Luca Nizzetto

Followers

Following

Co-authors

Public Views

Interests

Uploads

Papers by Luca Nizzetto

Fate of microplastics in agricultural soils amended with sewage sludge: Is surface water runoff a relevant environmental pathway?

Environmental Pollution, 2022

Sewage sludge used as agricultural fertilizer has been identified as an important source of micro... more Sewage sludge used as agricultural fertilizer has been identified as an important source of microplastics (MPs) to the environment. However, the fate of MPs added to agricultural soils is largely unknown. This study investigated the fate of MPs in agricultural soils amended with sewage sludge and the role of surface water runoff as a mechanism driving their transfer to aquatic ecosystems. This was assessed using three experimental plots located in a semi-arid area of Central Spain, which were planted with barley. The experimental plots received the following treatments: (1) control or no sludge application; (2) historical sludge application, five years prior to the experiment; and (3) sludge application at the beginning of the experiment. MPs were analyzed in surface water runoff and in different soil layers to investigate transport and infiltration for one year. The sewage sludge used in our experiment contained 5972-7771 MPs/kg dw. Based on this, we estimated that about 16,000 MPs were added to the agricultural plot amended with sludge. As expected, the sludge application significantly increased the MP concentration in soils. The control plot contained low MP concentrations (31-120 MPs kg-1 dw), potentially originating from atmospheric deposition. The plot treated five years prior to the experiment contained 226-412 and 177-235 MPs kg-1 dw at the start and end of the experiment, respectively; while the recently treated plot contained 182-231 and 138-288 MPs kg-1 dw. Our study shows that MP concentrations remain relatively constant in agricultural soils and that the MP infiltration capacity is very low. Surface water runoff had a negligible influence on the export of MPs from agricultural soils, mobilizing only 0.2-0.4% of the MPs added with sludge. We conclude that, in semi-arid regions, agricultural soils can be considered as long-term accumulators of MPs.

Transport of POPs from Source to Sea

Emerging contaminants and associated treatment technologies, 2023

Polychlorinated naphthalenes (PCNs) in Chinese forest soil: Will combustion become a major source?

Environmental Pollution, Sep 1, 2015

We collected O- and A-horizon soil samples in 26 Chinese mountainous forests to investigate the c... more We collected O- and A-horizon soil samples in 26 Chinese mountainous forests to investigate the content, spatial pattern, and potential sources of polychlorinated naphthalenes (PCNs). Spatial patterns were influenced mainly by the approximation to sources and soil organic contents. High concentrations often occurred close to populated or industrialized areas. Combustion-related activities contributed to PCN pollution. Relatively high proportions of CN-73 in northern China may be attributed to coke consumption, while CN-51 could be an indicator of biomass burning in Southwest China. There are evidences that PCNs may largely derived from unintentional production. If uncontrolled, UP-PCN (unintentionally produced PCNs) emissions could increase with industrial development. The abnormally high concentrations at Gongga and Changbai Mountains appear to be associated with the high efficient of forest filter of atmospheric contaminants at these densely forested sites. We question whether this is caused by ecotones between forests, and raise additional questions for future analyses.

Adaptation vs acclimation of freshwater phytoplankton communties towards herbicide exposure

Thames川流域におけるポリ塩化ビフェニル(PCBs)の動態と輸送―多媒質動態と水文生物地球化学的輸送モデルの組合せによる考察

Science of The Total Environment, 2016

Generating relevant reference materials for assessing the fate and impact of microplastics in agricultural environments

Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research), Nov 7, 2022

Microplastic reference materials can be defined as standardised and well-characterised batches of... more Microplastic reference materials can be defined as standardised and well-characterised batches of particles available for use in scientific testing. Reference materials are necessary for quality assurance and quality control (QA/QC) of scientific experimentation and represent a fundamental component in facilitating harmonisation and cross comparability of analyses and hazard assessment. Existing microplastic reference materials representative of relevant agricultural sources are scarce. This represents several challenges associated with generating micronised particles from relevant source materials, obtaining relevant particle characteristics, and producing sufficiently large amounts of reference materials. There is a demand for large batches of environmentally-relevant reference materials that are sufficiently homogenous in their characteristics (e.g. size, morphology, chemical composition) that can be used by multiple laboratories and therefore facilitate harmonisation between studies. Experiences generating reference materials in two European projects addressing microplastic pollution in agricultural soil environments (IMPASSE and PAPILLONS) will be shared to identify challenges and opportunities. This includes producing different reference material types for important sources of microplastics to agricultural soils; for example, microplastic fibres from sewage sludge and fragments of mulching films. Approaches and challenges associated with simulated environmental ageing of particles in a relevant way will be discussed. Similar difficulties in producing relevant microplastic reference materials are present for different source materials (i.e. outside of agriculture). Accordingly, the development of reference materials remains an ongoing task across the whole research field. These insights represent an important step towards harmonisation.

