Papers by Claudio Mondini
Restoration Ecology, 1999
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Journal of Environmental Management, 2016
We investigated the use of biochar (10% on a dry weight basis) to improve the composting process ... more We investigated the use of biochar (10% on a dry weight basis) to improve the composting process and/or the compost quality by adding it to either the feedstock mixture or the mature compost. The addition of biochar to the feedstocks was essayed in a full scale trial using a mixture of green waste and the organic fraction of municipal solid waste. Addition of biochar to mature compost was performed in a medium scale experiment. The use of biochar, even in small amounts, changed the composting process and the properties of the end products. However these effects depended on the time of application. We observed a faster decomposition in the bio-oxidative phase and lower greenhouse gas emissions when biochar was added at the beginning of the composting process, and a reduction in readily available P when biochar was applied during compost storage. Biochar as a means to increase the C content of the compost was only effective during compost storage. The P fertilizer replacement value of the compost with and without biochar was tested in a plant trial with annual ryegrass. While there was a clear effect on readily available P concentrations in the compost, adding biochar to the feedstock or the compost did not affect the P fertilizer replacement value.
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Zeitschrift für Pflanzenernährung und Bodenkunde, 1993
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Zeitschrift Fur Pflanzenernahrung Und Bodenkunde, Apr 1, 1996
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Nutr Cycl Agroecosyst, 1992
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Journal of Plant Nutrition and Soil Science
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Intensive horticulture causes a high soil organic matter (SOM) mineralization which must be balan... more Intensive horticulture causes a high soil organic matter (SOM) mineralization which must be balanced by a sufficient organic input to maintain soil fertility. A tria! involving soil amendment was initiated on Aprii 2013 in tunnels cropped with rocket (Diplotaxis tenuifolia DC.) and basi! (Ocimum basi/icum L.) on a soil with sandy-clay texture and SOM content of 0.9%. The organic amendments were: biowaste compost (C/N = 16), olive pomace compost (C/N = 30), olive pomace compost (C/N = 11) and manu re (C/N = 15). Every organic amendment was annually distributed in two doses: 15 and 30 ton ha-1 fresh matter. Organic matter content, microbial biomass (as dsDNA) and 8 enzyme activities involved in C, N, P and S cycles (utilising a high-throughput fluorimetric assay) were performed 4 months after the second amendment occurred on June 2014. The results of the first sampling showed no increase of organic matter, but a significant enhancement of microbial biomass and enzyme activities in plo...
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Fresenius Environmental Bulletin
In this study we provided information about the fate of hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) in soil and ... more In this study we provided information about the fate of hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) in soil and the effect exerted by Cr(VI) towards native soil microbial biomass. Our results indicate that soil attenuates the occurrence of Cr(VI) at a relatively fast rate - Cr(VI) reduction was almost complete in about two weeks. Microbial biomass size (microbial biomass carbon, MBC) and activity (as CO sub(2)-C evolution and enzymatic activities) were both affected by the presence of Cr(VI) in soil and did not fully recover concurrently with hexavalent chromium's complete disappearance. The addition of Cr(VI) to soil significantly reduced the arylsulphatase activity, which remained significantly impaired throughout the duration of the experiment and did not recover to initial values indicating its putative susceptibility towards the presence of Cr(III), too. beta -glucosidase activity, on the other hand, was much less affected by presence of Cr(VI) in soil and the adverse effect of chromium d...
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Fresenius Environmental Bulletin
In this study the influence of iron sulphate (FeSO4) on the dynamics of Cr(VI) – Cr(III) reductio... more In this study the influence of iron sulphate (FeSO4) on the dynamics of Cr(VI) – Cr(III) reduction in Cr(VI) spiked soil was evaluated, together with the concomitant assessment of the effect of the different treatments on soil microbial biomass size and activity. The results indicate that during the incubation period, the concentration of Cr(VI) in soil decreased over time, thus evidencing a natural attenuation capacity of soil towards chromate reduction. However, soil microbial biomass and respiration rate were both negatively affected by the presence of Cr(VI), and did not recover during the experiment. Soil amendment with FeSO4 increased the Cr(VI) reduction rate and mitigated its negative effect towards soil microbial biomass and activity.
