivity analysis and improvements of the recycling rate in municipal solid waste life cycle assessment: Focus on a Latin American developing context. Waste Management 2021, 128, 1 -15.

AMA Style

Navarro Ferronato, Luca Moresco, Gabriela Edith Guisbert Lizarazu, Marcelo Antonio Gorritty Portillo, Fabio Conti, Vincenzo Torretta. Sensitivity analysis and improvements of the recycling rate in municipal solid waste life cycle assessment: Focus on a Latin American developing context. Waste Management. 2021; 128 ():1-15.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Navarro Ferronato; Luca Moresco; Gabriela Edith Guisbert Lizarazu; Marcelo Antonio Gorritty Portillo; Fabio Conti; Vincenzo Torretta. 2021. "Sensitivity analysis and improvements of the recycling rate in municipal solid waste life cycle assessment: Focus on a Latin American developing context." Waste Management 128, no. : 1-15.

Journal article
Published: 20 March 2021 in Journal of Loss Prevention in the Process Industries
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With more than 350 GWh per year and thousands of installations around the world, biogas is an appealing strategy in the field of energy production and industrial waste optimization. In this sense, it is of paramount importance to address the risk associated with such plants, as an increasing trend of accidents have been recorded in the last 20 years. In this work, a representative biogas production plant was considered, and a risk assessment was carried out through the combination of Recursive Operability Analysis and Failure Mode and Effects Criticality Analysis. The methodology is rigorous and allows for both the identification and the quantification of accidental scenarios due to procedural errors and equipment failures, which miss in the literature for the case of biogas. The analysis allows the automatic generation of the Fault Trees for the identified Top Events, which can be numerically solved. Results show that the most critical accidental scenario in the biogas plant here considered is the formation of an explosive air-biogas mixture, which can occur in both anaerobic digester and condensate trap. The calculated probabilities agree with the results available in literature on similar plants. Pumps and Distributed Control System were found to be the most critical components.

ACS Style

Marco Barozzi; Sergio Contini; Massimo Raboni; Vincenzo Torretta; Valeria Casson Moreno; Sabrina Copelli. Integration of Recursive Operability Analysis, FMECA and FTA for the Quantitative Risk Assessment in biogas plants: Role of procedural errors and components failures. Journal of Loss Prevention in the Process Industries 2021, 71, 104468 .

AMA Style

Marco Barozzi, Sergio Contini, Massimo Raboni, Vincenzo Torretta, Valeria Casson Moreno, Sabrina Copelli. Integration of Recursive Operability Analysis, FMECA and FTA for the Quantitative Risk Assessment in biogas plants: Role of procedural errors and components failures. Journal of Loss Prevention in the Process Industries. 2021; 71 ():104468.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Marco Barozzi; Sergio Contini; Massimo Raboni; Vincenzo Torretta; Valeria Casson Moreno; Sabrina Copelli. 2021. "Integration of Recursive Operability Analysis, FMECA and FTA for the Quantitative Risk Assessment in biogas plants: Role of procedural errors and components failures." Journal of Loss Prevention in the Process Industries 71, no. : 104468.

Editorial
Published: 26 February 2021 in Applied Sciences
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The present special issue collected articles that address the very important topic of innovative approaches in water and wastewater treatment technologies. Thirteen articles are published, ten research paper and three review articles. The papers can be divided in four major categories, namely, membrane treatment, adsorption studies, advanced oxidation processes and wastewater treatment optimization. In the editorial, a brief description of the findings of each paper is presented along with a critical assessment.

ACS Style

Ioannis Katsoyiannis; Vincenzo Torretta. Innovative Approaches for Drinking- and Waste-Water Treatment: An Editorial Review Summarizing and Assessing the Findings of the Special Issue. Applied Sciences 2021, 11, 2063 .

AMA Style

Ioannis Katsoyiannis, Vincenzo Torretta. Innovative Approaches for Drinking- and Waste-Water Treatment: An Editorial Review Summarizing and Assessing the Findings of the Special Issue. Applied Sciences. 2021; 11 (5):2063.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Ioannis Katsoyiannis; Vincenzo Torretta. 2021. "Innovative Approaches for Drinking- and Waste-Water Treatment: An Editorial Review Summarizing and Assessing the Findings of the Special Issue." Applied Sciences 11, no. 5: 2063.

