life + 2010

ACTION 1: PROJECT MANAGEMENT

Action A1 focuses on the administrative and financial management of the project.
A1 will set the ground for the coordination of activities and the interaction between partners, establish and maintain links between the project partners and the European Commission.
The technical management will be responsible for monitoring the progress of the project activities outcomes, with emphasis on the project milestones and deliverables.

ACTION 2: MONITORING

M1 Protocol, M6 Timing: analysis and laboratory certificates with indicators of chemical, physical, biochemical and microbiological characteristics of the site before interventions using a methodology that probes a 75X75 m sample on the whole area of and dimensioned plan of the surface. Definition of the quantity of lands and necessary waste, appropriate plant species and soil thickness. Quantitative indicators: 120.000 sq m of soil, 40 cm of soil thickness useful for roots.
M2 Protocol, M8 Timing: analysis and laboratory certificates on lands and waste with an analysis methodology of tal quale, leaching tests, phytotoxicity tests and agronomic analyses. Indicator: environmental and agronomic lands and waste compatibility.
M3 Protocol, M9 Timing: report on compatible lands and waste. Methodology: subdivision of the main soil categories (clay, silt, sand) and waste. Indicator: localization of the origin of 50 different types of waste, lands origin identification.
M4 Protocol, M12 Timing: transfer of recollected lands production matrices. Methodology: transport of matrices on the experimental site. Indicators: transport documents, main matrices heaps (site topsoil, land or similar material, waste)
M5 Protocol, M24 Timing, M36, M48, M50: progression of processed soil samples. Methodology: photographic surveys. Indicator: a decrease in the area of land to be treated.
M6 Protocol, M24 Timing, M36, M48: analysis and laboratory certificates of the evolution of recollected lands. Methodology: pedo-agronomic analyses, techniques, direct shear test, measured resistance to the advancement of the conic tip, moment of resistance to the rotation of a palette, bulk density (method of the die and method of excavation), microscopic and photomicrographs observations, image analysis of thin sections of untainted samples of soil, carbon cycle, stability of soil structure, macro and microporosity and photomicrographs. Indicators: 25-50 meq/100g cation exchange capacity, 1.8 g / kg of organic carbon content, carbon nitrogen ratio 15-20, 80-100 cm thick fertile soil.
M7 Protocol, M36 Timing, M48, M60: monitoring of species development. Methodology: analysis and photographic surveys. Indicator: an increase in species.
M8 Protocol, M60 Timing: methodology applied to different batches with different implantations. Indicator: written report.

ACTION 3: AUDITING

As required by the LIFE + regulation, the M.c.m. coordinator and the partners will appoint independent external auditors with the task of auditing the reports project accounts and verification of submitted reports. All of the above with the aim of certifying compliance with Life + procedures in the inception report where an interim payment is required, and in the final report of the project for the final payment.

ACTION 4: PROJECT WEBSITE

A project website will be set up under the responsibility of M.c.m. It will be divided in two sections, one for the public and the other reserved to the consortium.
The Public Area will include the project presentation, a description of the Consortium, downloadable documents related to the project (press reviews, newsletters, public results). In addition, the public section will contain an area dedicated to all the events and activities organized by the project partners, and that may be of interest to the targeted audiences (seminars, conferences, trade shows, etc.).
The Consortium Area will be accessible only to the partners of the project through a secure access with credentials. It will contain information and documents related to the project about the internal activities and reports.
The site is also linked to the websites of partners: M.c.m., UCSC, Piacenza Province and Piacenza Municipality.

The site will be designed to monitor the project including the project description, detailed information on the project, documentation progress, developments and update in the visual evolution through detailed maps, photographs and videos. The site will be updated and maintained throughout the project cycle.

Videos: experimental site overviews, lots overviews with special attention to the evolution of the colonization of biotic entities in the same lots, the latter will be associated with photographs on the identified species and their correlation in the context of the ecosystem, photographs of thin sections of soil, diagrams on thermal measurements, trend graphs of the main parameters as studied, exposure of some analytical procedures and sampling strictly following the norms. All images and videos will bear the logo of Life +

Maps: maps of the area for each phase of the project progress, connected with photographs regarding the structure of the reconstituted soil.

They will try to extend attention to the site thanks to the multidisciplinarity of the intervention involving related topics such as: soil type, soil degradation, soil protection, agronomy, botany, environmental chemistry, environmental microbiology, industrial ecology, agricultural ecology, reusable waste and other related items in order to extend the interest of specialists.

