2023, Articolo in rivista, ENG
Enrico Danzi, Maria Portarapillo, Almerinda Di Benedetto, Roberto Sanchirico, Luca Marmo
As the use of biomass as a carbon-neutral energy source increases, so does the need for storage facilities, especially for those that are highly seasonal. Consequently, the stored materials may be subject to a natural ageing process before they are used. Such ageing can modify the deflagration parameters of the materials since it can reduce hygroscopicity, increase stiffness and brittleness and change chemical composition in terms of cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin contents. Hydrothermal treatment is a process that accelerates the ageing of wood and lignocellulosic materials. In this work, several lignocellulosic powders from industrial processes were subjected to accelerated ageing to investigate their influence on flammability properties. Grape marc, cork flour, olive pomace, wood dust and lignocellulosic residues from processing waste were selected based on their morphology, chemical characterization and lignin/cellulose content. Based on literature data, ageing conditions in terms of temperature and humidity were chosen to reproduce naturally aged materials. In this study, the effects of ageing on the minimum ignition energy (MIE) and combustion/pyrolysis behaviour were investigated by chemico-physical screening and thermogravimetric analysis and differential scanning calorimetry (TGA and DSC) in an inert and oxidative atmosphere. Results showed how ageing can change the risk of ignition. For example, the MIE of grape marc decreases, while wood-based samples do not ignite after ageing. The decrease in the case of grape pomace is consistent with the decrease in lignin content and moisture. At the same time, passivation of the particle surface could explain the behaviour of the wood samples.
2023, Presentazione, ENG
Vellutini E.; Anselmo L.
Statistics from IADC-40 (Oct 2022) to IADC-41 (Jun 2023).
2023, Articolo in rivista, ENG
Monica Salvia; Diana Reckien; Davide Geneletti; Filomena Pietrapertosa; Valentina D'Alonzo; Sonia De Gregorio Hurtado;Souran Chatterjee; Xuemei Bai; Diana Urge-Vorsatz
This study investigates the climate emergency declaration (CED) movement in cities and its effects and synergies with local climate planning. Urban areas are experiencing a wide range of climate-induced extreme events, particularly those located in the Mediterranean hotspot. The focus is on Italian cities, which have only recently become key players in climate planning. The method is based on the collection, analysis, and comparison of data on CEDs and local climate plans (LCPs), integrated with information on city membership in climate networks, to extrapolate key performance indicators of the CED movement. The results show that the CED movement can motivate municipalities to become more ambitious in climate action. As of February 2021, the "climate emergency" movement was supported by 105 Italian cities geographically concentrated in the northern regions (66.7%). The motivation behind a CED is often attributable to local populations calling for concrete climate action (91.1% referred to the Fridays for Future movement) but also to a greater perception of the impacts of climate change (85.6% referred to the Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5?C). Networking plays an important role (85 cities in the Covenant of Mayors). Interestingly, 36 cities (34.3%) were not engaged in local climate planning previously, but the CED shows now they see the urgency to act. 24.4% cities aim at carbon neutrality in their CEDs (most with local adaptation aspirations), with a much smaller fraction of cities doing so in LCPs and generally lower ambition in terms of greenhouse gas emission reduction targets.
2022, Presentazione, ENG
Vellutini E.; Anselmo L.
Report to IADC WG-4 of the space debris mitigation activities carried out by ASI since the previous IADC plenary meeting.
2022, Presentazione, ENG
Anselmo L.; Pardini C.
Debris mitigation measures, gradually adopted since the 1980s, coupled with the end of the Cold War, at the beginning of the 1990s, have played a positive role over a couple of decades. Unfortunately, during the last 15 years, their benefits have been canceled by some major fragmentation events, by prolonged periods of extremely low solar activity and atmospheric drag, and by a dramatic increase in the launch rate of satellites. To aim for the goal of long -term sustainability of space activities, it is necessary to define an acceptable orbital debris environment. Of course, it is not immutable, but relies upon the technical solutions available at a certain time, and on how and for what the circumterrestrial space is used. Assuming the criteria identified more than 20 years ago to define a desirable , tolerable or unacceptable orbital debris environment, an acceptable one, at least in the medium term, should be characterized by a collision rate among objects > 10 cm as stable as possible compared to the current one, and in any case not more than 2or 3 times higher. Taking into account the present technological developments, and the deployment plans of mega-constellations and small satellites, the criticality threshold in LEO might be exceeded during the next ten years. The coming decade is therefore crucial for the future of space activities in LEO, and the widespread application of the debris mitigation measures recommended since the 2000s will probably not be enough. To counteract the negative trends, a combination of reinforced mitigation measures and operational capabilities, complemented by remediation initiatives, as the active removal of selected massive objects abandoned in critical regions of space, should be promoted and implemented.
