Giancarlo Renella

• Professor (Full) at University of Padua

In the search for bio-based alternatives to petroleum-based materials, extensive research has been carried out on tannin-based foams over the last decades, demonstrating their potential use as insulation materials for buildings. These foams have been studied in depth for their chemical and physical properties and were already considered for upscali...

This study evaluates the reasons and factors making soil pollution by poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) a wicked problem, reflecting upon the nature, persistence, mobility, and bioaccumulative properties of these compounds. The current regulation trends in the production and use of such substances are also explored. This study highlights...

This chapter addresses the future of soil science from an Italian perspective. It complements a previously published work, “Future Soil Issues”, in the Springer monograph Soils of Italy (Terribile et al., 2013), where we analysed Italian society's request for soil research. Here, we aimed to develop a more focused contribution towards the research...

Application of biochar to soil has been recommended as a carbon sequestration approach that can also improve soil physical and chemical properties. The addition of biochar to soil can change the physicochemical properties of the soil, leading to a subsequent modification of the microbial community. However, the long-term implications of these chang...

The behaviour of nanofertilizers (NFs) in plant-soil systems can differ from that of conventional chemical fertilizers due to their peculiar chemical-physical properties. Their effectiveness is still poorly understood. In this study, we evaluated the P fertilization potential of a novel nanosized FePO4 NF (FePNF) in a plant-soil microcosm in a pot...

This work aimed to assess the sensitivity of soil organic carbon (SOC) quality and quantity indicators to land-use change (LUC) using carbon management index (CMI) and soil quality index (SQI) constructed by a principal component analysis (PCA). We tested this approach by analyzing soil after 40 years of LUC from intact rangeland (IR) to cropland (...

Purpose: This study assessed the fertilizing potential and environmental impacts of recycling the blood meal powder (BMP) produced in the abattoir as an organic fertilizer in agriculture. Method: In this study, a 70-day laboratory incubation experiment was conducted using a clayey calcareous soil to study the effects of adding abattoir BMP at thre...

Risk assessment analysis related to groundwater contamination by heavy metals was performed in the Shiraz city (Iran). We compared the traditional deterministic methodologies with a probabilistic approach based on the concentration of different heavy metals determined from many sampling points. The relationships between the variables by the multiva...

Background Behaviour of nanofertilizers in plant-soil system can be different from that of conventional chemical fertilizers due to their peculiar chemical-physical properties, and their effectiveness is still poorly understood. Methods We tested the effectiveness of a FePO4 NF in sustaining the growth of cucumber plants in a pot experiment, compa...

Biochar production and incorporation into soil is gaining momentum as a sustainable strategy for climate change mitigation, supported by ever increasing reports of significant carbon (C) sequestration in soil and reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the amended soils. With the progression in biochar testing and use, there is also emergi...

Glyphosate will be banned from Europe by the end of 2022, but its widespread use in the last decades and its persistence in the environment require the development of novel remediation processes. In this work, a bacterial consortium was designed de novo with the aim to remove glyphosate from polluted water, supported by the oxygen produced by a mic...

Soil microorganisms are key drivers of soil biochemical processes, but the resilience of microbial communities and their metabolic activity after an extreme environmental change is still largely unknown. We studied structural (bacterial and fungal communities) and functional responses (soil respiration, adenosine triphosphate (ATP) content, hydrola...

Thallium is a trace metal with severe toxicity. Contamination of thallium (Tl) generated by steel and non-ferrous metals industry is gaining growing concern worldwide. However, little is known on Tl contamination owing to industrial activities using carbonate minerals. This study revealed abundant geochemical mobile/bioavailable Tl (> 65.7%, in ave...

Short rotation coppice (SRC) is increasingly being adopted for bioenergy production, pollution remediation and land restoration. However, its long-term effects on soil microbial communities are poorly characterized. Here, we studied soil microbial functional genes and their biogeographic pattern under SRC with willow trees as compared to those unde...

The microbial diversity is, among soil key factors, responsible for soil fertility and nutrient biogeochemical cycles, and can be modified upon changes in main soil physicochemical properties and soil pollution. Over the years, many restoration techniques have been applied to restore degraded soils. However, the effect of these approaches on soil m...

