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Prof. Andrea Colantoni
Tuscia University, DAFNE

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0 Energy & the Environment
0 Mechanica
0 Enviromental Assessment
0 LCA in Energy Systems and Equipment
0 safety and health

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Journal article
Published: 13 March 2021 in Energies
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The effects of a mechanical process on the solid fuel quality and anaerobic biodegradability of hazelnut and olive pruning were determined. The feedstock was treated using a two-stage dry milling process, followed by fractionation into four different products. The coarser products from the processing of both the raw materials, named C and M, were notable for the high reduction in both the ash and nitrogen content. Therefore, for hazelnut, they met the requirement of the EN ISO 17225-2 standard for both the industrial and residential pellets, whereas C and M from olive processing met the requirements only for the industrial pellet. The raw materials and the finest products from processing, named F1 and F2, were anaerobically digested in batch reactors under mesophilic conditions. The F2 product from hazelnut processing reached a methane yield of 118.1 Nm3 tVS −1, corresponding to a +70.1% gain over the untreated substrate, whereas F2 from olive pruning processing reached 176.5 Nm3 tVS −1, corresponding to a methane yield gain of about +93.5% over the untreated raw material. These results suggest that the investigated process could be successfully used to improve the quality of pruning and establish new markets for them.

ACS Style

Leonardo Bianchini; Paolo Costa; Pier Dell’Omo; Andrea Colantoni; Massimo Cecchini; Danilo Monarca. An Industrial Scale, Mechanical Process for Improving Pellet Quality and Biogas Production from Hazelnut and Olive Pruning. Energies 2021, 14, 1600 .

AMA Style

Leonardo Bianchini, Paolo Costa, Pier Dell’Omo, Andrea Colantoni, Massimo Cecchini, Danilo Monarca. An Industrial Scale, Mechanical Process for Improving Pellet Quality and Biogas Production from Hazelnut and Olive Pruning. Energies. 2021; 14 (6):1600.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Leonardo Bianchini; Paolo Costa; Pier Dell’Omo; Andrea Colantoni; Massimo Cecchini; Danilo Monarca. 2021. "An Industrial Scale, Mechanical Process for Improving Pellet Quality and Biogas Production from Hazelnut and Olive Pruning." Energies 14, no. 6: 1600.

Journal article
Published: 04 March 2021 in Scientific Reports
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Industrial development and increased energy requirements have led to high consumption of fossil fuels. Thus, environmental pollution has become a profound problem. Every year, a large amount of agro-industrial, municipal and forest residues are treated as waste, but they can be recovered and used to produce thermal and electrical energy through biological or thermochemical conversion processes. Among the main types of agro-industrial waste, soluble coffee residues represent a significant quantity all over the world. Silver skin and spent coffee grounds (SCG) are the main residues of the coffee industry. The many organic compounds contained in coffee residues suggest that their recovery and use could be very beneficial. Indeed, thanks to their composition, they can be used in the production of biodiesel, as a source of sugar, as a precursor for the creation of active carbon or as a sorbent for the removal of metals. After a careful evaluation of the possible uses of coffee grounds, the aim of this research was to show a broad characterization of coffee waste for energy purposes through physical and chemical analyses that highlight the most significant quality indexes, the interactions between them and the quantification of their importance. Results identify important tools for the qualification and quantification of the effects of coffee waste properties on energy production processes. They show that (SCG) are an excellent raw material as biomass, with excellent values in terms of calorific value and low ash content, allowing the production of 98% coffee pellets that are highly suitable for use in thermal conversion systems. Combustion tests were also carried out in an 80kWth boiler and the resulting emissions without any type of abatement filter were characterized.

ACS Style

A. Colantoni; E. Paris; L. Bianchini; S. Ferri; V. Marcantonio; M. Carnevale; A. Palma; V. Civitarese; F. Gallucci. Spent coffee ground characterization, pelletization test and emissions assessment in the combustion process. Scientific Reports 2021, 11, 1 -14.

AMA Style

A. Colantoni, E. Paris, L. Bianchini, S. Ferri, V. Marcantonio, M. Carnevale, A. Palma, V. Civitarese, F. Gallucci. Spent coffee ground characterization, pelletization test and emissions assessment in the combustion process. Scientific Reports. 2021; 11 (1):1-14.

Chicago/Turabian Style

A. Colantoni; E. Paris; L. Bianchini; S. Ferri; V. Marcantonio; M. Carnevale; A. Palma; V. Civitarese; F. Gallucci. 2021. "Spent coffee ground characterization, pelletization test and emissions assessment in the combustion process." Scientific Reports 11, no. 1: 1-14.

Communication
Published: 23 February 2021 in Sensors
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This paper aims to investigate failures induced by vibrations on machines, focusing on agricultural ones. The research on literature has brought to light a considerable amount of data on the driven vehicles and not much on the operating machines, including the ones that we looked for. For this reason, it was decided to direct a survey with the people who work with agricultural machinery every day: operators, sub-contractors, and producers. They were asked about the most frequent breakage, particularly in relation to the rotary harrow, the topic of this work. The questionnaire results showed the types of failures the harrow is most vulnerable to, indicating the times of failure and reparation and the need to set up a potentially useful preventive maintenance supporting system on these machines. Part of the work was then focused on the proposition of a method to investigate bearing failures in the rotary harrow, considering that these have been analyzed in the technical literature and in the survey as the most at-risk components. The proposed method in this work serves as a beginning for the development of a future on board sent-shore-based maintenance system for continuous monitoring of the bearing.

