Among nature-based solutions (NBSs), green walls represent a key technology in the urban context because of the low energy demand and of the many ecological and social outcomes. This work presents the results of the experimental study at laboratory scale of the treatment of greywater (e.g. domestic wastewater excluding toilet flushes) through a green wall. It is made of two modular panels (1-set up for...

Italian glaciers began to melt in the second half of the 19th century. The quantification of melting over time has been described in Glaciers Inventories. The present research aims to contribute to the understanding of the dynamics governing glacier melting as a function of different glacier types and geomorphological parameters analysed in GIS environment. The extent variation of 13 Italian glaciers...

The article examines the peculiarities of creation (updating) digital topographic maps of the scale 1:50 000 for the Main State Topographic Map of Ukraine for creation and maintaining the seamless topographic database for national needs, which is located on the Geoportal to ensure the development of the National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI) in Ukraine. Several special problems were identified along...

Electric vehicles (EVs) are breaking through, new incentives and new targets come to light to get the numbers that allow to reduce greenhouse gases over the next 30 years. On the current market, the automotive sector mainly makes use of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) as energy storage systems. The paper examines the distribution of raw materials useful for the realization of LIBs. The availability of the...

The present research has been aimed at the analysis of contaminated areas in which it is difficult to reconstruct the contamination with the classical techniques of interpretation of the hydrochemical data in time, for example when, at irregular intervals, secondary pollutants are separated from the main contamination and attracted by local piezometric depressions. To address the problem, an area near...

Since the last decade, numerous free and open-source software (FOSS) has been developed: this new approach, thanks to its quick update and its affordability, has guaranteed the employment of FOSS both by public and private bodies. In the field of open tools, the development of geographic software (GFOSS) became particularly relevant, whose distribution increased enormously and whose innovations are constantly...

The large use of nanomaterials in several industrial processes drove the attention toward the potential health issues associated to their diffusion in the environment. However, since nanomaterials are characterized by a polidisperse particle size distribution, the human health risk induced by a nanoparticle (NP) contamination cannot be assessed through the ASTM procedure commonly used for chemicals. Toxicity...

The building sector is considered strategic to reach new scenarios for a low-carbon society. Beside this awareness, in the current trend there is not a real change to achieve targets set in terms of emissions containment defined by international agreements. Through an econometric model based on Choice Experiments, the present study aims to understand the individuals’ perceptions towards energy retrofit...

In the future, we will experience a continuously increasing energy demand mostly due to the continuous growth of the world population. Today we use fossil fuels (coal, oil and gas) in order to cover the society’s basic needs. This involves significant CO2 emissions that contribute to the climate change by contributing to the increase of the global temperature. A great number of countries through international...

In 2017 the production of municipal solid waste in Europe-28 reached 2500 Mt, destined to recycling (48%-wt), incineration and thermal valorization (28%-wt) and landfilling (24%-wt). About 19 Mt per year of residual material, defined bottom ash, were produced by thermo-valorization plants in Europe. Physicochemical features of bottom ashes make possible their treatment through full-scale technologies....

Pulp and paper mills are characterized by emissions of malodorous gases that commonly create discomfort for people, also in little concentration in the air. This issue is crucial for enterprises that are not actually using the best available technology for reducing non-condensable gases. Thereby, for existing enterprises, it is very important to realize the proper suitable upgrading by choosing the best...

Aerogels are emerging as one of the most intriguing and promising groups of microporous materials, characterized by impressive properties such as low density, high surface area, high porosity and tunable surface chemistry. Fostering unique thermal and acoustic insulation features, for several decades they mainly received attention from the aerospace and building sectors. More recently, new great opportunities...

Territorial transformation projects are subject to specific evaluation procedures that address the question of whether the planned course of actions can achieve objectives in the presence of specific constraints. The uncertainty that characterizes the development process is of particular importance in investment decision-making, Indeed, the model’s input (for example, the costs of construction, the...

In mature oilfields, decommissioned oil and gas wells with depths reaching approximately 5000-6000 metres represent good candidate structures for geothermal heat exploitation, as they can provide useful access to subsurface geothermal energy resources. Comprehending the possibility to economically harness geothermal energy by means of coaxial WBHEs is bound to the main features of the physical model,...

Photogrammetric and remote sensing techniques are increasingly getting used in precision agriculture to improve monitoring and management of the crops and at the same time to increase the crop yield and reduce the environmental impacts derived from the treatments. The entire production sector can benefit from the advance in technologies and the development of lightweight sensors for UAV (uncrewed aerial...