This work aimed to understand the effects of liming and no tillage on the pH stability and inorganic N uptake in the rhizosphere of maize plants on an acidic soil depleted in organic matter, reclaimed by liming and no tillage in a long-term field trial. We analyzed the inorganic N dynamics, respiration, microbial biomass and enzyme activities in th...

A marine sediment phytoremediated and homogenized by landfarming was tested for its potential recycle as growing media in horticulture. Two strawberry cultivars, Camarosa and Monterey, were grown on remediated sediment alone (TS100), commercial peat/pumice based growing medium (TS0) and a mixture 1:1 in volume of sediment and peat (TS50). Chemical...

Soil contamination by trace elements (TEs) is a major concern for sustainable land management. A potential source of excessive inputs of TEs into agricultural soils are organic amendments. Here, we used dynamic simulations carried out with the Intermediate Dynamic Model for Metals (IDMM) to describe the observed trends of topsoil Zn (zinc), Cu (cop...

Highlights - A smart fertilizer allows to control the rate, timing and duration of nutrients release. - Nanofertilizers are powder or liquid formulations which involve the synthesis, design and use of materials at the nanoscale level. - Composite fertilizers are formulations containing nutrients mixed or coated with one or more materials that explo...

Most urban greening interventions involve soil de-sealing and management to enhance fertility. Management typically requires translocating fertile topsoil to the site, which comes at great environmental costs. We hypothesized that de-sealed urban soils would undergo an increase of their fertility without exogenous topsoil application. We assessed e...

Though suggested by international conventions for a long time, there are still several technical and legislative limitations to a complete reuse and recycling of dredged sediments. In particular, reuse of unpolluted sediments can be practiced, whereas sediment recycling is still affected by several downsides, and a significant proportion of the rec...

Recovery of soil fertility after de-sealing of urban soils is still poorly known. This work studied the time-related dynamics of soil physico-chemical and biochemical endpoints of urban soil in the city in Naples (Southern Italy), de-sealed for different time during construction works, that underwent colonization by volunteer plants. The results sh...

Different definitions for the concepts of information, information transfer, i.e. communication and its effect and efficiency of false, but also correct information, especially from the environmental sector, are given. "THE TEN ECOLOGICAL COMMANDMENTS" developed by Menke-Glückert at the end of the 1960s, the 9th commandment "Do not pollute informat...

Co-composting is a technique that allows the aerobic degradation of organic waste mixtures, primarily aiming at obtaining compost that can be used as fertiliser or soil amendment. As compared to the typical composting activity, the main difference is not merely the use of more than one feedstock to start and sustain the biodegradation process, but...

The Ultisols in the Raña de Cañamero area in Southwest Spain showed aluminum (Al) phytotoxicity, and the clearance of natural vegetation and decades of intensive conventional agriculture caused the deplation of soil organic matter (SOM). Therefore, we studied the long-term effects of no tillage and liming using sugar beet foam (SF) and red gypsum (...

Nitrification is the microbial conversion of reduced forms of nitrogen (N) to nitrate (NO3-), and in fertilized soils it can lead to substantial N losses via NO3- leaching or nitrous oxide (N2O) production. To limit such problems, synthetic nitrification inhibitors have been applied but their performance differs between soils. In recent years, ther...

Short rotation coppice (SRC) with metal tolerant plants may attenuate the pollution of excessive elements with potential toxicity in soils, while preserving soil resources and functionality. Here, we investigated effects of 6 years phytomanagement with willow SRC on properties including heavy metal levels, toxicity tested by BioTox, microbial bioma...

Abstract. Soil contamination by trace elements (TEs) is a major concern for sustainable land management. One potential source of excessive inputs of TEs into agricultural soils are organic amendments. Here, we use dynamic simulations carried out with the IDMM-ag model to describe observed trends of topsoil Zn, Cu, Pb and Cd concentrations in a long...

The chemical properties, ecotoxicity, and microbiome of leachates from phytomanaged Cu-contaminated soils were analyzed. The phytomanagement was carried out using Cu-tolerant poplar Populus trichocarpa × deltoides cv. Beaupré and black bent Agrostis gigantea L., aided by soil amendments, i.e., dolomitic limestone (DL) and compost (OM), alone and in...

