VOCCIANTE , Marco

The use of nanomaterials, thanks to their peculiar properties and versatility, is becoming central in an increasing number of scientific and engineering applications. At the same time, the growing concern towards environmental issues drives the seeking of alternative strategies for a safer and more sustainable production of nanoparticles. Here...

A simulation study is proposed where a reaction-diffusion equation in a semi-infinite medium is numerically solved by a second-order approximate finite-difference method. The non-linearities present both in the diffusivity and in the kinetic term required a proper iterative method that proved to be satisfactory in robustness and efficiency. The...

In inverse problems defined by models that include partial differential equations, a part of the boundary conditions are unknown and are to be estimated from experimental measurements. We have shown in a previous contribution that the solution of the inverse Richards' problem can allow estimating percolation rates at the bottom of landfills...

No description

The performance of an innovative material based on expanded graphite, Grafysorber® G+ (Directa Plus), has been tested through laboratory, tank, and confinement tests for oil removal in case of an oil spill and water treatment. In addition to the ability to retain oil, the possibility of reusing this material after regeneration via squeezing was...

Phytoremediation is a cost-effective and sustainable technology used to clean up pollutants from soils and waters through the use of plant species. Indeed, plants are naturally capable of absorbing metals and degrading organic molecules. However, in several cases, the presence of contaminants causes plant suffering and limited growth. In such...

A wide range of technologies is presently available for the remediation of contaminated soils. The optimal selection depends on a number of soil characteristics. However, if the depth of the contaminated layer is considerable, the direct measurement of these properties can be costly and sometimes outright infeasible. In this paper, a method...

In this brief survey, we deal with green processes concerning the synthesis of zerovalent nanoparticles, enlighting some aspects motivating their choice with respect to traditional techniques generally relying upon toxic or noxious reactants and stabilizing agents. After a short discussion about health and environmental safety related to the...

In recent years, much attention has been devoted to the development of technologies suitable for the remediation of environmental contaminations. Aim of this chapter is to review the approaches proposed for the treatment of contaminated soils, focusing in particular to those based on electrokinetic phenomena. Several different physicochemical...

Chitosan is very effective in removing metal ions through their adsorption. A preliminary investigation of the adsorption of chromium(III) by chitosan was carried out by means of batch tests as a function of contact time, pH, ion competition, and initial chromium(III) concentration. The rate of adsorption was rather rapid (t1/2 < 18 min) and...