Particulate matter characterization at a coastal site in south-eastern Italy

Several samples of airborne particulate matter (PM), collected from 6th November to 6th December 2003 at a coastal site in the south-east of Italy, have been analyzed by different techniques to characterize elemental composition and morphological properties of the inorganic PM fraction and obtain preliminary results on anthropogenic contributions. Al, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, V, Pb, Ti, Ca and Zn mass concentrations, evaluated by an inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometer, account for up to l% of the bulk PM mass in the investigated samples. According to geochemical calculations, Ca, Al, Fe and Mn are predominantly of crustal origin, while Cr, Cu, Pb, V, Ti and Zn heavy metals are of anthropogenic origin. Ion chromatography analyses have identified sulfate (SO(4)(2-)) nitrate (NO(3)(-)), sodium (Na(+)), and ammonium (NH(4)(+)) as the main ionic components accounting for up to 38% of the total PM mass and up to 90% of the total ionic mass. Besides ion chromatography, X-ray energy dispersive (EDX) microanalyses have revealed the high variability of Cl: its weight concentration varies from about 24% to below the detection limit (>or=0.5%) in the investigated samples. The marked anti-correlation between the excess of S and the Cl/Na ratio has allowed inferring that reactions between sea salt particles and acidic sulfates, which liberate HCl gas to the atmosphere leaving particles enriched in non-sea-salt sulfates, have significantly contributed to chloride depletion. Morphological analyses by scanning electron microscopy have shown that about 90% of the total sampled particles have a diameter 相似文献   

Community resilience,land degradation and endogenous lock-in effects: evidence from the Alento region,Campania, Italy

This study analyses social, economic and political “lock-ins” for understanding community resilience and land degradation. The study focuses on lock-ins from within communities, using four case study communities in Italy affected by land degradation. The analysis highlights the complex interrelationships between various lock-ins, and suggests that the communities are on declining resilience pathways that may lead to increasing difficulties in addressing land degradation issues in future.     

Electrochemical advanced oxidation and biological processes for wastewater treatment: a review of the combined approaches

As pollution becomes one of the biggest environmental challenges of the twenty-first century, pollution of water threatens the very existence of humanity, making immediate action a priority. The most persistent and hazardous pollutants come from industrial and agricultural activities; therefore, effective treatment of this wastewater prior to discharge into the natural environment is the solution. Advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) have caused increased interest due to their ability to degrade hazardous substances in contrast to other methods, which mainly only transfer pollution from wastewater to sludge, a membrane filter, or an adsorbent. Among a great variety of different AOPs, a group of electrochemical advanced oxidation processes (EAOPs), including electro-Fenton, is emerging as an environmental-friendly and effective treatment process for the destruction of persistent hazardous contaminants. The only concern that slows down a large-scale implementation is energy consumption and related investment and operational costs. A combination of EAOPs with biological treatment is an interesting solution. In such a synergetic way, removal efficiency is maximized, while minimizing operational costs. The goal of this review is to present cutting-edge research for treatment of three common and problematic pollutants and effluents: dyes and textile wastewater, olive processing wastewater, and pharmaceuticals and hospital wastewater. Each of these types is regarded in terms of recent scientific research on individual electrochemical, individual biological and a combined synergetic treatment.     

Assessment of the applicability of a “toolbox” designed for microbially assisted phytoremediation: the case study at Ingurtosu mining site (Italy)

The paper describes the fieldwork at the Italian test site of the abandoned mine of sphalerite and galena in Ingurtosu (Sardinia), with the aim to assess the applicability of a “toolbox” to establish the optimized techniques for remediation of soils contaminated by mining activities. A preliminary characterization—including (hydro)geochemistry, heavy metal concentration and their mobility in soil, bioprospecting for microbiology and botany—provided a data set for the development of a toolbox to deliver a microbially assisted phytoremediation process. Euphorbia pithyusa was selected as an endemic pioneer plant to be associated with a bacterial consortium, established with ten selected native strains, including metal-tolerant bacteria and producers of plant growth factors. The toolbox was firstly assessed in a greenhouse pot experiment. A positive effect of bacterial inoculum on E. pithyusa germination and total plant survival was observed. E. pithyusa showed to be a well-performing metallophyte species, and only inoculated soil retained a microbial activity with a high functional diversity, expanding metabolic affinity also towards root exudates. These results supported the decision to proceed with a field trial, investigating different treatments used singly or in combination: bioaugmentation with bacterial consortia, mycorrhizal fungi and a commercial mineral amendment. Microbial activity in soil, plant physiological parameters and heavy metal content in plants and in soil were monitored. Five months after the beginning, an early assessment of the toolbox under field conditions was carried out. Despite the cold season (October–March), results suggested the following: (1) the field setup as well as the experimental design proved to be effective; (2) plant survival was satisfactory; (3) soil quality was increased and bioaugmentation improved microbial activity, expanding the metabolic competences towards plant interaction (root exudates); and (4) multivariate analysis supported the data provided that the proposed toolbox can be established and the field trial can be carried forward.     

Mapping forest ecosystem functions for landscape planning in a mountain Natura2000 site,Central Italy

In last decades, numerous efforts have been carried out by the scientific community to assess the multifunctional role of forests in supporting the forest decision-making processes. Recently developed in Italy, the Forest Landscape Management Planning seems to be the most suitable tool to maintain the sustainability balance between forests and local populations. This research identifies and maps different forest ecosystem functions in a mountain Natura2000 Network site by performing a spatial estimation of forest inventory parameters, and implementing a multi-criteria and multi-level approach. Final results on mapping of forest functions show acceptable values of classification accuracy.