Valeria Mezzanotte

Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca | UNIMIB · Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences

The high volumes of wastewater from industrial laundry with known toxicological concerns represent a relevant source of pollution for water bodies. Moreover, the unavailability of a detailed and specific Life Cycle Inventory (LCI) referring to the use of detergent within the laundry system could undermine the overall quality of the environmental as...

This study aims at evaluating the process efficiency of an outdoor pilot-scale microalgae-based wastewater treatment system. Experimental results from two monitoring campaigns were analysed, showing that the system removed on average 85.1 % and 36.2 % of the influent ammoniacal nitrogen and orthophosphate, respectively, with an associated algal pro...

This study aims at evaluating an innovative biotechnological process for the concomitant bioremediation and valorization of wastewater from textile digital printing technology based on a microalgae/bacteria consortium. Nutrient and colour removal were assessed in lab-scale batch and continuous experiments and the produced algae/bacteria biomass was...

Research data produced within the CARIPLO IMAP and Perform Water 2030 projects were processed using the SimaPro software to carry out the Life Cycle Assessment according to ISO 14040-44 of an innovative process of treated effluents’ polishing. The study aims to evaluate the integration of a microalgae culture as a side-stream process into the basel...

The integration of microalgae in the municipal wastewater treatment scheme could certainly be an interesting option to reduce the carbon footprint of the process. The obtained microalgae could be valorized through hydrothermal carbonization (HTC), producing a sorbent material to be used as an alternative to activated carbon. However, HTC of microal...

Water temperature is one of the main abiotic factors affecting the structure and functioning of aquatic ecosystems and its alteration can have important effects on biological communities. Macroinvertebrates are excellent bio‐indicators and have been used for decades to assess the status of aquatic ecosystems as a result of environmental stresses; h...

Microalgae have historically been a subject of great interest in scientific research. However, despite algae can be exploited in many different fields, management and process costs have often slowed down the development of large-scale industrial applications. This review aims to provide an overview of possible improvements in properties and charact...

The integration of microalgae-bacteria consortia within existing wastewater treatment plants as alternative biological treatment could be an interesting option to improve the sustainability of these facilities. However, the fate of the produced biomass is decisive to make that option economically attractive. The present study aimed to valorize the...

The integration of microalgae-bacteria consortia within existing wastewater treatment plants as alternative biological treatment could be an interesting option to improve the sustainability of these facilities. However, the fate of the produced biomass is decisive to make that option economically attractive. The present study aimed to valorize the...

The efficiency of an outdoor pilot-scale raceway pond treating the wastewaters generated by a large-scale piggery farm in Northern Italy was evaluated. The biomass productivity over 208 days of experimentation was 10.7 ± 6.5 g TSS·m⁻²·d⁻¹, and ammoniacal nitrogen, orthophosphate, and COD average removal efficiencies were 90%, 90%, and 59%, respecti...

The results of a first campaign of sampling and analyses of emerging micropollutants in the influent (municipal centrate) and effluent of a pilot MBP raceway are reported. The algal population was chiefly made of Chlorella spp. and the pilot worked satisfactorily for the removal of nitrogen. 14 emerging micropollutants were analysed. Average remova...

Metal-based flocculants are commonly used for biomass harvesting in microalgae-based bio-refineries. Besides the high separation efficiency, additional aspects should be considered, related to the toxicity of metals for the algal biomass. Partitioning tests for commonly used flocculants (i.e., FeCl3 and Al2(SO4)3) showed that metals were mostly tra...

Rivers are characterized by a strong dynamic due to the continuous running water. Riverine biotic communities had to cope with this permanent instability that becomes even greater when high-flow events cause noticeable bedload transport. Primary producers in streams live attached to the substrate and present a colonization pattern strongly related...

Activated carbon pre-treatment was applied to anaerobic digestion effluent in order to reduce the optical density. Up to 78% reduction of OD was achieved suggesting activated carbon pre-treatment a promising tool to increase the light transmission of agricultural digestate. The pre-treated digestate was applied for microalgae cultivation as a so...