Review
Published: 24 December 2020 in International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
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Among the critical issues that prevent the reuse of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) effluents in a circular economy perspective, the microbiological component plays a key role causing infections and diseases. To date, the use of conventional chemical oxidants (e.g., chlorine) represent the main applied process for wastewater (WW) disinfection following a series of operational advantages. However, toxicity linked to the production of highly dangerous disinfection by-products (DBPs) has been widely demonstrated. Therefore, in recent years, there is an increasing attention to implement sustainable processes, which can simultaneously guarantee the microbiological quality of the WWs treated and the protection of both humans and the environment. This review focuses on treatments based on ultraviolet radiation (UV) alone or in combination with other processes (sonophotolysis, photocatalysis and photoelectrocatalysis with both natural and artificial light) without the dosage of chemical oxidants. The strengths of these technologies and the most significant critical issues are reported. To date, the use of synthetic waters in laboratory tests despite real waters, the capital and operative costs and the limited, or absent, experience of full-scale plant management (especially for UV-based combined processes) represent the main limits to their application on a larger scale. Although further in-depth studies are required to ensure full applicability of UV-based combined processes in WWTPs for reuse of their purified effluents, excellent prospects are presented thanks to an absent environmental impact in terms of DBPs formation and excellent disinfection yields of microorganisms (in most cases higher than 3-log reduction).

ACS Style

Maria Cristina Collivignarelli; Alessandro Abbà; Marco Carnevale Miino; Francesca Maria Caccamo; Vincenzo Torretta; Elena Cristina Rada; Sabrina Sorlini. Disinfection of Wastewater by UV-Based Treatment for Reuse in a Circular Economy Perspective. Where Are We at? International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 2020, 18, 77 .

AMA Style

Maria Cristina Collivignarelli, Alessandro Abbà, Marco Carnevale Miino, Francesca Maria Caccamo, Vincenzo Torretta, Elena Cristina Rada, Sabrina Sorlini. Disinfection of Wastewater by UV-Based Treatment for Reuse in a Circular Economy Perspective. Where Are We at? International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2020; 18 (1):77.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Maria Cristina Collivignarelli; Alessandro Abbà; Marco Carnevale Miino; Francesca Maria Caccamo; Vincenzo Torretta; Elena Cristina Rada; Sabrina Sorlini. 2020. "Disinfection of Wastewater by UV-Based Treatment for Reuse in a Circular Economy Perspective. Where Are We at?" International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 18, no. 1: 77.

Review
Published: 24 September 2020 in Sustainability
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The concrete industry is a core element of the building sector, but it has to deal with the increasing attention on the environmental issues related to the production process: increasing energy efficiency and the adoption of alternative fuels or raw materials represent the most relevant solutions. The present work analyses physical, mechanical, and environmental performances of concrete incorporating residues derived from four main sources (construction and demolition waste, residues from waste treatment, metallurgical industry by-products, and others), as substitutes of either fine or coarse aggregates. Fine aggregates showed the highest number of alternatives and replacement level, with the relevant impact on concrete properties; coarse aggregates, however, always reach a complete replacement, with the exclusion of glass that highly affects the mechanical performance. Construction and metallurgical industry categories are the main sources of alternative materials for both the components, with ceramic and lead slag reaching a full replacement for fine and coarse aggregates.

ACS Style

Maria Collivignarelli; Giacomo Cillari; Paola Ricciardi; Marco Miino; Vincenzo Torretta; Elena Rada; Alessandro Abbà. The Production of Sustainable Concrete with the Use of Alternative Aggregates: A Review. Sustainability 2020, 12, 7903 .

AMA Style

Maria Collivignarelli, Giacomo Cillari, Paola Ricciardi, Marco Miino, Vincenzo Torretta, Elena Rada, Alessandro Abbà. The Production of Sustainable Concrete with the Use of Alternative Aggregates: A Review. Sustainability. 2020; 12 (19):7903.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Maria Collivignarelli; Giacomo Cillari; Paola Ricciardi; Marco Miino; Vincenzo Torretta; Elena Rada; Alessandro Abbà. 2020. "The Production of Sustainable Concrete with the Use of Alternative Aggregates: A Review." Sustainability 12, no. 19: 7903.