The site will be updated and maintained throughout the project cycle. It is expected that the site will be accessed by both methodology stakeholders in the European context and local citizenry.

ACTION 5: LIAISING WITH OTHER LIFE+ PROJECTS

Participation in meetings organised by the European Commission and the Italian Ministry for the Environment, and activities in events and exhibitions for LIFE+ programme where it will be possible to liaise with other projects from the same programme.

ACTION 6: DISSEMINATION PLAN BEYOND LIFE+

Creation of a dissemination plan beyond the final report of the project, illustrating how dissemination and communication activities for results will carry on after the project completion.

ACTION 7: RAISING AWARENESS PLAN

The dissemination activities needed to raise the awareness of partners are fundamental to the acceptance and the positive introduction to the project.
The dissemination plan for the project is aimed to distribute the knowledge of concepts and solutions defined by the project itself.
A multi-dimensional approach will follow suit, with the objective of reaching all interested stakeholders: citizens, environmentalists, public and political institutions, companies, the whole scientific community.
More specifically, Piacenza Municipality is willing to involve its CEA department (Centro di Educazione Ambientale - Center for Environmental Education) specialised in documentation and information services related to the dissemination of project experiences in the field of environmental education.
The follow-up activity also includes the involvement of students from primary schools in the phase dedicated to the planting of tree species.
This activity is meant to involve the largest number of citizens possible, where they become an active part of the reintegration and usability of a part of the area.

ACTION 8: SOIL CHARACTERISATION AND PERMIT REQUEST

The preparatory action of M.c.m towards soil characterisation and permit request is necessary to:
- draw up the technical reports needed to the formal screening procedures;
- set up the request for environmental impact assessment procedure and the subsequent communication for the starting of activities;
- provide the necessary information to the most precise intervention possible on the thickness of the recoverable soil;
- acquire parameters about the detailed chemical, environmental and agronomic characteristics of the existing soil to be reused;
- indicate the different thickness of the soil needed to allow an optimal rooting of plants;
determine the exact quantities of material needed for the intervention.


Methods employed:
Multiple samples gathered in percussion die, GPS topographic surveys, a dimensioned drawing of the area, geological technical report, interstitial gas detection, chemical and physical characterization of soil, microbiological and biochemical characteristics of soil.
The reference methodologies will be those reported by the Gazzetta Ufficiale della Repubblica Italiana (physical properties: Supplemento Ordinario 173, 2nd September 1997; chemical properties: Supplemento Ordinario 248, 21st October 1999, and biochemical properties: Supplemento ordinario 61, 13 March 2004) as well as the UNI – UNICHIM – ANPA – ISPRA and ISO ones.

The number of samples to be analysed comes from a 75 x 75 m mesh sampling of the whole area (40 samples).

The parameters on which the study will be carried out describe the physical and chemical characteristics, soil and microbiological soil on site.

Expected results:
D8.1 - Preparation of a summary report for each type of soil, with a detailed thematic mapping of the site containing georeferenced physico-chemical and microbiological data of the soil, sensitivity index to fouling (lc), stability indexes of the structure, the form factor of pores with the relevant environmental and agronomical considerations in relation to the reconstitution treatment to be carried out: M6 – M.c.m.
D8.2 - Determining the exact amount of waste lands necessary for the production of reconstituted soil: M6 – M.c.m.
D8.3 - Determination of the exact amount of land from quarries to be used: M6 – M.c.m.
D8.4 - Determination of the soil thickness to be realised on the basis of the findings: M6 – M.c.m.
DD8.5 - Creating a documented and didactic herbarium of the species that thrived on the backfill to cover the waste. The herbarium will be set up in both printed and electronic form: M6 – UCSC.

ACTION 9: SITE PREPARATION

M.c.m. will prepare the ideal site to allow for the treatment/recovery of the waste to be used in the production of reconstituted lands to attain the environmental recovery of degraded intervention soils through:

- the preparation of internal roads and access;
- fencing, signage and legal information boards bearing the Life logo;
- placing of a movable office (container) with computers, storing furniture, surveillance cameras and entry check;
- placing of equipment container and field instrumentation;
- placing of square area by movable plates of reinforced concrete;
- cement separators for raw material storage;
- placing supply tanks and cisterns; collocation of an energy generator.