The treatability of seven wastewater samples generated by a textile digital printing industry was evaluated by employing 1) anammox-based processes for nitrogen removal 2) microal-gae (Chlorella vulgaris) for nutrient uptake and biomass production 3) white-rot fungi (Pleur-otus ostreatus and Phanerochaete chrysosporium) for decolorization and lacca...

Alpine and pre-alpine lotic ecosystems are often remote and not affected by humans, which makes them some of the world's most pristine ecosystems. However, their status is often altered by the presence of reservoirs that are built to fulfill agricultural needs and hydroelectric demands. These reservoirs also disrupt stream continuity and alter the...

This study investigates the environmental improvements associated to the integration of a microalgae unit as a side-stream process within an existing municipal wastewater treatment facility in northern Italy. Microalgae are fed on the centrate from sludge dewatering, rich in nutrients, and on the CO2 in the flue-gas of the combined heat and power u...

Metropolitana Milanese (MM Spa), the water authority of the city of Milan, has carried out, on both water and sewage networks, installation of new pipelines and rehabilitation of the already existing ones using no-dig technologies, i.e. techniques alternative to open cut excavations. To spread such techniques, having evident advantages with respect...

The role of P content on the treatment and valorization of the liquid fraction of digestate, namely centrate, through microalgae-based technologies was evaluated in this study. The performance of four column photobioreactors, which were fed on diluted centrate with corrected (10 mg N/ mg P) and not modified (129 mg N/ mg P) N:P ratio, were monitore...

Tetraselmis suecica was cultivated in a semi-continuously operated tubular photobioreactor fed on aquaculture wastewater (AW) testing two hydraulic retention times (HRT): 10 and 7 days (RUN_1 and RUN_2, respectively). The integrated mechanistic model BIO_ALGAE was validated with experimental data in order to simulate the biomass production and nutr...

The definition of relationships among the attributes of macroinvertebrate communities and environmental gradients is fundamental to understand ecological dynamics. Testing the response of macroinvertebrate communities and the related metrics to the action of multiple drivers is crucial to provide reliable tools for the management and conservation o...

This study aims at demonstrating the feasibility of using microalgae-bacteria consortia for the treatment of the sidestream flow of the supernatant from blackwater dewatering (centrate) in an urban wastewater treatment plant in Northern Italy. A 1200 L raceway reactor was used for the outdoor cultivation of a diverse community of Chlorella spp., Sc...

This study aimed at evaluating the effects of different environmental conditions (irradiance, temperature, pH and dissolved oxygen) on a microalgae-bacteria consortium cultivated in a pilot-scale open pond and fed on the liquid fraction of anaerobic digestate. A standardized photo-respirometry protocol was followed to evaluate the activity of micro...

Milk whey processing wastewaters (MWPWs) are characterized by high COD and organic nitrogen content; the concentrations of phosphorus are also relevant. A microalgal-based process was tested at lab scale in order to assess the feasibility of treating MWPW without any dilution or pre-treatment. Different microalgal strains and populations were teste...

BACKGROUND Secondary effluent wastewaters still contain resources including water and nutrients that must be safely reused and recovered. In this study, the combined role of microalgae as disinfectant and nutrient removal agents was evaluated for the potential application of a microalgae‐based process as a cost‐effective tertiary treatment. Nutrien...

This study was carried out to assess the efficiency of a pilot-scale bubble-column reactor to remove nitrogen in centrate from the biosolid dewatering of a municipal wastewater treatment plant whilst producing biomass for agricultural purposes. The column was inoculated with a mixed community of Scenedesmus and Chlorella spp. and operated outdoor i...

Background Microalgae‐bacteria based processes are among the most promising low‐cost technologies to treat livestock wastewaters. The current literature reports the need for pretreatment or dilution of piggery wastewater for adequate microalgal growth. The aim of the study is to optimize the potential of microalgal‐bacterial communities to treat un...