Journal article
Published: 02 September 2020 in Waste Management
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The management of food waste has been considered an extremely important issue since the 1990s but finding efficient solutions for small and rural communities is still challenging. Anaerobic digestion (AD) may provide interesting opportunities in terms of carbon emissions and economic payback in the long term, but the choice of the correct technology and the spatial scale requires attention. The focus of this study is on a small rural municipality, which is selected as a case study to assess the environmental and economic sustainability of the application of two options for AD (a conventional and an alternative wet process) and two spatial scales (municipality and a consortium of municipalities). Both the AD configurations are examined in terms of biogas exploitation, through a combined heat and power generator, and in combination with a post-composting stage of the digestate. From economic and environmental perspectives, the consortium-scale application of the conventional wet process is expected to generate greater benefits in the long term, as it enables 80% more electric energy production and economic revenues/savings, and avoids carbon emissions. However, before selecting the technology, decision makers should consider the public acceptance of local communities (e.g., the susceptibility to the “not-in-my-backyard” syndrome), as the best technical-economical solution may not be the most appropriate to specific communities. The methodology developed in this paper and the discussion of the results will inform decision makers about how to identify the most appropriate alternative for their purposes.

ACS Style

Luca Adami; Marco Schiavon; Vincenzo Torretta; Luca Costa; Elena Cristina Rada. Evaluation of conventional and alternative anaerobic digestion technologies for applications to small and rural communities. Waste Management 2020, 118, 79 -89.

AMA Style

Luca Adami, Marco Schiavon, Vincenzo Torretta, Luca Costa, Elena Cristina Rada. Evaluation of conventional and alternative anaerobic digestion technologies for applications to small and rural communities. Waste Management. 2020; 118 ():79-89.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Luca Adami; Marco Schiavon; Vincenzo Torretta; Luca Costa; Elena Cristina Rada. 2020. "Evaluation of conventional and alternative anaerobic digestion technologies for applications to small and rural communities." Waste Management 118, no. : 79-89.

Journal article
Published: 09 August 2020 in Journal of Cleaner Production
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In the last decades, the considerable improvements made on the mitigation of the environmental impacts from waste-to-energy (WtE) plants have let heavy metals emerge as the most concerning pollutants emitted from this sector. Heavy metals include a broad spectrum of compounds with very different toxicological effects on human health. However, in the European Union (EU), the current legislation does not consider the specific health effects of each heavy metal. In fact, with the only exception of mercury, the legislation sets an aggregated emission limit value for cadmium and thallium and an aggregated emission limit value for eight metals including total chromium (Cr). This simplification becomes even more critical when considering that total Cr includes hexavalent Cr (Cr VI), whose cancer potency is higher than other metals by > 2 orders of magnitude. The aim of this paper is to highlight and solve this critical legislation gap, and propose an innovative way to manage the emissions of Cr VI at the stack of waste incinerators. By analyzing the case study of a waste gasifier, the paper demonstrates that Cr VI to total Cr ratios higher than 10% may contribute to more than 95% of the total cancer risk in the nearby territory. In the view of cleaner strategies for energy production and waste management, a Cr VI concentration limit value of 0.005 mg/Nm3 at the stack level could be assumed in a first discussion phase to reduce the potential impacts from WtE plants.

ACS Style

Elena Cristina Rada; Marco Schiavon; Vincenzo Torretta. A regulatory strategy for the emission control of hexavalent chromium from waste-to-energy plants. Journal of Cleaner Production 2020, 278, 123415 .

AMA Style

Elena Cristina Rada, Marco Schiavon, Vincenzo Torretta. A regulatory strategy for the emission control of hexavalent chromium from waste-to-energy plants. Journal of Cleaner Production. 2020; 278 ():123415.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Elena Cristina Rada; Marco Schiavon; Vincenzo Torretta. 2020. "A regulatory strategy for the emission control of hexavalent chromium from waste-to-energy plants." Journal of Cleaner Production 278, no. : 123415.

Research article
Published: 02 July 2020 in Waste Management & Research: The Journal for a Sustainable Circular Economy
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The implementation of waste selective collection (SC) schemes in low-income countries is a challenge although it is one important way for improving environmental sustainability. The inclusion of the population is necessary for gaining effective results, and social surveys are support methods for understanding citizens’ involvement and behaviour. The aim of the research is to assess the support of the citizens concerning the formal and informal recycling in a low–middle income country. The study presents a questionnaire survey conducted in 2018 in La Paz, Bolivia, where 774 citizens were interviewed for evaluating their support to the formal and informal SC systems. Two questionnaires were submitted to two different users’ categories: users of the formal recyclable waste gathering points; and citizens of the neighbourhoods. Evidence of the survey shows that about 8% of the population supports the formal SC while about 48% are used to selecting their waste at home. About 79.2% of them bring the waste to the informal recycling shops or provide it to waste pickers, throwing the waste into or nearby the mixed containers in order to facilitate their collection. This research demonstrates how social inclusion is important for planning recycling systems within a developing big city, starting from the SC. Results suggest that the informal sector can be an effective means for improving the recycling behaviour of the citizens. The study can be of interest to stakeholders involved in introducing recycling policies in developing cities where the SC rate is still low, and informal waste collection exists.