2021, Rapporto di commissione, ENG
Anselmo L.
At its 33rd meeting in Houston, in March 2015, the IADC noted the emerging plans for large constellations of satellites in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and recognized the potential for such systems to have an important influence on the evolution of the space debris environment and consequent impact on the population of artificial satellites orbiting the Earth. For these reasons, the SG approved the Action Item 33.1 "Potential Additional Mitigation Measures to Address the Proliferation of Small Satellites and Large Constellations" and assigned it to WG4. The proliferation of small satellites and the proposed large constellations raise potential issues for the long-term sustainability of the near-Earth space environment. The current IADC Space Debris Mitigation Guidelines were based on modeling assumptions about future activities in space that did not include the possibility of large satellite constellations, or potential large increases in small satellite deployment. Therefore, current guidelines may not be adequate to address new environmental issues raised by such systems/missions. There was, then, a need to consider the impact of the proliferation of small satellites and large constellations, and identify additional measures, if needed, to preserve the long-term sustainability of the space environment. The reliability of the operational phase, including post mission disposal (avoiding leaving the spacecraft or launch vehicles in the LEO protected region), may be of particular importance for large constellations. For example, for a large constellation, a ten percent failure rate for limiting orbital lifetime will likely have a larger impact on the debris environment, as compared to smaller deployments. The tasks of the AI 33.1 were the following: - Identify the trend in the proliferation of small satellites and review plans for large constellations; - Determine the potential inadequacies of the existing IADC Space Debris Mitigation Guidelines for the proliferation of small satellites and those large constellations; - Consider the potential risks presented by such systems; - Propose possible additional measures to mitigate the identified risks for SG's consideration, including any guidelines concerning altitude of initial deployment and reliability of propulsion systems, or other special measures to address risks that would result if large numbers of objects do not meet reliability targets; - Propose potential scenarios for WG2 simulations. Moreover, an assessment of the changes requested to the supporting document by the Steering Group in WG4 AI32.1 & AI 33.2 are to be considered, as these can affect the conclusions.
2021, Articolo in rivista, ENG
De Falco, Francesca; Di Pace, Emilia; Avella, Maurizio; Gentile, Gennaro; Errico, Maria Emanuela; Krzan, Andrej; ElKhiar, Hakim; Zupan, Mojca; Cocca, Mariacristina
The washing process of synthetic fabrics represents the main source of primary microplastics in sea and oceans as large amounts of microfibers are released during washing. Recent researches have been focused on the development of effective approaches to mitigate the effects of microfiber release. Relevant approaches are aimed to design capturing devices and filters. In this work, the development, testing, and demonstration of the effectiveness of a new filtration system for washing machines are reported. This system is designed to retain microfibers avoiding their entrance into the wastewater system. Washing tests were performed using two different prototypes of the proposed filtration system, in order to optimize its design and efficiency. The obtained results demonstrate that, after its optimized, the proposed filtration system shows a capture efficiency of 64% toward microfibers released from commercial polyester t-shirts, comparable or even better than the efficiency shown by other commercial or prototype microfiber capturing systems.
2021, Presentazione, ENG
Vellutini E.; Anselmo L.
ASI delegation report on space debris mitigation activities (from 1 April 2019 to 31 March 2021).
2021, Articolo in rivista, ENG
Salvia M.; Reckien D.; Pietrapertosa F.; Eckersley P.; Spyridaki N.-A.; Krook-Riekkola A.; Olazabal M.; De Gregorio Hurtado S.; Simoes S.G.; Geneletti D.; Viguie V.; Fokaides P.A.; Ioannou B.I.; Flamos A.; Csete M.S.; Buzasi A.; Orru H.; de Boer C.; Foley A.; Riznar K.; Matosovic M.; Balzan M.V.; Smigaj M.; Bastakova V.; Streberova E.; Sel N.B.; Coste L.; Tardieu L.; Altenburg C.; Lorencova E.K.; Orru K.; Wejs A.; Feliu E.; Church J.M.; Grafakos S.; Vasilie S.; Paspaldzhiev I.; Heidrich O.