ACS Style

Massimo Cecchini; Francesca Piccioni; Serena Ferri; Gianluca Coltrinari; Leonardo Bianchini; Andrea Colantoni. Preliminary Investigation on Systems for the Preventive Diagnosis of Faults on Agricultural Operating Machines. Sensors 2021, 21, 1547 .

AMA Style

Massimo Cecchini, Francesca Piccioni, Serena Ferri, Gianluca Coltrinari, Leonardo Bianchini, Andrea Colantoni. Preliminary Investigation on Systems for the Preventive Diagnosis of Faults on Agricultural Operating Machines. Sensors. 2021; 21 (4):1547.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Massimo Cecchini; Francesca Piccioni; Serena Ferri; Gianluca Coltrinari; Leonardo Bianchini; Andrea Colantoni. 2021. "Preliminary Investigation on Systems for the Preventive Diagnosis of Faults on Agricultural Operating Machines." Sensors 21, no. 4: 1547.

Journal article
Published: 09 February 2021 in Soil Systems
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Following an operational framework derived from earlier research, our study research estimates the specific contribution of biophysical and socioeconomic factors to soil sensitivity to degradation at two-time points (Early-1990s and Early-2010s) in Italy, a Mediterranean hotspot for desertification risk. A total of 34 variables associated (directly or, at least, indirectly) with different processes of soil degradation (erosion, salinization, sealing, contamination, and compaction) and climate change were considered here, delineating the predominant (underlying) cause (i.e., biophysical or socioeconomic). This set of variables represented the largest (quantitative) information available from national and international data sources including official statistics at both national and European scale. Contribution of biophysical and socioeconomic dimensions to soil sensitivity to degradation was heterogeneous in Italy, with the level of soil sensitivity to biophysical factors being the highest in less accessible, natural areas mostly located in hilly and mountainous districts. The highest level of soil sensitivity to socioeconomic drivers was instead observed in more accessible locations around large cities and flat rural districts with crop intensification and low (but increasing) population density. All these factors delineated an enlarged divide in environmental quality between (i) flat and upland districts, and between (ii) Northern and Southern Italian regions. These findings suggest the appropriateness of policy strategies protecting soils with a strong place-specific knowledge, i.e., based on permanent monitoring of local (biophysical and socioeconomic) conditions.

ACS Style

Filippo Gambella; Andrea Colantoni; Gianluca Egidi; Nathan Morrow; Marcela Prokopová; Luca Salvati; Antonio Giménez-Morera; Jesús Rodrigo-Comino. Uncovering the Role of Biophysical Factors and Socioeconomic Forces Shaping Soil Sensitivity to Degradation: Insights from Italy. Soil Systems 2021, 5, 11 .

AMA Style

Filippo Gambella, Andrea Colantoni, Gianluca Egidi, Nathan Morrow, Marcela Prokopová, Luca Salvati, Antonio Giménez-Morera, Jesús Rodrigo-Comino. Uncovering the Role of Biophysical Factors and Socioeconomic Forces Shaping Soil Sensitivity to Degradation: Insights from Italy. Soil Systems. 2021; 5 (1):11.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Filippo Gambella; Andrea Colantoni; Gianluca Egidi; Nathan Morrow; Marcela Prokopová; Luca Salvati; Antonio Giménez-Morera; Jesús Rodrigo-Comino. 2021. "Uncovering the Role of Biophysical Factors and Socioeconomic Forces Shaping Soil Sensitivity to Degradation: Insights from Italy." Soil Systems 5, no. 1: 11.

Editorial
Published: 16 November 2020 in Energies
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Papers submitted and published in this Special Issue

ACS Style

Andrea Colantoni; Rodolfo Picchio; Alvaro Marucci; Elena Di Mattia; Valerio Cristofori; Fabio Recanatesi; Mauro Villarini; Danilo Monarca; Massimo Cecchini. WP3—Innovation in Agriculture and Forestry Sector for Energetic Sustainability. Energies 2020, 13, 5985 .

AMA Style

Andrea Colantoni, Rodolfo Picchio, Alvaro Marucci, Elena Di Mattia, Valerio Cristofori, Fabio Recanatesi, Mauro Villarini, Danilo Monarca, Massimo Cecchini. WP3—Innovation in Agriculture and Forestry Sector for Energetic Sustainability. Energies. 2020; 13 (22):5985.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Andrea Colantoni; Rodolfo Picchio; Alvaro Marucci; Elena Di Mattia; Valerio Cristofori; Fabio Recanatesi; Mauro Villarini; Danilo Monarca; Massimo Cecchini. 2020. "WP3—Innovation in Agriculture and Forestry Sector for Energetic Sustainability." Energies 13, no. 22: 5985.