This paper concerns the evolution of the quality of the groundwater bodies over space and time, with special focus on nitrate. This case study deals with the qualitative status in alluvial-pyroclastic groundwater bodies located near Naples (southern Italy). The study is based on a significant hydrochemical database, gathered through: (i) groundwater sampling and water level monitoring, (ii) chemical...

The Lombard territory (Italy), characterized by a historical process of industrialization, is affected by significant contamination both of the ground and of the groundwater. The continuous development of urban areas needs to face the problem linked to the growing presence of portions of the territory where there is the presence of contaminated groundwater (mainly chlorinated solvents and hydrocarbons),...

Deep aquifers represent a strategic resource because of their quality, generally better than rivers and shallow aquifers. More specifically, in Piedmont Region (Italy) they represent a key source of drinking water and therefore must be protected from qualitative and quantitative degradation.

In...

The groundwater overexplotation is a worldwide problem and it causes serious consequences such as land subsidence, saltwater intrusion, devastating effects on natural streamflow, groundwater fed wetlands and related ecosystems.

The Maggiore Valley (NW...

Description of the material. In this paper a novel methodology for the estimation of the formation permeability, based on the integration of resistivity modeling and near wellbore modeling, is presented. Results obtained from the application to a real case is shown and discussed. The well log interpretation process provides a reliable estimation of the main petrophysical parameters such as porosity, fluid...

The network monitoring system, which has been in operation on the Idro landslide, for several years, shows an average movement of 3 cm to 6 cm a year and defines a displacement area of approximately 270.000 m2. The volume estimation of the landslide is about 5 million cubic meters. The acceleration of the landslide movement is related to the raising of the water table which is linked to increased rainfall....

The original implant map (OI) of Italian Cadaster was first made out of topographical measurements. These maps have never been used for public consultation, but they are the most accurate ones. The publicly accessible maps are named “visure maps” (VM) and were obtained from the original implant maps and consistently updated. However, these maps have suffered many deformations due to continuous...

The wide spreading of vertical greening systems brought to the development of new systems and technologies able to improve urban areas quality. Several benefits derive from the installation of these systems: energy savings for air conditioning during summer, thermal comfort improvement indoor and outdoor, urban heat island mitigation, biodiversity increase, protection of building façades with consequent...

Transport systems are one of the cornerstones of any environmentally sustainable and socially inclusive modern society. It is therefore of critical importance to improve their performances under both these viewpoints. This contribution is presenting a selection of recent research activities carried out by the Transport research group at the Politecnico di Torino – Dept. DIATI that touch at some of these...

Caves are one of the most important and well-known geological features in the world, an environmental and cultural heritage, as well as an important economic resource for many countries. Their scientific and aesthetic value is often threatened by tourism, which unfortunately exposes them to a series of risks of degradation and, sometimes, irreparably changes. Therefore, the study of underground environment...

Current population growth, climate change and the increase in derived pollution represent a significant threat to the delicate balance that governs the exploitation of resources on Earth. In recent decades, this balance has been undermined, coming to an over-exploitation condition, or a growing demand for natural raw materials that the planet is no longer able to satisfy, with impacting consequences on...

In residential buildings, drinking water is often used for tasks that do not necessarily require high quality water, such as home-garden irrigation. Our research focuses on the idea of harvesting rainwater to promote sustainable management of low-quality water resources on a building scale for irrigation purposes. The effectiveness of a collection system depends on the weather conditions, which determine...

The Engineering Geology area studies the physical geography and geomorphology of the “Environment system”. In particular, Engineering Geology deals with the defense of the soil, territory and civil protection, with attention to landslides, hydrogeology, the study of underground water circulation, the geological-technical survey, geological exploration of the subsoil and thematic cartography, geological...

Debris flow events are known today as one of the most dangerous natural hazard events due to the elevated impact pressures they can reach. Depending on its intensity, a debris flow has the capacity to flatten forests and carry along the tree trunks, to completely demolish buildings and consequently to create a great risk to human life.

However,...

Debris flow events are responsible for a fair amount of disasters worldwide that have caused a great deal of damages in the built environment. All the same, this phenomenon has caused many casualties. It is therefore, amongst the most dangerous natural hazards due to the elevated impact pressures it can reach.

Debris...