Papers by Giorgio Bertanza
Valutazione della mutagenicità in un impianto di depurazione di acque reflue mediante test a breve termine
Mechanistic modeling of peracetic acid wastewater disinfection using computational fluid dynamics: Integrating solids settling with microbial inactivation kinetics
Water Research
Water Science and Technology
The wastewater treatment process is based on complex chemical, physical and biological mechanisms... more The wastewater treatment process is based on complex chemical, physical and biological mechanisms that are closely interconnected. The efficiency of the system (which depends on compliance with national regulations on wastewater quality) can be achieved through the use of tools such as monitoring, that is the detection of parameters that allow the continuous interpretation of the current situation, and experimental tests, which allow the measurement of real performance (of a sector, a single treatment or equipment) and comparison with the following ones. Experimental tests have a particular relevance in the case of municipal wastewater treatment plants fed with a strong industrial component and especially in the case of plants authorized to treat aqueous waste. In this paper a case study is presented where the application of management tools such as careful monitoring and experimental tests led to the technical and economic optimization of the plant: the main results obtained were t...
Strippaggio di ammoniaca da percolato di discarica RSU: modelli matematici per reattori a bolle
Criteri convenzionali e innovativi per la verifica della trattabilità (biologica) di reflui industriali: alcuni esempi
Verifiche di funzionalità applicate ad un impianto di depurazione con forte prevalenza di rifiuti liquidi industriali rispetto ai liquami domestici: il caso di Mortara (PV)
Removal of EDCs from WWTP effluents by means of advanced oxidation
Produzione di ammendante vegetale composto (per uso agricolo) da materiale organico preselezionato: tecniche di gestione di un impianto a scala reale
Packaging waste minimization in Italy
Water Science and Technology
Two advanced control strategies were applied in the secondary and tertiary stages, respectively, ... more Two advanced control strategies were applied in the secondary and tertiary stages, respectively, of a full scale wastewater treatment plant (WWTP). This has a nominal capacity of 330,000 population equivalent (PE), a complex configuration (having been upgraded several times through the years), and it faces significant seasonal load fluctuations (being located in a touristic area, in Northern Italy). The lifting station of the tertiary treatments (devoted to phosphorus precipitation and UV disinfection) was optimized by adjusting the pumped flowrate, depending on influent phosphorus concentration. A preliminary simulation showed that a 15% reduction of pumping energy could be achieved. This result was confirmed by field measurements. Moreover, a fuzzy control system was designed and applied to one of the six parallel nitrification reactors, yielding a reduction of more than 25% of the power requirement for aeration. Overall, the combined application of the two controllers led to a 7%...
Environmental Science and Pollution Research
Northern Italy was the most affected by CoViD-19 compared to other Italian areas and comprises zo... more Northern Italy was the most affected by CoViD-19 compared to other Italian areas and comprises zones where air pollutants concentration was higher than in the rest of Italy. The aim of the research is to determine if particulate matter (PM) has been the primary cause of the high CoViD-19 spread rapidity in some areas of Northern Italy. Data of PM for all the 41 studied cities were collected from the local environmental protection agencies. To compare air quality data with epidemiological data, a statistical analysis was conducted identifying the correlation matrices of Pearson and Spearman, considering also the possible incubation period of the disease. Moreover, a model for the evaluation of the epidemic risk, already proposed in literature, was used to evaluate a possible influence of PM on CoViD-19 spread rapidity. The results exclude that PM alone was the primary cause of the high CoVid-19 spread rapidity in some areas of Northern Italy. Further developments are necessary for a ...
Environmental Science and Pollution Research
Recently, among AOPs, photoelectrocatalysis (PEC) on TiO2 is gaining interest. In this study, fiv... more Recently, among AOPs, photoelectrocatalysis (PEC) on TiO2 is gaining interest. In this study, five different real waters sampled in four different points of the integrated urban water management (IUWM) system were tested with PEC and UV alone, for comparison. This work aims to verify the effect of the PEC suggesting the optimal position in IUWM system where the PEC should be located to obtain the best performance. In groundwaters (GWs), PEC effectively removed atrazine-based compounds (> 99%), trichloroethylene, and perchloroethylene (96%), after 15 min of reaction time. However, given the low concentrations of emerging compounds, the synergistic effect of UV radiation with the catalyst and with the polarization of the mesh was not visible, with very few differences compared with the results obtained with UV alone. Pharmaceutical industrial wastewater (IWW) showed a significant increase in biodegradability after 2 h, both if subjected to PEC or UV (200%), despite the absence of C...
Analysis of lockdown for CoViD-19 impact on NO2 in London, Milan and Paris: What lesson can be learnt?
Process Safety and Environmental Protection
Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) can have harmful effects on human health and can act as a precursor for th... more Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) can have harmful effects on human health and can act as a precursor for the formation of other air pollutants in urban environment such as secondary PM2.5 and ozone. The lockdown measures for CoViD-19 allowed to simulate on a large scale the massive and prolonged reduction of road traffic (the main source for NO2 in urban environment). This work aims to selectively assess the maximum impact that total traffic blocking measures can have on NO2. For this reason, three megacities (London, Milan and Paris) were chosen that had similar characteristics in terms of climatic conditions, population, policies of urban traffic management and lockdown measures. 52 air quality control units have been used to compare data measured in lockdown and in the same periods of previous years, highlighting a significant decrease in NO2 concentration due to traffic (London: 71.1 % - 80.8 %; Milan: 8.6 % - 42.4%; Paris: 65.7 % - 79.8 %). In 2020 the contribution of traffic in London, Milan and Paris was dropped to 3.3 ± 1.3 µg m-3, 6.1 ± 0.8 µg m-3, and 13.4 ± 1.5 µg m-3, respectively. Despite the significant reduction in the NO2 concentration, in UT stations average NO2 concentrations higher than 40 µg m-3 were registered for several days. In order to reduce the pollution, the limitation of road traffic could be not enough, but a vision also aimed at rethink the vehicles and their polluting effects should be developed.