Commentary
Published: 27 October 2020 in Land
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In a context of aging, low fertility, and progressive slowdown of both internal population mobility and international migration at working age, residential mobility at older ages was regarded as an emerging phenomenon in Mediterranean Europe, a region with increasingly attractive retirement places. The present work discusses the socioeconomic processes (and the environmental impacts) associated with an increasing flow of retirees, which decide to settle from ‘Northern’ countries to Southern Europe, concentrating in coastal districts and in rural countryside. Understanding lifestyle preferences and territorial patterns of residential mobility at older ages allows a refined analysis of short- and medium-term impacts of International Retirement Migration (IRM) on population dynamics in economically growing and declining regions. A refined analysis reveals that destinations of IRM are progressively enlarging from strictly coastal places to a broader set of locations in the rural countryside. Mobility choices among retirees may jeopardize the role of spatial planning, which is increasingly asked to provide specific services for an international, elder population, e.g., stimulating re-use of abandoned rural buildings. Taken as an effective option for rural development, an improved planning and management of local districts attracting and hosting intense flows of residential mobility at older ages is urgent in the present socioeconomic context. A convenient set of policies and a refined taxation system may contribute to reconcile demographic shrinkage with local competitiveness and social cohesion.

ACS Style

Gianluca Egidi; Giovanni Quaranta; Luca Salvati; Filippo Gambella; Enrico Maria Mosconi; Antonio Giménez Morera; Andrea Colantoni. Unraveling Causes and Consequences of International Retirement Migration to Coastal and Rural Areas in Mediterranean Europe. Land 2020, 9, 410 .

AMA Style

Gianluca Egidi, Giovanni Quaranta, Luca Salvati, Filippo Gambella, Enrico Maria Mosconi, Antonio Giménez Morera, Andrea Colantoni. Unraveling Causes and Consequences of International Retirement Migration to Coastal and Rural Areas in Mediterranean Europe. Land. 2020; 9 (11):410.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Gianluca Egidi; Giovanni Quaranta; Luca Salvati; Filippo Gambella; Enrico Maria Mosconi; Antonio Giménez Morera; Andrea Colantoni. 2020. "Unraveling Causes and Consequences of International Retirement Migration to Coastal and Rural Areas in Mediterranean Europe." Land 9, no. 11: 410.

Journal article
Published: 09 October 2020 in Land
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The present study analyzes population redistribution across metropolitan regions considering together changes over time in the spatial distribution of resident and present population from census data. Considering population dynamics in Athens, Greece, between 1991 and 2011, the results of this study evidenced how the ratio of present to resident population increases more rapidly in urban than rural areas along the last twenty years. By revealing different expansion processes at the regional and local scales, the present-to-resident ratio of usual population was correlated to selected variables (population density and growth, distance from the inner city and settlement dispersion) with the aim at delineating apparent and latent relationships with the local socioeconomic context. Statistical analysis indicates that the present-to-resident population ratio is reflective of the intense suburbanization observed until the early 1990s in Athens, determining population redistribution and settlement dispersion over larger areas.

ACS Style

Kostas Rontos; Andrea Colantoni; Luca Salvati; Enrico Maria Mosconi; Antonio Giménez Morera. Resident or Present? Population Census Data Tell You More about Suburbanization. Land 2020, 9, 383 .

AMA Style

Kostas Rontos, Andrea Colantoni, Luca Salvati, Enrico Maria Mosconi, Antonio Giménez Morera. Resident or Present? Population Census Data Tell You More about Suburbanization. Land. 2020; 9 (10):383.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Kostas Rontos; Andrea Colantoni; Luca Salvati; Enrico Maria Mosconi; Antonio Giménez Morera. 2020. "Resident or Present? Population Census Data Tell You More about Suburbanization." Land 9, no. 10: 383.

Journal article
Published: 19 September 2020 in Systems
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This study estimates demographic resilience in local socioeconomic systems of Southern Europe using long-term population dynamics. We assume attractive places with a continuously expanding (resident) population as ‘demographically resilient’, and locations experiencing a persistent decline of population as more fragile to external shocks. Based on these premises, a comprehensive assessment of demographic resilience in more than 1000 municipalities along the urban–rural gradient in Greece, a Mediterranean country with marked regional disparities, was carried out between 1961 and 2011. Municipalities were considered representative of homogeneous local communities, especially in rural areas. The results of non-parametric correlations suggest how basic geographical gradients (coastal–inland and urban–rural) have significantly influenced the demographic resilience of Greek municipalities. These findings outline two contrasting spatial patterns that reflect (i) continuous expansion of peri-urban local communities and (ii) a particularly intense rural shrinkage, linking depopulation to land abandonment and scarce accessibility of inland districts. While long-term population growth in Greece has progressively re-shaped the intrinsic divide in urban and rural areas, the traditional gap in central and peripheral districts is still reflected in the spatial polarization between the ‘demographically resilient’, socially dynamic coastal locations and the ‘demographically fragile’ inland, economically marginal places. These results indicate the persistence of a center–periphery model characterizing long-term settlement expansion in Greece, with spatial patterns delineating ‘resilient’ and ‘fragile’ districts based essentially on infrastructures, accessibility, and amenities.

ACS Style

Andrea Colantoni; Rares Halbac-Cotoara-Zamfir; Cristina Halbac-Cotoara-Zamfir; Pavel Cudlin; Luca Salvati; Antonio Gimenez Morera. Demographic Resilience in Local Systems: An Empirical Approach with Census Data. Systems 2020, 8, 34 .