ACS Style

Navarro Ferronato; Marcelo Antonio Gorritty Portillo; Gabriela Edith Guisbert Lizarazu; Vincenzo Torretta. Formal and informal waste selective collection in developing megacities: Analysis of residents’ involvement in Bolivia. Waste Management & Research: The Journal for a Sustainable Circular Economy 2020, 39, 108 -121.

AMA Style

Navarro Ferronato, Marcelo Antonio Gorritty Portillo, Gabriela Edith Guisbert Lizarazu, Vincenzo Torretta. Formal and informal waste selective collection in developing megacities: Analysis of residents’ involvement in Bolivia. Waste Management & Research: The Journal for a Sustainable Circular Economy. 2020; 39 (1):108-121.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Navarro Ferronato; Marcelo Antonio Gorritty Portillo; Gabriela Edith Guisbert Lizarazu; Vincenzo Torretta. 2020. "Formal and informal waste selective collection in developing megacities: Analysis of residents’ involvement in Bolivia." Waste Management & Research: The Journal for a Sustainable Circular Economy 39, no. 1: 108-121.

Journal article
Published: 22 June 2020 in Sustainability
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The optimization of municipal solid waste management requires the re-organization of niche sectors too. The sector of the university is not fully explored from the scientific point of view. The creation of networks among universities in order to face this issue allows an exchange of expertise also at an international level as demonstrated in this article, by three case studies: two Italian (University of Trento and University of Insubria) and one Russian (Ural Federal University) universities. This study highlights the pros and cons of each university in terms of waste management. Specifically, setting up communication campaigns, standard procedures, monitoring actions, pricing strategies that incentivize selective collection, and improving the collaboration within the university community are identified as crucial initiatives. The margins of improvement of the three universities analyzed are favored by the composition of the generated waste. The implementation of good practices can give economic advantages to the universities, besides improving their level of sustainability.

ACS Style

Elena Cristina Rada; Elena Romenovna Magaril; Marco Schiavon; Anzhelika Karaeva; Maxim Chashchin; Vincenzo Torretta. MSW Management in Universities: Sharing Best Practices. Sustainability 2020, 12, 5084 .

AMA Style

Elena Cristina Rada, Elena Romenovna Magaril, Marco Schiavon, Anzhelika Karaeva, Maxim Chashchin, Vincenzo Torretta. MSW Management in Universities: Sharing Best Practices. Sustainability. 2020; 12 (12):5084.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Elena Cristina Rada; Elena Romenovna Magaril; Marco Schiavon; Anzhelika Karaeva; Maxim Chashchin; Vincenzo Torretta. 2020. "MSW Management in Universities: Sharing Best Practices." Sustainability 12, no. 12: 5084.

Journal article
Published: 21 June 2020 in Sustainability
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Solid waste open dumping in developing countries is a global concern. To move towards sustainable development, mixed waste should be reduced, and recyclable waste recovered. The aim of the current research was to find appropriate solutions to disposable used baby-diapers recycling in Bolivia since it is a waste fraction widely produced and commonly disposed of in open dumps. Composting of the organic diaper hydrogel was assessed in five trials, adding components available locally: cow dung, activated bacteria, and Californian red earthworms (Eisenia fetida). It was observed that about 60 days were globally required for biomass decomposition with cow dung, activated bacteria, and earthworms, and more than 70 days for the treatment of the substrate mixed only with manure, while the diaper hydrogel did not degrade without cow dung. This research is the first that attempted to treat disposable used baby diapers with the vermicomposting process. In general, the outcomes of the research are promising: vermicomposting with cow manure can be a recycling option for disposable used baby diapers, introducing appropriate practices toward a circular economy in developing regions.

ACS Style

Navarro Ferronato; Máximo Lucio Nova Pinedo; Vincenzo Torretta. Assessment of Used Baby Diapers Composting in Bolivia. Sustainability 2020, 12, 5055 .