The whole area will be fenced in the zones accessible from the outside, the movable office will be placed where the following activities must be carried out: registration activities, sampling of the finished product and of the input matrices, data recording on the area.
The surveillance cameras will be placed above the office. The positioning of the processing basis of the working plant will be placed after the writing of a base of stabilized inert in order to stabilize the area of processing, storage and mixing on which the mobile plant will operate.
All infrastructures will be located in areas fit for the operations of treatment/recovery of waste.
Positioning of the mobile machinery patented and owned by M.c.m., positioning of means for material movement and processing (2 excavators, one purchased by M.c.m and the other rented, plus a rented dumper).
Segmentation of the surface into lots of action: it is expected to divide the area (200,000 m2) in 4 batches each divided into 10 sub-lots. This division will allow a detailed analysis of the responses to experimentation in samples of land subjected to different mixtures of humic / fulvic acids, lands and paper industry sludge, sludge from settling water for the production of drinking and/or industrial water, sewage sludge from hydroelectric upstream dams, lignocellulosic waste from the maintenance of ornamental plants, different arrays of gypsum and silt washing of natural aggregates in order to identify the most appropriate percentages according to the analysis of the responses to the reproduction of species of trees and plants.
The arrangement of plants is identified on the basis of the experiments and the location of land batches, the plant species used in this project – which can be moved in other parts of the area at the end of observations - will be combined with other plants in order to make the coverage of the area under intervention homogeneous.
It is expected that once the first 500 units of planted trees are on site, in relation to the results obtained and the consequent homogeneity, if the result is not aesthetically satisfying and not homogeneous, the partners will - at the proponent’s expense - harmonize the area with additional necessary plantings.

ACTION 10: LAND SEARCH – COMPATIBLE WASTE AND CHARACTERIZATION

The action is required for the realization of suitable blends for the restoring intervention. The research activity is carried out by M.c.m on national territory using part of the company contact network. Later on, in M.c.m. laboratories, researchers will characterize the samples taken for the verification of their environmental eligibility on the basis of the Italian legislation with D. lgs 152 2006 and D.M. 5 February 1998 to verify the relevant agronomic and soil characteristics.
With regard to waste compatible with the intervention, it is important to emphasize that Mc.m. is the owner of an store industrial waste repository that has been implemented and updated since 1997, where is collected all the information regarding each refuse archived, related to the original production activity, the quantity produced, the chemical analyses performed by our laboratory or by other laboratories for analyses, bibliographic information (articles, publications, theses, studies, photographs), miscellaneous information on the industry and industrial process that produced the refuse. From this archive, constantly updated, there is the chance to identify the waste and prospective suppliers.
On the market there are other industries and production or transformation activities that have been contacted in order to perform a search for additional sources of potential waste involved in the project.

A10.1 - Search for land or similar material – M6

. Filling lands
The research of the land compatible with the intervention will be carried out on various mining activities already in the area: borrow pits, quarries of silt and clay ground generally used in the supply of land for the environmental restoration of quarries that require a backfill of the quarry vacuum. These lands need not be superficial land (fertile soil, topsoil) since the intervention of production of reconstituted soil covered by the funding is aimed to produce fertile soil from depleted or sterile soils. The research of soil will then be developed on the land quarries that possess similar grain size and textural nature to the intervention. The quarries subjected to research are the following:

• Caves of land authorized for the extraction of soil silt, clay and sand generally used for filling works, construction of dams, embankments, or the production of bricks.
• Caves of land intended for the implementation of soils for landscape reprofiling.

This research activity of compatible land for the intervention, which continues throughout the project, will be carried out through visits to building sites, sampling and characterization of the land.
Several contacts have already been defined by the company in the course of its activities, therefore the search can be considered already developed on the level of knowledge of the potential land sites for supply.
Given the importance of the project is important to ensure a safe transfer of material during the entire course of activities.


. Topsoil
Project tasks include possible transfers of land originating from topsoil removal activities (related to the removal of the top layers of agricultural land from various interventions). Such soils, generally used in improper filling activities of quarries, will be recycled for the production of reconstituted lands so as to destine them to a more suitable location.
This kind of materials originates from construction activities that cannot be foreseen in the long term, therefore it is impossible to define the quantity nor the number of sites potentially affected.

. Limi produced by the washing of natural aggregates
These materials are produced by the activities of washing gravel, crushed stone and sands before being marketed: they include the unwanted fines (clays, plant frustules, silt, fine sand) for the production activities of concrete and civil engineering activities in kind. Given their characteristics, it is important that their recovery is suitable for a suitable philosophy of re-use for both their qualitative agricultural characteristics, and for their environmental characteristics.