AMA Style

Andrea Colantoni, Rares Halbac-Cotoara-Zamfir, Cristina Halbac-Cotoara-Zamfir, Pavel Cudlin, Luca Salvati, Antonio Gimenez Morera. Demographic Resilience in Local Systems: An Empirical Approach with Census Data. Systems. 2020; 8 (3):34.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Andrea Colantoni; Rares Halbac-Cotoara-Zamfir; Cristina Halbac-Cotoara-Zamfir; Pavel Cudlin; Luca Salvati; Antonio Gimenez Morera. 2020. "Demographic Resilience in Local Systems: An Empirical Approach with Census Data." Systems 8, no. 3: 34.

Commentary
Published: 14 September 2020 in Economies
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A complex interplay of socio-ecological drivers of change exists at the different spatiotemporal scales affecting environmental degradation. This is a key issue worldwide and needs to be understood to develop efficient management solutions. One of the most applied theories in the regional analysis is the U-shaped relationship between environmental degradation and the level of income in a given economic system or Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC). Specifically, the EKC hypothesis underlines the (potentially positive) role of formal responses to environmental degradation grounded on government policies that are usually more ambitious in wealthier economic systems. However, there is a lack of knowledge on the role of space in EKC, arguing that spatial variability in the environment–income relationship may indicate additional targets for integrated socio–environmental policies. We hypothesize that a spatially differentiated response to environmental degradation could better adapt to differentiated local contexts. Therefore, to achieve this goal, we present a multi-scale investigation of degradation processes at the local level, providing a refined knowledge of the environment–economy linkages considering more traditional, cross-country and cross-region exercises. Our results demonstrated that—together with temporal, sectoral, and institutional aspects—space and, consequently, the related analysis’ spatial scales, are significant dimensions in ecological economics, whose investigation requires improvements in data collection and dedicated statistical approaches.

ACS Style

Enrico Maria Mosconi; Andrea Colantoni; Filippo Gambella; Eva Cudlinová; Luca Salvati; Jesús Rodrigo-Comino. Revisiting the Environmental Kuznets Curve: The Spatial Interaction between Economy and Territory. Economies 2020, 8, 74 .

AMA Style

Enrico Maria Mosconi, Andrea Colantoni, Filippo Gambella, Eva Cudlinová, Luca Salvati, Jesús Rodrigo-Comino. Revisiting the Environmental Kuznets Curve: The Spatial Interaction between Economy and Territory. Economies. 2020; 8 (3):74.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Enrico Maria Mosconi; Andrea Colantoni; Filippo Gambella; Eva Cudlinová; Luca Salvati; Jesús Rodrigo-Comino. 2020. "Revisiting the Environmental Kuznets Curve: The Spatial Interaction between Economy and Territory." Economies 8, no. 3: 74.

Commentary
Published: 27 July 2020 in International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
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Assuming the importance of a “socioeconomic mosaic” influencing soil and land degradation at the landscape scale, spatial contexts should be considered in the analysis of desertification risk as a base for the design of appropriate counteracting strategies. A holistic approach grounded on a multi-scale qualitative and quantitative assessment is required to identify optimal development strategies regulating the socioeconomic dimensions of land degradation. In the last few decades, the operational thinking at the base of a comprehensive, holistic theory of land degradation evolved toward many different conceptual steps. Moving from empirical, qualitative and unstructured frameworks to a more structured, rational and articulated thinking, such theoretical approaches have been usually oriented toward complex and non-linear dynamics benefiting from progressive and refined approximations. Based on these premises, eleven disciplinary approaches were identified and commented extensively on in the present study, and were classified along a gradient of increasing complexity, from more qualitative and de-structured frameworks to more articulated, non-linear thinking aimed at interpreting the intrinsic fragmentation and heterogeneity of environmental and socioeconomic processes underlying land degradation. Identifying, reviewing and classifying such approaches demonstrated that the evolution of global thinking in land degradation was intimately non-linear, developing narrative and deductive approaches together with inferential, experimentally oriented visions. Focusing specifically on advanced economies in the world, our review contributes to systematize multiple—sometimes entropic—interpretations of desertification processes into a more organized framework, giving value to methodological interplays and specific interpretations of the latent processes underlying land degradation.

ACS Style

Rares Halbac-Cotoara-Zamfir; Andrea Colantoni; Enrico Maria Mosconi; Stefano Poponi; Simona Fortunati; Luca Salvati; Filippo Gambella. From Historical Narratives to Circular Economy: De-Complexifying the “Desertification” Debate. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 2020, 17, 5398 .

AMA Style

Rares Halbac-Cotoara-Zamfir, Andrea Colantoni, Enrico Maria Mosconi, Stefano Poponi, Simona Fortunati, Luca Salvati, Filippo Gambella. From Historical Narratives to Circular Economy: De-Complexifying the “Desertification” Debate. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2020; 17 (15):5398.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Rares Halbac-Cotoara-Zamfir; Andrea Colantoni; Enrico Maria Mosconi; Stefano Poponi; Simona Fortunati; Luca Salvati; Filippo Gambella. 2020. "From Historical Narratives to Circular Economy: De-Complexifying the “Desertification” Debate." International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 17, no. 15: 5398.