AMA Style

Navarro Ferronato, Máximo Lucio Nova Pinedo, Vincenzo Torretta. Assessment of Used Baby Diapers Composting in Bolivia. Sustainability. 2020; 12 (12):5055.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Navarro Ferronato; Máximo Lucio Nova Pinedo; Vincenzo Torretta. 2020. "Assessment of Used Baby Diapers Composting in Bolivia." Sustainability 12, no. 12: 5055.

Journal article
Published: 07 May 2020 in Sustainability
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Fluorides represent a significant problem in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). In fact, this ion is essential for human health but, if taken in excess, it can cause dental and skeletal fluorosis. In LMICs, the pollution of groundwater from fluorides is of natural origin. Therefore, if providing alternative sources for drinking water (DW) supply is not possible, the use of specific processes for the removal of fluorides becomes essential. The adsorption on alternative materials, such as agro-food residues, can be a valid treatment for the removal of fluorides in the LMIC considering: (i) their optimal removal yields, (ii) the high availability, and (iii) the low cost. In recent years, the interest on the use of palm residues (PRs) becomes significant. Optimal pH, temperature, adsorbent dosage, and possible combination with metals to increase adsorption performances were deeply investigated. The activated PRs also present two other advantages: (i) very high surface area, and (ii) very low reduction in uptake capacity when regenerated. However, all tests were conducted with synthetic waters in laboratory-scale reactors while application on real-scale are absent. This makes other studies on this type of alternative adsorbent material still necessary.

ACS Style

Maria Cristina Collivignarelli; Alessandro Abbà; Marco Carnevale Miino; Vincenzo Torretta; Elena Cristina Rada; Francesca Maria Caccamo; Sabrina Sorlini. Adsorption of Fluorides in Drinking Water by Palm Residues. Sustainability 2020, 12, 3786 .

AMA Style

Maria Cristina Collivignarelli, Alessandro Abbà, Marco Carnevale Miino, Vincenzo Torretta, Elena Cristina Rada, Francesca Maria Caccamo, Sabrina Sorlini. Adsorption of Fluorides in Drinking Water by Palm Residues. Sustainability. 2020; 12 (9):3786.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Maria Cristina Collivignarelli; Alessandro Abbà; Marco Carnevale Miino; Vincenzo Torretta; Elena Cristina Rada; Francesca Maria Caccamo; Sabrina Sorlini. 2020. "Adsorption of Fluorides in Drinking Water by Palm Residues." Sustainability 12, no. 9: 3786.

Journal article
Published: 28 April 2020 in International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
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Organic dust explosions were and are still today a critical issue in the food, pharmaceutical, and fine chemical industry. Materials such as flour, corn starch, sugar and APIs represent a cause of severe accidents. In this framework, we investigated a modified version of Recursive Operability Analysis−Incidental Sequence Diagrams (ROA–ISD), called ROA Plus−ISD, specifically tailored to describe industrial processes involving organic combustible dusts. Compared to more classical techniques such as Hazard and Operability (HazOp), ROA−ISD allows for a direct generation of fault trees, providing a useful tool to connect Qualitative with Quantitative Risk Analysis (QRA). ROA Plus−ISD is very similar to ROA−Cause Consequence Diagrams (CCD), which has already proven to be an effective tool to perform both risk assessment on existing plants and reconstructing already occurred accidents, given its logical structure and width of the application fields. In this work, we modified specific parts of the standard ROA−CCD method: (1) the Failure Mode and Operability Analysis (FMEA) database has been structured in order to retrieve the well-known explosion pentagon (for dusts) and all the instruments, devices, apparatuses and controllers typical of industries which process organic dusts; (2) a new comprehensive list of process variables has been compiled. In this way, it is possible to tailor the information required for the generation of the fault trees concerning top events involving mainly dust explosions and fires. This method has been implemented in order to reconstruct the dynamics of the February 2008 Imperial Sugar refinery plant accident (Port Wentworth, GA, USA). Results demonstrated the applicability of the enhanced method by highlighting the criticalities of the process already showed by a previously detailed reconstruction performed by the Chemical Safety Board.

ACS Style

Marco Barozzi; Sabrina Copelli; Martina Silvia Scotton; Vincenzo Torretta. Application of an Enhanced Version of Recursive Operability Analysis for Combustible Dusts Risk Assessment. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 2020, 17, 3078 .

