Ricerc@Sapienza

Boron isotope composition was used to identify boron sources in groundwater in the eastern part of central Italy, on the west side of the lower alluvial plane of the Pescara river, a few kilometres from the coastline. This area was characterized by two possible boron sources: human activity and a geogenic source.

A geochemical assessment of groundwater beneath a municipal solid waste landfill site in Central Italy was carried out using a hydrogeochemical and isotopic approach. The aim of this study was to verify the quality of groundwater using major ions, trace elements and boron isotopes as tracers of contamination due to the presence of the landfill. Results obtained show that Fe, Mn, Cr, Ni and B present high values in groundwater located downgradient from the landfill. With boron isotopes, it is possible to identify whether a contamination source is anthropogenic and/or geogenic.

Landfill monitoring requires knowledge of the landfill body's volumetric characteristics at frequent time intervals. In addition to this three-dimensional information, other information may also be useful, such as surface temperature, which may be influenced by the chemical, physical and geotechnical processes inherent in the development of the landfill itself. On the other hand, the logistical and environmental conditions normally encountered at such sites make it difficult to use traditional geomatic techniques.

Remote-pilot aircraft are developing very rapidly and their potential in the various fields is often still to be fully investigated. The possibility to fly over the areas to be surveyed without the need to access the areas themselves makes the use of UAVs in some cases certainly preferable for safety reasons, as has already been tested for the management of postdisaster areas. Waste landfills are small sites where contact with waste itself must be limited and scientific experimentation on surveying this specific type of site is currently limited.

Hydrogeological characterization is required when investigating contaminated sites, and hydraulic conductivity is an important parameter that needs to be estimated. Before groundwater sampling, well water level values are measured during low-flow purging to check the correct driving of the activity. However, these data are generally considered only as an indicator of an adequate well purging.

With regards to European waste catalog, automotive shredder residues (ASR) can be classified both as a hazardous or non-hazardous waste according to its hazardous properties (H1–H14). It is thus important to carry out an adequate chemical-physical characterization to identify the presence and concentration of those substances able to give, to this extremely heterogeneous material, the hazardousness character of. The issue of waste characterization, to identify the proper site for appropriate waste disposal, is based, according to the relevant laws, to the use of leaching tests.