Francesco Todaro

Polytechnic University of Bari | Poliba · Dipartimento di Ingegneria Civile, Ambientale, del Territorio, Edile e di Chimica

The recycling of PET trays is highly challenging. The aim of this paper was to investigate the issues related to the mechanical recycling process and, the correlation between feedstock composition and the quality of the produced rPET. Four feedstocks with different degrees of impurity were mechanically recycled at a laboratory pilot scale. The opti...

Contaminated sediments may induce long-term risks to humans and ecosystems due to the accumulation of priority and emerging inorganic and organic pollutants having toxic and bio-accumulation properties that could become a secondary pollution source. This study focused on the screening of novel bio-based materials to be used in the decontamination o...

The routine dredging of waterways produces huge volumes of sediments. Handling contaminated dredged sediments poses significant and diverse challenges around the world. In recent years, novel and sustainable ex situ remediation technologies for contaminated sediments have been developed and applied. This review article focuses on cement-based binde...

To face the ongoing issues related to global warming, a circular economy approach should be pursued, rethinking the waste management system and the recovery of organic waste. The main organic waste streams are Food Waste (FW) and municipal Sewage Sludge (SS). In the spirit of circularity, a commingled treatment of FW and SS could be a viable soluti...

The compositions of Dutch lightweight packaging waste (LWP) and sorted products named “PET (Polyethylene terephthalate) trays” have been determined on object level. Additionally, the PET trays from both waste types were sorted in 16 categories representing their packaging use and material build-up. The material composition of at least 10 representa...

For the remediation of contaminated sediments, leaching importance is growing as it helps in the recovery of materials for civil engineering. In this work, lightweight aggregates were developed in the absence of cement through cold-bonding pelletization process from contaminated marine sediments and industrial wastes. After the physical and chemica...

Increasing demand for electrical and electronic equipment results in the generation of a rapidly growing waste stream, known by the acronym WEEE (waste electrical and electronic equipment). The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of green sink–float treatment in sorting plastic polymers typically found in WEEE (PP, ABS, PA6, PS,...

The constraints associated with the availability of huge amounts of natural resources for infrastructure and agricultural development calls for the reuse and recycling of anthropogenically created geomaterials, which is in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals. In this context, valorization of dredged sediments (DS), obtained from water bo...

The paper deals with an innovative approach to the management of contaminated sites, where geotechnical engineering bridges the gap between site characterisation and addresses for remedial strategies. Such approach has been successfully applied to one of the most critical industrial sites in Europe, which is the marine site of the Mar Piccolo in Ta...

Stabilization/solidification (S/S) is becoming increasingly important, as it allows the remediation of contaminated sediments and their recovery into materials for civil engineering. This research proposes a cement-free cold granulation process for manufactured low-cost aggregates from marine sediments contaminated with organic compounds and metals...

The building and construction industry is a key sector behind the ecological transition in that it is one of the main responsible factors in the consumption of natural resources. Thus, in line with circular economy, the use of waste aggregates in mortars is a possible solution to increase the sustainability of cement materials. In the present paper...

The first step in reintroducing plastic waste into the recycling cycle is to use material recovery facilities (MRFs). However, while the composition and types of plastic waste are changing over time, the layout of MRFs does not always adapt to this change. In this paper, an existing MRF in Southern Italy was chosen as a reference to evaluate its cu...

La nota illustra i risultati preliminari di un’attività sperimentale finalizzata ad indagare gli effetti di trattamenti di stabilizzazione/solidificazione (S/S) sulle caratteristiche chemo-meccaniche di sedimenti marini contaminati, prelevati nel Golfo di Taranto. I sedimenti oggetto di studio contengono elevate concentrazioni di metalli pesanti (H...

To address the problem of fossil-based pollution, bio-plastics have risen in use in a wide range of applications. The current waste management system still has some weakness for bio-plastics waste (BPW) treatment, and quantitative data is lacking. This study combines environmental and economic assessments in order to indicate the most sustainable a...

The role of Mechanical–Biological Treatment (MBT) is still of the utmost importance in the management of residual Municipal Solid Waste (MSW). These plants can cover a wide range of objectives, combining several types of processes and elements. The aim of this work is to assess and compare, from an environmental point of view, the performance of se...

The topic of sustainability of reinforced concrete structures is strictly related with their durability in aggressive environments. In particular, at equal environmental impact, the higher the durability of construction materials, the higher the sustainability. The present review deals with the possible strategies aimed at producing sustainable and...

Environmentally sustainable cement mortars containing wheat straw (Southern Italy, Apulia region) of different length and dosage and perlite beads as aggregates were prepared and characterised by rheological, thermal, acoustic, mechanical, optical and microstructural tests. A complete replacement of the conventional sand was carried out. Composites...

The paper presents an original approach to the management of contaminated marine sites in which geotechnical engineering bridges the gap between standard environmental characterisation and selection of remediation technologies. The research has been prompted by an emblematic case of a highly contaminated environmental system in Italy, the Mar Picco...