A10.2 – Caratterizzazione delle terre – M8

Le terre e il materiale assimilabile che potrebbero essere utili per la realizzazione della miscela di produzione delle terre ricostituite saranno sottoposte ad una caratterizzazione chimico-ambientale e pedologica.

Il numero di caratterizzazioni previste:

• Terre da riempimento: 20 campioni
• Terre di scotico: 40 campioni
• Limi: 16 campioni

I metodi di caratterizzazione chimico-fisici del suolo con la determinazione parametri finalizzati alla verifica della compatibilità ambientale ed agronomica che verranno usati sono:

1. Analisi sul tal quale
2. Analis test di cessione
3. Analisi agronomiche

Sui lotti verranno effettuati studi riguardanti, la stabilità della struttura del terreno la macro e la microporosità con il calcolo del fattore di forma per evidenziare la regolarità o irregolarità dei pori e la loro evoluzione nel tempo, la suscettibilità all’incrostamento

Metodologia: tecniche di fatturazione, prova di taglio diretto, resistenza misurata all’avanzamento della punta conica, momento resistente alla rotazione di una paletta, densità apparente (metodo della fustella e metodo dello scavo), osservazioni e microfotografie al microscopio ed analisi delle immagini di sezioni sottili di campioni indisturbati di suolo.

A10.3 - Search for compatible waste - M6

The search for compatible waste will be carried out through various productive or service activities such as:

• Stone processing;
• Industrial activities of sugar, alcohol and yeast;
• Mining, processing and cutting of limestone;
• Agri-food industry and wool industry;
• Paper industries;
• Energy recovery plants of biomass, wood and paper sludge;
• Electricity production;
• Maintenance of public and private parks, municipal waste management;
• Production of drinking water and industrial water;
• Dredging from freshwater bodies (dams, hydroelectric power plants);
• Gasification of wood (biochar)

A10.4 – Waste characterization – M8

Any refusal shall be subjected to checks complying with the legal limits on the parameters provided, in order to decide which can potentially be included in the project operations; after the verifications needed according to the law, a test of phytotoxicity must be carried out (specially modified in order to be representative for the intervention) so as to identify the presence of potential pollutants not considered by legislation, but also to locate the mixing proportion for the production of the reconstituted lands. To identify the product characteristics related to the production of the lands, the project plans to carry out the chemical-agronomic analysis useful for taking decisions in terms of management and production. The approximate number of characterizations amounts to 50: it can be presumed a number of 50 different waste types involved in the operations, the majority of the environmental and agronomic characterizations will be carried out at the initial stage because a lot of waste that can be used are already available to be subjected to the activity proposed, therefore it can be estimated an initial characterization activity of about 30 different types of residues that could potentially be used for the intervention.

ACTION 11: ON SITE TOPSOIL – LAND AND WASTE RECYCLING

The operation required for the production of reconstituted land and performed on site by M.c.m is preliminary to the production of the reconstituted land by preparing the three main matrices that compose it.

A11.1 On site topsoil removal

The removal of part of the covering topsoil on site is carried out by means of a tracked excavator equipped with signal levels for the removal of the soil according to the quota determined by listed soil surveys, and with the help of dump trucks for transportation of the land at the mobile production plant. It consists of a clearly identified mound. The operation is repeated cyclically throughout the intervention.

A11.2 - Recycling of land or similar material

The lands will be gathered by transport means in the storage area with the creation of a suitable pile for the intervention of a limited number of sub-lots, waiting to be destined to support the plant or to be premixed before being subjected to treatment. The number of loads will be managed based on the mixing defined by the daily programs. The operation is repeated cyclically throughout the intervention.

A11.3 - Recycling of waste

The waste will be gathered by transport means in the storage area with the creation of matrices differentiated piles, waiting to be destined to support the plant. The number of loads will be managed based on the mixing defined by the daily programs. The operation is repeated cyclically throughout the intervention.

ACTION 12: RECONSTITUTED LANDS: PRODUCTION, MONITORING AND PLACEMENT

M.c.m is in charge for this action, using the patented methodology on the production plant of reconstituted lands (in accordance with the D.M. 5 February 1998) and is aimed to obtain the finished product (reconstituted lands) in variable mixtures of matrices. All operations are carried out in such a way as to ensure the traceability of the materials from which the finished product is originated in order to be placed in different sub-lots and then individually examined.
As part of the operations referred to in the D.M. 5 February 1998, it is possible to use the system which has already been approved by the Province, according to the Determinazione Dirigenziale n.1492 of 20/07/2010.