In Mediterranean regions, the accumulation of nitrogenous substrates in soil during summer fallow period has been linked to pulses of N2O emissions upon soil rewetting. Although the mechanisms of N2O emission after soil rewetting have been previously studied, potential mitigation of agronomic practices on N2O pulses is still poorly understood. We s...

Since the advent of sequencing technologies, the determination of microbial diversity to predict microbial functions, which are the major determinants of soil functions, has become a major topic of interest, as evidenced by the 900 publications dealing with soil metagenome published up to 2017. However, the detection of a gene in soil does not mean...

Woodlice and the earthworm alone or in combination were used to improve physical properties, nutrient release, and heavy metals stabilization during composting of sewage sludge. Chemical properties of raw sludge (IS) were compared to those of composted sludge (CS), sludge + earthworms (VS), sludge + woodlice (WS), and sludge + earthworms + woodlice...

BACKGROUND The use of reclaimed dredged sediments as growing media may offer a profitable alternative to their disposal as a waste and at the same time meets the need of peat‐substitute substrates in horticulture. When sediments are reused to cultivate food crops, issues related to human health rise due to potential accumulation of contaminants in...

Interactions between model parameters and low spatiotemporal resolution of available data mean that conventional soil organic carbon (SOC) models are often affected by equifinality, with consequent uncertainty in SOC forecasts. Estimation of belowground C inputs is another major source of uncertainty in SOC modelling. Models are usually calibrated...

The agronomic management of vineyards, aimed at the maximization of grape yields, is intensive and includes repeated tillage, crop residues removal, strict weed and pest control treatments. In viticulture, healthy soils and a suitable climate are the key factors that influence the quality of the produced wine. Even under intensive agronomic practic...

More than 80% of sewage sludge (SS) produced in Iran is landfilled with high environmental impact. The chemical properties of SS produced from wastewater plants of cites of Arak, Isfahan, Kermanshah, Rasht, Saveh, Shiraz, Sanandaj, Tehran, Takestan, and Toyserkan were studied to assess the potential beneficial effects of their application to agricu...

Addition of organic amendments is a common practice to restore fertility and to increase productivity of degraded soils. Long-term effects of this practice on Mediterranean soils are controversial, with previous works showing contrasting results about the durability of the organic material added and its effects on the structure of microbial communi...

Aims Study of the microbial expression profile in the rhizosphere of two contrasting maize lines, differing in the Nitrogen Use efficiency (NUE). Methods The Lo5 and T250 inbred maize characterized by high and low NUE, respectively, were grown in rhizoboxes allowing precise sampling of rhizosphere and bulk soils. We conducted metatranscriptomic of...

Trace elements (TEs) availability, biochemical activity and functional gene diversity was studied in a Cu-contaminated soil, revegetated for six years with a mixed stand of willow, black poplar, and false indigo-bush, and amended or not with compost plus dolomitic limestone (OMDL). The OMDL amendment significantly reduced Cu and As availability and...

Gram-negative bacteria in soil rapidly adapt to various stresses, including nutrient limitation and desiccation, by adopting the viable but non-culturable (VBNC) state as a survival strategy. Due to the physico-chemical and microbiological complexity of soils, little is understood on the effects of nutrient availability and moisture level on the tr...

Aim The rate of nitrate (NO3⁻) uptake and changes in rhizosphere properties were studied growing seedlings of two maize inbred lines differing in nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) in rhizoboxes. Results Changes in NO3⁻ uptake rates occurred in response to anion addition (induction) in seedlings grown both in hydroponic culture and in soil in rhizoboxe...

We studied the rate and environmental risks associated with sediment and water stream pollu-tion by excessive nutrient concentrations caused by runoff and leachate from the municipal sol-id waste composting plant of Sanandaj (Kurdistan, Iran). Sediment and water samples were analyzed for physico-chemical parameters including: sediment particle size...

Incorporation of biochar into agricultural soils has been repeatedly proposed as an effective strategy to mitigate climate change with beneficial effects on soil properties and crop production. Results from previous field experiments showed that, when applied to vineyards, biochar amendment increased yield without a negative impact on grape quality...

We comparatively assessed the effect of modified clays (MCs) (zeolite and bentonite) and nanoparticles (NPs) (ZnO and MgO) on the distribution of cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu), nickel (Ni) and zinc (Zn) fractions in a light-textured soil amended with five sewage sludges (SSs) differed in chemical properties during a 92-day incubation experiment in the...