Contaminated sediments can pose long-term risks to human beings and ecosystems as they accumulate inorganic and organic contaminants becoming a sink and source of pollution. Compared to ex-situ technologies (i.e., dredging activities and off site treatments), in-situ capping (ISC) intends to minimize contaminated sediment mobilization and impact in...

Among different methods for municipal solid waste separate collection (SC), there is a lack of scientifically based methods for their selection available for decision-makers. This study develops and applies a methodology based on Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) aiming to assess and compare the sustainability of different waste management sc...

Contaminants with toxic concentrations in bottom marine sediments represent a serious threat to the environment and human health. Dredging of contaminated sediments with subsequent treatment off-site represents one way to remediate environmentally impacted areas. Among ex situ remediation approaches, stabilization/solidification (S/S) represents a...

Il presente lavoro analizza le prestazioni di un impianto di Trattamento Meccanico-Biologico (TMB) al variare dello schema di processo e con riferimento al caso studio dell'impianto gestito da AMIU Puglia Spa in Bari. L'impianto è in grado di trattare 700 t d-1 di rifiuti indifferenziati/residuali da raccolta differenziata prodotti a Bari e nei com...

This paper proposes a holistic approach to connect anthropogenic impacts to environmental remediation solutions. The eDPSIR (engineered-Drivers-Pressures-States-Impacts-Responses) framework aims at supporting the decision-maker in designing technological solutions for a contaminated coastal area, where the natural matrices need to be cleaned up. Th...

The paper presents the results of the analysis of the geo-chemo-mechanical data gathered through an innovative multidisciplinary investigation campaign in the Mar Piccolo basin, a heavily polluted marine bay aside the town of Taranto (Southern Italy). The basin is part of an area declared at high environmental risk by the Italian government. The cu...

The article deals with an original approach to contaminated marine sites where geotechnical engineering is bridging the gap between site characterisation and first selection of remedial strategies. The research has been prompted by a highly contaminated marine site in Italy and it is centred on the Conceptual Design Site Model (CDSM). The CDSM is b...

The article deals with an original approach, based on sustainability, to select the best reactive capping alternatives for the remediation of contaminated sediments from Mar Piccolo (Italy), one of the most polluted marine ecosystems in Europe. Experimental tests were conducted to assess the capping effectiveness in contaminant sequestration and de...

Three scenarios for the management of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) produced in the study area of Bari (Southern Italy) were defined and evaluated in terms of separately collected material and fate of the residual fraction. The first scenario represented the bring points MSW separate collection system in the current configuration with a collection ra...

Remediation of contaminated marine sediments presents a difficult challenge for environmental decision-makers. In socially relevant situations, as in the Mar Piccolo of Taranto case study (Southern Italy), the decision-maker needs to explain to the citizens why some remediation technologies are adopted compared to others. Multi criteria decision an...

The study critically analyses the complex situation of the Mar Piccolo of Taranto (South of Italy), considered one of the most polluted marine ecosystems in Europe. In order to investigate possible cause-effect relationships, useful to plan appropriate planning responses or remediation technologies to be adopted, the Driver-Pressure-State-Impact-Re...

Spills, leaks, and other environmental aspects associated with petroleum products cause hazards to human health and ecosystems. Chemicals involved are total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), solvents, pesticides, and other heavy metals. Soil vapor extraction (SVE) is one of the main in-situ technologies currentl...

Among ex situ remediation technologies, stabilization/solidification (S/S) provides for the addition of a binder to dredged materials in order to chemically immobilise the contaminants and improve mechanical behaviour of sediments. The simplest form of treatment is obtained by the addition of Portland cement or lime (calcium oxide), although other...

Nowadays, stabilization/solidification (S/S) applied to the treatment of contaminated marine sediments (CMSs) represents a key technology for the production of new materials for civil engineering. Literature has shown the feasibility of CMSs recycling, although sediment needs pre-treatments for the removal of organic matter and to improve the mecha...

The present study compared numerical modelling and experimental investigations to evaluate the effectiveness of in-situ reactive capping for marine sediments contaminated by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). As a case study, sediment samples from Mar Piccolo (Italy) were analyzed and experiments were undertaken using batch columns. Two types...

In this paper, environmentally sustainable cement mortars were prepared with end-of-life tyre rubber (TR) and recycled waste porous glass (PG) as aggregates in order to obtain lightweight products characterized by renewable and not-pretreated materials specifically for indoor applications. The secondary raw materials were added as partial and/or to...

The study describes the start-up phase of the door-to-door separate collection service of municipal solid waste (MSW) in a large metropolitan area, analysing not only the performance in terms of separately collected waste but also the feedback from citizens on how to improve it. For the scope, the case study of the city of Bari (Southern Italy) was...

Sediments in coastal areas can accumulate a variety of contaminants, acting as both carriers and long-term secondary sources of contamination for aquatic ecosystems. Nowadays, there is a growing interest on developing new assessment criteria of sediment ecological quality for setting priorities and management strategies of contaminated materials. A...

This study aimed at verifying the technical feasibility of recovering and reusing several iron-rich residues from the steel production process through the production of briquettes that could potentially be reintroduced as a ferrous source into the converters during the transformation of hot metal into liquid steel. An experimental investigation was...

