Municipal landfill leachates, resulting from the percolation of water through solid waste, are considered one of the types of wastewater with the greatest environmental impact. A combination of biological and physical/chemical methods is usually required for effective treatment of medium-old age landfill leachates. Attractive potential technique are to apply chemical oxidation processes for increasing the biodegradability of recalcitrant pollutants or to employ solar-based AOPs (featured by low energy demand) as a post-treatment after a biological stage which consequently reduce the total treatment operating cost (Oller et al., 2011). In the present work the treatment of a medium-age landfill leachate was investigated by employing a sequencing batch biofilter granular reactor (SBBGR) step with or without ozone enhancement, followed or not by a polishing step with solar photo-Fenton (SphF). Objectives of the investigation were to compare different treatment strategies for optimizing the process, to achieve the lowest operating costs and to reduce the toxicity of the final effluent. These objectives were addressed for two different target COD values, namely 160 and 500 mg L-1, to be met in the final effluent for disposing of to water bodies and to sewers, respectively, requested by Italian environmental regulation. The different treatment strategies have demonstrated to be technically suitable for achieving the requested COD (160 or 500 mg L-1) and the initial toxicity reduction (using four different bioassays) goals. For the COD target of 500 mg L-1, treatment set-ups have comparable cost instead the combination SBBGR/solar photo-Fenton is economically more efficient when the target COD is 160 mg L-1.

The effects of grapemarc distillery effluents on the quality of soil organic matter is extremely important to ensure the environmentallysafe and agronomically efficient use of these materials as organic amendment. In this work, the effects of the application of untreated (UG) and anaerobically digested grapemarc distillery effluents, either added with (AGM) or without mycorrhiza (AG), on soil humic acid (HA) were investigated in field plot experiments in comparison to HAs from a control soil and an inorganic fertilized soil. The humic acid-like fractions (HALs) isolated from UG, AG and soils were characterized for compositional, structural and functional properties by the use of elemental and functional group analysis, and ultraviolet/visible, Fourier transform infrared and fluorescence spectroscopies. Results obtained indicated that anaerobic digestion of effluents produced an extended mineralization with loss of organic C and stabilization of residual organic matter by increasing the content of HALs in the effluent. With respect to control soil HA, HALs isolated from UG and AG were characterized by smaller acidic functional group contents, a prevalent aliphatic character and smaller aromatic polycondensation and humification degrees. The chemical and spectroscopic characteristics of native soil HA were not substantially modified by application of UG, AG and AGM to soil, which suggests the occurred incorporation of the effluent HAL into native soil HA. In conclusion, these results showed the possibility of a beneficial and safe recycling of grapemarc distillery effluents as soil amendment.

The use of mulching films made from non-renewable fossil fuels causes the serious drawback of huge quantities of plastic wastes to be disposed of. Over the last years the growing environmental awareness has prompted researchers to develop a new generation of mulching products starting with raw materials from renewable origin. These materials have to retain their physical and mechanical properties while in use, to be compostable or digestible anaerobically at the end of their life, and to be degradable via micro-organisms into carbon dioxide or methane, water and biomass when integrated directly in the soil. Aim of the research was the development of biodegradable polymeric materials based on hydrolyzed proteins, derived from waste products of the leather industry. Particular attention has been devoted to evaluate the application of such biobased materials in the agricultural practice of mulching. Biobased mulching films were generated in situ by low-pressure spraying of polymeric water dispersion on the soil; the mulches were tested in a Romaine Lettuce Mortarella cultivation inside a greenhouse from November 2013 to January 2014. This paper describes the functionalities of the new bio-based mulching coatings, which were developed and tested in a real scale field cultivation test. During the test in the field, the biodegradable soil mulching materials showed suitable properties for an efficient and profitable use in agriculture. The innovative biodegradable spray coatings lasted in the field up to 2 months. Tests on the lettuce yield and on the properties of the soil under the mulching coatings were carried out. The biodegradable materials could be the environmentally friendly alternatives to synthetic petro-chemical polymers and could contribute to a sustainable agriculture.