In the past 30 years several studies have proved that the rivers flow regime is fundamental in structuring biotic communities. The condition of the ecosystem results from the occurrence of extreme events, such as floods and droughts, but also from habitat availability and from its temporal variation. Describe the relationships between macroinverteb...

Treatment wetlands (TWs) have shown good capacity in dye removal from textile wastewater. However, the high hydraulic retention times (HRTs) required by these solutions and the connected high area requirements, remain a big drawback towards the application of TWs for dye treatment at full scale. Aerated TWs are interesting intensified solutions tha...

This paper addresses the efficiency of a microalgae-based agricultural digestate treatment at pilot-scale in an outdoor raceway pond (880 L, pH-dependent CO2 dosage) and in a bubble column (74.5 L, air-bubbling). Specifically, nitrogen removal, evolution of the algae-bacteria consortium, and the actual process applicability in the Po Valley climate...

The paper reports results of four intensive campaigns carried out on the Seveso River (Milan metropolitan area, Italy) between 2014 and 2016, during intense precipitation events. Laboratory analyses were coupled with on-site, continuous measurements to assess the impact of pollutants on water quality based on both conventional and surrogate paramet...

Respirometric techniques are useful tools to evaluate bacterial activities in activated sludge processes due to their fast execution and the possibility to obtain several kinetic parameters from a single test. Using such techniques in microalgae-bacteria consortia treating wastewater could allow a better understanding of mutual interactions between...

This work concerns the possibility of using phycoremediation of piggery wastewater (PW) in order to remove nitrogen and to send the produced algal biomass to anaerobic digestion. A semi-continuous culturing test was performed in 150 mL glass test tubes (4.5 cm diameter, 20 cm high), in four replicates, and run for 90 days. Light was provided artifi...

The presence of antibiotic resistant bacteria (ARB) in wastewater was investigated and the role of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in promoting or limiting antibiotic resistance was assessed. Escherichia coli (E. coli) and total heterotrophic bacteria (THB) resistance to ampicillin, chloramphenicol and tetracycline was monitored in three WWTPs...

The liquid fraction of digestate produced by agricultural biogas plants is rich in macro and micronutrients that are valuable for the culturing of microalgae. Nonetheless, the high ammonium concentration may cause toxicity and the high optical density may reduce light penetration, negatively affecting the biomass production rate. Dilution with fres...

The toxic effects of five quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs) widely used as active ingredients in personal care products were assessed towards the bioluminescent bacterium Aliivibrio fischeri (Microtox® test system). Experimental results showed a relevant toxicity for almost all of the single QACs, with IC50 values lower than 1 mg L-1. The compar...

The toxic effects of five Quaternary Ammonium Compounds (QACs) that are widely used as active ingredients in personal care products were assessed using the bioluminescent bacterium Aliivibrio fischeri (formerly Vibrio fischeri) (Microtox® test system). The experimental results showed a relevant toxicity for almost all of the single QACs, with IC 50...

Nanoparticles of zero-valent iron (nZVI) represent a promising agent for environmental remediation. This is due to their core-shell structure which presents the characteristics of both metallic and oxidised iron, leading to sorption and reductive precipitation of metal ions. Nevertheless, nZVI application presents some limitations regarding their r...

This paper discusses the possibility of including the culturing of microalgae within a conventional wastewater treatment sequence by growing them on the blackwater (BW) from biosolid dewatering to produce biomass to feed the anaerobic digester. Two photobioreactors were used: a 12 L plexiglas column for in-door, lab-scale tests and a 85 L plexiglas...

The cor­rect de­f­i­n­i­tion of ecosys­tem needs is es­sen­tial in or­der to guide pol­icy and man­age­ment strate­gies to op­ti­mize the in­creas­ing use of fresh­wa­ter by hu­man ac­tiv­i­ties. Com­monly, the as­sess­ment of the op­ti­mal or min­i­mum flow rates needed to pre­serve ecosys­tem func­tion­al­ity has been done by habi­tat-based mod­e...