Marine sediments are identified as an ultimate receptor for many hazardous pollutants produced by the human activities that pose major concerns for human health and the environment. As a result, the definition of the remediation strategies of contaminated sediments has given rise to great scientific and public concern throughout the world, since it...

The paper deals with the treatment and reuse of submarine sediments, i.e. a relevant environmental issue due to the annual huge quantities of dredged sediments (over half contaminated) in Europe. In a vision of sustainability and circular economy, stabilization and solidification (S/S) treatments represent an interesting solution for both environme...

This paper deals with the relevant environmental issues concerning marine sediments contamination, for which there is the need for further development of sustainable remediation technologies. Among the in-situ remediation options, the reactive capping turns out to be an interesting approach. On the other hand, when the sediments must be dredged, th...

This paper reports the results of the preliminary mechanical laboratory experiments carried out on the shallowest layer of the polluted submarine clayey sediments of the Mar Piccolo basin (literally "Little Sea"), an inner sea located in Taranto (South of Italy). By the strict cooperation between Geotechnical Engineering and Measurement Science res...

Biostabilisation is a process of treating the unsorted fraction of municipal solid waste (UFMSW) mechanically pre-treated. Although concepts such as circular economy would seem to limit biostabilization, several authors have recently described the advantages of biostabilization in regions where recycling systems are inadequate. In this perspective,...

This review presents "a state of the art" report on sustainability in construction materials. The authors propose different solutions to make the concrete industry more environmentally friendly in order to reduce greenhouse gases emissions and consumption of non-renewable resources. Part 1-the present paper-focuses on the use of binders alternative...

The paper represents the "state of the art" on sustainability in construction materials. In Part 1 of the paper, issues related to production, microstructures, chemical nature, engineering properties, and durability of mixtures based on binders alternative to Portland cement were presented. This second part of the paper concerns the use of traditio...

The paper deals with the reuse of submarine sediments, i.e. a relevant environmental issue due to the annual huge quantities of dredged sediments (over half contaminated) in Europe. In a vision of sustainability and circular economy, stabilization and solidification (S/S) treatments represent an interesting solution for both environmental protectio...

In this paper an integrated system (hardware and software), named GeoLab, for geotechnical measurement on submarine contaminated sediments is described; GeoLab permits to reduce the probability of human mistakes often made during long and repetitive manual operations and, to increase speed, accuracy, and productivity in geotechnical laboratory test...

The management and treatment of contaminated sediment is a considerable environmental issue recognized worldwide, that poses major technical and economic challenges. Nowadays, there is an acute need for remedial technologies that can address both a variety of contaminants in a range of aquatic environments and provide permanent solutions by reducin...

Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) bio-stabilization usually involves the use of air for the biological treatment of the residual fraction of separate collection. Air is the suitable solution when the system is operating normally. However, frequently emergencies, such as the overload of the plant and the resulting longer waste treatment times, suggest the...

Zero valent iron (ZVI) is an electron donor that is used to reduce or indirectly oxidize several contaminants in soil and groundwater (e.g. halogenated species). The development of stable nano-scale ZVI (nZVI) products has gained a growing interest in environmental remediation with numerous applications all over the world. Several studies addressed...

The city of Taranto in the south of Italy is one of the areas declared as “at high risk of environmental crisis” by the national government (Italian Law n. 349/86) because it represents one of the most complex industrial sites in Europe, located near urban areas of high population density. During the last 50 years, the complex ecosystem of the Mar...

Sediment tends to accumulate inorganic and persistent hydrophobic organic contaminants representing one of the main sinks and sources of pollution. Generally, contaminated sediment poses medium- and long-term risks to humans and ecosystem health; dredging activities or natural resuspension phenomena (i.e., strongly adverse weather conditions) can r...

Sediment tends to accumulate inorganic and persistent hydrophobic organic contaminants representing one of the main sinks and sources of pollution. Generally, contaminated sediment poses medium- and long-term risks to humans and ecosystem health; dredging activities or natural resuspension phenomena (i.e., strongly adverse weather conditions) can r...

Today, in Italy, mechanical-biological treatment plant (MBT) using pure oxygen are few and with limited knowledge of the functioning. With the intent of strengthening the state of knowledge, this contribution deepens the main energy, engineering, environmental and process safety aspects of a pure oxygen-based full-scale bio-stabilization system tre...

The contribution shows a case study concerning the remediation of a disused industrial plant (Ex- Gasometer) in the central area of the city of Bari (Apulia Region, Southern Italy). The Ex-Gasometer is an area declared "at risk" by local Authorities because of it is one of the most complex, extensive (about 20,000 m²) and contaminated brownfields s...

The continuous stream of sediments dredged, from harbors and waterways, is a considerable environmental issue recognized worldwide. Every year about 200 million of m3 of sediments are dredged only in Europe, over half contaminated and expensive to dispose of. In a vision of sustainability and of circular economy, the proper management of such sedim...

This paper reports the results of the first geomechanical laboratory experiments carried out on the polluted submarine clayey sediments of the Mar Piccolo in Taranto (South of Italy). The study had to face with extreme difficulties for the very soft consistency of the sediments and the contaminants. The mineralogy, composition and physical properti...