Water Science and Technology
An unconventional cascade control system, for the regulation of air supply in activated sludge wa... more An unconventional cascade control system, for the regulation of air supply in activated sludge wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), was tested. The dissolved oxygen (DO) set point in the aeration tank was dynamically calculated based on effluent ammonia concentration, following a fuzzy logic based approach. First, simulations were conducted, according to the BSM2 protocol, for a general comparison with more conventional control strategies. It turned out that the effluent quality could be improved by 7–8%, based on the EQI parameter. Moreover, the aeration energy requirement could be reduced up to 13%. Subsequently, the system was installed in a full-scale WWTP. While stably complying with the ammonia effluent standard (10 mg/L), excess air supply was prevented, and a reduction of the specific power consumption (kWh/kgCODremoved) of 40–50% was recorded with respect to the previously installed PID controller (fixed DO set point).
SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater treatment plants
As for the SARS coronavirus in the 2003 epidemic, the presence of SARS-CoV-2 has been demonstrate... more As for the SARS coronavirus in the 2003 epidemic, the presence of SARS-CoV-2 has been demonstrated in faeces and, in some cases, urine of infected people, as well as in wastewater. This paper proposes a critical review of the state of the art regarding studies on the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater and sewage sludge, the factors affecting its inactivation and the main proposed treatments, with the aim to provide useful information at operative level in order to better and safer manage wastewater and sewage sludge. Given the lack of literature on SARS-CoV-2, studies involving other HCoVs such as SARS-CoV and HCoV-229E have been also considered. In wastewater, the resistance of SARS-CoV has proven to be very limited, especially at temperatures above 20 °C, and the virus has been easily removed with the use of chlorine (> 0.5 mg L-1 for 30 min). For sewage sludge, based on in vitro experiments, it is suggested to increase the retention times before a possible reuse in agricultu...
Long-term investigation on the removal of perfluoroalkyl substances in a full-scale drinking water treatment plant in the Veneto Region, Italy
Science of The Total Environment
CoViD-19 outbreak in Northern Italy: Did particulate matter really play a key role?
Northern Italian regions have been the most affected from CoViD-19 compared to other Italian area... more Northern Italian regions have been the most affected from CoViD-19 compared to other Italian areas and are also the zones where air pollutants concentration has been higher than in the rest of Italy. The aim of the research is analysing possible correlations between air pollutants PM10 and PM2.5 and the rapidity of the spread of the infection caused by CoViD-19 in Northern Italy. PM10 and PM2.5 data for all the 41 studied cities were collected from the local environmental protection agencies. In order to compare air quality data with epidemiological data (Td), a statistical analysis was conducted identifying the correlation matrices of Pearson and Spearman, considering the possible incubation period of the disease. The results exclude a strong direct correlation between PM in the air and the diffusion rate of CoViD-19. Further developments are necessary for a better comprehension of the influence of atmospheric pollution parameters on the rapidity of spread of the virus SARS-CoV-2, ...
Water Science and Technology, Feb 25, 2020
An unconventional cascade control system, for the regulation of air supply in activated sludge wa... more An unconventional cascade control system, for the regulation of air supply in activated sludge wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), was tested. The dissolved oxygen (DO) set point in the aeration tank was dynamically calculated based on effluent ammonia concentration, following a fuzzy logic based approach. First, simulations were conducted, according to the BSM2 protocol, for a general comparison with more conventional control strategies. It turned out that the effluent quality could be improved by 7-8%, based on the EQI parameter. Moreover, the aeration energy requirement could be reduced up to 13%. Subsequently, the system was installed in a full-scale WWTP. While stably complying with the ammonia effluent standard (10 mg/L), excess air supply was prevented, and a reduction of the specific power consumption (kWh/kgCOD removed) of 40-50% was recorded with respect to the previously installed PID controller (fixed DO set point).
MATEC Web of Conferences
An adequate access to water supply systems is crucial for a sustainable future. Climate change is... more An adequate access to water supply systems is crucial for a sustainable future. Climate change is expected to increase water shortage problems worldwide. Reuse/recycling of treated wastewater for domestic and/or agricultural purposes can be considered an interesting water supply: it is independent from seasonal drought and meteorological variability and able to cover the peak of water demand. In the case of direct reuse, the parameter of treated water must comply with the reuse limits for biological oxygen demand, chemical oxygen demand and suspended solids. In case of indirect reuse, the regulatory approach changes as the dilution ratio between discharge and flow of the irrigation canal is taken into account too. There are many interventions that are considered useful for the purpose of promoting the development of an enhanced water recovery and recycling: legislation improvements, modification in the water storage management, prevention in pollution discharged into sewerage system...
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Papers by Giorgio Bertanza