Cities across the globe recognise their role in climate mitigation and are acting to reduce carbon emissions. Knowing whether cities set ambitious climate and energy targets is critical for determining their contribution towards the global 1.5 °C target, partly because it helps to identify areas where further action is necessary. This paper presents a comparative analysis of the mitigation targets of 327 European cities, as declared in their local climate plans. The sample encompasses over 25% of the EU population and includes cities of all sizes across all Member States, plus the UK. The study analyses whether the type of plan, city size, membership of climate networks, and its regional location are associated with different levels of mitigation ambition. Results reveal that 78% of the cities have a GHG emissions reduction target. However, with an average target of 47%, European cities are not on track to reach the Paris Agreement: they need to roughly double their ambitions and efforts. Some cities are ambitious, e.g. 25% of our sample (81) aim to reach carbon neutrality, with the earliest target date being 2020.90% of these cities are members of the Climate Alliance and 75% of the Covenant of Mayors. City size is the strongest predictor for carbon neutrality, whilst climate network(s) membership, combining adaptation and mitigation into a single strategy, and local motivation also play a role. The methods, data, results and analysis of this study can serve as a reference and baseline for tracking climate mitigation ambitions across European and global cities.
2020, Presentazione, ENG
Di Luzio E*
ENDANGERED CULTURAL HERITAGE PROTECTION AND ENHANCEMENT OF THE DUHOK REGION ARCHAEOLOGICAL HERITAGE (KURDISTAN REGION OF IRAQ)
2020, Presentazione, ENG
Anselmo L.; Pardini C.
The first version (2002) of the Mitigation Guidelines issued by the Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination Committee (IADC) defined a toroidal Geosynchronous Protected Region, extending 200 km below and above the geosynchronous altitude of 35,786 km, and spanning latitudes in between -15 and +15 deg with respect to the Earth equator. A formula was also proposed (slightly amended in 2007) for the appropriate end-of-life disposal of spacecraft, in order to guarantee no further interference with the protected region over the long-term. These definitions were elaborated when the nearly exclusive utilization of the geosynchronous region consisted of geostationary satellites placed and maintained, during their operational lifetime, close to the Earth equator. When finally abandoned, due to the concurring action of geopotential and luni-solar perturbations, such objects displayed a characteristic periodic orbit plane evolution, with a period of about 54 years and a maximum inclination of about 15 deg. However, significantly Inclined Geosynchronous Orbits (IGO) are currently considered for various applications, like satellite navigation systems, intelligence and telecommunications. In the light of these developments, the aim of this presentation is to review the current definition of the Geosynchronous Protected Region, assessing if it would need an extension. Special attention is paid to the end-of-life disposal, in order to check the potential weaknesses of the current IADC formula and re-orbiting recommendations, focusing on the consequences of having operational orbits characterized by medium or high inclinations.
2020, Articolo in rivista, ENG
Mairech, Hanene; Lopez-Bernal, Alvaro; Moriondo, Marco; Dibari, Camilla; Regni, Luca; Proietti, Primo; Villalobos, Francisco J.; Testi, Luca
Olive (Olea europaea L.) is a widely spread tree species in the Mediterranean. In the last decades, olive farming has known major management changes with high economic and environmental impacts. The fast track expansion of this modern olive farming in these recent years casts doubts on the sustainability of such important tree plantation across the Mediterranean. In this work, we performed a spatial modelling analysis to investigate the implications of climate variability and farming management on the productivity and environmental performances of olive orchards around the Mediterranean. Implementation of this research is based on the use of OliveCan; a process-based model able to illustrate responses of water and carbon balances to weather variables, soil characteristics and management techniques enabling the comprehension of olive orchard dynamics under heterogeneous conditions of climate and agricultural practices. Four main intensification levels were adopted to reflect the main olive grove types from traditional to new intensive plantations: low density LD (100 trees ha(-1)), medium density MD (200 trees ha(-1)), high density HD (400 trees ha(-1)) and super high density SHD (1650 trees ha(-1)). Managements tested were intensification, water supply (rainfed, deficit and full irrigated) and the fate of pruning residues (exported or left on the soil). Two cases studies in two of the main Mediterranean olive-growing regions with contrasting environmental conditions, Tuscany and Jaen regions, focused on mitigation alternative managements for carbon sequestration. Results showed that olive orchards responses in terms of yield and Net Ecosystem Productivity (NEP) vary along with climatic conditions. Water supply was the main driver with a production function that varies for different atmospheric demands. Application of deficit irrigation proved to boost water use efficiency. Besides, intensification from LD to SHD, presented the greatest improvements, 28-73% for yield and 50-100% for NEP. The C sequestration potential of olive orchards was confirmed. In fact, soil organic carbon (SOC) increased continuously over 400 years of simulation, reaching a state of equilibrium. Moreover, intensification and irrigation improved total carbon sequestration. Management of incorporating pruning residues in the soil increased SOC of 10.5 t C ha(-1) for Tuscany and 10.8 t C ha(-1) for Jaen. Findings of this research enabled the identification of the main drivers influencing the productive and environmental performance of olive groves in the different Mediterranean sub-climates. Impacts of management innovations on olive farming sustainability were also quantified which may help improve production systems for a more sustainable olive cultivation.