A constructed wetland system composed of a subsurface flow wetland, a surface flow wetland and a facultative pond was studied from July 2008 until May 2012. It was created to treat the domestic sewage produced by a hamlet of 150 inhabitants. Monthly physicochemical and microbiological analyses were carried out in order to evaluate the removal effic...

Dreissena polymorpha is awidespread ?lter-feeder species, resistant to a broad range of environmental conditions and different types of pollutants,which has recently colonized Italian freshwaters. Althoughwidely used tomonitor pollution in freshwater environments, this species is also an important food source for some ?sh and water birds. It can al...

The impact of prospective climate change on the hydrological and ecological status of the mountain stretch of the Serio river (ca. 300 km 2) in the Northern Italian Alps was investigated. A hydrological model was used to mimic theflow regime, and experimental suitability curves were used to assess weighted usable area (WUA) for brown trout (Salmo t...

The impact of prospective climate change on the hydrological and ecological status of the mountain stretch of the Serio river (ca. 300 km 2) in the Northern Italian Alps was investigated. A hydrological model was used to mimic theflow regime, and experimental suitability curves were used to assess weighted usable area (WUA) for brown trout (Salmo t...

The impact of prospective climate change on the hydrological and ecological status of the mountain stretch of the Serio river (ca. 300 km 2) in the Northern Italian Alps was investigated. A hydrological model was used to mimic theflow regime, and experimental suitability curves were used to assess weighted usable area (WUA) for brown trout (Salmo t...

PAH (Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons) analyses were carried out on samples from two Wastewater Treatment Plants (WWTPs) in Lombardy, similar for treatment sequences but fed on different influents: industrial component accounts for 70% at Alto Seveso plant while it is absent in Nosedo plant. Sampling concerned the influent and the effluent from act...

The metallic element pollution is a serious environmental problem but still unsolved since these contaminants are released mainly by human activity, reaching all the environmental compartments. Traditional wastewater treatment plants are very efficient in removing metallic elements only when their concentration is in the order of mg/L, but are not...

Various factors, such as habitat availability, competition for space, predation, temperature, nutrient supplies, presence of waterfalls, flow variability and water quality, control the abundance, distribution and productivity of stream-dwelling organisms. Each of these factors can influence the response of the density of organisms to a specific env...

The integration of a photobioreactor for algal culture in the process scheme of WWTPs could have positive effects on mass and energy balances. The algal biomass could grow on N rich liquids, such as centrates from sludge dewatering, improving N removal and reducing the overall energy consumption, and then undergo anaerobic digestion generating biog...

Constructed wetlands play an important role in water supply, floodwater retention and nutrient removal, at the same time allowing the restoration of lost habitat and the preservation of biodiversity. There is little knowledge about the biodiversity that can be found in these artificial environments along time, especially at the invertebrate communi...

The paper reports the results of an experiment to assess the feasibility of including a photobioreactor within the design of a wastewater treatment plant, growing microalgae on the centrate from anaerobic sludge dewatering. The growth of algal biomass would take advantage of the available nitrogen and provide a substrate for biogas production by an...

The paper is a review of previous research on secondary effluent disinfection by peracetic acid (PAA) integrated with new data about the effect of a preliminary flash-mixing step. The process was studied at bench and pilot scale to assess its performance for discharge in surface water and agricultural reuse (target microorganisms: Escherichia coli...

The presence of different kinds of leaf packs (native or alien) and environmental gradients can affect the composition and abundance of macroinvertebrate assemblages in freshwater ecosystems, but little is known about the interactive effects. Here, we investigated (1) how environmental gradients could influence leaf packs macroinvertebrates and (2)...

The Lambro-Seveso-Olona (L-S-O) system derives from the human regulation of the natural hydrology of the territory around Milan city area. The average population density in the L-S-O area is among the highest in Italy and Europe. Industry is also highly developed in this basin: chemical, textile, paper, pulp and food industries being the most impor...