Journal article
Published: 23 June 2020 in Sustainability
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Plant biostimulants have gained great interest from the agrochemical industry and farmers because of their ability to enhance nutrient use efficiency and increase abiotic stress tolerance in crop production. However, despite the considerable potential of biostimulants for the sustainable development of the agricultural sector, the environmental evaluation of the application of biostimulants is still missing. Hence, this is the first study that focuses on the environmental assessment of the biostimulant action of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus Glomus intraradices and vegetal-derived protein hydrolysate on two greenhouse vegetable crops, spinach and zucchini squash, under different fertilization regimes. The life cycle assessment from a cradle to gate perspective, which covers all processes related to crop cultivation up to harvest, was carried out to calculate the carbon footprint of the production chain for these two crops. The results of the comparative analysis revealed that the CO2 equivalent emissions of both crops were reduced due to the biostimulant applications. In particular, the effect of the mycorrhization on the reduction of carbon emissions compared to the un-mycorrhized control was higher in zucchini plants under organic fertilization (12%) than under mineral fertilization (7%). In addition, organic fertilization increased the total carbon footprint of zucchini (52%) compared with mineral fertilization. The results also showed that an increase of nitrogen fertilization from 15 to 45 kg N ha−1 in spinach production enhanced the total CO2 emissions per ton of harvested leaves in comparison with treatments that involved the foliar applications of protein hydrolysate together with a lower nitrogen input; this increase was 4% compared to the unfertilized treatment with application of biostimulant. This study can support decision-making in terms of agronomic technique choices in line with sustainable development of vegetable crop production.

ACS Style

Sara Rajabi Hamedani; Youssef Rouphael; Giuseppe Colla; Andrea Colantoni; Mariateresa Cardarelli. Biostimulants as a Tool for Improving Environmental Sustainability of Greenhouse Vegetable Crops. Sustainability 2020, 12, 5101 .

AMA Style

Sara Rajabi Hamedani, Youssef Rouphael, Giuseppe Colla, Andrea Colantoni, Mariateresa Cardarelli. Biostimulants as a Tool for Improving Environmental Sustainability of Greenhouse Vegetable Crops. Sustainability. 2020; 12 (12):5101.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Sara Rajabi Hamedani; Youssef Rouphael; Giuseppe Colla; Andrea Colantoni; Mariateresa Cardarelli. 2020. "Biostimulants as a Tool for Improving Environmental Sustainability of Greenhouse Vegetable Crops." Sustainability 12, no. 12: 5101.

Journal article
Published: 28 May 2020 in Energies
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Italian power generation through anaerobic digestion (AD) has grown significantly between 2009 and 2016, becoming an important renewable energy resource for the country, also thanks to the generous incentives for produced electricity available in the last years. This work focuses on the economic and environmental issues of AD technology and proposes a techno-economic analysis of investment profitability without government support. In particular, the analysis focuses on an AD power plant fed by zootechnical wastewater and agro-industrial residues coupled to a cogeneration (CHP) system and a digestate-composting plant that produces soil fertilizers. We aim to determine the economic profitability of such AD power plants fed by inner-farm biomass wastes, exploiting digestate as fertilizer, using the cogenerated heat and taking into account the externalities (environmental benefits). Environmental analysis was carried out via a life cycle analysis (LCA), and encompassing the production of biogas, heat/electricity and compost in the downstream process. The un-released environmental emissions were converted into economic benefits by means of a stepwise approach. The results indicate that integrating a compost plant with a biogas plant can significantly increase the carbon credits of the process. The results were evaluated by means of a sensitivity analysis, and they report an IRR in the range of 6%–9% according to the Italian legislative support mechanisms, and possibilities to increase revenues with the use of digestate as fertilizer. The results significantly improve when externalities are included.

ACS Style

Sara Rajabi Hamedani; Mauro Villarini; Andrea Colantoni; Maurizio Carlini; Massimo Cecchini; Francesco Santoro; Antonio Pantaleo. Environmental and Economic Analysis of an Anaerobic Co-Digestion Power Plant Integrated with a Compost Plant. Energies 2020, 13, 2724 .

AMA Style

Sara Rajabi Hamedani, Mauro Villarini, Andrea Colantoni, Maurizio Carlini, Massimo Cecchini, Francesco Santoro, Antonio Pantaleo. Environmental and Economic Analysis of an Anaerobic Co-Digestion Power Plant Integrated with a Compost Plant. Energies. 2020; 13 (11):2724.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Sara Rajabi Hamedani; Mauro Villarini; Andrea Colantoni; Maurizio Carlini; Massimo Cecchini; Francesco Santoro; Antonio Pantaleo. 2020. "Environmental and Economic Analysis of an Anaerobic Co-Digestion Power Plant Integrated with a Compost Plant." Energies 13, no. 11: 2724.

Journal article
Published: 02 April 2020 in Energies
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Wood and agricultural biomass pellets boost the potential as bio-fuels toward power production in tertiary and residential sectors. The production of pellets, however, is a multi-stage process where the supply-processing phases and the overall energy input strongly depend on the characteristics of the input biomass. In this paper, we describe the key features of the market for pellets in Italy, including national production and consumption data, production costs and prices, the available energy conversion systems, and the current regulatory issues. Moreover, we outline the main technical, economic, and end-user barriers that should be addressed in order to foster the growth of Italian pellet production. Additionally, we propose a methodology to evaluate the profitability of the pellet production chain, by assessing the investment and operation costs as a function of the quality of the raw biomass. The approach is applied to a real case study of a small firm producing wooden frames along with dry wood chips as the main by-product, which can be utilized subsequently for pellet production. Moreover, in order to optimize the size of the pellet production plant, further biomass was purchased from the market, including wood pruning and agricultural residues, wood chips from forestry, and uncontaminated residues of wood processing firms. A sensitivity analysis of the main technical and economic parameters (including the cost and quality of raw material, pellet market value, investment and operational costs, and plant lifetime) indicated that the biomass market price considerably affects the profitability of pellet production plants, particularly where the biomass has a high moisture content. Therefore, a 20% increase in the price of biomass with a high moisture content leads to a 60% fall in profitability index, turning it into negative one. This is due in particular to the costs of pre-treatment and drying of biomass, as well as to the lower energy content of wet biomass. As a result, the use of forestry residues with high moisture and high ash content, high costs of collection/transport, and high costs of pre-treatment and drying is not financially competitive.