Tecniche di fitorimedio nella bonifica dei siti contaminati (2017, Rev. 0) Da qui è possibile scaricare il documento preparato dal gruppo di lavoro "Le fitotecnologie nella bonifica dei siti contaminati" nel quale sono trattati, in modo sistematico e multidisciplinare, i più importanti aspetti dell’approccio fitotecnologico per la gestione dei siti...

Gentle remediation options (GRO) are based on the combined use of plants, associated microorganisms and soil amendments, which can potentially restore soil functions and quality. We studied the effects of three GRO (aided-phytostabilisation, in situ stabilisation and phytoexclusion, and aided-phytoextraction) on the soil microbial biomass and respi...

Trace element-contaminated soils (TECSs) are one of the consequences of the past industrial development worldwide. Excessive exposure to trace elements (TEs) represents a permanent threat to ecosystems and humans worldwide owing to the capacity of metal(loid)s to cross the cell membranes of living organisms and of human epithelia, and their interfe...

Dredged sediments have currently no broad reuse options as compared to other wastes due to their peculiar physico-chemical properties, posing p roblems for the management of the large volumes of sediments dredged worldwide. In this study we evaluated the performance of sediment (S) co-composted with green waste (GW) as growing medium for ornamental...

This study was conducted to evaluate short- and long-term effects of poultry and sheep manures, as well as sunflower, canola, and potato residues, which commonly are being used as organic amendments (OAs) in agricultural soils, on the pH value, buffering capacity, and nitrogen (N) turnover of a sub-alkaline agricultural soil using laboratory incuba...

Phytomanagement of trace element-contaminated soils can reduce the soil toxicity and restore the soil ecological functions, including the soil gas exchange with the atmosphere. We studied the emission rate of the greenhouse gases (GHG) CO2, CH4 and N2O, and the potential CH4 oxidation, denitrification activity (DEA) and glucose mineralization of a...

Phosphorus (P) is an essential nutrient required for plant development. Continuous population growth and rising global demand for food are expected to increase the demand for phosphate fertilizers. However, high–quality phosphate rock reserves are progressively becoming scarce. Part of the increased pressure on P resources could be alleviated by re...

Soil is a complex and dynamic biological system, and still in 2003 it is difficult to determine the composition of microbial communities in soil. We are also limited in the determination of microbially mediated reactions because present assays for determining the overall rate of entire metabolic processes (such as respiration) or specific enzyme ac...

Polluted dredged sediments are classified as waste and cannot be re-used in civil and environmental engineering nor in agriculture, posing serious logistical, economic and environmental problems for their management. We tested co-composting of sediments (S) slightly polluted by PAHs with urban green waste (GW), as a sustainable technique to both de...

Biochar may enhance soil fertility and carbon (C) sequestration but there is still a lack of comprehensive understanding of its effects on soil microbial communities and functioning. This study tested the differential effects of two doses (6–8 and 0.8–1.4 t ha−1 for High and Low doses, respectively) of wheat straw gasification biochar (GBC) and fre...

We determined the levels of various heavy metals in water stream and sediments receiving leachate/runoff from open-air windrows of MSW compost plant of Sanandaj, (Kurdistan, Iran) and assessed the related contamination rate and ecological risk by determining the geo-accumulation index (Igeo), contamination factor (CF), ecological risk factor (ER),...

We evaluated the potential of a phytoremediated sediment (TR) dredged from maritime port as peat-free growth substrate for seven ornamental plants, in comparison with an untreated sediment (NT), in a greenhouse experiment. The studied plants were Quercus ilex, Photinia x fraseri, Viburnum tinus, Cistus albidus, Raphiolepis indica, Westringia frutic...

Whole-cell biosensors are natural or engineered microorganisms producing signals in response to specific stimuli. This review introduces the use of whole-cell biosensors for the study of the soil system, discuss the recent developments and some current limitations and draws future prospects of the whole-cell biosensors for application to the study...

The book reports the results of field trials to test the use of river sediments decontaminated through landfarming and phytoremediation techniques for nursery productions carried out within the EU project Cleansed (Innovative integrated methodology for the use of decontaminated river sediments in nurseries and in the construction of roads - 2012-20...