AMA Style

Marco Barozzi, Sabrina Copelli, Martina Silvia Scotton, Vincenzo Torretta. Application of an Enhanced Version of Recursive Operability Analysis for Combustible Dusts Risk Assessment. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2020; 17 (9):3078.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Marco Barozzi; Sabrina Copelli; Martina Silvia Scotton; Vincenzo Torretta. 2020. "Application of an Enhanced Version of Recursive Operability Analysis for Combustible Dusts Risk Assessment." International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 17, no. 9: 3078.

Journal article
Published: 19 April 2020 in Environmental Science and Pollution Research
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In the present paper, different types of pure and commercial plastic waste from different EU countries (UK, France, Italy, and Romania) were investigated for microstructure surface morphology and chemical properties by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDXS). The goal of the current investigation was to determine the chemical composition of selected packaging materials and compare these measurements with data obtained through a carbon-hydrogen-nitrogen-sulfur-oxygen (CHNS-O) elemental analyzer, which is conventionally used to characterize waste materials. The capabilities of the experimental approach are discussed in connection with their application to the study of waste sample materials and in comparison with alternative experimental methods such as elemental analysis. The CHNS-O comparison is made between the present data obtained with SEM-EDXS instrument and EA 3000 elemental analyzer used in previews studies conducted by the authors. Results show a difference of composition among packaging from different countries that can affect the treatment adopted for its valorization and the strategies of circular economy.

ACS Style

Elena Cristina Rada; Gabriela Ionescu; Navarro Ferronato; Marco Ragazzi; Mario Raspanti; Fabio Conti; Vincenzo Torretta. Zooming on light packaging waste differences by scanning electron microscopy. Environmental Science and Pollution Research 2020, 1 -7.

AMA Style

Elena Cristina Rada, Gabriela Ionescu, Navarro Ferronato, Marco Ragazzi, Mario Raspanti, Fabio Conti, Vincenzo Torretta. Zooming on light packaging waste differences by scanning electron microscopy. Environmental Science and Pollution Research. 2020; ():1-7.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Elena Cristina Rada; Gabriela Ionescu; Navarro Ferronato; Marco Ragazzi; Mario Raspanti; Fabio Conti; Vincenzo Torretta. 2020. "Zooming on light packaging waste differences by scanning electron microscopy." Environmental Science and Pollution Research , no. : 1-7.

Review
Published: 15 April 2020 in Applied Sciences
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The formation of persistent foams can be a critical problem in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) as it could lead to a series of operational problems, especially the reduction of the overall system performance. To date, the effects of foaming in the WWTPs are a problem that is currently very common and shared, but which to date is treated mainly only at the management level and still too little studied through a globally shared scientific method: the complexity of the phenomenon and the systems have led to numerous partially contradictory descriptions and hypotheses over the years. The goal must be to suggest future research directions and indicate promising strategies to prevent or control the formation of foams in WWTPs. This study examines and investigates the problem of foams by a methodological approach of research through a review on the state of the art: the factors influencing the formation of foams are described first (such as surfactants and/or extracellular polymeric substances (EPSs)), then the known methods for the evaluation of foaming, both direct and indirect, are presented, with the aim of identifying the correct and best (from the management point of view) control and/or prevention strategies to be applied in the future in WWTPs.

ACS Style

Maria Cristina Collivignarelli; Marco Baldi; Alessandro Abbà; Francesca Maria Caccamo; Marco Carnevale Miino; Elena Cristina Rada; Vincenzo Torretta. Foams in Wastewater Treatment Plants: From Causes to Control Methods. Applied Sciences 2020, 10, 2716 .

AMA Style

Maria Cristina Collivignarelli, Marco Baldi, Alessandro Abbà, Francesca Maria Caccamo, Marco Carnevale Miino, Elena Cristina Rada, Vincenzo Torretta. Foams in Wastewater Treatment Plants: From Causes to Control Methods. Applied Sciences. 2020; 10 (8):2716.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Maria Cristina Collivignarelli; Marco Baldi; Alessandro Abbà; Francesca Maria Caccamo; Marco Carnevale Miino; Elena Cristina Rada; Vincenzo Torretta. 2020. "Foams in Wastewater Treatment Plants: From Causes to Control Methods." Applied Sciences 10, no. 8: 2716.