The increasing food demand encourages the overuse of agricultural lands and natural resources that often is not economic, social, and environmentally sustainable. This overuse can lead to the soil sickness, which causes the decline of the soil fertility through the development of soil-borne diseases, the depletion of nutrients, and the loss of soil organic matter. Addition of residual biomasses is a good agricultural practice for improving soil properties and enhancing crop production, in the framework of a sustainable development. The study is performed in a 2 years field experiment using olive pomace residues (OPR), composts from municipal solid wastes (CMW), spent mushroom compost (SMC), and livestock manures based compost (BRX) for the fertilization of the potato crop. The aim of the study is to test the impact of different biomasses available in Apulia region, Italy, on soil fertility and potato growth. The application of BRX shows the highest potato yield in both seasons while OPR, CMW, and SMC significantly increases soil total nitrogen and organic carbon compared to BRX and un-amended plots (CON). All treatments, except SMC, reduce the soil exchangeable K content, therefore, the application of BRX, OPR, and CMW should include the use of K based fertilizer to balance the high crop demand of K. Finally, SMC appears the best compromise for managing soil fertility and obtaining high potato yield.

Humic acids are the most active components of soil organic matter and have been shown to have an hormone-like activity thus stimulating plant growth. The objective of this work was to verify the quantitative and qualitative yield responses of the table grape cv. Italia after the application of a humic acid at various phenological stages. The humic acid used in this study has been extracted from a clay soil of the Apulia region and was applied at a concentration of 100 mg L–1 in four different times: pre-bloom (I), full-bloom (II), fruit set (III) and veraison (IV) and in two years, 2007 and 2008. The following parameters were measured at harvesting: berry size, °Brix, pH and titratable acidity. Finally, the °Brix/titratable acidity ratio has been calculated. Soil Plant Analysis Development (SPAD) readings were performed every 30 days up to harvesting time on the leaves of the middle shoots. No statistical differences were observed between the two years for all the parameters examined. The humic acid applied at full-bloom (II) induced a significant increase of berry size (width and weight) and a significant improvement of the other quality parameters (titratable acidity and °Brix/titratable acidity) with respect to the control. This study confirmed that humic acids, if applied at full-bloom, can induce significant increase of qualitative and quantitative parameters in table grape and can find a positive application in an organic and sustainable viticulture.

In the framework of a project aiming to phytoremediate heavy metal contaminated soils in the Apulia region, Southern Italy, a series of greenhouse experiments followed by field trials were performed in order to optimize heavy metal phytoextraction by Brassica napus. The effects of root colonization by Bacillus licheniformis BLMB1 and of addition of municipal solid waste (MSW) composts on the capacity of B. napus to tolerate and accumulate Cr, Cu, Pb and Zn were evaluated. B. napus was able to accumulate high amount of metals in greenhouse conditions, whereas it grew with difficulty or not at all in the open field, and metal accumulation in plant fractions was relatively low. The accumulation of metals in the plant fractions was in the order: Cr>Zn>Cu>Pb. The presence of either compost or B. licheniformis BLMB1 strain enhanced metal accumulation, Cr in particular, in the experimental conditions used. This effect can be useful in the phytoextraction of Cr from contaminated soils. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Greenhouse and field studies were performed to examine the growth responses and possible phytoremediation capacity towards heavy metals of several Brassicaceae (Brassica alba, Brassica carinata, Brassica napus and Brassica nigra) and Poaceae (durum wheat and barley). Soils used featured total concentrations of Cr, Cu, Pb and Zn largely exceeding the maximum levels permitted by the Italian laws. Different organic amendments were tested such as a compost and the plant growth-promoting rhizobacterium Bacillus licheniformis. In the greenhouse experiment, plant length, leaf area index and shoots dry matter were evaluated periodically for the Brassicaceae examined. Whereas plant length, grains production, weight of 1,000 seeds, ear fertility and tiller density were determined under field conditions at the end of the crop cycle for wheat and barley. In general, the species tested appeared to be tolerant to high heavy metal concentrations in soil, and slightly significant differences were found for all parameters considered. A marked growth increase was shown to occur for Brassicaceae cultivated on compost- and bacillus-amended contaminated soils, with respect to non-amended contaminated soils. With some exception, higher growth parameters were measured for wheat and barley plants cropped from contaminated soils in comparison to non-contaminated soils. Further, bacillus amendment enhanced the length of wheat and barley plants in both non-contaminated and contaminated soils, while different effects were observed for the other parameters evaluated.