This study was carried out to understand the interplay of plant Nitrogen Utilizing Efficiency (NUE) with protease activity and microbial proteolytic community composition in the rhizosphere and bulk soils. Protease activity, diversity and abundance of protease genes (using DGGE and qPCR respectively of two key bacterial protease encoding genes: alk...

We studied how the Lo5 and T250 maize lines, characterized by high and low Nitrogen Use Efficiency (NUE), respectively, modified the microbial biomass, enzymatic activities and microbial community structure in the rhizosphere after exposure to different N forms. The two maize lines were grown for 4 weeks in rhizoboxes allowing precise sampling of r...

We studied the molecular diversity of β-glucosidase encoding genes, microbial biomass, cellulase, N-acetylglucosaminidase, β-glucosidase, and β-galactosidase activities in the rhizosphere and bulk soil of two maize lines differing in nitrogen use efficiency (NUE). The maize lines had significant differences in diversity of β-glucosidase-encoding ge...

A physical fractionation of a compost obtained by municipal solid wastes (MSW) was conducted by dry-sieving process, to quantify coarse impurities and assess the distribution of nutrients, heavy metals and salinity values in particle size fractions of 2, 1.2-2, 0.8-1.2, 0.4-0.8, 0.2-0.4, 0.1-0.2 and <0.1mm diameter. The whole unfractionated compost...

ABSTRACT The last few decades have seen the rise of Gentle soil Remediation Options (GRO), which notably include in situ contaminant stabilization ("inactivation") and plant-based (generally termed "phytoremediation") options. For trace element (TE)-contaminated sites, GRO aim to either decrease their labile pool and/or total content in the soil, t...

We present the efficiency of phytomanagement solutions implemented at the field plot level in the European network EU FP7 GREENLAND, coupling the management of trace element-contaminated soils by phytoremediation options, the production of plant biomass for non-food use, and ecological restoration of ecosystem services. The trials evaluate the perf...

We studied the responses of soil microbial biomass, respiration and enzyme activities to temperature in three Mexican soils. Soils were incubated at temperature range of 15–550 °C at 50 (wet) and 10 % (dry) of their water holding capacity. Soils were assayed for their adenosine triphosphate (ATP) content, CO2-C evolution and acid and alkaline phosp...

Aims Study of the changes in soil microbial biomass, enzyme activity and the microbial community structure in the rhizosphere of two contrasting maize lines differing in the nitrogen use efficiency (NUE). Methods The Lo5 and T250 inbred maize characterized by high and low NUE, respectively, were grown in rhizoboxes allowing precise sampling of rhiz...

We studied the effects of humic substances (HS) extracted from soil on the identification of the recombinant ovine prion protein (RecPrP) by denaturing (sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis [SDS-PAGE]) and native PAGE (N-PAGE), and mass spectrometry (MS), at various HS to RecPrP contact ratios. The results showed that the conta...

Soil proteomics is facing problems such as low yields of protein extraction from soil and low protein identification rates as compared to theoretical estimates of soil proteome. This work aimed to evaluate the effect of soil-borne humic substances (HS) on the identification of model proteins with different properties, such as myoglobin (Mb), α-gluc...

Termite (Macrotermes spp.) mounds are complex biological habitats originated by the termite activity and possessing peculiar physical, chemical and biochemical properties. In this study we examined the concentration of nutrients and the biochemical activity of abandoned soil and mounds colonized by termites of the genera Macrotermes located in the...

Carbon (C) sequestration in soils through the increase of the soil organic carbon (SOC) pool has generated broad interest to mitigate the effects of climate change. Biosolids soil application may represent a persistent increase in the SOC pool. While a vast literature is available on the value of biosolids as a soil conditioner or nutrient source i...

We studied the effects of humic substances (HS) extracted from soil on the identification of the recombinant ovine prion protein (RecPrP) by denaturing (sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis [SDS-PAGE]) and native PAGE (N-PAGE), and mass spectrometry (MS), at various HS to RecPrP contact ratios. The results showed that the conta...

tComposting and thermal drying are amongst the most commonly used post-digestion processes for allow-ing sanitation and biological stabilization of sewage sludge from municipal treatment plants, and makingit suitable as soil conditioner for use in agriculture. To assess the impact of sludge-derived materials onsoil microbial properties, fresh (LAF)...