2020, Articolo in rivista, ENG
Rossi A.
The space activities in almost every orbital regime are now jeopardized by the continuous growth of the space debris populations. To prevent the proliferation of the space debris in Earth orbit it is necessary to tackle the problem from different perspectives, exploiting the latest theoretical and experimental knowledge in different fields, such as astrodynamics, spacecraft engineering and legal studies, to address four main pillars: prevention, protection, mitigation and regulation. In this respect the European Community financed a large H2020 project named ReDSHIFT whose goal is to find passive means to mitigate the proliferation of space debris. A short summary of the project and of its main findings is given in the paper, with particular emphasis on the more theoretical part, related to the simulation of long term evolutionary scenarios of the whole space debris environment and to the mapping of the Low Earth Orbit phase space, looking for passive dynamical de-orbiting solutions.
2020, Articolo in rivista, ENG
Otto S., Gottardi S., Pasini M., Menaballi L., Bradascio R., de Cirugeda Helle O.
In Italy high-quality vines are grown on sloping fields where pesticide runoff to surface water is possible and vegetated buffers are suggested as mitigation measure. Spinosad is an insecticide used to control pests in vineyards. For regulatory purposes, FOCUS modelling is used to calculate pesticides runoff reduction provided by a vegetated buffer, but there is an urgent need for field-based results. A field trial with artificial runoff was performed in September 2017 in Northern Italy to evaluate the efficiency of a grassed buffer to reduce spinosad runoff. Trial conditions were based on FOCUS scenarios but made worse to draw prudent conclusions. For the first time in Italy, the trial was conducted according to Good Laboratory Practices to increase reliability of results and reproducibility of the study for regulatory purposes. Five plots were tested, each simulating a grassed buffer of 12 m length on a slope of 10% - 13%. The artificial runoff was 200 mm in 3 hours and rainfall pre- and during runoff was 45 mm. Results show that the 12 m buffer completely retained runoff and effectively mitigated runoff concentration, and mean reduction of spinosad concentration was 59%. A width effect exists, and every 6.5 m of buffer reduces concentration by 50%. Comparison of field results with FOCUS modelling shows that both VFSMod and LM models provide acceptable estimation of runoff reduction for a 5 m buffer, while LM seems more precise. For a 10 m buffer the VFSMod is very accurate, while LM underestimates reduction observed in the field.
2019, Presentazione, ITA
Vellutini E.; Anselmo L.
The space debris mitigation activities carried out in Italy between the 36th and the 37th IADC Plenary Meeting are summarized.
2019, Articolo in rivista, ENG
De Falco, Francesca; Cocca, Mariacristina; Guarino, Vincenzo; Gentile, Gennaro; Ambrogi, Veronica; Ambrosio, Luigi; Avella, Maurizio
Washing processes of synthetic clothes are considered the main source of microplastic pollution in the oceans, as during washing, microfibres are released and cannot be completely blocked by wastewater treatments plants, thus reaching the marine ecosystems. The development of mitigation approaches is strongly needed to prevent the impact of microplastics on marine environments. With the aim to protect the fabrics during the washing processes and then reduce the release of microfibres, in this work, new finishing treatments of polyamide fabrics were performed by an ElectroFluidoDynamic (EFD) method. This approach was used to obtain homogeneous coatings of biodegradable polymers, namely poly (lactic acid) and poly (butylene succinate-co-butylene adipate), on polyamide surface, without affecting the fabric hand and wettability. The treatments were very effective, able to significantly reduce the amount of microfibres released during washing tests, proving to be a promising application to mitigate micro plastic pollution. (C) 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
2019, Articolo in rivista, ENG
Brilli L., Lugato E., Moriondo M., Gioli B., Toscano P., Zaldei A., Leolini L., Cantini C., Caruso G., Gucci R., Merante P., Dibari C., Ferrise R., Bindi M., Costafreda-Aumedes S.