Journal article
Published: 07 April 2020 in Sustainability
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Studies about the measurement of outdoor tobacco smoke (OTS) are limited to a few very recent studies. In many countries around the world, within public buildings, smoking is prohibited by law. However, these prohibitions often drive smokers to move to the border of the areas where smoking is forbidden, typically the entrances of buildings, in order to smoke. When many smokers stand outdoors near the entrances, a significant “wall” of smoke is generated. This condition exposes nonsmokers to smoke and contaminates the indoor environment too. Such a situation is amplified if the outdoor external area is covered. This paper presents a work carried out in a university campus, near building entrances, with the aim of studying the second-hand smoke (SHS) exposure in outdoor conditions. Measurements of particulate matter in specific environmental conditions are evaluated to estimate the OTS impacts on the students and the academic staff. The results showed that the exposure to tobacco can be very high and even comparable to values found when tests were carried out indoors, at the same distances from the smokers. A discussion about forbidding smoking near the entrances of public buildings is reported, including considerations about the environmental and public health concerns induced by SHS exposure and the smoking activity.

ACS Style

Vincenzo Torretta; Athanasia Tolkou; Ioannis Katsoyiannis; Marco Schiavon. Second-Hand Smoke Exposure Effects on Human Health: Evaluation of PM10 Concentrations in the External Areas of a University Campus. Sustainability 2020, 12, 2948 .

AMA Style

Vincenzo Torretta, Athanasia Tolkou, Ioannis Katsoyiannis, Marco Schiavon. Second-Hand Smoke Exposure Effects on Human Health: Evaluation of PM10 Concentrations in the External Areas of a University Campus. Sustainability. 2020; 12 (7):2948.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Vincenzo Torretta; Athanasia Tolkou; Ioannis Katsoyiannis; Marco Schiavon. 2020. "Second-Hand Smoke Exposure Effects on Human Health: Evaluation of PM10 Concentrations in the External Areas of a University Campus." Sustainability 12, no. 7: 2948.

Journal article
Published: 30 March 2020 in International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
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In the coming years, water stress is destined to worsen considering that the consumption of water is expected to increase significantly, and climate change is expected to become more evident. Greywater (GW) has been studied as an alternative water source in arid and semiarid zones. Although there is no single optimal solution in order to treat GW, constructed wetlands proved to be effective. In this paper, the results of the treatment of a real GW by a horizontal flow constructed wetland (HFCW) for more than four months are shown. In the preliminary laboratory-scale plant, Phragmites australis, Carex oshimensis and Cyperus papyrus were tested separately and showed very similar results. In the second phase, pilot-scale tests were conducted to confirm the performance at a larger scale and evaluate the influence of hydraulic retention time, obtaining very high removal yields on turbidity (>92%), total suspended solids (TSS) (>85%), chemical oxygen demand (COD) (>89%), and five-day biological oxygen demand (BOD5) (>88%). Based on the results of the pilot-scale HFCW, a comparison with international recommendations by World Health Organization and European Union is discussed.

ACS Style

Maria Cristina Collivignarelli; Marco Carnevale Miino; Franco Hernan Gomez; Vincenzo Torretta; Elena Cristina Rada; Sabrina Sorlini. Horizontal Flow Constructed Wetland for Greywater Treatment and Reuse: An Experimental Case. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 2020, 17, 2317 .

AMA Style

Maria Cristina Collivignarelli, Marco Carnevale Miino, Franco Hernan Gomez, Vincenzo Torretta, Elena Cristina Rada, Sabrina Sorlini. Horizontal Flow Constructed Wetland for Greywater Treatment and Reuse: An Experimental Case. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2020; 17 (7):2317.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Maria Cristina Collivignarelli; Marco Carnevale Miino; Franco Hernan Gomez; Vincenzo Torretta; Elena Cristina Rada; Sabrina Sorlini. 2020. "Horizontal Flow Constructed Wetland for Greywater Treatment and Reuse: An Experimental Case." International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 17, no. 7: 2317.