In the framework of a phytoremediation project in the Apulia region (Italy) a field experiment was carried out in multi-metal contaminated soils. The accumulation and distribution of metals in different plant parts of durum wheat and barley were studied. Further, the application of Bacillus licheniformis strain BLMB1 to soil was evaluated as a means to enhance metal accumulation in plants. The translocation and the bioconcentration factors indicated that wheat and barley do not act as metal accumulators in the field conditions tested, thus phytoextraction by these species would not be recommended as a soil remediation alternative. Application of B. licheniformis improved the accumulation of all metals in roots of wheat and barley, and increased Cd, Cr, and Pb contents in the shoots of barley. Low health risk for humans and animals was evaluated to exist if straw and grain from both cereal crops grown in these contaminated sites are consumed.

A revegetation process of a closed urban solid waste landfill was initiated in 2009 for the environmental restoration of the site. The landfill is located in Foggia district in the North part of the Apulia region. Growth experiments in pots and in open field were carried out on eight plant species in order to select those that could be more appropriate in the particular extreme field conditions (climate, high slope of the walls, bad leachate control). In particular, plant growth was assessed in two different soil types (agricultural and leachate contaminated soil). Among the different species assessed, Pistacia lentiscus L. and Puccinellia borreri. L. were selected because of their performance in the contaminated soil and mostly since they are typical native Mediterranean plant species. Rhizosphere and bulk soil of these two plant species, sampled from the pots, has been characterized by biochemical and molecular methods in order to highlight shift in the composition of the microbial community caused by the presence of leachate. Enzymatic activities (dehydrogenase, fluorescein diacetate hydrolysis, ?-glucosidase and protease) and microbial biomass C were analyzed to evaluate the activity of microbial population of soils. The molecular characterization was carried out by the direct extraction of DNA, gene amplification of the 16S rRNA of the Eubacteria by PCR and specific groups such as the Actinomycetes and Ammonia-oxidizing bacteria. The amplification products were separated by DGGE under appropriate conditions of denaturation and the resulting genetic fingerprinting were analyzed using the software Bionumerics.

The selection of appropriate plant species is critical in the successful application of phytoremediation techniques. The present study is an attempt to assess the capability of three brassicaceae, Brassica alba (L.) Rabenh, Brassica carinata A. Braun and Brassica nigra (L.) Koch, for the phytoextraction of Cr, Cu, Pb and Zn from an unpolluted and polluted silty loamy soil added with either Bacillus licheniformis BLMB1 or compost or both. Experiments were conducted in a greenhouse in pots filled with the soils. In all experiments metals were shown to accumulate in shoots and roots of plants grown on polluted soils, and both compost and B. licheniformis BLMB1 strain were able to enhance the accumulation of metals, especially Cr. In particular, Cr accumulation in B. alba resulted higher than the Cr threshold for hyperaccumulator plants (1000 mg kg−1). This result provides a new plant resource that may have a potential use for phytoextraction of Cr from contaminated soil. However, because of the low bioconcentration factors (b1) for all studied metals, these species cannot be regarded as suitable for the phytoextraction of excessive Cr, Cu, Pb and Zn from polluted soils. Thus, these species may be used with success only for low metal polluted soils.

In Puglia, Italy, deep tillage and rock fragmentation are common agricultural practices to prepare land for vineyards or orchards. Unfortunately, little is known about how these practices influence soil structure and quality. There is a lack of information on the consequences of these practices on the soil fractions coarser than 2 mm, which are known as rock fragments or skeletal material, the focus of this study. Soil samples were obtained from depths of 0-20 and 20–40 cm and analysed for pH, electrical conductivity, total organic carbon, total nitrogen, available phosphorus, and total and active calcium carbonate. For each soil depth, we determined the amount of fine earth and skeletal material by volume. The results indicate that rock fragmentation and ⁄ or deep ploughing cause a major change in soils, leading to the progressive reduction in total organic carbon and nitrogen, and to an increase in total and active calcium carbonate. In addition, there was a marked increase in skeletal material compared to undisturbed soil. The results confirm that rock fragmentation causes significant changes in soil physical properties and greatly increases the amount of skeletal material.