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Environmental Chemistry Letters, 2015
ABSTRACT There is actually a common consensus in using biological technologies for the treatment ... more ABSTRACT There is actually a common consensus in using biological technologies for the treatment of organic wastes. For instance, composting is used for aerobic biological stabilisation of organic wastes. The amount of materials and the variety of wastes composted are increasing. However, composting is inherently a process generating gaseous emissions. Greenhouse gases (GHG) such as carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide from compost are of special relevance for global warming. Although a part of these gases is inherent to the process, another important part can be abated by low-cost biological technologies such as biofiltration and its variations. This article reviews the emission of GHG from composting gases, from detection and measurement to minimisation and abatement. Special emphasis is given to the measurement of GHG to obtain reliable emission factors for the different composting technologies. These factors will help to compare different waste treatment options based on overall analysis tools such as life cycle assessment. A specific chapter is related to carbon and nitrogen dynamics in the composting matrix, and their consequences on the production of carbon and nitrogen gases. Finally, we present a review of the best available practices to minimise the GHG emissions from composting and the final treatment of composting offgases.
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Developments in Plant and Soil Sciences, 1999
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Environmental Chemistry for a Sustainable World, 2015
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Chemical Speciation and Bioavailability, 2013
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Talanta, 2010
An automated dynamic closed chamber system for CO(2) sampling and analysis was developed for the ... more An automated dynamic closed chamber system for CO(2) sampling and analysis was developed for the measurement of soil respiration under laboratory conditions. The system is composed by a gas chromatograph linked to a fully computerised sampling system composed by 16 sample jars and 2 multiposition valves. Besides CO(2), the system can automatically and simultaneously measure CH(4), N(2)O and other gases of environmental interest. The detection limits of the system for CO(2), N(2)O and CH(4) were 2, 1 and 4ppmv, respectively. The accuracy of the system, expressed as percent bias, was -0.88, -0.94 and -3.17% for CO(2), N(2)O and CH(4), respectively, with relative standard deviation of 0.42, 0.68 and 0.61%. Measurement of CO(2) evolved following acidification of a known amount of reagent grade CaCO(3) showed a standard recovery of 96.8+/-2.5% reached within 30s after acidification. A linear response of CO(2) respiration was obtained for a wide range of operative conditions (5-60min accumulation time, 10-80g soil sample size, 10-60mLmin(-1) air flow rate, 15-25 degrees C temperature of incubation) demonstrating the flexibility of the system, which allows for the measurement of soil samples characterised by different rates of gas evolution. Moreover, the results obtained with soil samples showed that within the above conditions the proposed system is not affected by potential limitations of static closed chamber systems such as CO(2) dissolution in the soil solution, reduced rate of CO(2) diffusion from soil to headspace and CO(2) inhibition of microbial activity. The system was also capable to detect significant changes in N(2)O emissions from soil amended with different amounts of glutamic acid. The automatic and frequent measurements provided by the system make possible an accurate description of the dynamics of gas evolution from soil samples under laboratory conditions.
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Sequential samples of a composting process were stored under different conditions (4 °C, air dryi... more Sequential samples of a composting process were stored under different conditions (4 °C, air drying, -20 °C, and lyophilised) and compared to fresh samples to infer possible effects on the DNA extracted for microbial community analysis. After direct extraction of total microbial DNA, and nested PCR-amplification of the 16S rDNA genes with universal primers, the different fragments were sep- arated in a denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE). The comparison of the microbial fingerprint patterns of fresh, medium and mature compost revealed a high similarity of samples with the same age, independent of the type of storage. Neither simple air dry- ing, freezing nor lyophilisation of samples appeared to change the quality of DNA extracted for molecular analysis. Due to that fact, simple air drying can be seen as a cheap and appropriate method for the conservation of compost samples for DNA-based community analysis.
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Papers by Claudio Mondini