Download

Binding of waterborne pharmaceutical and personal care products to natural dissolved organic matter

Science of The Total Environment, Aug 1, 2021

Information on how key environmental conditions such as natural dissolved organic matter (DOM) an... more Information on how key environmental conditions such as natural dissolved organic matter (DOM) and water pH alter the possible risks posed by pharmaceuticals (PPCPs) is still scarce. In our previous study, the presence of natural DOM at high pH reduced the toxicity of a mix of waterborne PPCPs to algae. DOM-complexation and pH effect on speciation of the more hydrophobic and neutral compounds of the mix was suggested to be driving this behaviour. However, the study design did not allow the verification of this hypothesis. Here, the DOM-PPCPs interaction at different pH was investigated for 6 PPCPs through equilibrium dialysis, under the same conditions of DOM and pH as our previous study. Association with DOM was confirmed for the more hydrophobic PPCPs at high pH. The results suggest the binding was driven by i) the presence of carboxylic groups of PPCPs, ii) high pH shifting the structural configuration of DOM, making it more suited to bind some of the PPCPs. A non-linear change of binding capacity with increasing DOM concentration was also observed among the tested PPCPs.

Download

Modelling metaldehyde in catchments: a River Thames case-study

Environmental Science: Processes & Impacts, 2017

Table of Contents 1. The INCA-Contaminants Model 2 2. References 4

Download

Accumulation of Persistent Organic Pollutants in Canopies of Different Forest Types: Role of Species Composition and Altitudinal-Temperature Gradient

Environmental Science & Technology, Sep 28, 2006

ABSTRACT Leaves from the dominant tree species in three different alpine forests were sampled alo... more ABSTRACT Leaves from the dominant tree species in three different alpine forests were sampled along an altitudinal gradient and analyzed for HCB, alpha- and gamma-HCH, and PCBs. The mean canopy concentration was calculated, considering the relative abundance of each species in the respective forest. Compound fractionation occurred in the vegetation along the altitudinal/temperature gradient. Results were compared with air concentrations and in-field plant/air partition coefficients (K(PA)) were calculated for each species; this showed differences between broadleaves and needles. The mean canopy/air partition coefficient (K(CA)) was also calculated by averaging results from single species. The variability of persistent organic pollutants distribution in canopies is discussed considering two main factors, the altitudinal/temperature gradient and the species composition. The latter is responsible for most of the concentration variability of the more volatile compounds. A model to calculate dry gaseous deposition to different forest canopies is presented.

DDTs and HCHs in sediment cores from the coastal East China Sea

Science of The Total Environment, 2016

Four sediment cores were collected along the Yangtze-derived sediment transport pathway in the in... more Four sediment cores were collected along the Yangtze-derived sediment transport pathway in the inner shelf of the East China Sea (ECS) for OCP analysis. The sediment records of HCHs and DDTs in estuarine environment reflected remobilization of chemicals from enhanced soil erosion associated to extreme flood events or large scale land use transformation. The sediment records in the open sea, instead, reflected long-term historical trends of OCP application in the source region. Unlike the so-called mud wedge distribution of sediment, inventories of HCHs and DDTs slightly increased from the mouth of Yangtze River alongshore toward south, suggesting the sediment deposition rate was one of factors on the exposure of chemicals within the inner shelf of the ECS. Re-suspension and transport of the Yangtze-derived sediment and consequent fractionation in grain size and TOC were also responsible for the spatial variation of inventories of catchment derived OCPs in a major repository area of the Yangtze suspended sediment. The total burdens of HCHs and DDTs in the inner shelf of the ECS were 35tons and 110tons, respectively. After 1983 (year of the official ban in China), those values were 13tons and 50tons, respectively. It appears that the Yangtze still delivers relatively high inputs of DDTs more than 30years after the official ban. High proportions of DDD+DDE and β-HCH suggested those OCPs mainly originated from historical usage in the catchment recent years.

The Norwegian river monitoring programme 2019 – water quality status and trends

87, 2020

In the Norwegian River Monitoring Programme (in Norwegian: Elveovervåkingsprogrammet) 20 rivers a... more In the Norwegian River Monitoring Programme (in Norwegian: Elveovervåkingsprogrammet) 20 rivers along the Norwegian coastline are monitored for chemical and hydrological parameters. It is a continuation of river monitoring with data from 1990. This report presents the current status (2019) and long-term (1990-2019) water quality trends

Modelling approaches to study the efficacy of buffer strips in reducing surface water contamination of pesticide

Contaminants of emerging concern in the open sea waters of the Western Mediterranean