The need to reduce the expected impact of climate change, finding sustainable ways to maintain or increase the carbon (C) sequestration capacity and productivity of agricultural systems, is one of the most important challenges of the twenty-first century. Olive (Olea europaea L.) groves can play a fundamental role due to their potential to sequester C in soil and woody compartments, associated with widespread cultivation in the Mediterranean basin. The implementation of field experiments to assess olive grove responses under different conditions, complemented by simulation models, can be a powerful approach to explore future land-atmosphere C feedbacks. The DayCent biogeochemical model was calibrated and validated against observed net ecosystem exchange, net primary productivity, aboveground biomass, leaf area index, and yield in two Italian olive groves. In addition, potential changes in C-sequestration capacity and productivity were assessed under two types of management (extensive and intensive), 35 climate change scenarios (?T-temperature from + 0 °C to + 3 °C; ?P-precipitation from 0.0 to - 20%), and six areas across the Mediterranean basin (Brindisi, Coimbra, Crete, Cordoba, Florence, and Montpellier). The results indicated that (i) the DayCent model, properly calibrated, can be used to quantify olive grove daily net ecosystem exchange and net primary production dynamics; (ii) a decrease in net ecosystem exchange and net primary production is predicted under both types of management by approaching the most extreme climate conditions (?T = + 3 °C; ?P = - 20%), especially in dry and warm areas; (iii) irrigation can compensate for net ecosystem exchange and net primary production losses in almost all areas, while ecophysiological air temperature thresholds determine the magnitude and sign of C-uptake; (iv) future warming is expected to modify the seasonal net ecosystem exchange and net primary production pattern, with higher photosynthetic activity in winter and a prolonged period of photosynthesis inhibition during summer compared to the baseline; (v) a substantial decrease in mitigation capacity and productivity of extensively managed olive groves is expected to accelerate between + 1.5 and + 2 °C warming compared to the current period, across all Mediterranean areas; (vi) adaptation measures aimed at increasing soil water content or evapotranspiration reduction should be considered the mostly suitable for limiting the decrease of both production and mitigation capacity in the next decades.
2018, Presentazione, ENG
Anselmo L.; Pardini C.
The dramatic surge of small satellite launches during the last few years and the current plans envisaging the deployment of very large constellations in LEO, some consisting of thousands of spacecraft, raised a growing concern regarding the long-term sustainability of the near-Earth space environment with the present-day guidelines recommended by the IADC. Assessing the impact of the proliferation of small satellites and large constellations is therefore a modeling priority, in order to evaluate if additional, and more stringent, mitigation measures might be needed. The task is quite complex, because traffic models and constellation deployment plans are, of course, subject to sudden changes, driven by economic and technical issues. The same applies to technological developments and breakthroughs, which could change completely the nature of space systems, as in part is already happening with the flourishing of mini, micro and nano-satellites. A simplified analytical model was therefore developed to provide quick answers and guesses for preliminary evaluations of the potential criticality of small satellites and large constellations.
2018, Presentazione, ENG
Pardini C.; Anselmo L.
As of mid-2017, there were ~7500 metric tons of mass in orbit around the Earth, of which about 95% concentrated in almost 6700 intact spacecraft and orbital stages. Among them, nearly 80% were abandoned and more than 90% could not be maneuvered. The intact objects abandoned in LEO above ~650 km, i.e. with a typical residual lifetime of more than 25 years, represent the main potential mass reservoir for the generation of new detrimental orbital debris in case of mutual collisions with the existing debris environment. A practicable strategy to assess the latent long-term environmental impact of an orbiting object is to devise a ranking scheme based on simplified and reasonable inferences. Several ranking schemes have been proposed by different authors during the last decade. Various "criticality indexes" have been devised by us (at ISTI-CNR) in the last few years, and they have been applied to evaluate the environmental impact of many families of rocket bodies and selected spacecraft. A couple of the most complete indexes formulated by us are herein applied to assess the potential criticality of the most massive objects abandoned in LEO.
2018, Presentazione, ENG
Vellutini E.; Anselmo L.
The space debris mitigation activities carried out in Italy between the 35th and the 36th IADC Plenary Meeting are summarized.