ACS Style

Antonio Pantaleo; Mauro Villarini; Andrea Colantoni; Maurizio Carlini; Francesco Santoro; Sara Rajabi Hamedani. Techno-Economic Modeling of Biomass Pellet Routes: Feasibility in Italy. Energies 2020, 13, 1636 .

AMA Style

Antonio Pantaleo, Mauro Villarini, Andrea Colantoni, Maurizio Carlini, Francesco Santoro, Sara Rajabi Hamedani. Techno-Economic Modeling of Biomass Pellet Routes: Feasibility in Italy. Energies. 2020; 13 (7):1636.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Antonio Pantaleo; Mauro Villarini; Andrea Colantoni; Maurizio Carlini; Francesco Santoro; Sara Rajabi Hamedani. 2020. "Techno-Economic Modeling of Biomass Pellet Routes: Feasibility in Italy." Energies 13, no. 7: 1636.

Journal article
Published: 12 February 2020 in Land
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Mediterranean regions have experienced a shift from accelerated urban growth typical of a post-industrial phase to a more recent spatial delocalization of population and economic activities reflecting discontinuous settlement expansion, land take, and the abandonment of cultivated areas around central cities. On the basis of a comprehensive analysis of land-use, settlement, and demographic indicators, the present study explores urban growth and population density over a sufficiently long time period in a metropolitan region of Southern Europe (Rome, Italy). Local-scale population trends were compared with the evolution of the primary sector (workers in agriculture, number of farms, cultivated land) between 1951 and 2011. Our results indicate non-linear growth waves alternating compact and discontinuous expansion shaping fringe land. The future development of metropolitan regions is increasingly dependent on the relationship between urban diffusion and economic viability of peri-urban agriculture. Crop abandonment and land take rates increase in local contexts where peri-urban agriculture rapidly declines. Policies managing ex-urban development and promoting the recovery of fringe soils are increasingly required to contain the expansion of dispersed settlements and preserve relict agricultural systems from land conversion to urban use.

ACS Style

Gianluca Egidi; Rares Halbac-Cotoara-Zamfir; Sirio Cividino; Giovanni Quaranta; Luca Salvati; Andrea Colantoni. Rural in Town: Traditional Agriculture, Population Trends, and Long-Term Urban Expansion in Metropolitan Rome. Land 2020, 9, 53 .

AMA Style

Gianluca Egidi, Rares Halbac-Cotoara-Zamfir, Sirio Cividino, Giovanni Quaranta, Luca Salvati, Andrea Colantoni. Rural in Town: Traditional Agriculture, Population Trends, and Long-Term Urban Expansion in Metropolitan Rome. Land. 2020; 9 (2):53.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Gianluca Egidi; Rares Halbac-Cotoara-Zamfir; Sirio Cividino; Giovanni Quaranta; Luca Salvati; Andrea Colantoni. 2020. "Rural in Town: Traditional Agriculture, Population Trends, and Long-Term Urban Expansion in Metropolitan Rome." Land 9, no. 2: 53.

Commentary
Published: 14 January 2020 in Land
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Mediterranean regions are likely to be the most vulnerable areas to wildfires in Europe. In this context, land-use change has promoted land abandonment and the consequent accumulation of biomass (fuel) in (progressively less managed) forests and (non-forest) natural land, causing higher fire density and severity, economic damage, and land degradation. The expansion of Wildland-Urban Interfaces (WUIs) further affects fire density by negatively impacting peri-urban farming and livestock density. Assuming the role of grazing in controlling fuel accumulation in forests and non-forest natural land as an indirect measure of wildfire containment around large Mediterranean cities, our work focuses on the role of nomadic livestock, i.e., sheep and goats—the most abundant and traditional farm species in the area. The present study (i) investigates the relationship between fire frequency/extent and livestock decline at the regional level in Greece, (ii) explores changes over time in regional wildfire regimes, comparing Attica, a particularly vulnerable peri-urban region which includes Athens (the Greek capital city), with the rest of the country, and (iii) quantifies trends over time in livestock characteristics (population structure and dynamics) over a sufficiently long time interval (1961–2017) at the same spatial scale, with the aim to document the progressive reduction of nomadic livestock in peri-urban districts. A comprehensive analysis of statistical data, corroborated with a literature review, outlined the relationship between livestock decline over time and changes in specific wildfire characteristics at the regional scale, evidencing peculiar environmental conditions in Attica. In this region, a rapid decline of nomadic livestock was observed compared to in the rest of Greece, leading to a higher wildfire risk. The results of this study suggest that nomadic livestock contributes to sustainable management of peri-urban land, stimulating grazing that may prevent fuel accumulation in fringe woodlands.