Environmental Pollution, Oct 1, 2017

Pollution by chemical substances is of concern for the maintenance of healthy and sustainable aqu... more Pollution by chemical substances is of concern for the maintenance of healthy and sustainable aquatic environments. While the occurrence and fate of numerous emerging contaminants, especially pharmaceuticals, is well documented in freshwater, their occurrence and behavior in coastal and marine waters is much less studied and understood. This study investigates the occurrence of 58 chemicals in the open surface water of the Western Mediterranean Sea for the first time. 70 samples in total were collected in 10 different sampling areas. 3 pesticides, 11 pharmaceuticals and personal care products and 2 artificial sweeteners were detected at sub-ng to ng/L levels. Among them, the herbicide terbuthylazine, the pharmaceuticals caffeine, carbamazepine, naproxen and paracetamol, the antibiotic sulfamethoxazole, the antibacterial triclocarban and the two artificial sweeteners acesulfame and saccharin were detected in all samples. The compound detected at the highest concentration was saccharin (up to 5.23 ng/L). Generally small spatial differences among individual sampling areas point to a diffuse character of sources which are likely dominated by WWTP effluents and runoffs from agricultural areas or even, at least for pharmaceuticals and artificial food additives, from offshore sources such as ferries and cruising ships. The implications of the ubiquitous presence in the open sea of chemicals that are bio-active or toxic at low doses on photosynthetic organisms and/or bacteria (i.e., terbuthylazine, sulfamethoxazole or triclocarban) deserve scientific attention, especially concerning possible subtle impacts from chronic exposure of pelagic microorganisms.

Critical evaluation of a new passive exchange-meter for assessing multimedia fate of persistent organic pollutants at the air-soil interface

Environmental Pollution, Oct 1, 2013

A new passive exchange meter (PEM) to measure inter-compartment fluxes of persistent organic poll... more A new passive exchange meter (PEM) to measure inter-compartment fluxes of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) at the interface between soil and the atmosphere is described. The PEM uses labeled reference compounds (RC) added in-situ to vegetation litter deployed in open cylinders designed to trap the vertical downward export of the RCs while allowing free exchange of POPs between litter and air. Fluxes of native compounds (bulk deposition, volatilization and downward export) are quantitatively tracked. One scope of the PEM is to investigate the influence of biogeochemical controls on contaminant re-mobilization. The PEM performance was tested in a subtropical forest by comparing measurements under dense canopy and in a canopy gap; conditions in which deposition and turn-over of organic matter (OM) occur at different rates. Significant differences in fate processes were successfully detected. Surprisingly, mobilization by leaching of more hydrophobic compounds was higher under canopy, possibly as a result of canopy mediated enhancement of OM degradation.

Download

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in the Western Mediterranean Sea waters

Chemosphere, Sep 1, 2016

The spatial and temporal distribution of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in the open ... more The spatial and temporal distribution of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in the open Western Mediterranean Sea waters was investigated in this study for the first time. In addition to surface water samples, a deep water sample (1390 m depth) collected in the center of the western basin was analyzed. Perfluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA), perfluoroheptanoic acid (PFHpA), perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorohexanesulfonate (PFHxS) and perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS) were detected in all samples and were the dominant PFASs found. The sum of PFAS concentrations (ΣPFASs) ranged 246-515 pg/L for surface water samples. PFASs in surface water had a relatively homogeneous distribution with levels similar to those previously measured in the Atlantic near the Strait of Gibraltar, in water masses feeding the inflow to the Mediterranean Sea. Higher concentrations of PFHxA, PFHpA and PFHxS were, however, found in the present study. Inflowing Atlantic water and river/coastal discharges are likely the major sources of PFASs to the Western Mediterranean basin. Slightly lower (factor of 2) ΣPFASs was found in the deep water sample (141 pg/L). Such a relatively high contamination of deep water is likely to be linked to recurring deep water renewal fed by downwelling events in the Gulf of Lion and/or Ligurian Sea.

Presence, fate and effects of the intense sweetener sucralose in the aquatic environment

Science of The Total Environment, Nov 1, 2012

Presence of sucralose in the aquatic environment has led to concern for toxic effects to non-targ... more Presence of sucralose in the aquatic environment has led to concern for toxic effects to non-target species. ► Sucralose's physico-chemical properties favor partitioning to the water phase once discharged to the environment. ► Sucralose displays a low degradation potential, but does not bioaccumulate in aquatic organisms. ► No adverse toxic effects of sucralose have been reported in aquatic plants, algae, crustaceans and fish. ► Risk assessment proposes a PEC/PNEC ratio well below 1 and suggests negligible risk to aquatic organisms.

Download

Modellizzazione dell’efficacia di fasce tampone nella riduzione del rischio ambientale derivato dall’uso di prodotti fitosanitari

Dinamiche DI Deposizione Dei Contaminanti Organici Persistenti (Pops) Lungo Un Gradiente Altitudinale Alpino

Passive air sampling of persistent organic pollutants: Theory, latest developments and applications

Large-scale monitoring and risk assessment of microplastics in the Amazon River

Water Research, Apr 1, 2023

Luca Nizzetto

Uploads

Papers by Luca Nizzetto

Log In