A12.1 - Production of reconstituted lands

The system is powered by the matrices recycled and described in the actions already described, and ensures the premix, additivation with humic / fulvic acids, disintegration, the subsequent mixing and the final reconstitution of the pool of soil thus creating the finished product called reconstituted land. Mixtures of feed for the production of reconstituted lands will be differentiated in percentage in the various components and attentively monitored in order to manage each sublot according to the different matrices.

A12.2 - Characterization of the finished product (reconstituted lands)

These operations fall into the category of monitoring activities because they allow the environmental and agronomic quality verification of the finished product (reconstituted lands). They are also the testing basis to check the evolution of materials involved throughout the operation (these changes are related to the traceability of the mounds, since each analyzed pile will be univocally placed in a specific geo-referenced area).
The reconstituted lands produced by the plant will be characterized before being re-allocated.
4 lots have been defined, subdivided into 10 sub-lots from 0.5 ha (5,000 m2).

These analyses are to be considered the starting point for the successive analytic checks of reconstituted lands located in the lots.

A12.3 - Placement of the finished product

From the plant, a conveyor belt sends the finished product to an area of accumulation (storage area) where the reconstituted land is subsequently removed with suitable means to be further placed in the degraded area. The accumulation of the final product is necessary for the quality control of the reconstituted lands before being placed in the field.
The method developed is the production of reconstituted lands from degraded - desertified land. The action allows for an accurate control of the type of reconstituted soil produced: such control helps to trace the material univocally with its physical and chemical characteristics and soil conditions.
The action allows for the final settlement of the degraded area by predisposing it to agricultural production or green renovations.

Expected results:
D12.1 - Production of different reconstituted lands: M11 - M.c.m.
D12.2 - Characterization of the different lands and elaboration of a summary report for each typology: M12 - UCSC
D12.3 - Placement of reconstituted lands: M13 - M.c.m.

ACTION 13: MONITORING RECONSTITUTED LAND ON SITE – DEVELOPMENT OF PLANT SPECIES

After the characterization of the finished product, monitoring operations will be carried out with the objective of describing the evolution of the finished product placed on the field. Such investigations will affect in particular the environmental impact and the pedo-agronomic aspects of soils. In addition, specific controls will be carried out on the colonization of batches considering the microbiological aspects such as bacteria, algae, fungi, on the development of spontaneous biological entities and of different species of trees that will be planted in order to observe the adaptability of species and offer valuable elements for applied assessments in the field of the re-naturalization of degraded areas.

ACTION 14: PLANTING TREE SPECIES

Appropriate tree species will be purchased in forest nurseries and placed on each sublot.
It is expected to involve primary school students in the planting process of tree species.
In order to determine both the appropriate tree species and their cost we contacted the Consorzio Parco Regionale Boschi di Carrega (included in the circuit of Emilia Romagna regional parks) available for the sale of young bare-root plants and trees in tubs, and to give advice on species belonging to native species of trees and shrubs from local reproductive material that are suitable for afforestation on the hills and plains along river banks.
Currently there is no specific reference to the species and their location, nor whether they are adaptable to the final destination because this process needs a binding opinion of the Committee of Parco Regionale Fluviale of Trebbia river established by the Legge Regionale (Emilia Romagna) November 4, 2009 and published in Bolletttino Ufficiale n.186 – parte prima n.30, which was set up in February 2011.

That committee aims to: preserve biological diversity, protect and recover hydraulic equilibrium, protect and enhance the landscape, recover marginal areas and degraded environments.

The planting of plant species will be carried out through different procedures, with attention to the period. Volunteers will use seeds, acorns, cuttings and plants of known provenance keeping in mind the principles of biodiversity (and the erosion of biodiversity). Therefore, priority will be given to propagating material of local origin in relation to the characteristics of adaptability, resistance to pests also in order to reduce interference with the study and the control on the project.

ACTION 15: MONITORING TREE SPECIES

The monitoring on the development of plant species will be followed periodically in order to describe the colonization which will settle on positioned reconstituted soils, these periodic measurements of biological botanical entities will affect the recognition of algae, Diatomeae, lichens, fungi, bryophyte and any chromophyta growing on experimental plots.