Browsing by Author "Labianca, Claudia"

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    Experimental investigations and numerical modelling of in-situ reactive caps for PAH contaminated marine sediments
    (Elsevier, 2019-11-21) Bortone, Imma; Labianca, Claudia; Todaro, Francesco; De Gisi, S.; Coulon, Frederic; Notarnicola, M.
    The present study compared numerical modelling and experimental investigations to evaluate the effectiveness of in-situ reactive capping for marine sediments contaminated by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). As a case study, sediment samples from Mar Piccolo (Italy) were analyzed and experiments were undertaken using batch columns. Two types of capping amendments were tested: AquaGate® + 5 % of powdered activated carbon (AG PAC) and Organoclay Reactive Core Mat (OC RCM). The column tests were carried out for 20 days, obtaining a short-term PAH distribution for three cases analysed, which compared the application of the two caps with no intervention. In parallel, in order to evaluate the intervention long term efficacy, an ad-hoc multilayered model predicting PAH concentrations into the sediments and the overlying water column was developed and validated with the experimental results. Both capping systems considerably reduced PAH concentrations in the overlying water, with the highest performance seen in AG PAC for benzo[a]pyrene (99 %) and anthracene (72 %); results also confirmed in the model predictions. In addition, the numerical simulations indicated a good efficiency of both caps over time, obtaining PAH values below the threshold limit in the long term. Although further experiments need to be developed accounting for multiple contamination competitiveness.
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    Recent developments and prospects of sustainable remediation treatments for major contaminants in soil: A review
    (Elsevier, 2023-12-02) Lee, Hyeyeon; Sam, Kabari Simeon; Coulon, Frederic; De Gisi, Sabino; Notarnicola, Michele; Labianca, Claudia
    Rapid industrialisation and urbanisation are contributing to the entry of emerging contaminants into the environment, posing a significant threat to soil health and quality. Therefore, several remediation technologies have been investigated and tested at a field scale to address the issue. However, these remediation technologies face challenges related to cost-effectiveness, environmental concerns, secondary pollution due to the generation of by-products, long-term pollution leaching risks, and social acceptance. Overcoming these constraints necessitates the implementation of sustainable remediation methodologies that prioritise approaches with minimal environmental ramifications and the most substantial net social and economic advantages. Hence, this review delves into diverse contaminants that threaten soil health and quality. Moreover, it outlines the research imperatives for advancing innovative remediation techniques and effective management strategies to tackle this concern. The review discusses a remediation treatment train approach that encourages resource recovery, strengthens the circular economy, and employs a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) framework to assess the environmental impacts of different remediation strategies. Additionally, the study explores mechanisms to integrate sustainability principles into soil remediation practices. It underscores the necessity for a comprehensive and systematic approach that takes into account the economic, social, and environmental consequences of remediation methodologies in the development of sustainable solutions.
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    A review of the in-situ capping amendments and modeling approaches for the remediation of contaminated marine sediments
    (Elsevier, 2021-10-25) Labianca, Claudia; De Gisi, Sabino; Todaro, Francesco; Notarnicola, Michele; Bortone, Imma
    Contaminated sediments can pose long-term risks to human beings and ecosystems as they accumulate inorganic and organic contaminants becoming a sink and source of pollution. Compared to ex-situ technologies (i.e., dredging activities and off site treatments), in-situ capping (ISC) intends to minimize contaminated sediment mobilization and impact into the water column whilst treating contamination. Literature shows that numerous types of ISC amendments in presence of both organic and inorganic pollutants are investigated, although a few are contributions whose experiments have been designed and conducted with a view to future engineering. Against this background of shortcomings, this review paper intends to investigate ISC reliability, applicability and its long-term effectiveness, by also comparing reactive and physical ISCs. Additionally, an examination of the main numerical simulations applied to ISC technology was carried out. We found that activated carbon and organoclay resulted the most studied amendments for organically contaminated sediment, whereas biochar, clay minerals, and industrial-by products were more employed in presence of sediment contaminated by metal(loids). There is no better ISC system in absolute terms, since technological performance depends on many factors and only a few experimental investigations included a long-term modeling phase to predict ISC long-term efficiency. Most of numerical models included simplified transport equations based on diffusion and adsorption, and the goodness of fitting between experimental and modeled data was not always computed. The review finally discusses new research directions such as the need for long-term applications on field-scale and cap effectiveness in presence of site-specific tidal forces and currents.