Ricerc@Sapienza

In order to improve power system operation, Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESSs) have been installed in high voltage/medium voltage stations by Distribution System Operators (DSOs) around the world. Support for restoration of MV distribution networks after a blackout or HV interruption is among the possible new functionalities of BESSs. With the aim to improve quality of service, the present paper investigates whether a BESS, installed in the HV/MV substation, can improve the restoration process indicators of a distribution grid.

The present study investigates an oil spill event in the Al Khafji region using Sentinel 1 SAR images. Al Khafji is on the border between Saudi Arabia and Kuwait in the Persian Gulf and it is considered a neutral zone. Al Khafji region has the potential to produce more than 470,000 barrels of oil per day (Mbbl/d). Methods based on multi sensor satellite images (Sentinel-2, Landsat 8, Terra, Cosmo_SkyMed, RADARSAT, etc.) analysis have been developed for detecting oil slicks from known natural seeps as well as oil spill events.

In this study, the measured wave data for year 2010 at 3 hour time step for six sites in the Caspian sea, Persian Gulf and Oman Sea of Iran have been statistically analysed to determine the wave power potential of Iranian coastlines. The statistical attitudes allows to estimate the significant weight height (Hs), peak wave energy period (Tp), and the wave energy flux for unit of crest length.

The research here presented originates from some of the ongoing challenges of our society: the demographic changes and the high share of population living in urban areas. The aim of the research is the definition of an index of sustainability and quality of life for elderly at suburban scale, not only able to outline aspects related to the local territorial context but also to represent the neighbourhood level. This would provide significant added value to existing indicators that represent the quality of life for much larger areas as cities, regions and nations.

Several international initiatives, including the European Biodiversity Strategy to 2020, promote the identification and mapping of ecosystems as basic tools for the conservation of biodiversity and related services. On coarse scales, the spatial representation of ecosystems is usually based on broad land cover categories that largely overlook important ecological and biogeographic features of the biotic communities they are meant to exemplify.

In this work, the feasibility of the Shortcut Biological Nitrogen Removal (SBNR) in the anodic chamber of a Microbial Fuel Cell (MFC) was investigated. Thirty day experiments were carried out using synthetic wastewaters with a Total Organic Carbon vs. nitrogen ratio (TOC/N) ranging from 0.1 to 1. Ammonium, nitrite, nitrate, pH, and TOC were daily monitored. Results showed that microaerobic conditions in the anodic chamber favored the development of nitritation reaction, due to oxygen transfer from the cathodic chamber through the membrane.

An integrated model of a two-step process for the ex situ bioremediation of xenobiotic contaminated soil has been formulated. The process is characterized by an initial extraction step of the organic contaminants from the polluted soil by contact with inexpensive and commercially-available polymer beads, followed by release and biodegradation of the xenobiotics, with parallel polymer bioregeneration, in a Two-Phase Partitioning Bioreactor (TPPB). The regenerated polymer is cyclically reused in the extraction step, so reflecting the robust and otherwise-inert properties of such polymers.

Glyphosate is a synthesis product and chemical substance that entered in the global market during the 70s. In the beginning, the molecule was used as an active principle in a wide range of herbicides, with great success. This was mainly due to its systemic and non-selective action against vegetable organisms and also to the spread of Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) crops, which over the years were specifically created with a resistance to glyphosate. To date, the product is, for these reasons, the most sprayed and most used herbicide in the world.

This paper investigates municipal solid waste management future scenarios of La Paz, developing big city of Bolivia, for improving the selective collection of recyclable materials. The objective of the paper is to suggest a multidimensional approach, both quantitative and qualitative, for planning sustainable waste management systems in areas with no data availability. The research assessed six different long-term management plans, considering all recycling settings feasible for La Paz.

Extra virgin olive-oil (EVO) production is an important economic activity for several countries, especially in the Mediterranean area such as Spain, Italy, Greece and Tunisia. The two major by-products from olive oil production, solid-liquid Olive Pomace (OP) and the Olive Mill Waste Waters (OMWW), are still mainly disposed on soil, in spite of the existence of legislation which already limits this practice.