ACS Style

Andrea Colantoni; Gianluca Egidi; Giovanni Quaranta; Roberto D’Alessandro; Sabato Vinci; Rosario Turco; Luca Salvati. Sustainable Land Management, Wildfire Risk and the Role of Grazing in Mediterranean Urban-Rural Interfaces: A Regional Approach from Greece. Land 2020, 9, 21 .

AMA Style

Andrea Colantoni, Gianluca Egidi, Giovanni Quaranta, Roberto D’Alessandro, Sabato Vinci, Rosario Turco, Luca Salvati. Sustainable Land Management, Wildfire Risk and the Role of Grazing in Mediterranean Urban-Rural Interfaces: A Regional Approach from Greece. Land. 2020; 9 (1):21.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Andrea Colantoni; Gianluca Egidi; Giovanni Quaranta; Roberto D’Alessandro; Sabato Vinci; Rosario Turco; Luca Salvati. 2020. "Sustainable Land Management, Wildfire Risk and the Role of Grazing in Mediterranean Urban-Rural Interfaces: A Regional Approach from Greece." Land 9, no. 1: 21.

Journal article
Published: 24 December 2019 in Energies
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This work aims to study the influence of an oxidant agent on syngas quality. A series of tests using air and steam as oxidant agents have been performed and the results compared with those of a pyrolysis test used as a reference. Tests were carried out at Sapienza University of Rome, using an updraft reactor. The reactor was fed with hazelnut shells, waste biomass commonly available in some parts of Italy. Temperature distribution, syngas composition and heating value, and producible energy were measured. Air and steam gasification tests produced about the same amount of syngas flow, but with a different quality. The energy flow in air gasification had the smallest measurement during the experiments. On the contrary, steam gasification produced a syngas flow with higher quality (13.1 MJ/Nm3), leading to the best values of energy flow (about 5.4 MJ/s vs. 3.3 MJ/s in the case of air gasification). From the cold gas efficiency point of view, steam gasification is still the best solution, even considering the effect of the enthalpy associated with the steam injected within the gasification reactor.

ACS Style

Francesco Gallucci; Raffaele Liberatore; Luca Sapegno; Edoardo Volponi; Paolo Venturini; Franco Rispoli; Enrico Paris; Monica Carnevale; Andrea Colantoni. Influence of Oxidant Agent on Syngas Composition: Gasification of Hazelnut Shells through an Updraft Reactor. Energies 2019, 13, 102 .

AMA Style

Francesco Gallucci, Raffaele Liberatore, Luca Sapegno, Edoardo Volponi, Paolo Venturini, Franco Rispoli, Enrico Paris, Monica Carnevale, Andrea Colantoni. Influence of Oxidant Agent on Syngas Composition: Gasification of Hazelnut Shells through an Updraft Reactor. Energies. 2019; 13 (1):102.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Francesco Gallucci; Raffaele Liberatore; Luca Sapegno; Edoardo Volponi; Paolo Venturini; Franco Rispoli; Enrico Paris; Monica Carnevale; Andrea Colantoni. 2019. "Influence of Oxidant Agent on Syngas Composition: Gasification of Hazelnut Shells through an Updraft Reactor." Energies 13, no. 1: 102.

Review
Published: 25 September 2019 in Energies
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Innovations play a significant role in the primary sector (i.e., agriculture, fisheries and forestry), ensuring a greater performance towards bioeconomy and sustainability. Innovation is being progressively applied to examining the organization of joint technological, social, and institutional modernizations in the primary sector. Exploring the governance of actor relations, potential policies, and support structures is crucial in the phase of innovation, e.g., during research activities, often applied at the national or sectorial scale. However, when opposing normative guidelines for alternative systems of agriculture arise (e.g., the industrial agriculture paradigm), modernizations in agricultural and forestry may contribute to outlining more sustainable systems. To date, innovations in the primary sector do not seem as advanced as in other sectors, apart from industrial agriculture, which sometimes appears to be the most encouraged. The present review aims to shed light on innovations that have been identified and promoted in recent years in the primary sector, including agriculture and forestry. The need to pursue sustainable development in this sector requires the inclusion of a fourth dimension, namely energy. In fact, energy sustainability is an issue that has been much discussed in recent years. However, the need for progressive technological progress is indispensable to ensure long-lasting energy efficiency. The aim is to understand what innovations have been implemented recently, highlighting opportunities and limitations for the primary sector.

ACS Style

Ilaria Zambon; Massimo Cecchini; Enrico Maria Mosconi; Andrea Colantoni. Revolutionizing Towards Sustainable Agricultural Systems: The Role of Energy. Energies 2019, 12, 3659 .

AMA Style

Ilaria Zambon, Massimo Cecchini, Enrico Maria Mosconi, Andrea Colantoni. Revolutionizing Towards Sustainable Agricultural Systems: The Role of Energy. Energies. 2019; 12 (19):3659.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Ilaria Zambon; Massimo Cecchini; Enrico Maria Mosconi; Andrea Colantoni. 2019. "Revolutionizing Towards Sustainable Agricultural Systems: The Role of Energy." Energies 12, no. 19: 3659.