Research article
Published: 05 March 2020 in Waste Management & Research: The Journal for a Sustainable Circular Economy
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Using a life cycle assessment (LCA) to evaluate municipal solid waste management (MSWM) systems is strongly recommended and the approach has been used in high-income contexts. However, stakeholders in low to middle income countries are not aware of the potential of this approach, mainly due to a lack of financial resources and technical ability. The present work introduces a LCA of MSWM system scenarios into a developing city using an academic licence for the LCA software that is available for use exclusively by researchers. The MSWM system in place in 2018 in La Paz (Bolivia) was assessed according to seven scenarios. The novelty of the research is twofold: the use of LCA academic licensing in a low to middle income region where LCA is unknown as planning tool; and discussing the potential of the approach in conjunction with local and international stakeholders with a view to starting MSWM projects. The results of the analysis allow for the consideration of energy recovery and materials recycling as the main methods by which the environmental impact of MSW can be reduced, as has also been reported by other LCA studies conducted with full licensing of the relevant software. Moreover, the research is the basis for cooperative development projects that will adopt the LCA approach as the main assessment tool. The study discusses the importance of cooperation between universities and local governments for implementing new strategies for MSWM assessment and planning. The research is a contribution towards improving technical knowledge in developing countries for boosting sustainable development.

ACS Style

Navarro Ferronato; Marcelo Antonio Gorritty Portillo; Edith Gabriela Guisbert Lizarazu; Vincenzo Torretta. Application of a life cycle assessment for assessing municipal solid waste management systems in Bolivia in an international cooperative framework. Waste Management & Research: The Journal for a Sustainable Circular Economy 2020, 38, 98 -116.

AMA Style

Navarro Ferronato, Marcelo Antonio Gorritty Portillo, Edith Gabriela Guisbert Lizarazu, Vincenzo Torretta. Application of a life cycle assessment for assessing municipal solid waste management systems in Bolivia in an international cooperative framework. Waste Management & Research: The Journal for a Sustainable Circular Economy. 2020; 38 (1_suppl):98-116.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Navarro Ferronato; Marcelo Antonio Gorritty Portillo; Edith Gabriela Guisbert Lizarazu; Vincenzo Torretta. 2020. "Application of a life cycle assessment for assessing municipal solid waste management systems in Bolivia in an international cooperative framework." Waste Management & Research: The Journal for a Sustainable Circular Economy 38, no. 1_suppl: 98-116.

Journal article
Published: 19 February 2020 in Waste Management
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The implementation of solid waste selective collection (SC) systems is quite difficult in low-middle income countries. Lack of awareness, infrastructure, administrative support and knowledge about recycling are the main barriers for its operation, reducing the possibility of successes. This paper introduces the methodological approach for assessing a recyclable waste SC project in a Bolivian public University. The waste fractions generated before (2016) and after (2019) the action were assessed, as well as the opinion and knowledge of the students, providing reliable indicators of the improvements and benefits obtained. Results of the waste characterization analysis reported that, after one month of implementation of the system, about 15 kg of plastic and 37.1 kg of paper and cardboard were collected, about 8 wt% and 42.9 wt% of the recyclable waste produced. At the same time, the questionnaire survey allows demonstrating that the SC behavior of the students improved considerably from 2018 to 2019, (t[608] = −7.654, p < 0.05***), as well as the satisfaction about the waste collection service provided (t[608] = −6.6224, p < 0.05***) and about the diffusion of information with awareness campaigns (t[608] = −8.708, p < 0.05***). The project and the phases followed for its implementation can be of reference for other local and international stakeholders, for replicating the study in other Universities and public areas. The novelty of the study is the introduction of a step by step methodology for assessing the SC of recyclable waste for supporting the recycling policies of developing cities in low-middle income countries and for boosting sustainable development according to the principle of the circular economy.

ACS Style

Navarro Ferronato; Edith Gabriela Guisbert Lizarazu; Jorge Marcelo Velasco Tudela; Jimena Karen Blanco Callisaya; Gianluca Preziosi; Vincenzo Torretta. Selective collection of recyclable waste in Universities of low-middle income countries: Lessons learned in Bolivia. Waste Management 2020, 105, 198 -210.

AMA Style

Navarro Ferronato, Edith Gabriela Guisbert Lizarazu, Jorge Marcelo Velasco Tudela, Jimena Karen Blanco Callisaya, Gianluca Preziosi, Vincenzo Torretta. Selective collection of recyclable waste in Universities of low-middle income countries: Lessons learned in Bolivia. Waste Management. 2020; 105 ():198-210.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Navarro Ferronato; Edith Gabriela Guisbert Lizarazu; Jorge Marcelo Velasco Tudela; Jimena Karen Blanco Callisaya; Gianluca Preziosi; Vincenzo Torretta. 2020. "Selective collection of recyclable waste in Universities of low-middle income countries: Lessons learned in Bolivia." Waste Management 105, no. : 198-210.