Journal article
Published: 11 September 2019 in Future Internet
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Research and development (R&D) are always oriented towards new discoveries, based on original terms or hypotheses, and their concluding outcomes are often uncertain. The present work focused on the degree of uncertainty for R&D activities. In fact, uncertainty makes it difficult to quantify the time and resources needed to achieve a final outcome, create a work plan and budget, and finalize the resulting “innovative” products or services that could be transferred or exchanged in a specific market. The present work attempts to indicate the degree of uncertainty of the research activities developed by a set of firms. The method used aimed to quantify the five criteria defined by the Manual of Frascati. Through the creation of an uncertainty cloud, a cone of uncertainty was defined following an approach based on project management. The evaluation grid was characterized by the decomposition of the different variables divided into quartiles, which allowed for the detection of the evolution of the project and each of its component. The ancillary objective aim was to also observe the development degree of these industries towards a framework of Industry 4.0.

ACS Style

Sirio Cividino; Gianluca Egidi; Ilaria Zambon; Andrea Colantoni. Evaluating the Degree of Uncertainty of Research Activities in Industry 4.0. Future Internet 2019, 11, 196 .

AMA Style

Sirio Cividino, Gianluca Egidi, Ilaria Zambon, Andrea Colantoni. Evaluating the Degree of Uncertainty of Research Activities in Industry 4.0. Future Internet. 2019; 11 (9):196.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Sirio Cividino; Gianluca Egidi; Ilaria Zambon; Andrea Colantoni. 2019. "Evaluating the Degree of Uncertainty of Research Activities in Industry 4.0." Future Internet 11, no. 9: 196.

Journal article
Published: 20 August 2019 in Biomass and Bioenergy
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Woody biomass has a considerable potential for energy purposes specially after densification processes which convert these materials into solid biofuels with higher energy density. This study focuses on the energy and environmental assessment of pellet production system from vine and olive grove woody biomass. The life cycle assessment (LCA) from grape and olive cultivation up to packed pellet production, ready for delivery to final users was conducted to quantify the eco-profile of agro-pellet production. The results of comparative analysis revealed that pellet production from both biomasses is dominated by cultivation phase. Vine pellet production was more dependent on chemical fertilizers specially potassium sulfate, but olive pellet production was more dependent on copper oxide pesticide. Primary energy use per MJ energy of vine pellet was greater than that of olive pellet (0.6 vs. 0.19). On the other hand, energy return ratio of olive pellet was three times of that of vine pellet (5.22 vs. 1.7). Nevertheless, olive pellet had higher environmental impacts in the forms of human toxicity, freshwater ecotoxicity and marine ecotoxicity. Consequently, sensitivity analysis investigates the impact of variation in input parameters of fertilizers, pesticides, machinery, diesel fuel, transport and pelletizing process on LCA results.

ACS Style

Sara Rajabi Hamedani; Andrea Colantoni; Francesco Gallucci; Mariangela Salerno; Cristian Silvestri; Mauro Villarini. Comparative energy and environmental analysis of agro-pellet production from orchard woody biomass. Biomass and Bioenergy 2019, 129, 105334 .

AMA Style

Sara Rajabi Hamedani, Andrea Colantoni, Francesco Gallucci, Mariangela Salerno, Cristian Silvestri, Mauro Villarini. Comparative energy and environmental analysis of agro-pellet production from orchard woody biomass. Biomass and Bioenergy. 2019; 129 ():105334.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Sara Rajabi Hamedani; Andrea Colantoni; Francesco Gallucci; Mariangela Salerno; Cristian Silvestri; Mauro Villarini. 2019. "Comparative energy and environmental analysis of agro-pellet production from orchard woody biomass." Biomass and Bioenergy 129, no. : 105334.

Journal article
Published: 14 June 2019 in Energies
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The utilisation of low- and medium-temperature energy allows to reduce the energy shortage and environmental pollution problems because low-grade energy is plentiful in nature and renewable as well. In the past two decades, thanks to its feasibility and reliability, the organic Rankine cycle (ORC) has received great attention. The present work is focused on a small-scale (7.5 kW nominal electric power) combined cooling, heating and power ORC system powered by the combustion of olive pomace obtained as a by-product in the olive oil production process from an olive farm situated in the central part of Italy. The analysis of the employment of this energy system is based on experimental data and Aspen Plus simulation, including biomass and combustion tests, biomass availability and energy production analysis, Combined Cooling Heat and Power (CCHP) system sizing and assessment. Different low environmental impact working fluids and various operative process parameters were investigated. Olive pomace has been demonstrated to be suitable for the energy application and, in this case, to be able to satisfy the energy consumption of the same olive farm with the option of responding to further energy users. Global electrical efficiency varied from 12.7% to 19.4%, depending on the organic fluid used and the working pressure at the steam generator.

ACS Style

Andrea Colantoni; Mauro Villarini; Vera Marcantonio; Francesco Gallucci; Massimo Cecchini. Performance Analysis of a Small-Scale ORC Trigeneration System Powered by the Combustion of Olive Pomace. Energies 2019, 12, 2279 .

AMA Style

Andrea Colantoni, Mauro Villarini, Vera Marcantonio, Francesco Gallucci, Massimo Cecchini. Performance Analysis of a Small-Scale ORC Trigeneration System Powered by the Combustion of Olive Pomace. Energies. 2019; 12 (12):2279.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Andrea Colantoni; Mauro Villarini; Vera Marcantonio; Francesco Gallucci; Massimo Cecchini. 2019. "Performance Analysis of a Small-Scale ORC Trigeneration System Powered by the Combustion of Olive Pomace." Energies 12, no. 12: 2279.